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It turns out that all Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca had to do to keep me happy while Dr. Aphra is in mortal danger is have Vader be involved in a plot line that has royal intrigue. I didn’t even worry about her once during this issue! Out today is Darth Vader #18 in which everyone’s favorite Sith Lord must battle the enemies of Shu-Torun’s Queen and Cylo’s apprentices while simultaneously keeping the murder bots in check.  Who says that Sith Lords can’t multitask?

As per usual, spoilers and discussion after the jump.

One day, I think it would be fascinating to look into Gillen’s brain and see where on earth he gets some of his more twisted ideas from because sweet Force is Triple Zero’s blood sucking droid idea horrifying. (Although… who’s more horrified: the readers or Vader himself as he contemplates the state of his own droid-human body?) It’s easy to write Triple Zero off as just a dark side version of Threepio but he’s definitely so much more than that. His ideas are disturbing but impossible to look away from.

Above all else, this is Queen Trios’s issue to shine. Over the last few months, we’ve seen her go from the ignored princess to unsure queen and now to a Queen with power. Thus far, she’s remembered Vader’s warning when he made her Queen and kept quiet and done as expected. Even though we’ve only known her for a few issues, I’ve been worried that Darth Vader was going to make her only to shatter her but instead, it seems like he’s actually done some good. Trios is not only stronger than she was before but likely to be a strong ally for the Emperor once the rebellious ore barons are brought to heel.

Finally, of course, we have Vader. Or rather, we have the set up for the mess that the Emperor has created to chase after Vader to continue to make his life hell. The twins are going to be a problem but how much of a problem is a question that will be answered next issue. My best guess? They’ll try, fail, and Aiolin will turn against her brother again to save her own hide. But we’ll see.

There’s only one issue left in this Shu-Torun arc and I can’t wait to see how it ends! (And if we’ll ever return to Queen Trios and this planet…)