“Jedi?
Sith? Man or Machine?”
In 2017
there are still many unanswered questions about Anakin Skywalker, but 40 years
ago young minds were blown by this terrifying but engrossing new villain!
Between
1977 and 1980, with only one Star Wars movie to discuss, fans weren’t even sure
if he was human! Kids and adults alike argued over whether or not Darth Vader
was a droid. Even Obi-Wan in A New Hope says of Vader “He’s more machine now,
than man,” fueling the hotly debated topic!
The fact
that Darth Vader actually was Anakin Skywalker wasn’t solidified until 1983 but
that then raised many more questions. The prequel movies of Episodes 1 -3 (1999
– 2005) focused on Anakin’s fall the Dark Side and the rise of the Empire, and
finally clarified much of Vader’s story.
As time
goes on and new Star Wars TV shows, comics and of course movies come out, more
and more periods of Anakin/Vader’s life become revealed. Learning about all
these events means a lot of reading and watching which may not always be
age-appropriate for all fans.
Star Wars
Backstories Darth Vader: Sith Lord is a brand new biography from Scholastic
Press of the legendary Dark Lord of the Sith. In a middle-grade paperback
format, the book gathers the life story of young Anakin, from childhood slavery
to his heroic days as Jedi Knight. In 128 pages it continues with Anakin’s
fall to the Dark Side of the Force and life as fearsome servant of the Emperor,
Darth Vader.
Considering
how little is known about some characters (what was Luke’s life like before A
New Hope, or between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens? Or the hundreds
of years of mystery in Yoda’s past?), Anakin/Vader’s story is pretty well told
through the Star Wars saga. This book brings most of it together in one place.
Chapter by
chapter, author Jason Fry chronologically tells the known story of Vader. This
includes not only the information given in Star Wars movies, but also covers
major events from The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and Marvel comic books. Along
the way, the gory details are spared, but the book never tries to pretend Vader
was anything but a villain. Anakin’s downfall and Vader’s evil deeds are here,
but presented appropriately for middle-grade readers. Many wonderful
black-and-white illustrations by Randy Martinez highlight the key moments, with
additional artwork by Rick Burchett and cover art by Phil Noto.
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| Also available now |
Scholastic’s
Backstories series began featuring Star Wars characters for the first time with
the terrific Princess Leia: Royal Rebel last year. Hopefully these books will
continue as they are great for young readers who may want to know the major
moments of a Star Wars character’s story but not have access to all the TV
episodes or are not ready for Teen-rated comics.
Jason Fry
is possibly the most prolific Star Wars author with many wonderful books to his
credit: Weapon of a Jedi, Aliens of the Galaxy, Rey’s Survival Guide, the Servants of the Empire series,
and many more! Once again Fry shows his love of Star Wars and his talent for telling it well.
In Darth Vader: Sith Lord, Fry begins the book with a foreword “by Darth Vader” which
solidifies Vader's belief that he was “born” when Anakin “died”, a notion that
Luke never totally believed. It may have been interesting to keep the book
going as if it were written by Vader himself, but it’s hard to imagine the Dark
Lord sitting down to write his memoirs. It’s probably for the best that it was
done the way it was.
Randy
Martinez is a well-established Star Wars artist having illustrated many Topps
Star Wars trading cards, Star Wars Celebration official artwork and even cover
illustrations for Scholastic’s Star Wars: Rebel Force middle-grade novel series
(2008-2010).
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| The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader |
For die-hard, read-everything fans Darth Vader: Sith Lord may have few surprises but it is a well-written, well-illustrated recap of just about everything we know about one of the most tragic stories in all of Star Wars.
Publisher's Recommendation Ages 8 - 12
Pablo Hidalgo is part of the official team that oversees all Star Wars storytelling
(the Lucasfilm Story Group) and has authored several books, including Rogue One The Ultimate Visual Guide, The Force
Awakens Visual Guide and more.
There are many, many more exciting guests scheduled for Celebration this year and these are just a quick sample. Let us know who you are able to meet and please say HI from Star Wars Kidscast!
