2023-07-12 – DARTH VADER #36 hits comic shops – check out the preview!

DARTH VADER #36 cover by Leinil Yu and Sunny Gho featuring Vader holding a jagged shield and electro staff, with Doctor Aphra standing beside him and the evil droids Triple Zero and Beetee-One in the background.

DARTH VADER #36 hits comic book shops on Wednesday, July 7, and you can  check out the lettered preview at Comic Book Dispatch!

The book was written by Greg Pak (hey, that’s me!) with line art by Raffaele Ienco, colors by Federico Blee, letters by Joe Caramagna, and a cover by Leinil Yu and Sunny Gho. Here’s the official solicit:

DEATH BY DROID! With his Force powers still out of control, Darth Vader’s more powerful and vulnerable than ever before… Which makes this the perfect time for him to be BETRAYED by one of his most trusted associates (and astoundingly, it’s not APHRA or OCHI)! Featuring the return of TRIPLE-ZERO and BEE TEE – and the deadliest team up of droids Vader has ever faced!

This was a fun issue to write in part because I did something unusual for me — cutting back and forth in time to show a plan being hatched and executed at the same time. I think I generally write in a pretty direct manner, avoiding too much fooling around with time jumps (with the exception of evocative flashbacks, especially in the VADER book). But with this issue, we’re seeing a group of droids planning an attack on Vader, and somehow playing with time was the most efficient and fun way to move the story forward with maximum surprises and payoffs.

Panel from DARTH VADER #36 showing the Droid Crush leader pointing at Gee-Ninety, saying "How about you, big guy?" Gee-Ninety responds saying "Ha ha! Me? I'm Gee-Ninety! I worked for Vader--until he betrayed my team and cut me in half!" Other silhouetted droids in the background listen.

I’ve been writing comics for 19 years now (and writing fiction for about 48!), but there are always new (to me) things to try and muscles to flex.

Please do ask your local comic shop to hold a copy of the book for you. Hope you enjoy!