![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gffaღ - Now that Dark Lord of the Sith has finished and the holiday season business is winding down, it's time to get back to organizing + archiving some meta as best I can! And just being more social!
ღ - In that vein, I'm always looking for podcast recs, though, I often have trouble articulating what I like when I listen. Currently, my favorites are Oh No Ross and Carrie (a perpetual favorite, but I've been listening again and it's delightful as always, the hosts are such good spirited people and it's a great mix of skeptic investigation and just a good old time!) and Cold (a true crime podcast focused on the case of a woman who went missing and it's basically assumed the husband killed her, but since everyone is dead now, they can't really prove it, and it's pretty engrossing so far).
Now I'm curious what everyone else listens to!
ღ - DARTH VADER: DARK LORD OF THE SITH #1
Early issues weren't as thoroughly meta'd about as later issues will be, but that'll pick up around #5, which was when the series went from fun to great for me and really put the structure of it in place. Ie, that Anakin Skywalker was in deep denial no matter how hard the Force tried to scream in his face that he was doing this all wrong.
I have mixed feelings about this whole scene. On the one hand, the juxtaposition of showing the Empire saying the Jedi were evil and tyrannical is used to show that that’s a bunch of lies and propaganda, that what the Sith did to the Jedi was just that much more horrible. They’re literally taking these crystals, which Palpatine says are alive, and pouring pain into them until they bleed. They’re so cruel that they take innocent things, which were so vibrant and alive before, and hurt them to make them into weapons.
It's absolutely something the Empire and the Sith would do.
But it's also just so completely Over The Top Evil that I kind of roll my eyes at this becoming canon again. It was mentioned in the Ahsoka novel and now it’s been put into this comic, so it seems like it’s definitely something the storygroup approved of, but it’s just so... ham-fisted at times.
Idk, but maybe that’s the point, that the Empire is nothing but pain and anger that has consumed them, that that’s what happens when you become that selfish and uncaring of others. You hurt everyone and everything around you, you pour so much vicious anger and hate into it that you make it bleed.
[original post]
I REALLY LOVED THIS MOMENT. It’s the moment that makes the most sense with Vader’s character--he believes in the Empire, in bringing order to chaos, in making people do what’s necessary. Throughout the entirety of Star Wars, that has been central to understanding Vader and why he follows the Emperor, not just because he’s an evil person or a villain.
But because that has always been what Anakin Skywalker has believed. He has always wanted someone strong to follow who will bring order to the chaos of the galaxy.
And Palpatine knows exactly how to use it, what to say to make Vader fall in line again.
[original post]
I had a good chat with @fireflyfish about this issue and it clarified a lot of feelings I had about it. SPOILERS abound, of course!
I talked about the things I liked (Vader’s desire to follow and that Palpatine knew it + the creeping horror of what was done to the Jedi and the nature of anger and hate), but those were about the only two things I really found to talk about.
Because there’s not really much else to this first issue. It’s a series that’s about Vader’s early steps, the immediate aftermath of ROTS when he’s figuring himself out and his place in the galaxy. But we get absolutely nothing of what’s going on in his head–it’s difficult, I know! Gillen did a fantastic job and this series feels very much like it’s trying to echo that same sense of heavy, oppressive silence in Vader that worked so well for that series! It seems to be trying to capture the same feeling that Vader Down had, with that incredible scene of him in the desert, going after people he’s going to mow down!
But that Vader and this Vader are in very different places in their lives. This is a Vader who is going through a massive upheaval in his life, but we get nothing of what he’s thinking. We briefly see him think of Padme, when he was choking her, but Vader expresses no regret for his (presumed) role in her death. You would think, okay, he’s just been told by Sidious that he’s responsible for his wife’s death, “in your anger, you killed her”, that would be a major thing on his mind! But we get nothing of it. And nothing is mentioned of Padme at all after those first few pages.
Granted, it’s difficult to get into Vader’s head, especially a character that’s been burned to ash inside and out in this moment, so a novel maybe would have worked better for me. Except we already have Lords of the Sith, which came out in 2015, so it’s still Disney canon. But, hey, I get it, novels and comics aren’t really the same thing and they wanted this comic! I’m not opposed to going back over the same ground, especially on a character I like as much as I like Anakin Skywalker!
But I know nothing more about him after reading this issue than I did when I started. I know almost nothing of what he’s going through and when the whole point of the comic was supposed to be about the early days of Vader, that leaves me feeling pretty lackluster. I can see the point that he’s not really thinking much of anything, he’s sort of mindless with pain and grief, he’s just numb to everything but the cold that’s taken root in him. Of course he doesn’t say much, there’s nothing left in him at this point! But that doesn’t really work for a first issue, where you have to get me invested in this take on the character.
The art was nice, certainly above average for comics (the coloring was especially good looking!) but I can’t say it felt inspired or elevated the story beyond what feels like not much at all. It’s got some really great atmospheric shots (I liked the image of him walking out into the desert, as I’ve used above!), but it doesn’t tell me anything.
The comic is far from bad, I will absolutely be picking this up again next month! There’s potential here that I can see coming into focus and I very much hope that it picks up steam! But, as a first outing, it left me feeling underwhelmed.
[original post]
ღ - In that vein, I'm always looking for podcast recs, though, I often have trouble articulating what I like when I listen. Currently, my favorites are Oh No Ross and Carrie (a perpetual favorite, but I've been listening again and it's delightful as always, the hosts are such good spirited people and it's a great mix of skeptic investigation and just a good old time!) and Cold (a true crime podcast focused on the case of a woman who went missing and it's basically assumed the husband killed her, but since everyone is dead now, they can't really prove it, and it's pretty engrossing so far).
Now I'm curious what everyone else listens to!
ღ - DARTH VADER: DARK LORD OF THE SITH #1
Early issues weren't as thoroughly meta'd about as later issues will be, but that'll pick up around #5, which was when the series went from fun to great for me and really put the structure of it in place. Ie, that Anakin Skywalker was in deep denial no matter how hard the Force tried to scream in his face that he was doing this all wrong.
I have mixed feelings about this whole scene. On the one hand, the juxtaposition of showing the Empire saying the Jedi were evil and tyrannical is used to show that that’s a bunch of lies and propaganda, that what the Sith did to the Jedi was just that much more horrible. They’re literally taking these crystals, which Palpatine says are alive, and pouring pain into them until they bleed. They’re so cruel that they take innocent things, which were so vibrant and alive before, and hurt them to make them into weapons.
It's absolutely something the Empire and the Sith would do.
But it's also just so completely Over The Top Evil that I kind of roll my eyes at this becoming canon again. It was mentioned in the Ahsoka novel and now it’s been put into this comic, so it seems like it’s definitely something the storygroup approved of, but it’s just so... ham-fisted at times.
Idk, but maybe that’s the point, that the Empire is nothing but pain and anger that has consumed them, that that’s what happens when you become that selfish and uncaring of others. You hurt everyone and everything around you, you pour so much vicious anger and hate into it that you make it bleed.
[original post]
I REALLY LOVED THIS MOMENT. It’s the moment that makes the most sense with Vader’s character--he believes in the Empire, in bringing order to chaos, in making people do what’s necessary. Throughout the entirety of Star Wars, that has been central to understanding Vader and why he follows the Emperor, not just because he’s an evil person or a villain.
But because that has always been what Anakin Skywalker has believed. He has always wanted someone strong to follow who will bring order to the chaos of the galaxy.
And Palpatine knows exactly how to use it, what to say to make Vader fall in line again.
[original post]
I had a good chat with @fireflyfish about this issue and it clarified a lot of feelings I had about it. SPOILERS abound, of course!
I talked about the things I liked (Vader’s desire to follow and that Palpatine knew it + the creeping horror of what was done to the Jedi and the nature of anger and hate), but those were about the only two things I really found to talk about.
Because there’s not really much else to this first issue. It’s a series that’s about Vader’s early steps, the immediate aftermath of ROTS when he’s figuring himself out and his place in the galaxy. But we get absolutely nothing of what’s going on in his head–it’s difficult, I know! Gillen did a fantastic job and this series feels very much like it’s trying to echo that same sense of heavy, oppressive silence in Vader that worked so well for that series! It seems to be trying to capture the same feeling that Vader Down had, with that incredible scene of him in the desert, going after people he’s going to mow down!
But that Vader and this Vader are in very different places in their lives. This is a Vader who is going through a massive upheaval in his life, but we get nothing of what he’s thinking. We briefly see him think of Padme, when he was choking her, but Vader expresses no regret for his (presumed) role in her death. You would think, okay, he’s just been told by Sidious that he’s responsible for his wife’s death, “in your anger, you killed her”, that would be a major thing on his mind! But we get nothing of it. And nothing is mentioned of Padme at all after those first few pages.
Granted, it’s difficult to get into Vader’s head, especially a character that’s been burned to ash inside and out in this moment, so a novel maybe would have worked better for me. Except we already have Lords of the Sith, which came out in 2015, so it’s still Disney canon. But, hey, I get it, novels and comics aren’t really the same thing and they wanted this comic! I’m not opposed to going back over the same ground, especially on a character I like as much as I like Anakin Skywalker!
But I know nothing more about him after reading this issue than I did when I started. I know almost nothing of what he’s going through and when the whole point of the comic was supposed to be about the early days of Vader, that leaves me feeling pretty lackluster. I can see the point that he’s not really thinking much of anything, he’s sort of mindless with pain and grief, he’s just numb to everything but the cold that’s taken root in him. Of course he doesn’t say much, there’s nothing left in him at this point! But that doesn’t really work for a first issue, where you have to get me invested in this take on the character.
The art was nice, certainly above average for comics (the coloring was especially good looking!) but I can’t say it felt inspired or elevated the story beyond what feels like not much at all. It’s got some really great atmospheric shots (I liked the image of him walking out into the desert, as I’ve used above!), but it doesn’t tell me anything.
The comic is far from bad, I will absolutely be picking this up again next month! There’s potential here that I can see coming into focus and I very much hope that it picks up steam! But, as a first outing, it left me feeling underwhelmed.
[original post]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-29 02:25 am (UTC)Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad my view of Anakin works for you! I've certainly spent enough time thinking about that garbage bag to have at least a strong view of him. ^_~
And I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Darth Vader vol 1 and will be curious to see how you feel about more comics in the future! ♥
no subject
Date: 2018-12-29 11:39 am (UTC)Heee Well like I said, you get him so well!
Thanks! I read the second Vader volume after doing that and I’m gonna read Vader Down after reading the Star Wars issues leading to it. But there was a lot to love in it.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-01 11:24 am (UTC)With The Magnus Archives I like them, because the episodes are pretty short (I want to say 15-20 minutes at most? for the majority of them) and they're self-contained in the beginning, so they're easy to pick up or put down, depending on how you feel.
You know, once upon a time, I felt like Darth Vader was overdone as a character, but I really think having Anakin Skywalker's backstory and seeing that character under the mask, has really helped me find him more interesting? That and the story being REALLY SUPER CLEAR "no, this guy may be a badass and terrifying, but he is also a pathetic monster you're supposed to pity". THAT IS MY JAM.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-01 11:59 am (UTC)I get what you mean, sometimes horror stuff doesn’t quite work when you can’t see what’s going on.
Short is always good! I’m gonna try listening one morning, but I haven’t had chance yet hee.
Yeah that’s all true! The thing for me is, I never found him all that scary as a villain in the OT, partly because he was more likely to kill a subordinate than anyone else. The last scene of him in Rogue One is the scariest he’s been in the films I think.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-02 02:58 am (UTC)I think I found Vader scary as a villain in the OT, but I never really had any feelings about him, he was just sort of a blank slate to me. I was far more interested in Luke and Leia, their relationship with him was interesting to me only in how they felt about him.
It took the prequels + The Clone Wars, but most especially Revenge of the Sith for me to have feelings about Anakin Skywalker for himself. And even then I really didn't care that much about the Vader parts of his life until this comic and all the connections it drew between Vader and Anakin, so that they were inseparable in my mind. We've always known it, of course, but this comic really did the heavy lifting of showing Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker, forever and ever, and so it drew all these things together.
While I don't find Vader as terrifying in the OT (partly because he never really hurts people on the same level as Anakin did to children in the PT and that hallway scene in Rogue One) what I love about this comic is that it's the pathetic monster of the OT and the depressed idiot who made all the wrong choices of the PT and that scary bastard from Rogue One. He is all of those things in this comic and I think that's why I'm suddenly a thousand percent more interested in Vader than I ever was because of this series.
Yeah, sure, a lot of things were really cool about this comic, lots of good structure and gorgeous art and badass moments! But the psychology of Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, in showing how he is all of those things at once, is the most intensely cool thing about it.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-02 09:41 pm (UTC)It sounds like the comic has gotten his character so well to be all those things!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-04 07:01 am (UTC)In other words: Take all my enthusiasm with a grain of salt, a lot of what got me is that the comic hit my iddy wants just perfect and gave me what I was craving, so I was always going to be over the moon for it. XD
no subject
Date: 2019-01-04 10:05 am (UTC)Oh of course! I get that