Holonet Blast #20

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In what we can only hope is a trend for those of us too lazy to fish out physical discs from various cubby holes, Rogue One is available now to stream on Netflix in the United States.

Excited about the Phasma novel? So is the author.

Boy howdy there was a LOT of Star Wars literature news out of D23 and Dragon Con. Thankfully, awesome person Anthony Breznican has it all covered over at EW.

Growing up, I had an awesome battery powered scale car in the shape of a Geo Tracker I could drive. Kids today have it better, with a battery powered landspeeder they can drive. 

You thought the publishing news out of D23 was nuts? Wait till you see what came out at San Diego Comic Con.

The Mouse Droid #1: D23 Madness

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This week on the inaugural Mouse Droid Podcast, Brian and Nanci discuss their history with the Disney parks and resorts before diving into the big news out of D23 to discover why they’ll be moving into Hollywood Studios in 2019 and never leaving. 

Links from this episode:

Brian on Twitter: @LaneWinree

Nanci on Twitter: @nancipants

The Mouse Droid on Twitter: @mousedroidshow

The Tosche Station Network on Twitter: @Tosche_Station

Email

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 Tosche-Station.net and The Mouse Droid.

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

Tosche Station Radio #173: Tales from D23

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, we break down the news from D23 and San Diego Comic Con and gush over The Last Jedi’s behind the scenes sizzle reel.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net. 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. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. 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!

Review: Darth Maul #5

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Darth Maul #5 ends about how you’d expect any book about the Sith Lord to: with death. All things Maul always seem to come with a heaping side of death. It’s a thing.

A theme of this series and particularly of this issue has been arrogance. Maul’s arrogance levels are so high in Issue #5 that is almost got nauseating at times and I found myself really hoping that Eldra would somehow manage to kill him just so he’d stop internally monologing about how killing Jedi is his purpose etc etc. (I’ll refrain from including a particularly ridiculous musical reference.) If nothing else, watching Maul get stabbed in various parts of Star Wars will now be even more enjoyable.

One of the smarter things that Cullen Bunn did in this book was to include Cad Bane and Aurra Sing. The bounty hunters added an extra level of interest to the book’s story that otherwise would have involved even more Maul Monologing. It not only offers a different point of view but makes things a bit more engaging at times. This will also add another dimension to any interaction they have in The Clone Wars. Star Wars: it’s all connected!

Overall, I found the series to be good but not mindblowing. It’s enjoyable. Would someone who’s more of a fan of Darth Maul likely get more out of it than I did? Probably. Do I think it’s on level with some of the top tier comics Marvel’s done? Nah.

Darth Maul #5: Cullen Bunn/Writer, Luke Ross/Artist, Nolan Woodard/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Review: Poe Dameron #17

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The X-Wing Gods must have heard my prayers because this next arc is another Black Squadron story and not just a Poe thing! Actually, it’s two Black Squadron things which makes it even better.

The first group (which I shall call Team Rad Ladies) is on a propaganda mission. Suralinda, Karé, and Jess are charged with capturing footage of the First Order doing some very bad things which sounds almost deceptively easy. Meanwhile, Team Dudes (Poe and Snap) are off to find Oddy Muva. I’m more on board with Team Rad Ladies. Because obviously.

Back in my review of Issue #13, I mentioned that this comic really feels like the spiritual successor to the X-Wing books and every time we get more of the entire team, it becomes truer. Admittedly, I’m biased towards Jess Pava but I love that we’re getting more of her background here. Her need to work on her own ships and modify them isn’t just a line on her character sheet anymore; it’s a fundamental part of who she is. Granted, I’m now mildly worried about how things will go for her during this arc but at least we know she lives.

Assorted Thoughts:

  • Has Malarus always had one blue and one red eye or am I just now noticing it? Either way… very Ysanne Isard.
  • The blurred movement panel of Threepio looks like a bizarre alien head
  • Yay for old school starfighters!
  • Did Jess have an astromech in her x-wing during The Force Awakens? Someone should check.
  • General Organa Sass = A+

It’s painfully clear that this arc is going to be trouble for Black Squadron. I love it.

Poe Dameron #17: Charles Soule/Writer, Angel Unzueta/Artist, Arif Prianto/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Book Wars Pod, Episode 9: Everyone Needs Space Therapy

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It’s our first foray into comics! We discuss STAR WARS: SKYWALKER STRIKES by Jason Aaron and DARTH VADER: VADER by Kieron Gillen. These volumes begin to fill the mysterious gap between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, showing us more of Luke, Leia, Han, Vader, and some new favorites, including the infamous Doctor Aphra.

This episode covers issues 1-7 of the STAR WARS comic and issues 1-6 of the DARTH VADER comic (2015), and 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, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play 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!

Holonet Blast #19

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Welcome once again to our weekly round-up of Star Wars news from across the galaxy. This was an exciting week to be a Star Wars fan! Sit back, relax, and enjoy re-living some epic moments from the GFFA, or use this opportunity to catch up on anything you may have missed in the whirlwind of amazing things we got to enjoy this week. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Dawn of Rebellion:

The week kicked off with some exciting news for our Of Dice and Droids crew and fellow roleplayers worldwide when Fantasy Flight Games announced a new sourcebook for the Star Wars RPG. Dawn of Rebellion, scheduled for release later this year, is the first sourcebook of its kind, designed to be used alongside the existing SWRPG modules.

Primarily focusing on the years preceding the Battle of Yavin, Dawn of Rebellion features descriptions, context, and statistics for many of the iconic characters and vehicles appearing in the Star Wars: Rebels television show and in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story…..

Dawn of Rebellion will equip players and gamemasters with new options, guides, and insights for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game when it releases later this year. In the meantime, stay on alert for more previews for how this exciting new book will expand your games of Star Wars Roleplaying!

This book is set to deepen, rather than broaden, the already expansive Star Wars RPG universe. The artwork is beautifully done, and the information contained within is likely to be an invaluable resource to Game Masters the galaxy over. Continue reading →

Review: Darth Vader (2017) #3

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Darth Vader’s hunt for a Jedi to murder for their lightsaber continues and it’s clear that Master Infil’a won’t go down without a fight… and it might be more than Vader can handle.

In a previous issue’s review, I called this book the slow murder of Anakin Skywalker and that still holds true here. The book is also the (and Vader would hate to hear this) spindly-legged fawn days of a Sith Lord. He’s in a body that’s mostly machine and he doesn’t have total mastery of the dark side yet. Contrast that with Master Infil’a who likely took the Barash Vow years ago and who has mostly spent his time training and… yeah. This isn’t the simplest fight. The Prequel Trilogy mentioned the Trials that a padawan would have to undergo in order to become a Jedi Knight. Regardless of whether Palpatine what Jedi Vader would find or not, these are definitely feeling like the Sith version of the Trials. (Only Vader will remain the Apprentice afterwards.)

For the most part, I like the artwork with its more traditionally comic book style. It’s something we’ve been missing in the Star Wars line up since Pepe Larraz’s work on Kanan. There’s something about Vader’s helmet that looks a little off but it’s a relatively mild complaint.

This new Darth Vader book continues to be intriguing as it asks just how much further can you break down the man who was Anakin Skywalker before there’s nothing left to continue on as Darth Vader. You should definitely pick this week’s issue up along with the previous two if you haven’t yet.

Darth Vader #3: Charles Soule/Writer, Giuseppe Camuncoli/Pencils, Cam Smith/Inks, David Curiel/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor, Jordan D. White/Editor

Review: Doctor Aphra #9

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Forget hello: they had me at the cover. Don’t get me wrong: I love Aphra for being, well, her but seeing her in a fancy dress just makes me smile. (I have a weakness and I will not apologize for it.) Tragically, neither Aphra nor Krrsantan wear their fancy cover duds within the pages of the book but I suppose what they do wear partially makes up for it with what their fancywear actually looks like. Emphasis on partially.

Part I of ‘Doctor Aphra and the Enormous Profit’ continues the plot that’s been driving the entire book thus far. The Screaming Citadel plan didn’t quite work as she intended and so now she’s going to sell the Immortal Rur to the highest bidder. Because credits. However… there’s a twist. Which I will not spoil for you. (I will say that it made me drop the comic and shout a swear word when I read it.)

One of the neat things about Doctor Aphra is that it gets to show us more of the galaxy’s underworld, something we haven’t seen as much of in the new canon. This underworld also extends past bounty hunters. The fact that Aphra’s made them all dress up is just a bonus. It’s a big galaxy and it’s nice when Star Wars shows us a little more of it.

This issue also reminds us that Team Aphra doesn’t work together because of the Power of Friendship. They work together because to have to (for whatever reason it might be.) This isn’t a group of people like our heroes who will bail each other out because they care. It’s a contrast that’s most definitely going to come back with a vengeance. Undoubtedly, this is something we’ll see more of as the book progresses.

The doctor is in again and I’m very anxious to see what happens to her next. Very. Very. Anxious.

Doctor Aphra #8: Kieron Gillen/Writer, Kev Walker/Penciler, Marc Deering/Inks, Antonio Fabela/Colors, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor, Jordan D. White/Editor

ThrawnCast 4.1: The Next Day …

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We’re back! Amanda, Matthew, and Sho have returned with your favorite Expanded Universe book club! This week we’re looking at the first four chapters of Kathy Tyers’ The Truce at Bakura, the first Star Wars novel published following Timothy Zahn’s The Last Command and billed as taking place literally the day after Return of the Jedi.

Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Song: “Rynos Theme”
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

The ThrawnCast is a part of the Tosche Station Radio network. Be sure to subscribe to the ThrawnCast on iTunes or Google Play. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed in iTunes or  Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network. 

This podcast was brought to you by Her Universe and your support on Patreon.