Darth Vader faces his worst nightmare in an upcoming issue of his Marvel Comics solo series, with August's Star Wars: Darth Vader #26 sending the Darth Lord of the Sith headlong into a sandstorm.

Darth Vader #26 is set to hit comic shops on Wednesday, Aug. 24 from writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco. The issue features a main cover by Rahzzah, as well as variant covers by Alex Maleev and Chris Sprouse. "We all know about Anakin Skywalker's aversion to finely ground particulate matter. But what does sand mean to the Dark Lord of the Sith?" the official solicitation text reads. "When Sabé, Vader's unlikely new ally, goes missing, Vader must confront his own dark heart in the maelstrom of a terrible sandstorm -- while tapping into one of his earliest skills in a wildly unexpected way!"

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STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #26

  • GREG PAK (W) • RAFFAELE IENCO (A) • Cover by RAHZZAH
  • Variant Cover by ALEX MALEEV
  • CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS SPROUSE
  • INTO THE SAND!
  • We all know about Anakin Skywalker’s aversion to finely ground particulate matter.
  • But what does sand mean to the Dark Lord of the Sith?
  • When Sabé, Vader’s unlikely new ally, goes missing, Vader must confront his own dark heart in the maelstrom of a terrible sandstorm — while tapping into one of his earliest skills in a wildly unexpected way!
  • 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
  • Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Darth Vader's vocal dislike of sand goes back to his younger years as the Jedi Padawan known as Anakin Skywalker. "I don't like sand," Anakin (Hayden Christensen) tells his wife-to-be Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) during a rather infamous scene from the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. "It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere."

For a long time, this line of dialogue was little more than joke fodder among Star Wars fans, often used as an example of how overly melodramatic the Prequel Trilogy could be. In recent years, though, this line -- much like the prequels themselves -- has been looked at in a new light. As some have pointed out, beyond the awkward writing and delivery, there is a very pertinent point Anakin is trying to make. Whereas Padmé has fond memories of visiting the beach while living in luxury, Anakin grew up as a slave on the desert planet of Tatooine.

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Nevertheless, official Star Wars media hasn't been shy about poking fun at the infamy of Anakin's dialogue in the years since Attack of the Clones' release. For instance, a two-part episode from the third season of the animated series Star Wars Rebels finds our heroes on the desert planet of Geonosis. When the blaster cannon she is operating gets clogged by sand, the Mandalorian Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar) angrily declares, "Stupid sand. Gets everywhere."

Written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Raffaele Ienco, Star Wars: Darth Vader #26 goes on sale Aug. 24 from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics