Author Archives: Bria

Review: From a Certain Point of View

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What I told you was true… from a certain point of view.

It’s a phrase that all Star Wars fans know but one that takes a whole new meaning today with the release of From a Certain Point of View by, well, just about everyone. Del Rey assembled an all-star line up of 43 authors to write 40 different stories that cover the events of A New Hope for the film’s 40th anniversary. It’s an ambitious concept that benefits a good cause: all of the authors have forgone any compensation and all proceeds will be donated to First Book. The stories within the book run the complete gambit with every possible writing style, story tense, and narrator that you could imagine and yet it all comes together to make some magic.

Given what a unique book this is, we’re abandoning the traditional review format to give you the full range of our own certain points of view on this book. Continue reading →

Baltimore Comic Con: 2017 Report

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Baltimore Comic Con is like coming home.

It’s not the convention I’ve been attending the longest but it’s the con that I can always count on to reinvigorate my love for comic books (and put a dent in my wallet!) It’s also one of the conventions out there that still truly deserves to have ‘Comic Con’ as a part of its name because comics are definitely the star here.
Okay sure: over the years, BCC has added some Media Guests to supplement its guest line up. These guests always have some geek cred and, while they’re certainly a part of the show, never steal all of the spotlight from the comic guests. I find it fairly telling that I waited longer in Mark Waid’s signing line than I did in Jessica Henwick’s and Skottie Young always had a line about a dozen people deep anytime I walked past his booth. Move over, television stars: the comic writers and artists rule here! If you’ve attended the convention for a few years, many of the faces that you see at guest and artist tables tend to feel familiar. For some shows, that would be a sign of stagnation. For Baltimore Comic Con, it’s a sign of just how much these pros love coming here which is good because the fans love seeing them.

Continue reading →

Review: Poe Dameron #19

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I feel like I’m just repeating myself at this point but it bears saying again: War Stories is a very X-Wingy sort of story. That’s X-Wing with a capital X, by the way. As in the X-Wing series.

Why has War Stories made me happy? Oh let us count the ways…

  1. It made the series feel like more of an ensemble piece again
  2. It’s not afraid of humor
  3. This includes bad jokes/puns because our heroes can’t be perfect at everything (LOOKING AT YOU, POE DAMERON)
  4. The use of a holojournalist and propaganda examines a not as often dealt with aspect of war
  5. The new main villain would totally be twirling her mustache if she had one and I mean that in the best way possible
  6. We get illusions to a character’s tragic backstory which leaves us wanting to know more
  7. It tugs at your heartstrings when you least expect it

Poe Dameron #19 is the cap on a very solid arc that has been very Star Wars to the core. There hasn’t really been any moment that’s left me gasping in shock or crying my eyes out in this arc but it’s been fun and I’ve enjoyed the heck out of every minute. Perhaps I’m biased because I adore Jess Pava but I can definitely see this being a story arc that I keep coming back and rereading. Kudos to all involved.

Poe Dameron #19: Charles Soule/Writer, Angel Unzueta/Artist, Arif Prianto/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Review: Star Wars Annual #3

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How are we already to the third Annual of the Star Wars comic? Time has just been flying by! In this latest Annual, Jason Latour tells a Han/Leia story in which they try to find a new Rebel base but something shady that Han did in the past rears its ugly head to cause trouble.

On the surface there’s nothing particularly wrong with this story. It has all the right elements to be an amusing Star Wars tale. As a part of a larger whole, it’s a little less exciting. The pre-ESB Han and Leia dynamic is one that has to be carefully handled or else their bickering can fly into parody territory. Latour doesn’t do it badly but it doesn’t have quite the spark of some of their other interactions that we’ve seen in the not so distant past.

What makes the issue memorable is when Leia sets someone on fire which is really not a sentence I expected to be writing in a Star Wars review but here we are. I’m not even mad.

Bottom line is that the Star Wars Annual #3 is a perfectly fine issue if you’re looking for a one-off story or you just really need your Han and Leia fix but it’s nothing to write home about. This is, however, said with the caveat that if this story ends up tying in to the next story arc more that it’ll be far more of an essential read but I don’t think it will.

Star Wars Annual #3: Jason Latour/Writer, Michael Walsh/Artist, Clayton Cowles/Letterer, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor, Jordan D. White/Editor

Review: Star Wars #36

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Revenge of the Astromech is a really good title. That should be said right off the bat.

Star Wars #36 is the sort of issue that really leans into what Attack of the Clones did with Artoo and shows him in a very heroic, get things done light and I love it. Does it perhaps involve a little suspension of disbelief? Sure but does that detract from my enjoyment? Nope. In a way, this felt like the best sort of payment possible for having to wait so gosh darn long to find out what happened to poor Threepio. Give me the absurd and ridiculous in Star Wars for reasons like this and I shall happily embrace it!

I think I finally figured out what’s been driving me insane about Salvador Larroca’s art since he joined the main Star Wars book. I (for the most part) enjoyed his art of Darth Vader but it hasn’t felt the same here. What I can’t stand is the contrast between his usual art (as seen in Darth Vader and in much of this issue) and the photorealistic faces. They clash when they’re used together and honestly, I’m not a fan of the photorealistic faces to start with. The book looks way nicer when it’s just Artoo rolling through the Star Destroyer causing mayhem than when it also involved some random officer’s strangely detailed face.

Star Wars #36 feels like a return to the norm after two one-off issues but given that it features Artoo Detoo the Hero and the return to a dangling plot line? I’m 100% okay with that.

Star Wars #36: Jason Aaron/Writer, Salvador Larroca/Artist, Edgar Delgado/Colorist, Clayton Cowles/Letterer, Jordan D. White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Go/No-Go: Leia: Princess of Alderaan

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nasa-mission-control-3Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Star Wars: Leia: Princess of Alderaan. This is author Claudia Gray’s third trip to a galaxy far, far away and her second with Leia Organa. What did we think of her take on a teenage princess? To mission control for the verdict! Continue reading →

Go/No-Go: Phasma

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nasa-mission-control-3Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Star Wars: Phasma. It may be Delilah S. Dawson’s first Star Wars novel but we’ve definitely enjoyed her stories about other Star Wars ladies. What did we think about her take on the shiny and chrome captain? To mission control for the verdict! Continue reading →

Holonet Blast #26

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Ever so foolishly, we took last week off because it was Labor Day weekend and it was Force Friday II and what could possibly happen while we were all supposed to be busy reading our new books and playing with our new toys? Oh what sweet summer children we were… Things happened. Oh dear did things happen.

Colin Trevorrow is no longer directing Episode IX and honestly, not many people are wiping away tears of sorrow. Moral of the story: do not mess with Kathleen Kennedy.

Disney’s being the worst and putting their Marvel and Star Wars films on their exclusive streaming service which is fine and whatever because that’s why I own DVDs.

Paul Bettany is apparently in the Han Solo film though according to Ron Howard’s Twitter. I don’t have anything snarky here.

In ‘things you can get’ news, there will be a very pretty convention exclusive edition of From A Certain Point of View available at NYCC that will come presigned by some of the authors. The soundtrack for The Last Jedi will be out on December 15th and there will probably be a track titled “Luke’s Noble End” on it. (Sorry, Nanci. I’ll start running now.)

To round out the week on a high note, go watch the new Star Wars Rebels Season 4 trailer again and sob over the Space Married perfection with us. The new season kicks off on October 16th.

Review: Darth Vader (2017) #5

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Listen… it’s been a while since we’ve had a gif review and I had honestly retired the format but sometimes you get a comic issue where words don’t really do it.

 

Darth Vader #5 was just so good that I had to reread it immediately. That doesn’t happen often at all. Just… go read this issue. Even if (and I NEVER say this) you haven’t read the previous four issues. Please. You can thank me later.

Darth Vader #5: Charles Soule/Writer, Giuseppe Camuncoli/Pencils, Cam Smith/Inks, David Curiel/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor, Jordan D. White/Editor