Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
Hallelujah we’re getting back into the Prequel Era! And not only that: it’s a largely unexplored area of the Prequels. Set several years after The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan and Anakin #1 by Charles Soule and Marco Checchetto takes a closer look at the master/padawan team during a time when Anakin’s struggling to fit in to the Jedi Order and Obi-Wan’s struggling to do right by his young padawan.
There are some spoilers in this review.
A novelization can be a tricky thing. After all, it’s not creating its own story but adapting someone else’s (which is a whole ’nother battle than coming up with a plot.) The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster not only has to face that complicated task but also gets to follow in the wake of the best Star Wars novelization ever. Released in ebook on December 18th and in hardcover on January 5th, The Force Awakens is an enjoyable but not groundbreaking read.
First and foremost, the novel is definitely no substitute for watching the film and there are certainly aspects lost in translation. The charm of John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac just doesn’t make it on to the page all of the time. In all fairness, capturing that much charisma would have been a near impossible task for almost any writer. Foster’s also not one of those writers who writes amazing starfighter battles and thus what were exhilarating moments on the screen come off as a bit dry on the page especially without a John Williams soundtrack to back them up.
What this book does do a good job of is help expand upon the new galactic status quo. It fills in some of the gaps that the movie did not, like giving us Lor San Tekka’s name for one along with some tantalizing hints about his past. Additionally, Foster gives us more Leia, something that’s always a positive. Perhaps most interestingly, the book shows readers how Poe escaped—something well suited for inclusion in the novel where it can’t impede the dramatic effect of the X-wings’ arrival.
Perhaps more than anyone, Kylo Ren benefits from the transition to the page. Not only are his speech patterns more elegant (think Vader’s slaughter on Mustafar in the Revenge of the Sith novel) but readers also get into his head at some of the key character moments, potentially shedding a brand new light on some of his actions and reactions. Han Solo and Rey are two other characters that readers really benefit from getting inside of their heads. The fast-formed bond was one of the highlights of the film and it’s almost sweet to see Han’s side of it before they go into Maz’s cantina. Follow that up with an incredibly sweet moment between Rey and Chewie at the end that mirrors a more bittersweet one from the start and you’ve got some great character bits in here. It’s in the character moments where the novelization does its best.
As a note, the hardcover does include eight pages of color photos from the film—a little bonus for those who waited for the hardcover that wasn’t printed until after the film was released.
Is The Force Awakens novelization an essential read for any Star Wars fan? No, but it is still fun and can provide fans with more of the galaxy far far away.
Thank you to Del Rey for providing us with a copy of the book for review purposes.
2015 was a banner year for Star Wars. From Celebration to Comic Con, from Lords of the Sith to Aftermath, from Rebels to The Force Awakens, 2015 had something to appeal to every Star Wars fan. A bunch of us were lucky enough to travel to Anaheim back in April for Celebration, an event that jump-started an already furious fandom. And what better way to end the year than with an all-new Star Wars movie? It doesn’t get much better than that.
Since it’s the end of the year and we’re a website on the internet, we’re obligated to present a list of things we liked best about 2015. We’re pretty sure our list would be “The Force Awakens” a bunch of times, so we decided to mix it up a bit and offer our favorites in different categories, such as books, comics, games, and Rebels episodes. After the jump, we present our 2015 Star Wars Superlatives.
The solo adventures of everyone’s favorite wookiee wrap up this week with Chewbacca #5 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto. The series conclusion does a lovely job of wrapping up the small scale story that Duggan and Noto have been telling for the last few weeks.
When last we saw Chewie and Zarro, they’d been captured and sent up to the Imperial Star Destroyer via the same ship upon which they’d hidden a bomb-filled droid! It’s a tricky situation to say the least but, luckily, our heroes figure a way out of it.
One of the neatest things about this book is how well both Duggan and Noto have been able to portray Chewie’s point of view and what he’s trying to say despite only using the usual wookiee roars. (Still not sure if those were incredibly fun or just a pain for letterer Joe Caramagna…) It’s a huge part of what has made this fun little story work. The other part, of course, was Zarro because who doesn’t love getting to see a kid run circles around the Imps and the local bad guys?
Chewbacca #5 was a great finale to what has been a fun series that’s worth your time and money when the trade comes out in a few months especially if you’re a big fan of Chewie.
“Where’s Luke?” That was the question on everyone’s lips during the lead up to The Force Awakens. We all wanted to know why Luke wasn’t on the poster or the trailers. What has he been up to the past 30 years?
A few seconds into the movie, during the first line of the opening crawl, we (sort of) got our answer. Not to mention a hell of a lot more questions.
We also got a new cast of characters who, for a couple of hours at least, made me forget about the search for Luke Skywalker.
(Spoilers under the cut.)
Look, folks. The honeymoon is over. You are just not allowed to unabashedly enjoy The Force Awakens anymore. Oh no. Now you must analyze it to death and write your super hot takes about how it’s not really that great after all and title it with super clickbait-y titles. For bonus points, you can point out several dozen plot holes that are easily explained if you actually watched the film. If you didn’t like the film, that’s fine. You’re entitled to your (wrong) opinion. Different people like different things.
That said, some of these reviews and think pieces have already gotten a little… stale. In order to maintain your sanity and to stay entertained, I present to you… The Force Awakens Review/Think Piece Drinking Game.
Disclaimer: Tosche Station takes no responsibility for what happens to your liver after this.
Have any suggestions for what else is drink worthy? Let us know in the comments and we just might add it in!
Look. Do you know what’s not okay? That cover to the right by Mark Brooks because MY HEART STARTED POUNDING WHEN I THOUGHT THAT JUST MAY HK-47 WAS BACK BUT NOOOOOO IT’S JUST SOME OTHER RANDOM DROID. *breathes*
Vader Down is back this week with Darth Vader #14 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca. When last we left our heroes, Leia was facing off against Darth Vader… which always goes well for people.
Despite this issue being action packed, it felt a little bit slower in comparison to the last few. That’s not a bad thing though because honestly? I can only take Vader terrifying me so many times in a row. What Darth Vader #14 does do really well is put some solid character moments into the mix. I recently read an interview from Gillen where he mentioned that Vader Down is testing out how some of the characters react to each other in this three year gap between films and no where was it more evident than with Leia and Vader. Not only is there a difference between how they react to each other now but this is an incredibly telling moment for Leia. In just a few pages, her commitment to the Rebel Alliance coupled with the permanent weight of Alderaan that she carries around have never been more evident. It’s very well done.
The levity breaks are still around in this issue. As per usual, the Murder Bots are turning out to be worth their weight in gold and poor Threepio is going to need a vacation after this. Gillen did a good day’s work when he came up with the idea for Dr. Aphra and the Murder Bots. (That’s the name of my cover band, by the way.)
Vader Down continues to be fantastic and I can’t wait to pick up the next issue!
This review provided by our friend Raul.
With what started as a harmless Facebook “Share” from my sister not so long ago for a holiday not that far away, I was gifted my very own Star Wars Death Star Waffle Maker[1]. As it was a early Christmas present, and given the permission to use it as soon as it arrived, I armed myself with my trusty box of Jiffy baking mix (which, in my opinion, makes excellent waffles and hotcakes) I did what any self-respecting gay does on a Sunday: Brunch.
Ever since the first trailer dropped back in November 2014, certain factions of Star Wars fans have been quite insistent with their thoughts on precisely who can and cannot be stormtroopers and even who could even be in the various militaries that we have seen. Now that The Force Awakens is out, the First Order would like to have a few words with those loud voices. Let’s take a look at their very eloquent letters.
Dear Everyone Insisting That Stormtroopers Must Be Clones,
Suck it.
Signed,
General Hux whose army of stolen, indoctrinated children is way better than clones
Dear Everyone Insisting That Stormtroopers Can’t Be Black,
Suck it.
Signed,
FN-2187, AKA Finn
Dear Everyone Insisting that Stormtroopers Can’t Be Female,
Suck it.
Signed,
Captain Phasma and the Trooper with a Distinctly Female Voice
Dear Literally Anyone Insisting that the Bad Guys Must Be All White Guys,
No seriously. Suck it.
Signed,
The First Order
Before the Awakening is a successor to the young reader Journey to the Force Awakens trilogy of books. Illustrated by Phil Noto (who also illustrated The Weapon of a Jedi, Moving Target, and Smuggler’s Run) and written by Greg Rucka (who also wrote Smuggler’s Run and Shattered Empire), the novel explains what Finn, Rey, and Poe were up to prior to the events of The Force Awakens. It’s divided into three sections, one for each character, and elaborates on their backstories and provides some insight into where each of them are at the start of the film.
(Slight spoilers for The Force Awakens ahead.)