http://www.space-mullet.com/2015/06/05/green-leader/
A blog about all things Star Wars, and more, from the perspective of a father of two kids.
Showing posts with label Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comics. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Green Leader Comic
http://www.space-mullet.com/2015/06/05/green-leader/
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Skywalker Strikes
Here are my notes and observations of the first several issues of Marvel's relaunch of the Star Wars main title. The entails Book I of the series entitled, "Skywalker Strikes".
Jason Aaron - Writer
John Cassaday - Artist
Laura Martin - Colorist
001
HIGHLIGHTS - Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, and Artoo conduct a raid on the Imperial Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon I of the Corellian Industrial Cluster. The missions gets complicated when Luke discovers a group of slaves that were being used to run the factory. Luke cuts off the hand of the slave master as he was attacking him with a laser whip. It seems he was following Obi-Wan's precedent there. Chewbacca tried to take a sniper shot at Vader, but Vader reacts by destroying the platform Chewie was on. Threepio is hiding out in a junk pile with the Falcon when a bunch of alien scavengers show up. The issue ends with Luke poised to confront Vader and Obi-Wan's ghost voice telling him to run.
OPINION - I really liked this issue. It definitely felt like Star Wars and did not seem derivative. It is not surprising that this was the best selling comic book of the last twenty years!
002
HIGHLIGHTS - Vader is practically disgusted by the skill level of his opponent (Luke). Luke tells Vader that he killed Master Kenobi. Vader pulls Luke's lightsaber from his hands and demands Luke take him to the Rebel pilot that destroyed the Death Star. Luke refuses and is about to be killed by Vader until two things happen: (1) Vader recognizes Luke's lightsaber, and (2) the foot of an Imperial Walker hijacked by Han comes crashing down through the ceiling. In the ensuing battle, many slaves are killed by Vader and Stormtroopers. Luke escapes being pinned down by using a speeder bike and Vader starts to think a little more of Luke and wonders what Obi-Wan had been up to. The battle turns in the Rebels favor when Han's AT-AT unleashes a fury of laser bolts at Vader and company. It is enough to disable Vader and make him drop Luke's (Anakin's) lightsaber. Luke spins back around and picks it up. But Vader isn't finished and regroups his forces.
OPINION - A great second issue. It continues the intensity from the first issue well. I think it is a little goofy of Han hijacking an AT-AT, but I've come around to accepting it.
003
HIGHLIGHTS - Chewbacca comes to the aid of Threepio, who was blasted to bits in 002. Vader takes out the AT-AT by using his lightsaber at critical points of the AT-AT. Han, Leia, Artoo, and the surviving slaves escape the wreckage of the walker. Luke turns back to make sure the weapons station is destroyed even though Vader and the Imps are there. Vader hops into some cool single-seater gunship and is determined to kill Luke this time. Luke blasts the reactor, setting off a destructive meltdown. The explosion of the facility is all that saves Luke from being killed. Vader walks away from the destruction. Vader concludes that this boy was Obi-Wan's last great hope. But with no one left to train him but Vader himself, he decides to make the boy *his* weapon and not Obi-Wan's. Luke is filled with self-doubt knowing he is no match of Vader, that he is no Jedi, and that there is no one left to train him. But the issue ends with a silent four panel showing a box in Kenobi's hovel with the inscription "For Luke".
OPINION - I loved this issue. I enjoy how it is diving into the story of how Luke developed the skills we see in ESB without a teacher. What is in the box???
004
CONTINUITY - I believe Vader 001 takes place before this issue. The Emperor has sent Vader to negotiate supplies from Jabba the Hutt.
HIGHLIGHTS - Vader secures resources for the Empire from Jabba. Leia discusses strategy with Ackbar, Mothma, and Dodonna. The Rebels have bombed shipyards at Kuat and the supply base at Imdaar. But they have had to consume many resources by having a mobile base of operations. Leia talks about having her own team, which Mothma questions whether they are united. Luke goes off on his own to search for some way to become a Jedi. Meanwhile on Tatooine, a mysterious person is on the trail for Han Solo. Vader joins Jabba in watching the kill Banthas and asks for information about Kenobi. We get a tie-in with Vader 001 when he mentions the two bounty hunters he hired: Boba Fett to find the boy and Black Krrsantan to find the mysterious man the Emperor is working with. Luke decides to go to Tatooine and return to Obi-Wan's home to search for answers.
OPINION - I always wondered if in his transformation from Anakin to Vader if he had forgotten his former self, like Luke said. Apparently that does not mean the facts of the memories, since Vader slaughtered another village of Tusken Raiders. Perhaps his memories are filtered through the dark side, so his view will be more slanted to that way rather than thinking of Mos Espa, pod racing, or other more positive locales. Tatooine is sure getting a lot of visitors lately!
005
HIGHLIGHTS - Boba Fett mercilessly kills his way to find the location of the boy he was hired by Vader to find. Luke battles some Tusken Raiders who were going into Ben's hut, but apparently scared them away without hurting them. Han needs parts to repair the Falcon from the Cymoon I mission that happened in issues 001 - 003. But supplies are limited and Leia tells Han if he wants the parts he has to co-pilot a mission to scout locations for a new rebel base in a stolen Imperial shuttle. They meet up with two TIE-fighters and Han, in a boneheaded move, grabs the controls and makes a run for it, even though the security codes Leia fed the TIE-fighters worked. Han goes to a moon/planet he knows, the Monsua Nebula, with large electrical storms in the hope to evade the TIEs. The mysterious person has found Han and knows he likes to visit this place. Luke locates the "For Luke" box in the mess left by the Tuskens, but is suddenly blinded by a flash grenade thrown by Boba Fett.
OPINION - A good issue. I think Han acted too much like an oaf in this issue. I suppose they want to show his character growth in ROTJ when he tells Chewie to stay calm and fly casual. I also didn't like how they made Boba Fett out to be this all out killing machine. I mean we saw in 003 that people were hauling bodies out to the wild desert to avoid being questioned by Imperials or paying Jabba's murder tax. I think this issue was too much about fan service. Watch ROTJ again and tell me how you can reconcile the Boba Fett we see there versus in Star Wars 005...
006
HIGHLIGHTS - Boba Fett and Luke fight it out. Han shows Leia that the planetoid found in the Monsua Nebula is a good smuggler hide-out. We learn Chewie drinks wine...a lot of wine. Han is putting the moves of Leia, offering Corellian wine. In the battle with Boba, when Luke was about to be killed by his own lightsaber, someone (we assume Luke) Force-throws the "For Luke" box to knock out Boba. Boba reports back to Vader that the boy got away but he has a name, "Skywalker". The issue ends with Vader Force cracking the window he is looking out of.
OPINION - So Han is married?! Uh oh! What a scoundrel he is. We will have to buy the next issue to find out what happens. Nice cliff-hanger, Marvel! But for me...the best cliffhanger was seeing that inside the "For Luke" box is a book entitled "The Journals of Ben Kenobi". I can't wait to see what *that* is about!
NOTES ON FUTURE ISSUES
007 - (July 8th) This will be a one-shot on Kenobi and will feature Simone Bianchi as the artist.
008 - (July 29th) This will start a new story arc and will feature Stuart Immonen as the artist. To quote Jason Aaron's comments in Star Words at the conclusion of 006, "Who is Sana Solo? Where does Luke go next? And what is the secret of the Smuggler's Moon?"
Jason Aaron - Writer
John Cassaday - Artist
Laura Martin - Colorist
001
HIGHLIGHTS - Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, and Artoo conduct a raid on the Imperial Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon I of the Corellian Industrial Cluster. The missions gets complicated when Luke discovers a group of slaves that were being used to run the factory. Luke cuts off the hand of the slave master as he was attacking him with a laser whip. It seems he was following Obi-Wan's precedent there. Chewbacca tried to take a sniper shot at Vader, but Vader reacts by destroying the platform Chewie was on. Threepio is hiding out in a junk pile with the Falcon when a bunch of alien scavengers show up. The issue ends with Luke poised to confront Vader and Obi-Wan's ghost voice telling him to run.
OPINION - I really liked this issue. It definitely felt like Star Wars and did not seem derivative. It is not surprising that this was the best selling comic book of the last twenty years!
002
HIGHLIGHTS - Vader is practically disgusted by the skill level of his opponent (Luke). Luke tells Vader that he killed Master Kenobi. Vader pulls Luke's lightsaber from his hands and demands Luke take him to the Rebel pilot that destroyed the Death Star. Luke refuses and is about to be killed by Vader until two things happen: (1) Vader recognizes Luke's lightsaber, and (2) the foot of an Imperial Walker hijacked by Han comes crashing down through the ceiling. In the ensuing battle, many slaves are killed by Vader and Stormtroopers. Luke escapes being pinned down by using a speeder bike and Vader starts to think a little more of Luke and wonders what Obi-Wan had been up to. The battle turns in the Rebels favor when Han's AT-AT unleashes a fury of laser bolts at Vader and company. It is enough to disable Vader and make him drop Luke's (Anakin's) lightsaber. Luke spins back around and picks it up. But Vader isn't finished and regroups his forces.
OPINION - A great second issue. It continues the intensity from the first issue well. I think it is a little goofy of Han hijacking an AT-AT, but I've come around to accepting it.
003
HIGHLIGHTS - Chewbacca comes to the aid of Threepio, who was blasted to bits in 002. Vader takes out the AT-AT by using his lightsaber at critical points of the AT-AT. Han, Leia, Artoo, and the surviving slaves escape the wreckage of the walker. Luke turns back to make sure the weapons station is destroyed even though Vader and the Imps are there. Vader hops into some cool single-seater gunship and is determined to kill Luke this time. Luke blasts the reactor, setting off a destructive meltdown. The explosion of the facility is all that saves Luke from being killed. Vader walks away from the destruction. Vader concludes that this boy was Obi-Wan's last great hope. But with no one left to train him but Vader himself, he decides to make the boy *his* weapon and not Obi-Wan's. Luke is filled with self-doubt knowing he is no match of Vader, that he is no Jedi, and that there is no one left to train him. But the issue ends with a silent four panel showing a box in Kenobi's hovel with the inscription "For Luke".
OPINION - I loved this issue. I enjoy how it is diving into the story of how Luke developed the skills we see in ESB without a teacher. What is in the box???
004
CONTINUITY - I believe Vader 001 takes place before this issue. The Emperor has sent Vader to negotiate supplies from Jabba the Hutt.
HIGHLIGHTS - Vader secures resources for the Empire from Jabba. Leia discusses strategy with Ackbar, Mothma, and Dodonna. The Rebels have bombed shipyards at Kuat and the supply base at Imdaar. But they have had to consume many resources by having a mobile base of operations. Leia talks about having her own team, which Mothma questions whether they are united. Luke goes off on his own to search for some way to become a Jedi. Meanwhile on Tatooine, a mysterious person is on the trail for Han Solo. Vader joins Jabba in watching the kill Banthas and asks for information about Kenobi. We get a tie-in with Vader 001 when he mentions the two bounty hunters he hired: Boba Fett to find the boy and Black Krrsantan to find the mysterious man the Emperor is working with. Luke decides to go to Tatooine and return to Obi-Wan's home to search for answers.
OPINION - I always wondered if in his transformation from Anakin to Vader if he had forgotten his former self, like Luke said. Apparently that does not mean the facts of the memories, since Vader slaughtered another village of Tusken Raiders. Perhaps his memories are filtered through the dark side, so his view will be more slanted to that way rather than thinking of Mos Espa, pod racing, or other more positive locales. Tatooine is sure getting a lot of visitors lately!
005
HIGHLIGHTS - Boba Fett mercilessly kills his way to find the location of the boy he was hired by Vader to find. Luke battles some Tusken Raiders who were going into Ben's hut, but apparently scared them away without hurting them. Han needs parts to repair the Falcon from the Cymoon I mission that happened in issues 001 - 003. But supplies are limited and Leia tells Han if he wants the parts he has to co-pilot a mission to scout locations for a new rebel base in a stolen Imperial shuttle. They meet up with two TIE-fighters and Han, in a boneheaded move, grabs the controls and makes a run for it, even though the security codes Leia fed the TIE-fighters worked. Han goes to a moon/planet he knows, the Monsua Nebula, with large electrical storms in the hope to evade the TIEs. The mysterious person has found Han and knows he likes to visit this place. Luke locates the "For Luke" box in the mess left by the Tuskens, but is suddenly blinded by a flash grenade thrown by Boba Fett.
OPINION - A good issue. I think Han acted too much like an oaf in this issue. I suppose they want to show his character growth in ROTJ when he tells Chewie to stay calm and fly casual. I also didn't like how they made Boba Fett out to be this all out killing machine. I mean we saw in 003 that people were hauling bodies out to the wild desert to avoid being questioned by Imperials or paying Jabba's murder tax. I think this issue was too much about fan service. Watch ROTJ again and tell me how you can reconcile the Boba Fett we see there versus in Star Wars 005...
006
HIGHLIGHTS - Boba Fett and Luke fight it out. Han shows Leia that the planetoid found in the Monsua Nebula is a good smuggler hide-out. We learn Chewie drinks wine...a lot of wine. Han is putting the moves of Leia, offering Corellian wine. In the battle with Boba, when Luke was about to be killed by his own lightsaber, someone (we assume Luke) Force-throws the "For Luke" box to knock out Boba. Boba reports back to Vader that the boy got away but he has a name, "Skywalker". The issue ends with Vader Force cracking the window he is looking out of.
OPINION - So Han is married?! Uh oh! What a scoundrel he is. We will have to buy the next issue to find out what happens. Nice cliff-hanger, Marvel! But for me...the best cliffhanger was seeing that inside the "For Luke" box is a book entitled "The Journals of Ben Kenobi". I can't wait to see what *that* is about!
NOTES ON FUTURE ISSUES
007 - (July 8th) This will be a one-shot on Kenobi and will feature Simone Bianchi as the artist.
008 - (July 29th) This will start a new story arc and will feature Stuart Immonen as the artist. To quote Jason Aaron's comments in Star Words at the conclusion of 006, "Who is Sana Solo? Where does Luke go next? And what is the secret of the Smuggler's Moon?"
Monday, April 6, 2015
Princess Leia 1 & 2 - Comic Review
This series tells the story of Princess Leia starting from the Yavin IV medal ceremony that concludes Episode IV. Leia finds herself without anything to do and learns that the Empire has a 10 million credit bounty on her head.While the rest of the Rebellion is scrambling to evacuate Yavin IV, she encounters a female X-Wing pilot Evaan __. The two decide to go on a self-appointed mission to save the remained Alderaanians before the Empire hunts them down in an act of retribution.
The artwork is excellent and each panel is framed in an interesting way that makes it easy to follow. I just wish the writing was stronger. This comic book should be called Princess Leia: The Mockingjay. It is heavily derivative of that series. I just can't buy it that Leia would abandon the Rebellion to fulfill her own self-centered mission with a Thelma & Louise style adventure.
In the second issue we have a flashback scene of a young Leia skipping language class to do training in hand-to-hand combat, much to the chagrin of Bail Organa. This is to set-up her confrontation later in the issue with a besalisk (such as Dexter Jettster from Episode II) body guard whom she takes out without much trouble. So if issue #1 was her as the Mockingjay, issue #2 is her as Black Widow. I mean, she head-butts this creature without any harm to herself but knocks him unconscious. Yes, she may be tapping into the Force to help her but that is not Princess Leia.
We never see her in hand-to-hand combat *ever* in the films. It seems that this book is desperate to re-make Leia into the 21st Century feminist ideal. But her strength truly resides in her emotional control and leadership. While Luke is falling apart with the death of Ben, whom he hardly knew prior to the events of Episode IV, Leia is carrying on the fight despite the loss of her entire planet. She has a level of emotional maturity far beyond anyone else. Her strength is also in her selflessness and dedication. This is what makes her strong, not her being a secret agent/ninja/assassin.
The story flaw in the second issue is that, despite Lord Junn's betrayal to have Leia and other Aleraanians killed, she asks to take his pleasure ship instead. I just don't think she would be so naive to think he would not have some method to track her or find some way to get the Empire on her tail.
For me the best parts of this story are seeing what remains of the Alderaanians. Pareece and her sequestered singing group who perform on Naboo are very interesting characters. It ends with the surprise that the sister of Tace, one of the members of the singing group, is actually an Imperial agent. Dun-dun-DUN!
GOOD:
- Learning about the remnants of the people and culture of Alderaan
- Having flashbacks to Leia in her youth
BAD:
- A bad story premise that does not fit the character of Leia
- Unrealistic portrayal of Leia as an elite warrior
- Unbelievable story elements
I'd rate this series 2.0 / 5.0 so far.
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