Darth Vader #8 ("The Dying Light" Part 2)

Darth Vader #8 marks the second chapter of "The Dying Light" where we are introduced to the Inquisitors, fallen Jedi who are led by Darth Vader as they hunt down the survivors of the Jedi purge. We get to see the grand Inquisitor from Star Wars Rebels as well as a few more of them that have appeared on the show too. They're hunting for the Jedi librarian and custodian of the Jedi Archives  Jocasta Nu (first seen in Episode II), who is in hiding on a remote planet. With the extensive knowledge that she has, she is one of the final steps on the path to eradicating the Jedi forever.

From the beginning this series has been the best Marvel has to offer. From the first volume (by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca), it has been a fascinating look into Darth Vader's inner thoughts and motivations. We learned a lot about him without his character feeling watered down because we now "know too much". Volume 2 is continuing this tradition, but the art gets much higher marks this time around. Giuseppe Camuncoli is an extremely talented artist, His artwork is very detailed and stylized, and the style never detracts from the story. Emperor Palpatine looks perfectly diseased, wrinkled and creepy. A great image opens the issue, of Vader choking a subordinate, while Palpatine looks on. This is exactly the kind of art style I wish the main Star Wars series adopted. I believe that the heavily photo-referenced art of Larroca will not stand the test of time like Camuncoli's will.

The story itself continues along at a good pace, and its a fascinating one so far. Charles Soule is good at intertwining bits of lore from other comics, including his own "Lando" miniseries from a couple years back. Jocasta Nu sneaks into the Jedi temple on Coruscant to access a hidden vault of artifacts that only she knows the location of (so far...). In the Lando miniseries we got to see Palpatine's hoard of Jedi and Sith artifacts aboard his personal yacht, the Imperialis. Among the items we saw was a seemingly possessed Mandalorian helmet, which appears here in Jocasta's vault alongside a collection of other goodies like holocrons.

We're also treated to a glimpse of what Vader is thinking of as he meditates. Bravo to Camuncoli for the surreal and thought provoking art across those two pages. Suitable for framing. We have never (or very infrequently) seen things like this in Star Wars comics.

This current run of Darth Vader is a must read, its the best Star Wars comic going right now. The story is compelling and the artwork is top drawer stuff. Kudos to Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli for delivering a series that is a total package.