Category Archives: Star Wars

Resistance Review: The Recruit

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It wasn’t all that long ago that we were bidding farewell to Star Wars Rebels and yet here we are now saying hi to Star Wars Resistance. With a new team at the helm and the implied promise of a fresher start, there’s a lot to like about Lucasfilm’s latest animated television show. Expectations (including our own) are high because, after all, it’s Star Wars but we’re certainly ready to embrace this latest batch of galactic heroes.a

But on to why you’re here: what did we think about the first episode? Continue reading →

Review: Lost Stars Manga (Volume 1)

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You may recall the 2015 young adult Journey to the Force Awakens novel Lost Stars by Claudia Grey. You may recall Nanci recommending that you pick it up in her review of that novel. Well, guess what: it’s now a manga.

More specifically, it’s been adapted into a webcomic, published by LINE, by manga creator Yusaku Komiyama, and the world outside of Japan has finally gotten a taste of this adaptation in standard-manga-sized volume 1, published by Yen Press, and it’s…okay.

THE STORY

This is not a straight adaptation (for which I am very grateful. I strongly believe that material should be adjusted to fit the adaptation format. Would you like to see my hour-long powerpoint presentation on the Slayers NEXT anime versus the novels?). It does stick to the story but volume 1, at least, is presented as a framed story, with Thane recounting the past to his friend and snowspeeder gunner, Yendor (who I love in this). As such, it heavily focuses on Thane’s perspective of the story rather than splitting evenly between Thane and Ciena. You do occasionally get other points of view, but Thane’s thoughts are the only ones laid out explicitly on the page. Continue reading →

Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story (Novelization)

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Heard about some big shot gangster putting together a novelization…

Out today, Solo: A Star Wars Story novelization by Mur Lafferty brings Han Solo’s origin story to the page and even gives us a little more than we saw in the film. (Hence the Extended Edition banner at the top.) That said, the Solo novelization isn’t going to change anyone’s mind about the story or even the film itself. If you generally enjoyed Solo, you’ll likely enjoy the novelization but it doesn’t reach that exalted top shelf where Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One sit. However, if you’re the least bit interested in the book, it’s worth picking up especially for the deleted scenes like those set at the Imperial Academy. (Long live Tag and Bink!)

Spoilers after the jump, including those you’d know from watching the film.  Continue reading →

Review: Beckett #1

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There’s so much Star Wars content these days. So, so much. Truly, there has never been a better time to be a Star Wars fan. One of the consequences of all that content, though, is that there’s so much to read through/watch/play that, at a certain point, some stories just don’t need to be told. The can be, they can even be enjoyable, but they’re just not necessary to understanding the galaxy far, far away.

And so, we have Star Wars: Beckett, the comic one-shot from Marvel detailing the exploits of Han Solo’s mentor (they knew each other for like 3 days but we’ll go with it) and his partners in crime, Rio Durant and Val. To cut right to the review, it’s fun! Writer Gerry Duggan makes the adventures of these merry misfits more entertaining than I would have expected, and weaves it into the universe well: Beckett’s fake Death Priest scam is hilarious, and I’ll admit I’m curious about a few background details that came up as well (Spoiler-y speculation: were the Tognaths we see those of Rogue One fame? Was this heist stealing from Saw Gerrera, and did it inspire him to send one of the twins to infiltrate Enfys Nest’s cadre?)

At the end of the day, though, this comic just… didn’t really do anything for me. It was fun, but I still don’t understand why Beckett, a fairly boring and predictable character from the moment we met him, got so much screen time in Solo over a character like Val, and indeed why this comic was called “Beckett” – why not Val or Rio, or all three? They all get the same page time. In a prequel comic like this, I’d hope to see some sort of character development between what we’re seeing and Beckett’s character in Solo, but I just didn’t get that here. I went into this comic wondering why exactly I should care about Tobias Beckett, and I came out the same way.

So, if you loved Solo, read this comic. If you are fascinated by Tobias Beckett (more power to you), read this comic. If you just like comics, the artwork by Edgar Salazar, Marc Laming, and Will Sliney is certainly worth the price of admission. If none of the above is true for you, though, you can skip this one, to be perfectly honest. It’s fun, but it wasn’t a story that needed to be told, and not one that I’m convinced actually adds anything to the Star Wars universe.

Star Wars: Beckett #1: Gerry Duggan/Writer; Edgar Salazar, Marc Laming, Will Sliney/Artists; Jordan Boyd/Colorist; VC’s Travis Lanham/Letterer; Tom Groneman/Assistant Editor; Mark Paniccia/Supervising Editor

Review: Thrawn: Alliances

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If you’d told me three years ago that we would see Grand Admiral Thrawn not only brought back into canon as a major villain for two seasons of Star Wars Rebels but that we would also have two novels with his name in the title written by Timothy Zahn, I would’ve said that you were crazy and yet here we are. Thrawn: Alliances is out today. Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now!

Thrawn: Alliances takes place in the aftermath of Star Wars Rebels Season 3 with everyone’s favorite grand admiral fresh off a defeat involving a giant deus ex Bendu. Darth Vader is less than impressed but that doesn’t matter to Palpatine who sends them to the Outer Rim planet of Batuu to investigate a disturbance in the Force. Funnily enough though… they’ve both been there before. It’s where Anakin Skywalker also met Thrawn while he was looking for Padmé who’s gone missing. It sure would be convenient if they were somehow connected… Continue reading →

Go/No-Go: Thrawn: Alliances

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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: Thrawn: Alliances. In the highly anticipated sequel to last year’s Thrawn, we get a Thrawn/Vader team up and a Clone Wars era adventure but how did we actually like the book? To mission control for the verdict!

Bria: I didn’t dislike Thrawn but Thrawn: Alliances was a hell of a lot more fun for me. The smaller scale story absolutely works to its benefit and also PADMÉ! There was lots of Padmé in this book! (I know what I’m about.) Also… it’s basically a Vader and Thrawn road trip which is everything I ever wanted but didn’t know until now. (Also I am now inclined to defend Karyn Faro with my life. Can she go hang out with SLOANE?) Zahn does an excellent job of telling both the Clone Wars era and the current timeline story, weaving them together and slowly showing us how they’re connected. This feels like one of those books that will appeal to a broad range of Star Wars fans and for different reasons. It may not be my favorite Star Wars book ever but it was definitely hard as hell to put down. Thrawn: Alliances gets a GO from me.

Nanci: Like Bria, I enjoyed Thrawn but Thrawn: Alliances hit way more buttons for me. I’ll say this right off the bat – it is my favorite Del Rey book of the new canon. That’s high praise from me, especially for a book that partly takes place during the prequel era (not my jam), but Zahn proves once again why he’s the master of writing Star Wars books. The two plot lines (Thrawn, Anakin, and Padmé in the Clone Wars era, and Thrawn and Vader in the Rebels era) weave together expertly, with revelations from one pushing the other forward and adding to the tension. Zahn’s characterization is superb, especially his take on Padmé, a character I’ve had a hard time relating to in the past. The other crew members on the Chimaera add a lot of flavor to the story; my personal favorite is Commodore Faro, and I would love to see more from her in the future. (Can I add that I love how Canon Rukh continues to annoy people as much as his Legends counterpart did?)

The real stars of this book, though, are Thrawn and Anakin/Vader. I love how Anakin and Vader are written so differently (as they should be) while Thrawn remains consistent through both timelines. The scenes with Thrawn and Vader on the Chimaera are where Zahn really shines. The tension between the two men is palpable, as well as the grudging respect. These are two extremely competent men and it is so satisfying to see them forced to work together (although sadly in the service of a fascist dictatorship). Two common Legends criticisms regarding Zahn’s writing had to do with his treatment of Vader and writing Thrawn as too omnipotent or “whitewashed.” While I didn’t share these views, I can safely say that Zahn’s portrayals of both characters are superb and it would be hard pressed for anyone to make the same criticisms here.

Thrawn: Alliances gets the highest of GOs from me. I can’t wait to read Zahn’s next contribution to the Star Wars saga.

Chris: Just to be a broken record, I, too, liked Thrawn but didn’t love it. Alliances, on the other hand, might just be my new favorite Star Wars book. Readers (or listeners to the Book Wars Pod) know that Anakin/Vader is my all-time favorite Star Wars character, so the deck was stacked for me going in, but the parallel plots – between “present” and past – worked together seamlessly, and I could just feel the similarities and differences between the Chosen One’s personas in a way I’ve always wanted to see in the canon. Thrawn, on the other hand, shows us an entirely new side of himself: he’s vulnerable – dare I say, almost human. Watching two titans of the Empire work together and sharpen each other’s skills in the process was a joy to read, as was Zahn’s portrayal of Padmé, who is portrayed not simply as Anakin’s damsel in distress but as a star in her own right, as she should be. Go, go, GO to read Thrawn: Alliances immediately – and start petitioning LFL for more Zahn books.

Flight Director’s Ruling: Thrawn: Alliances is a GO for launch!

Review: Darth Vader (2017) #13-17

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In the “Burning Seas” arc of Charles Soule’s Darth Vader comic series, we take a bit of a time jump from the series so far: while issues #1-12 focused on the days immediately following the rise of the Empire, issue #13 opens three years after those events (so, around 16 BBY, for those keeping track). The Empire is consolidated, the military has built up, and the Emperor’s sinister servant, Darth Vader, has come into his own as the regime’s chief enforcer.

Whereas the series so has shown us the internal struggles of becoming Darth Vader, this arc focuses much more on external events – namely, the pacification of Mon Cala, the water world home to some of the future Rebellion’s greatest heroes. Indeed, these issues are full of familiar faces: Not-yet-Grand Moff Tarkin and his capital ship Sovereign (previously seen in the Tarkin novel) are pitted in a battle of wills (and weapons) against King Lee-Char of Mon Cala (who you may remember from The Clone Wars), Admiral Raddus (Rogue One), and then-Commander Gial Ackbar (c’mon, you know him). With such a cast of characters demanding page-time, we actually get less of the titular villain than one would expect; Vader plays the role of antagonist here, rather than the focus of the plot.  Continue reading →

Holonet Blast #64

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It’s the news, y’all!

Fairly light week for actual news, but you know you can always check back here when The Last Jedi remake finally happens.

First, some toy news. In August, Funko will be coming out with its popular (and aptly named) Pop! figures from The Clone Wars television series that ran from 2008-2015. We can expect Anakin (complete with all his limbs), Obi-Wan, Yoda and TWO Ahsoka figurines (one of which will be a Hot Topic exclusive). If you need me, I’ll be in the corner rocking back and forth at the (extremely unlikely) possibility of finally getting a Pop! Fives.

Over in France, ILMxLAB and The VOID won two Cannes Lions Digital Craft awards for their incredible work on Secrets of the Empire hyper-reality experience. Now… who wants to fly me to Orlando or Anaheim so I can actually go play and write a first-hand account for TSR?!

And let’s not to forget to congratulate our friends over at The Star Wars Show for their 100th episode! (Does anyone actually know any of the cast and/or crew so we can be real friends? Asking for a me.) There was singing, there was dancing, there were several red Millennium Falcon shirts.

That’s it for now! Going to moonwalk into the night and go see Solo again.

Review: Most Wanted

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If you’re like me, you walked out of Solo: A Star Wars Story wanting to know everything you possibly could about Qi’ra and read dozens of stories about her. Thankfully, Most Wanted by Rae Carson came out the same day as the film and I was eager to dive into it especially since I’m a far of Carson’s Fire and Thorns trilogy. Even better? Most Wanted definitely did not disappoint.

Most Wanted introduces us to both Han and Qi’ra not more than a year before Solo begins with Lady Proxima pitting the two of them against each other to determine who will be the next Head Child of the White Worms. Given that the promotion comes with extra rations (including real food!) and other “privileges,” both of them really want it. Badly. When a deal goes very wrong, Han and Qi’ra realize that the only chance they have of salvaging either of their hopes of becoming Head is to work together and find themselves on a crazy adventure that neither of them could have ever forseen. Continue reading →

Review: The Mighty Chewbacca and the Forest of Fear

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What’s a wookiee to do when the daughter of the Emperor’s advisor has taken his partner hostage and will only free him if said wookiee goes on a dangerous assignment for her? Complete the mission, of course! The Mighty Chewbacca and the Forest of Fear by Tom Angleberger is a middle grade book that teams up everyone’s favorite wookiee with a young woman who’s trying to help her people and the galaxy’s snarkiest KX security droid.

Angleberger has a delightfully wry yet fun style of writing, providing direct commentary on the story as the narrator. Writing Chewbacca can be a challenge since his words are traditionally not translated directly but given vague meaning. Angleberger finds a way to make it fun and feel logical. The narration is really what makes the book veer more towards special and away from “this is fine” and I actually found myself laughing out loud once or twice.

Star Wars, as of late, has seemed to have fun pairing Chewie up on his solo missions with a spunky and relatively young girl to be a foil. That girl also usually has her own agenda that just happens to somewhat line up with Chewie’s own mission but they end up doing good and becoming friends at the end. It could have very easily been tedious this time around but Angleberger found a way to keep it interesting. When in doubt, toss in the K-2SO wrench apparently. (I love that droid so much, I really do.)

The Mighty Chewbacca and the Forest of Fear is a book that kids in the middle grade age range will likely find delightful but may be less appreciated by the older ones/teenagers. It’s a fun little adventure with Chewie that could be an amusing divertissement for adults or a great journey for kids.

Thank you to Disney Lucasfilm Press for providing a copy of the book for review purposes.