Tag Archives: Star Wars

by | March 10, 2015 · 1:21 pm

Is Star Wars Relevant?

StarWarsOpeningLogo

Star Wars is arguably the most popular science fiction franchise in history. Since the release of A New Hope in 1977, George Lucas’ dream has been defying expectations and reinventing the motion picture industry. Having said that, as we slowly approach the release of The Force Awakens later this year, I have started to realize that it is assumed that Star Wars is relevant to modern geeks, and to wonder if Star Wars it truly is.

After much consideration, I have to say that it is still relevant. This conclusion was not made easily. I am a massive Star Wars fan. My new office will be decorated almost exclusively in Star Wars stuff, from prints and posters to action figures and unique pieces of art. I have seen all of the movies countless times, and while Empire Strikes Back is my favorite, the original trilogy all fit into my top ten favorite movies of all time. Despite all of this I had my doubts. Something deep down inside me was telling me that I couldn’t justify jumping to the obvious conclusion without spending some time to really evaluate and not just answering what my ten year old self would want me to. Continue reading →

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by | March 7, 2015 · 2:53 pm

Saturday Review: Princess Leia #1

leia 2Princess Leia (Marvel)
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Terry Dodson

In the last year there has been a focused push from Marvel to put out more superhero comics that would appeal more to women. Titles like Ms. Marvel and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl have been pretty successful (though not perfect) at hitting their intended mark. Now that Marvel has reacquired the Star Wars license, they have added Princess Leia to their female focused lineup.

When I say female focused, I don’t mean that these books are designed to only appeal to women. In fact, I have enjoyed all three of them, as have many other people of varying genders and backgrounds that I know.  At no point did I feel like Mark Waid was attempting to pander to women. This was a generally strong story about a pretty kick ass character. The story starts off immediately after the end of A New Hope, literally right after Han and Luke turn around and everybody cheers. After delivering some less than stirring remarks at the award ceremony, Leia finds herself a figurehead of the Rebellion with nothing to do. While everyone else scrambles around, working to pack up the base before the Empire shows up, Leia is basically told that she should be a symbol, keep her head down and grieve. Again, this is not done in a patronizing manner, but out of a well-meaning (though wrong) sense that she is in need of protection. After a little soul searching and prodding from another Alderaan survivor, Leia decides that she just can’t sit idly by and instead embarks on a mission of her own choosing. Continue reading →

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by | March 6, 2015 · 11:00 am

Around the Web March 6, 2015

After last week’s emotional news that Leonard Nimoy had passed away, the geek community had a close call this week when Harrison Ford crashed his plane into a Los Angeles golf course. The engine on Ford’s plane failed shortly after takeoff and he requested to return to the airport for an emergency landing. According to a tweet by Ford’s son, the actor was not seriously injured, just battered. Ford was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries. I’m sure Disney was relieved, since they are just getting started on a new Star Wars trilogy and he’s already been hurt once during this production. Can we please just keep him in a nice safe place until the movies are all done?

harrison ford

If we had lost Spock and Han Solo in the same week, I’d be catatonic for like 6 months. Not even joking. Continue reading →

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by | February 14, 2015 · 5:24 pm

Saturday Review: Darth Vader #1

darth vader 1Darth Vader (Marvel)
Written by Kieron Gillien
Art by Salvador Larroca

Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, is now the focus of his very own comic from Marvel. While this is only the first issue, I am pretty pleased and am looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series is going.

The comic picks up shortly after the events of Star Wars #2 and not long after A New Hope, with Vader trying to enforce the Emperor’s will after the destruction of the Death Star. The book opens with Vader paying a visit to the notorious gangster Jabba the Hutt on behalf of the Emperor, after Jabba’s emissary was intercepted and replaced by Han Solo in Star Wars. Vader is a day early, however, and has a personal matter which he would like to address with the Hutt gangster. Kieron Gillen seems to understand Vader’s character much more than Jason Aaron does with Star Wars.  Vader acts and talks exactly the way I would expect him to. In a franchise series like this, where the characters are so well known, it really stands out when characters act and sound contrary to the established norms and it really takes away from the story for fans. The reason that fans buy comics like this is that we want further adventures of our favorite characters.  In order for that to work, they need to be recognizable. Continue reading →

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