In the final installment in the series, George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy discuss their futures now that the sale is final.
Star Wars: Scoundrels Review (Mild Spoilers)
First things first, if you’ve managed to stay mostly spoiler free for this book, I highly suggest you continue to do so because wow will it be worth it. This review will contain mild spoilers so read at your own risk.
EU Retrospective: Lead Up to Yavin
So I didn’t actually read all four books as planned but it was not my fault! The library has taken over two weeks to get me the requested copy of Shadow Games and I’m not so desperate to read it that I felt like delaying the Waru Express any longer than I already have. I have struck it from the list and it will be replaced by The New Rebellion. More likely than not, I will read it anyways once it finally arrives but not in order. Sorry if anyone was really looking forward to my thoughts on that book. I might include it as a footnote in another post.
But enough of that! On with the show and three very very very different books.
Death Troopers
I really have no idea what I was expecting from this book but it probably should’ve been exactly what the book gave me. It is definitely a horror story set in the Star Wars universe. Surprisingly, I actually rather enjoyed it and I’m not necessarily a big horror fan. This goes back to a comment I think I made a few posts ago about how there really is something for everyone in the Expanded Universe. Schrieber introduces mostly new characters and I even found myself caring about some of them particularly the doctor, Zahara Cody.
I was not, however, expecting Han and Chewbacca to show up. Wow do those two get around and attract a lot of danger in the process. Maybe they should considering retiring to a nice quiet planet without any moons. Joe Schreiber actually writes a pretty good Han and Chewbacca. I especially liked how he wrote scenes from Chewbacca’s point of view instead of taking the easy way out and writing them from Han’s. The only “criticism” I have isn’t actually a criticism but just a comment that there wasn’t much tension in regards to their fates since the book is set before A New Hope.
All in all, it’s a short (and I really do mean short at only 234 pages) read but definitely worth it especially if you’d like a change from the Expanded Universe status quo. At the very least, it’s worth a try. Zombies on a Star Destroyer, folks, zombies on a Star Destroyer. What’s not to love?
Tosche Station’s Gratuitous 2012 in Review Linkdump
In January, Nanci and I started a podcast. In April, we spun that podcast off into a blog. All sorts of crazy things have happened since. Welcome to our gratuitous 2012 in Review Linkdump. As a note, thanks for bearing with us over the holidays as we took time to visit our friends and family. We’ll be back Wednesday with regular coverage and posts. Be sure to also check out Club Jade’s 2012 retrospective.
For our year-in-review, to the jump!
Fanwork Friday: Star Wars CHIPS
We all love Star Wars mashups, right? Especially when they involve cheesy TV shows? Well, here’s another great one by OneMinuteGalactica – Star Wars Chips!
Thanks to Club Jade for the link.
EU Retrospective: The Han Solo Trilogy
I don’t care what anyone else says but I love the Han Solo Trilogy and always have since I first read these when I was 9 or so. I’ve said before that they’re my guilty pleasure books and that’s just fine with me. It has, however, been reeeeeally long time since I’ve read these books and wow was it weird to keep reading about a ‘Bria’. I don’t know you folks with more commonly used names do it when you read books. But let’s set my personal issues with that aside for now and get on with the reviews!
The Paradise Snare
Oh street rat Han. You try, kiddo, you try. Okay sure his background may be a little cliché but did we really expect Han to come from anything else? Plus, it’s a nice set up for everyone to realize that Thracken Sal-Solo is indeed a-word-that-I-cannot-use-in-this-review.
The book serves as a nice set up for both the trilogy and Han as a character. For starters, both his relationship with Dewlanna and his experience with Ylesia make it a no brainer for him to save Chewie later on. You get to see where he came from and how he made the natural progression to the person he is when he first meets Luke and Obi-Wan on Tatooine. It’s also fun to see how Han seems to attract sidekicks no matter what although the idea of Han teaching Muuurgh proper Basic grammar is somewhat entertaining. As far as Ylesia goes though? Wow does Han have some bad luck when it comes to ending up on crappy mining planets.
Obviously, I really do love the character of Bria Tharen. Sure she’s in a pretty crappy place (mentally and physically) when we first meet her but her evolution as a character through the series is great. I think her interest in archaeology is a neat touch. While yes, she has fallen victim to this fake religion, I really like that Crispin makes it clear that this happens to both the weak and the strong-minded. Similarly, while she does need Han’s help to initially break away from it, I absolutely do not think that makes her a weak character but more on that later probably.
I do love all the subtle little cameos such as the one by Bornan and Aryn Thul on Alderaan. It’s a cute little tie-in to the YJK books. I also appreciate the flyby mention of Hal Horn in connection to the ‘Jenos Idanian’ identity. Say what you will about the Bantam era books but I really love how the authors really did try to make things tie together and fit to the best of their abilities.
The only thing that had me really rolling my eyes with this book was Han’s abuse of endearments. Come on, Han. I know you were a street rat but really? On the other hand, I can wave it off because this is a book about a very young Han Solo and he hasn’t figured out how to be suave and charming yet scruffy yet.
EU Retrospective: Coruscant Nights
I hope everyone got their fill of ‘Watch Bria have an emotional breakdown’ with the last post because we won’t be getting another one of those for awhile. Now that the Clone Wars are over, we get to look in on what some characters were up to before the Battle of Yavin. The Coruscant Nights books follow the adventures of Jax Pavan, a Jedi Knight who was lucky enough to survive the Purges and who, for some idiotic reason, is stupid enough to remain on Coruscant instead of fleeing for the stars.
Jedi Twilight
Hey guys. Do you know who was alive and then died in this book? Even Piell. Want to know who I still don’t give a bantha’s butt about? Yep. You got it in one. Literally all I know about him is that there was some continuity snafu and… nope. Still no caring to be found.
As for the book itself, it’s a decent enough read, I guess? I could’ve done without everything related to Black Sun because I really don’t care about Kaird or think it was a vital part of the book. (I mean, out of all the characters to bring back from MedStar, you picked him, Reaves? Really?) A lot of things about the plot just felt really convenient. I still don’t get why Vader is so focused on getting Jax of all the Jedi who might have survive. I also don’t get why Anakin apparently gave Jax a jewel as a gift a while ago? Just… what? Oh and the whole Grey Paladin thing is a bit weird too. Basically, there are a lot of things I just don’t get but it’s an entertaining enough read to not be a waste of time. However, I think I enjoyed it more when I first read it a year or two ago.
Oh and when I said I wanted more Nick Rostu, I meant a short story where he and Mace work together to command some battle during the Clone Wars and have lots of humorous exchanges. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still nice to see him being used but it just doesn’t feel like the same Nick although the war can probably be partially blamed for that. Poor Nick. He deserves so much better.
Fanwork Friday: Pacific Rim Power Rangers
Well, you knew it was going to happen eventually. There’s a mashup of the Pacific Rim trailer with the opening from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
It’s amazing.
Review: Winner Lose All
Scoundrels is coming and because we were all good little girls and boys, Del Ray and Timothy Zahn teamed up to give us a short digital exclusive story that serves as a sort of prequel to the forthcoming novel as an early Christmas present.
As the title might indicate, Winner Lose All takes place around a sabacc tournament and stars none other than the king of gamblers himself, Lando Calrissian. Lando just wants to win the tournament and get rich. Obviously, because this is Lando, things don’t go his way and he finds himself involved in a scheme he hadn’t planned on once he encounters the Kitik twins and learns that the grand prize could very well be a fake. Things end up spiraling out of control as they quickly realize how convoluted the scam is and it’s going to take a master scheme and a fair bit of luck for them to wind up on top.
Winner Lose All is a fun and entertaining read and exactly the sort of thing I hope we see more of with these e-stories. It tells a good story and lets you get to know all of the characters and also plays in a corner of the Star Wars universe that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Zahn does a good job with each of the characters, not letting just one overwhelm the story. The plot also has enough twists and turns without becoming ridiculous and keeps the reader engaged and wanting to know what happens.
Above all, the story serves its purpose well: to serve as a prequel and to introduce readers to some of the new characters who will be appearing in Scoundrels. In just fifty pages, I already found myself getting attached to Tavia and Bink Kitik, the twin ghost thieves who have differing levels of approval for their business. They may share the same face but they definitely have their own distinct personalities and don’t fall into the any tiring twin tropes. Zahn also introduces the twins’ partner in crime, Zerba Cher’dak who will also be appearing in the forthcoming Scoundrels. He’s definitely not someone you’d want to play against at sabacc though because he is just that good at cheating.
Bottom line is that I suggest you all go get this because not only is it a fun read but it’ll help tide you over these last two weeks until we can all finally read Scoundrels.
Will the Star Wars Comic Rights Be Reverting to Marvel?
One of the questions surrounding the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm and today’s rumor mill of the day has concerned the future of Star Wars comic books with Dark Horse. Many people have predicted that Star Wars will return back to Marvel (Disney’s in house comic company) and rumors today put that return date to be sometime in 2014. However, Randy Stradley, VP of Publishing for Dark Horse, commented on the Dark Horse messenger boards recently and said “don’t believe everything you read on the internet” indicating that the previous rumors are likely false.
There does, however, remain a decently strong chance that Marvel could reacquire the rights to publish Star Wars comics at some point within the next several years. I’m going to make it clear that this is all speculation on my part based upon rumors and the current state of comics. So what would that mean for the books themselves? First and foremost, the fate of the current or forthcoming books that Dark Horse is putting out could possibly be in limbo. Judging by the interview with CBR, both Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman seem to have at least a year’s worth of issues and story lines planned out if not more for the brand new Legacy comic. If Marvel does reacquire the Star Wars IP, will comics like Legacy or Agent of the Empire or the new Original Trilogy era comic continue under Marvel editors or would they be halted completely or halted and relaunched with completely new creative teams?
It would also bring the fate of the various creators into question. It is possible that some of these writers and artists could have exclusive contracts with Dark Horse therefore stopping them from making the change along with the Star Wars IP. If they don’t have exclusive contracts, it’s possible that some of these titles could simply seamless continue and just change editorial staffs. More likely than not though, you would probably see at least some creative team shifts but predicting those would be nigh impossible especially since it’s almost equally as impossible to predict what books sales might look like in 2014.
On the other side of things, some people have looked at Marvel’s current line up of writers and artists and become excited about the prospect of something like Bendis, Fraction, DeConnick, Remender, or Hickman writing a story set in the Star Wars universe. As far as artist goes, I know that I would personally love to see Skottie Young give some of the Star Wars comics and characters his baby treatment or Phil Noto or Jerome Opeña drawing a Star Wars book. Unfortunately, I honestly do not see that happening especially given the current book assignments and Marvel’s current tendency to double ship many of their more popular books. For those who don’t know what double ship means, it refers to a comic having two issues published each month instead of one. Obviously double shipping requires a very strict creative schedule and usually a fair bit of planning so each contributor can meet his or her deadline. Looking at the current and upcoming Marvel NOW schedule, it is very unlikely that most of the big name writers would have time to add another Marvel book to their schedules in addition to their own creator owned projects. That’s not saying it’s impossible (because let’s be honest: after the Episode VII announcement, nothing is impossible anymore) but it’s unlikely. This could potentially give some of the lesser known creators for Marvel a chance to shine or even some new talent to emerge.
On the other hand, there is also the chance that Marvel might not have any immediate interest in working on Star Wars comics in the immediate future especially given their current projects. Star Wars could possibly have a longer future with Dark Horse than most people anticipated. At the very least, given Stradley’s comment, it does not look likely that Dark Horse will lose their contract within the next few years.
At the end of the day, we really still don’t know anything for sure about whether or not Dark Horse will be losing the rights to Star Wars once their current contract is up. Once again though, we’d like to remind you that nothing is officially confirmed as being true until it is announced by StarWars.com.