Category Archives: Reviews

Review: Darth Vader Annual

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Another week of me making sad faces because this comic does NOT pick up from that awesome Vader Down cliffhanger but I shall quickly change that sad face into one of glee because this issue of Darth Vader by Kieron Gillen and Leinil Yu has EVERYTHING. It has a brand new royal court! It has the Murder Bots! It has Vader getting to be badass and ruthlessly efficient! Truly, this is New York’s hottest club.

Vader travels to Shu-torun, a planet both rich in ore and noble court traditions in order to emphasize the power of the Empire. His guide and escort upon reaching the planet is the youngest princess, Trios, who stands to inherit no major position upon her father’s death. Meanwhile, the Murder Bots are sneaking around trying to complete their own mission, which will, unsurprisingly, probably end with blood.

I can truly say without reservation that I loved this issue. According to Gillen’s social media, this Annual serves as a lead in of sorts for the next story arc after Vader Down concludes which is, in itself, intriguing. Plus, it’s hard to turn down an issue in which Vader gets to just destroy people who stand against him. But what I really really loved about this was the royal court and traditions of Shu-torun. What’s not to love about a court where formal wear involves glowing things on your fingertips? I love that we’re getting to see not only more new planets but also new planets that have monarchies.

Princess Trios is an interesting character. As Vader himself notes, she’s “admirable” and the issue certainly sets her up to have a future role in the Star Wars galaxy along with an intriguing dynamic with Vader.

Oh? And that gift that Vader brings to the Royals of Shu-torun? Stone. Cold. Cruel.

Vader Annual gets a hell yeah! on my scale of enthusiasm along with a strong recommendation that you read it.

Rebels Review: Legacy

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rebels logoI’ve been struggling to write this review, for several (some more obvious than others) reasons. The first was time. Because of a podcast recording I didn’t get to watch the episode live, so my entire schedule was thrown off. Then we were busy all weekend, so I didn’t get a chance to sit down and re-watch the episode until Sunday.

Second, I have a one-track mind right now, and it belongs to The Force Awakens. Sorry not sorry. (I still love you, Rebels, but you’re not TFA.)

But enough with the excuses. “Legacy” was the mid-season finale for Rebels, and it was a good, if not great, episode. Once again we focus on Ezra, and once again I think, ehhhh. It’s not that I dislike Ezra, I’m just annoyed with him in large doses. Rebels has done a good job so far interspersing episodes about other characters in between the Ezra-centric story arcs, so hopefully the next episode after the mid-season hiatus will focus more on the team as a whole, or another character. Because that, in my opinion, is where Rebels truly shines.

The episode starts with Ezra having a vision about his parents, and he decides he must find out the truth about what happened to them. Thanks to some help from Hera and Kanan, he discovers there was a prison breakout, and wonders if his parents were involved. His Force visions urge him to return to Lothal. I loved seeing Kanan and Hera give advice to Ezra throughout the episode, especially Kanan. They’re open and understanding, while also telling Ezra he needs to be mindful of his visions. He can’t go rushing in headfirst to find out what happened to his parents, but they’re also not going to sit there and tell him to just get over it (unlike some other Jedi we know).

Ezra’s objective is threatened when Imperial forces arrive, having learned from the Seventh Sister’s probe droid that the rebels have a base on Garel. This episode featured good team interaction as the crew struggles to escape. I’m glad that plotline carried over from the last episode, and it’ll be interesting to see where the rebels go now.

Eventually the rebels escape Garel (with some awesome flying and teamwork from Hera, Sabine, and Zeb), while Kanan and Ezra head to Lothal to find out what happened to Ezra’s parents. There he meets a friend of his parents (voiced by the great Clancy Brown), who was with them in prison. He reveals that they recently instigated a breakout, but were killed in the process.

The end was a bit of a letdown for me. Ezra wants to go on this big quest to find the truth…only to learn his parents are dead. Not only that, but they get killed off-screen. I understand the purpose–it’s permanently separating Ezra from his old life. But I don’t see how that finality changes much about his character. He’s still an orphan. He’s still learning to use the Force. He still blames the Empire for his parents’ deaths.

Perhaps the story team has something more up their sleeve, and I’ll be eating my words at the end of the season. But compared to last year, when we got the awesome cliffhanger of Tseebo knowing what happened to Ezra’s parents, this episode fell short for me.

I did, however, love when Kanan stopped Ezra from going after the Inquisitors. That was a great moment, made even greater when Ezra realized Kanan was right to stop him, and when Kanan told Ezra he was going to help him on his quest. It makes you wonder what would have happened to Anakin Skywalker if he hadn’t been bound by the Jedi dogma of non-attachment; if he’d been more open and honest with Obi-Wan; if the Jedi had been more understanding of his background. It certainly makes a good case for the Jedi having attachments and parents/guardians who can guide them through learning to use the Force, doesn’t it?

Be sure to check out this week’s Rebels Recon, in which Dave Filoni teases what we can expect to see in the rest of the season.

Review: Star Wars Annual #1

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Let’s get something out of the way: I’m cranky about reading this issue because it’s not the next part of Vader Down. I’m so on board with that crossover event that this issue makes me sigh a little because it’s not part of it. Star Wars Annual #1 by Kieron Gillen and Angel Unzueta tells the tale of a Rebel spy named Eneb Ray who is keep undercover on Coruscant.

The nice thing is that this story can stand entirely on its own. Leia makes an appearance via hologram but that’s the only tie into the main book. That’s definitely not a flaw though. Every mission can’t involve our usual favorite heroes and Gillen does a reeeeeally good job of making Eneb Ray someone distinct. In the past, it has sometimes felt like Rebels have fallen too squarely into one of two characters: the good and the kinda corrupt. Eneb feels painfully real with how willing he is to do what has to be done. Personality-wise, he actually comes off as more of an Imperial based upon previous stereotypes. Point is, it’s a nice change even if everyone might not like it.

There is one other familiar character, however, who makes an appearance and that should be no surprise if you, y’know, look at the cover. I won’t spoil it for you but it’s a very well done use of Palpatine that follows in the steps of Lords of the Sith and strengths fans appreciation for what a damn smart bad guy he is.

Is Star Wars Annual #1 necessary reading? Probably not but it’s an interesting, contained story. If nothing else, it’s something to take your mind off the painfully long wait for The Force Awakens. 😉

Rebels Review: The Future of the Force

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Rebels season 2 has really been hitting its stride these past few weeks, and The Future of the Force was just the latest of a line of great episodes.

From baby Ithorians, to speeder chases, to Ahsoka kicking butt in a way that is so like the young padawan we once knew, this episode has a lot going for it. Despite the lack of Hera and Sabine, there’s plenty of Ahsoka and a good amount of the Seventh Sister, too.

In this episode Ahsoka informs Kanan that she’s been monitoring transmissions from Mustafar to try and learn more about the Sith Lord, and has learned the Inquisitors have a mission beyond hunting Jedi which involves retrievals, though of what she’s not sure. She has two decoded sets of coordinates, and while she heads to one she tasks Kanan, Ezra and Zeb to check out the second on the planet Takobo.

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Literally the best trivia to ever come out of Star Wars. Source.

It doesn’t take long for Ahsoka to learn what the Inquisitors are doing: stealing Force-sensitive babies, similarly to how Palpatine tried before in the The Clone Wars episode, Children of the Force. On Takobo, Zeb finds the first kidnapped baby with the Inquisitors’ ships while Kanan and Ezra find a distressed Ithorian, Oora, who sent her child, Pypey, away before the Inquisitors arrived.

The rebels find the child, but are almost completely defeated by the Inquisitors before Ahsoka arrives, emerging from white light like some kind of guardian angel. Where the Seventh Sister easily disarms Kanan, the Inquisitors hardly seem a threat to Ahsoka. She is an extremely capable fighter, with a great command of the Force, and it’s great to see her in some real action in this episode. Her little Obi-Wan moment made my heart skip a beat though. Don’t scare me like that, Rebels!

Ending with everyone safe and sound on an at first hopeful note, the episode takes an ominous turn when the Inquisitors learn that the Ghost crew are hiding out on Garel, thanks to one of the Seventh Sister’s probe droids overhearing Ezra. The music during this scene is on point, but then the entire episode has a pretty great score, especially during Ahsoka’s entrance and fight with the Inquisitors. 

While quite an intense episode with hints at darker things to come, there are still lighthearted moments in typical Star Wars style. Zeb and Chopper, as always, are a great comedy duo, and the brotherly relationship between Ezra and Zeb is always sweet, if not frustrating when they argue.

Despite Ezra still being his typical, somewhat immature self, it’s nice to see the kid grow throughout this season (and the last). Even though he has trouble at first, he manages to calm Pypey in the midst of very real danger using the Force, showing his ability to find calm in even the most desperate situations and his use of the Force growing stronger. He’s even willing to take on both of the Inquisitors alone to try and save the child, though he obviously doesn’t stand a chance.

I like seeing his interactions with Ahsoka, though they are brief. The little details in the way characters interact within Rebels, such as Ahsoka’s wink at Ezra, deepen relationships in a nuanced way. Ahsoka likely sees a lot of her younger self in Ezra—headstrong, brave, but so determined to become a Jedi—and seeing her playful side come through with him is very sweet.

Chopper is still absolutely a terrible droid, suggesting they blow up the Inquisitors’ ships with the baby, Alora, still inside. But literally nobody is surprised by Chop’s lack of empathy or casual disregard for human life anymore.

The most interesting part of the episode for me was when the Seventh Sister asks Ahsoka, “Well, who doesn’t want to be a mother?” While this could be a throwaway line, I do wonder if there’s something more to the Inquisitor hierarchy, already with titles like Brother and Sister. Perhaps they have some kind of dark family, related not by blood but by ambition and brainwashing.

All in all, a great episode with a lot of action and maybe a little too much of crying babies, though one thing I did find weird was Alora’s grandmother, Darja, looking relatively young. I was somewhat surprised when the Seventh Sister called her “old one,” and it wasn’t until Darja stated Alora was her granddaughter that I realised she was meant to be older. Guess that anti-aging cream really does work in a galaxy far, far away.

Review: Star Wars #13

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Vader Down continues this week as Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato take over again and oh my word, this issue is fun!  Despite the lovely cover by Mark Brooks, there’s not much of Leia or Vader in this issue.  Instead, it focuses mostly on Dr. Aphra and the Murder Bots versus Han Solo and Chewbacca.  The stakes?  Luke Skywalker and Artoo.

The entire issue is just delightful.  At times, it’s actually incredibly funny despite the decidedly unfunny circumstances but it still works.  We get BeeTee versus Artoo! (And you thought Artoo and Chopper were different…)  We get Chewbacca versus Triple Zero… aka a protocol droid that he doesn’t feel obliged to not rip apart!  And finally, we get Han Solo versus Dr. Aphra which is everything I ever wanted but never knew to ask for despite us as readers being told that she’s a dark mirror version of Indiana Jones from the start.

Star Wars #13 is a bit of a change from the rest of the Vader Down event so far.  It’s a nice breather from being terrified of Vader (although the next issue promises to do that again.)  While some more uptight readers may be put off by some of the humor that verges a little more on slapstick, I found it refreshing and just plain fun.  When else are you going to get to see Chewie go after a droid and [REDACTED]?  Aaron even nails the essence of Han Solo when he makes an ever so slight miscalculation while being so smug and certain.

I also have to take a moment and take Deodato for not only rocking the hell out of this book so far but for also drawing Aphra wearing that rad jacket that Adi Granov used for the cover of Darth Vader #3. It’s finally in the book!

Just like Marvel promised us, Vader Down continues to be an awesome crossover event and definitely one that you should be picking up.

Review – Star Wars Rebels: Stealth Strike

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rebels logoHow do you please totally disparate segments of fandom all at the same time? You write Stealth Strike.

There’s a little something for everyone here. Rex reliving his military days and putting on his Big Damn Hero pants. One former clone trooper against an entire starship worth of stormtroopers? Sign me up. Kanan confronting the ghosts of his past by being forced to trust Rex? Check. A loving nod to the Death Star corridor chases? Yup. An Interdictor on trial runs that hearkens back to classic Expanded Universe material? Double check.

I’ve called Rebels a bridge series several times. It’s designed to be a link to the past, present, and future. This episode is full of nods to The Clone Wars, but its triumph is a brilliant homage to the Death Star escape in A New Hope. Corridor chases, sneaking around to disable critical infrastructure. You can show this to a young fan that’s new to Star Wars, ask them if they enjoyed it, and when they respond affirmatively you tell them you’ve got a great movie to show them.

That’s the brilliance of Stealth Strike and Rebels as a whole.

I could do a more detailed plot breakdown of this episode, but the plot really is secondary in this episode. We see some new Imperial tech, we get a fun rescue adventure, but what’s important is this episode is a 22-minute textbook example of Rebels succeeding at one of its most important goals.

Miscellaneous notes:

  • Ezra really is a whole lot more tolerable and entertaining when he isn’t acting like he’s deserving of Sabine’s attention and affection. When he’s doing his job, he’s great.
  • I need a gif of Rex shaking his boo-tay trying to fit into stormtrooper armor.
  • How cool was that shot of the Interdictor collapsing on itself? Extremely cool.
  • Chopper: sadistic droid or most sadistic droid?

Review: Shattered Empire

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shatteredempire1Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto (with additional art by Angel Unzueta and Emilio Laiso) was a heck of a lot of things. The comic contribution to the Journey to The Force Awakens, Shattered Empire takes place in the weeks following the Battle of Endor and lets readers see what the galaxy is like through the eyes of A-Wing pilot Shara Bey.

At New York Comic Con this year, Greg Rucka revealed that his original pitch didn’t actually involve Han, Luke, and Leia and he asked to rewrite his outline once he saw the Phil Noto teaser image that went on to serve as the cover for the first issue. After hearing this, it wasn’t terribly surprising that Shara had a chance to work with each of our favorite heroes in turn. Given how much I liked her though, I would love to have seen whatever his original pitch was just for kicks.

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Review: Darth Vader #13

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Look, let’s be honest: Vader Down is essentially Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen sitting across a table from each other while grinning diabolically and going “Oh, you had your artist draw Vader doing that cool thing? JUST WATCH WHAT I’M GOING TO HAVE MY ARTIST DRAW!” Alternatively, just imagine this as a Pokemon fight with Larroca and Dedato as the Pokemon and Aaron and Gillen as the trainers.  (I should probably admit that I never played Pokemon or watched it or… this metaphor has gotten away from me.)  (Ten thousand bonus points go to the first person to photoshop this.)

Point is, Vader Down continuing to be an awesome crossover event with the release of Darth Vader #13 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca.  As you may have guessed from the opener, this comic is filled with plenty of instances of Vader being badass.  Moments like these really emphasize why people are scared of the Dark Lord of the Sith.  Of course, it wouldn’t be a Vader issue if we didn’t get more of Dr. Aphra and the Murder Bots.  They have some particularly fun parts in this issue that I won’t spoil for you.

One of the best moments in the comic was when Gillen got to play with characters he previously hasn’t been able to: Han and Leia.  Their disagreement about whether to go after Vader or to send a rescue mission for Luke really just nails the essence of who they are especially in these early months after the Battle of Yavin.  Leia is focused on the Alliance’s mission and vengeance for her people while Han’s more concerned about this farmboy he’s taking a liking to.

Oh yeah.  And did I mention all those glorious pages of Vader just stomping all over everyone?  Because those were pretty great.

Review: Chewbacca #4

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It’s been two weeks which must mean it’s time for the release of Chewbacca #4 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto!  (On a personal note, I’d like to add that both gentlemen are incredibly nice and I’m thrilled to have had the chance to meet them at Third Eye Comics the other weekend.)

Like I said last time, this book is tricky to discuss on an issue by issue basis so we’re just going to dive straight into some assorted observations.

  • Joe Caramanga has got to be having fun lettering all of Chewie’s speech.
  • Yay for the inclusion of Scout Troopers and an AT-ST!
  • Again, the use of a character with a disability is deftly handled and feels very realistic for this galaxy.  Really smart addition by Duggan.
  • Chewbacca’s disguise is brilliant and everything I never knew I wanted until now.
  • Zarro and Chewie’s plans really have an incredibly way of going wrong.  I’m impressed.
  • The poor droid!
  • The inclusion of a shistavanen in this book has been neat!  It’s nice to see artists/writers go a little further out of the usual alien box.
  • Phil Noto’s art is another wow.

Going by the end of the issue and the preview for the final issue, Chewbacca and Zarro are certainly going to have a hell of a time getting out of this mess!

Review: The Perfect Weapon

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It seems like just last month that the Star Wars folks announced Delilah S. Dawson would be writing an e-short titled The Perfect Weapon. Oh wait, that was last month! Del Rey doesn’t make us wait very long with today’s release of The Perfect Weapon, one of five stories that feature the pictured beings from Maz Kanata’s castle. Bazine Netal is an efficient and lethal mercenary and spy who knows how to get a job done. When an anonymous client hires her to track down a former stormtrooper, she’s forced to trade teaching a newbie in exchange for use of a ship. And while Bazine is good, even she can still be taken by surprise on a dangerous mission…

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