Samurai Vader

Insanely cool!  

This must be fantastic in person,really like this ML,congrats!

Amazing pickup, love all the detail!!!

Great technique on this inspired take on Vader. Love the background homage to The Great Wave of Kanagawa..

super cool and highly inspired looking piece! it has the feeling of lost art that was recently discovered. i quite enjoy seeing eastern influence on Star Wars visual design (Star Wars Visions / anime and the Manga books they have done so far etc.). Great idea and great piece!

Hokusai > Darth

Having spent a significant portion of my childhood in Japan, I have a natural fondness for all things Japanese.  The blending of multiple genres here (and not just the two most obvious) is both bold and brilliant.  The color choices are exquisite and the details are a feast for the eyes.  Magnificent piece. 

If there's a Vader universe
Please make some noise (noise)
Give me Daxiong (sign)
Miss Padme’s mine
If there's a point to losing love
Repeating pain (why?)
Sand’s all the same
I hate this place

Stuck at the Budokan
Don't believe in Samurai
This must be a massive size
There's got to be force, got to be force
Sick Daxiong lead and line
Intensive chokes, they paralyze
The manga art as advertised
There's dark of the force, been here before

Ooh (ooh, ooh)
Life's better in Nippon
Guo brings this blossom
Of floating away
Ooh (ooh, ooh)
Fine drawing Darth saving
It's Anakin’s making
I always say

I'll be Vader in Nippon
Daxiong’s what matters
Dreaming of Nippon, oh

Strange and amazing forces at work here!

Daxiong was doing a lot of black and white work previously but this year has turned his attention to color. 18x24 is a good size to hold his ideas.

Cool how the Japanese imagery is melded with Vader...including how the cherry blossoms are surrounding the Death Star!   Almost looks like they're propping it up!  Also tons of muted colors - at 18x24 I'm sure they look that much better in person.  Congrats, man!

Impressive. Most Impressive.

His design certainly has always felt like it might've been inspired by the look of Japanese samurai, so this is a great idea and the execution worked nicely!

Los of great eye candy!

I'm betting Vader is really hating neing surrounded by so much color!

He absolutely nailed the assignment. Particularly like the incorporation of the Great Wave in the imagery. The disparate elements come together so well!

Funny, I never noticed the similarities between Darth Vadar's armor and Samurai armor before. The Helmet, of course, is pure Samurai. The long robes, once belted, are very Samurai as well. And the way Vadar wields his light saber is totally Samurai! What a splendid commission by Dazlong and Austin Guo! Love the image of Vadar, standing samurai-proud. Beautiful background as well, with the Cherry trees, the Japanese-syle waves and the Japanese castle towering over all. Love the color here as well. Nothing too bright, all the color are subdued and intentional. Phenomenal work of art!

Amazing piece! Great minds think alike lol!

What a visual feast.  Thanks for sharing!

Very cool piece. I like the addition of the death star in the background.

A great idea for a commission especially since the samurai was the inspiration for Vader! 

Holy crappola, simultaneously a graceful nod to the old Japanese design influences on Vader, and tremendous modern art.

Imagine in that immortal voice, " 私はお前の父親だ"...

This makes me feel at peace. 

Wonderful. 

Moon at twilight
a cluster of petals falling
from the cherry tree

--Masaoka Shiki

Epic and beautiful.

Wow this is an awesome piece! Major congrats!

Such a great piece, M L.  We all know that "evil samurai lord" (or something along those lines) was one of the essential design brainstorms George Lucas handed to Ralph McQuarrie when the latter was conceiving the visual look for the character, and it is -super- cool to see this perfect fit of a "throwback" take by a new (and -very- exciting) artist.  Fantastic color choices, and the Death Star hanging above Vader (as if the Dark Father himself wasn't imposing enough) is icing on the cake.  Love the waves crashing, powerless, at Vader's feet.  Even the elements themselves have no chance here.