This past week Starwars.com announced a new limited series starring the Dark Lord of Sith. Star Wars: Darth Vader – Dark Visions, which begins in March of next year, includes a cover image of Vader mounted atop a creature and brandishing his lightsaber and an Imperial shield.
What is exciting about this art is his shield featuring the Imperial cog which was done by Hasbro in 2005. During their Revenge of the Sith line, Hasbro introduced a very short-lived series, geared to younger kids, called Force Battlers.
These 6″ish figures, were more stylized in design and included action features. The first Darth Vader released in this line included the Imperial shield which now appears to be possibly headed for official Star Wars canon if seen in the the comic itself.
This appearance is headed to our Kenner Cameo Chronology database where we highlight Kenner and Hasbro designs used outside of the action figure line, such as in Star Wars collectibles, publishing, animation and so on. Click the pic below to check them out!