Star Wars: The Complete Vader.
Windham, Ryder & Peter Vilmer. -- Library Journal, 10/15/2009 7:40:00 AM
Del Rey. Oct. 2009. 183p. illus. ISBN 978-0-345-51104-1. $60. Film
In the Star Wars (SW) religion, all the major players have their worshipers; there are Jedi geeks, trooper heads, Solo nerds, and even slave Leah metal bikini babes (a blessing and a curse at cons), but for big daddy Darth 
it’s another whole level, for SW disciples of every faith know there is one true canon—in all his dark, menacing, heavy-breathing glory: VADER IS GOD! But not always. Following SW’s initial release, he was conspicuously absent from the marketing campaign. Nonetheless, over time the power of Dark Side prevailed, and the cult of Vader grew…and grew…and grew. SW gurus Windham and Vilmer provide a detailed account of not just the character’s background, but how he’s emerged to symbolize the entire series and his popularity’s reflection in the creation/marketing of the countless tie-in products (his metal kisser is plastered on everything from toothbrushes to toasters). The text draws not just from the six films but incorporates the expanded universe novels, graphic novels, video games, and TV’s outstanding animated Clone Wars series as well. The hundreds of illustrations ranging from screen grabs to comic art also reflect Vader/Anakin Skywalker’s assorted incarnations from cherubic child to masked monster. This thorough portrait of film’s greatest villain is a banquet for SW’s legions of fans for whom Vader is the dark father of them all. Buy it.—Mike Rogers, LJX/LJ
