Review by Frank Plowright

In Star Wars continuity Darth Vader is the great villain beyond redemption, but is that how everyone sees him? Perhaps there’s somewhere in a galaxy far away where he’s considered a hero. Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum provides five stories told from the perspective of the people who have a unique view of him.

In the first a child watches Vader demolish a creature that’s snacked on entire armies in what’s a more modern take on stories of chivalrous knights protecting the weak. As drawn by Paolo Villanelli it’s all very stirring, but there’s little in the way of convincing motivation for what Vader does. It’s nice to assume he enjoyed the opportunity of parading as a hero before someone with no idea who he is, but that’s speculation, and would require Vader’s narration in addition to the child’s.

It’s an artistic sea change from Villanelli’s painting to Brian Level’s stylised cartooning, and as the sample art shows, ‘Unacceptable’ concerns a commander’s fear of explaining a partial failure to Vader and what it prompts him to do. Hallum sets it up well, and plays out the circumstances even better while Level’s good if perhaps overplaying the emotions.

Romantic fantasy is a surprise inclusion, but that’s the case for a young medical assistant who projects her concepts onto Vader’s inattainability. You’ll know from the start it’s not going to end well. David López draws the bulk very stylishly while Javi Pina provides the lushly painted fantasy intrusions in what’s the collection’s highlight. All creators project the right tone, delivering satire without overplaying their hands.

It’s not often noted that Vader’s also a comprehensively proficient Tie Fighter pilot, yet what if there was someone among the rebels who’s even better? Hallum supplies Stephen Mooney with a broad sweep of Star Wars paraphernalia to draw (sample art right) and his detailed response is very, very good, whether choreographing aerial battles, adding extensive detail to the bowels of a ship, or delivering the big emotional centrepoint.

Combine Vader with a hunt and some powerful hallucinogenics and you have the basics of ‘You Can Run…’. Geraldo Borges nails the effects, but it’s a rather standard ending to an otherwise enjoyable selection.