Star Wars: Darth Vader #15, October 2021
Here’s a Star Wars original cover that really stands on its own.
With modern comics, so much texture and atmosphere can be added digitally during production that the original art can sometimes end up looking pretty stripped down compared with the published cover.
Not here.
Aaron Kuder really finished this piece. The grey wash, splatter effects, lighting, and overall mood are already sitting on the board. The color certainly adds another dimension, but the original already feels complete, which makes the OA a knockout in person.
I don’t collect a ton of modern comic art, but every now and then something just clicks and breaks through my usual collecting habits.
And of course—I’ve always had a soft spot for Darth Vader.
