From Dragon Con 2016 is the Star Wars Representation Matters panel. Janine, Maia, Luci, Mel, and Melissa form the panel. Brian moderates.
Tosche Station on Location: Dragon Con 2016 – Military and Politics in Star Wars
From Dragon Con 2016 is the Military and Politics in Star Wars panel. Panelists include Janine Spendlove, Bethany Blanton, Riley Blanton, Tom Hutchins, and John Liang. Moderating is Thomas Harper.
Review: Poe Dameron #6
Look, I know that I’m riding off a BB-8 high in the wake of Dragon Con and that AMAZING panel with his puppeteers but this is TOTALLY BB-8’s issue. I mean yeah fine; the pilots help win too but they definitely would have failed without BB-8 and the other astromechs.
Poe and the rest of Black Squadron are still stuck down on the surface of the prison planet and the odds aren’t looking good… or at least they wouldn’t be looking good if they didn’t have a plan and some very capable astromechs up in the sky. This, by the way, is what really helps capture the spirit of Star Wars. One of my favorite parts of the saga (in the Prequels more so than in the Original Trilogy) was how Artoo would so often go off on his own and save the day. BB-8 is definitely his spiritual successor. How can you not love an awesome little droid like that especially when it emotes so beautifully?
The humans are all right too, I guess. No but actually: Terex is one of my new favorite villains and I’m falling more and more in love with the pilots of Black Squadron. They’re smart, they have a plan, and they seem to genuinely care about each other. Hopefully none of them end up going out in a blaze of glory. I love how Soule and Noto are being given the opportunity to really flesh out these characters we don’t know very much about and how they’re sparingly yet effectively using characters like Phasma and Leia. It’s all just so artistically done.
The Poe Dameron arcs are short but sweet and I am digging this book. Are you reading it yet? You should be because next issue is Poe Dameron’s Day Off!
Poe Dameron #6: Charles Soule/Writer, Phil Noto/Artist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor
Tosche Station on Location: Dragon Con 2016 – Q&A with Star Wars’ Finest Authors
From Dragon Con day one is the Q&A with Star Wars’ Finest Authors panel. Authors Janine Spendlove, Delilah S. Dawson, Kevin J. Anderson, Timothy Zahn, and Michael A. Stackpole answer audience questions about their experience writing tie-in fiction for the Star Wars universe.
Tosche Station on Location: Dragon Con 2016 – Star Wars Rebels with Henry Gilroy and Timothy Zahn
From Dragon Con day one is the Star Wars Rebels panel featuring the show’s head writer Henry Gilroy. Additional panelists include Bria LaVorgna, Bethany Blanton, and Nanci Schwartz. Bruce Gibson moderates.
Towards the end of the recording, Timothy Zahn crashes the panel to discuss how he found out Grand Admiral Thrawn was going to be returning to canon.
Tosche Station on Location: Dragon Con 2016 – Star Wars Costuming
From Dragon Con day one is the Star Wars Costuming panel geared to helping you get started making your own costumes. Panelists are Casey Riley, Melissa Pye, Charles Ecton, Tom Hutchens, and Cheralyn Lambeth. Moderating is Bria LaVorgna.
Tosche Station on Location: Dragon Con 2016 – Rogue One & Episode VIII Speculation
From Dragon Con day one is the Rogue One and Episode VIII speculation panel. Spoilers and rampant speculation ensue, so proceed with caution. Panelists include Riley Blanton, Michael Morris, Alex Damon, Tom Hutchens, and Nanci Schwartz. Bethany Blanton moderates.
Tosche Station on Location: Dragon Con 2016 – Post TFA Scandals and Cliffhangers
From Dragon Con day one is the Post The Force Awakens Scandals and Cliffhangers panel. Panelists are Brian Larsen, Sarah Dempster, Danny Pirtle, and Chadwick Miller. Moderating is Nanci Schwartz.
Western Reaches #12
This episode the hosts dive into some Hugo worthy novels (and one not so worthy), a bit of Indie fun, and some Sims 4 adventures. Brian from Tosche Station Radio joins the hosts to discuss No Man’s Sky.
Books:
The Obelisk Gate – N.K. Jemisin
Ancillary Sword – Ann Leckie
Join – Steve Toutongi
Heir to the Empire – Timothy Zahn
Games:
Hyper Light Drifter
Sims 4
FIFA 16
No Man’s Sky
You can find Megan on Twitter with the handle @blogfullofwords and you can find Saf with @Wanderlustin. Be sure to subscribe to Western Reaches on iTunes/Google Play and subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed for more great shows, discussion, and commentary.
This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon!
Review: Han Solo #3
It’s been a little while since the last issue but I’d say it was definitely worth the wait! I’ve been enjoying the book so far but Issue #3 is where it felt like Marjorie Liu and the rest of the team really kicked into another gear. Hot damn this book is fun!
Mark Brooks’ artwork on this book positively thrills me especially during the race scenes. It’s chaotic yet beautiful and something about it really speaks to me. In particular, the two-page spread during the 12-hour phase of the race was just downright awesome. He really is the perfect pick for this book and I’m happy to see more of his work.
Like I said before, this book is fun. To be fair, it’d be tricky for the book to not be fun given the premise. It’s a space race. That said, it’s not all fun and games because the Empire is still involved. Loo Re Anno, one of the legendary racers, is the last of her kind and Liu doesn’t shy away from the implications of this. When one of the Imperials mentions that he has always wondered how “an entire race can dwindle down to one individual,” Loo Re Anno points out that “it usually requires help.” Damn. There’s more of a story here and I’d like to know it. And also for her to meet Zeb. They can be friends.
It’s worth mentioning again that Liu really gets Han Solo. I can almost hear Harrison Ford’s voice in my mind as I read some of his lines. This Han is the perfect step between the out-for-himself smuggler we first met in Mos Eisley and the guy who’s actually starting to believe in this whole Rebellion thing. He’s a character in flux and it’s fascinating to read. Kudos to everyone involved.
In case it wasn’t clear, Han Solo definitely gets a strong recommendation from me!
Han Solo #3: Marjorie Liu/Writer, Mark Brooks/Artist, Sonia Oback/Colors, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor