Legacy of Vader 9 released today and after a bumpy detour over to the Knights of Ren, today’s issue brings some measure of connection back into the overall story. I wouldn’t say that it all fully coalesces, but progress is made toward giving the narrative detour a purpose. Tava Ren offers more backstory, this time her own, which slows the issue down a bit, but demonstrates a somewhat kindred background to Kylo Ren. Her interactions with the fledgling dark lord are therefore intriguing. She is able to offer a uniquely equal perspective to Kylo Ren with her use of the dark side, but lack of real belonging in the galaxy. While the fight that was promised in issue 8 ended up being a bit of a tease, we still got plenty of action in this issue, and even a rare moment of intimacy. Enter the Mara Jade comparisons.
The artwork and coloring remains consistent in this issue with Raffaele and Woodard paying particular attention to mood, using sharp lines and higher contrast to create more movement and evoke both calm, intimate, contemplative moments and more volatile scenes.
Spoilers ahead…
The issue begins with Tava Ren quickly bending the knee to Kylo Ren in an attempt to manipulate him. Of course, this fails and the ensuing duel is quickly finished by Kylo. Soule and Raffaele place Kylo in the same position as Anakin with Count Dooku during Revenge of the Sith, presented with the choice to decapitate an opponent, one you could argue is an equal and peer. In fact, in both instances Anakin and Kylo are led to believe they are battling an adversary when in reality they are fighting someone with unique shared experiences of victimhood and choice. Kylo takes a different approach, choosing not to kill Tava, but instead entertain her.
From there we switch gears and enter a pseudo date night where Tava Ren regales Kylo Ren of her history. There’s wine, there’s flirting, there’s a small amount of presumptuous therapizing, which all crescendos into a kiss. I suppose this was part of some new plan of Tava Ren’s to manipulate Kylo Ren or perhaps there really was some level of attraction. It calls to mind scenes between Qimir and Osha in The Acolyte. The dark side is seductive. One is encouraged to lean into their emotions and desires, even their fears. What else could this possibly result in other than a bit of impulsivity? It’s abrupt, but it’s meant to be.
In this way, Tava, it turns out, is another test for Kylo. She acts as a foil to Kylo’s previous opponent, former Jedi Grandea, laying out the confines of Kylo’s mental prison from an entirely different angle. As Kylo Ren continues to search for answers regarding his family history and his own history, we are once again hit over the head with the fact that this character is lost. While clumsy to watch at times, this series has already gone a long way in logically bridging the narrative gap that exists between The Last Jedi and Kylo’s redemption in the The Rise of Skywalker.
By the end of the issue, Tava Ren manages a narrow escape off the Finalizer and Kylo Ren turns his focus back to his family history. Next up, Mustafar.
Rating: 6/10
When she isn’t watching her friends and family’s eyes glaze over at the mention of The Clone Wars, she’s at the park with her dog, Melvin, or on the couch with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. Physically, she lives in Ohio; spiritually, she lives in Naboo.