A Statement on our Marvel Comics Coverage

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Today, Marvel Comics made the decision to fire Chuck Wendig from two announced comics issues and a yet unannounced book. This decision was made by Marvel in response to Wendig strongly pushing back against hatred, bigotry, misogny, and racism in our community and world. Suffice to say I vehemently disagree with this choice, one that was made to appease the worst among our communities. Because of this I have made the editorial decision to drop all Marvel comics related coverage from both our blog and our podcasts.

In a world that is becoming increasingly inflamed with hatred towards minority populations, I cannot in good conscience allow our platform to provide coverage for a company that is demonstrating such callous disregard for so many of its readers. The actions Marvel demonstrated today runs counter to everything our blog and podcast network stands for. 

Book Wars Pod, Episode 66: Whack Him With a Moon

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We’re bidding farewell to Chuck Wendig’s AFTERMATH: LIFE DEBT in this wrap-up episode! Join us as we talk about reading our first book series of the pod and the nature of trilogies, and answer your many smart listener questions. Plus: our opinions on dad beards.

This podcast is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes Google Play, or Stitcher for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

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 →

Holonet Blast #78

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Happy Monday, friends, enemies, and neutral acquaintances! Even before New York Comic Con this past weekend we had a lot to talk about, so I hope you’re ready for some news!

Here are five illustrations from Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy that are ready to enter your eyeballs (they are all excellent but my favorite is the one of The Daughter). The full book comes on October 30 and will have even more wonderful art.

This past Wednesday, John Favreau posted the name and premise of the live-action Star Wars TV show on Instagram! The Mandalorian will be set “after the fall of the Empire and before the rise of the First Order” and will follow a lone Mandalorian (I know, shocking) gunfighter on the outskirts of the galaxy. The lack of gendered pronouns already has hopes up and speculation flying. And as if this wasn’t exciting enough, the next day we were given our first image from the show, along with a list of episode directors, including Dave Filoni (who will be directing the first episode), Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Taika Waititi (!!!!!!).

(I am excited for Taika to do a Star War)

Our very own Bria wrote about the NYCC Star Wars publishing panel for the official site! The panel covered both insights into and reveals of novels, comics, picture books, and more, including the covers for Claudia Grey’s novel Master and Apprentice, Caitlyn Kennedy and Brian Kesinger’s C-3PO Does Not Like Sand, and Who’s Who In the Galaxy, and, most definitely relevant to our interests here at Tosche Station, the announcement of Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed, due out June 2019, which “follows a unique team of pilots, each flying a different class of starfighter as they struggle to end the war they fought so long for once and for all.”

There are also details and insights on the tongue-in-cheek self-help books Be More Vader and Be More Yoda, the Thrawn comic, Lando’s Luck, Flight of the Falcon, Women of the Galaxy (including more art! like Ciena!), the Darth Vader comic, the Shadow of Vader comic, Han Solo: Imperial Cadet, the Age of Republic comics, the Age of Rebellion comic (the Leia issue involves Boushh!!), the Star Wars Adventures comic (now with more Prequel team-ups), and the next Choose Your Destiny book.

In toy news, yesterday at the Hasbro panel Black Series Doctor Aphra (and her droid companions Triple Zero and BT-1) and getting Black Series figures! Because I don’t need to keep my money!

 

The Mouse Droid #9: Walt Disney World 101

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This month on The Mouse Droid, we catch up on the news and discuss what you need to know if you’re a first time visitor to the Walt Disney World Resort.

Brian on Twitter: @lanewinree

Nanci on Twitter: @nancipants

The Mouse Droid on Twitter: @mousedroidshow

The Tosche Station Network on Twitter: @ToscheStation

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The Mouse Droid is a part of the Tosche Station Podcast Network. If you like what you hear, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes and Google Play. For more great shows from us, you can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Network mega feed on iTunes and Google Play.

Brian and Nanci are the co-founders and writers of ToscheStation.net and The Mouse Droid.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

Logo art provided by Heath Williams.

TSR #197: O Captain! My Captain (Marvel)!

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This week on TSR: Unlimited comics (sort of), Captain Marvel punches you back to the 90s, more Marvel shows are coming to ABC and Disney Play, and a Star Wars movie slowdown.

TSR is the flagship show of the Tosche Station Network. If you like what you hear, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. For more great shows from us, you can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Network mega feed on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders of ToscheStation.net and the Tosche Station Network. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

Book Wars Pod, Episode 65: Seeds of Poe

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We’re discussing the last part of AFTERMATH: LIFE DEBT by Chuck Wendig on the pod this week, and we have lots to talk about! How would we characterize Rae Sloane’s moral philosophy? What changes (or doesn’t) for the characters in this book? What parallels can we find between Temmin and Poe, and between Leia and Anakin?

This podcast is NOT spoiler-free and covers chapter 31 through the end of the book.

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes Google Play, or Stitcher for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

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 →

Holonet Blast #77

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Gooooooood morning Coruscant and welcome to another edition of the Holonet Blast in which there are a lot of very cool things.

First, Kathleen Kennedy will remain in charge of Lucasfilm for another three years despite what the random YouTube channels told us about her being fired. We at Tosche Station are definitely fans and can’t wait to see what else she brings to the galaxy far, far away.

It’s honestly a toss up as to which blew our minds more in terms of future Star Wars experiences: the Millennium Falcon ride details for Galaxy’s Edge or the forthcoming Vader Immortal VR experience from ILMxLab. Personally, I would like to experience both of those right now. Please and thank you.

In Resistance news, we got an extended sneak peak of the show and my hype levels are high. Very High. Because of Hype.

And finally, in sad news, the legendary Gary Kurtz passed away. He produced both A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back and was a key part of making Star Wars what it is. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.

Suitable for All Ages: A Mom’s-Eye View of The Mighty Chewbacca

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True story: The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear arrived at my house on release day. That was in May. Just as I do with many of the adult and YA Star Wars releases, I had planned to have a piece written on it to accompany Bria’s review. Obviously, this did not come to pass.

“Why?” you might ask. Why was I unable to get this book read and my thoughts on the page until now? My four-year-old, who sometimes asks to open packages, was the first one to set eyes on the book and he insisted it was his. Never one to deny my little guy an opportunity for reading, I relented (with reservations, which I will elaborate on in a moment). He loves it. It’s been a read-at-bedtime favorite for months, and he hasn’t wanted to let Mom “borrow” it.

It’s only now, with him in kindergarten, that I am able to claim the book for a few hours each day. So if you’re looking for a ringing endorsement—there it is. My kiddo cannot get enough of this book! Continue reading →