Star Wars

News and Notes

/ / Film News & Trailers

Deadline is reporting that Christopher Eccleston has signed-on to play Malekith The Accursed is the upcoming Thor sequel, Thor: The Dark World

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting Fanboys director Kyle Newman is preparing to go forward with Chewie, a film based on actor Peter Mayhew‘s life while making Star Wars

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the sequel to X-Men: First Class will indeed be based on the Days of Future Past storyline set in a dystopian future and centered around Kitty Pryde

News and Notes Read More »

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1

/ / Comics

star-wars-dawn-of-the-jedi-1I understand full well that Star Wars comics are a mixed bag. Although I’m a fan of the Expanded Universe novels that have continued the tales of Luke, Han, Leia and their children, the expanded comics stories have more misses than hits.

When I heard the idea of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi I was intrigued by how John Ostrander would choose to tell the beginnings of the Jedi Order. I know I should have known better, but I gave it a shot.

This comic is a mess, from beginning to end. Although the art by Jan Duursema has a cinematic quality to it, and is pretty enough to look at, the story itself is a disaster that begins with a 12-page narration of the beginnings of the Jedi Order… and then moves quickly into the future to give us a story seemingly only slightly connected to the “Dawn of the Jedi.”

Also troubling is the fact the series takes at the beginning but Jedi already have lightsabers? And there are Sith (who look like generic Vader wannabes)? The Force is not strong with this one. Pass.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1 Read More »

Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #1

/ / Comics

star-wars-jedi-dark-side-1-coverFifty-three years before the Battle of Yavin, and twenty-one years before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Council uncovers dark rumblings in the Outer Rim Territories.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan Xantos (a noble of Telos IV) will be sent, along with Jedi Master Tahl and her padawan Orykan, to Xantos’ home planet to stop a political assassination and a conspiracy which threatens the lives of everyone on the planet.

This new series from writer Scott Allie and artist Mahmud Asrar will focus on Qui-Gon Jinn’s years working on the Outer Rim long before he would take on a padawan named Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first issue sets up the characters and situations which will play an integral part in the first five-issue story arc, but it doesn’t do much more than that. I also found Asrar’s art a bit sloppy in places. The close-ups of each character are very detailed and you can tell why he was chosen for the project, but the larger shots seem rushed and a little blurry. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #1 Read More »

Darth Vader and the Lost Command #1

/ / Comics

darth-vader-and-the-lost-command-1-coverSet shortly after the events of Revenge of the Sith, this new mini-series sends Darth Vader on a mission into the mysterious “Ghost Nebula” to track down a missing Star Destroyer commanded by the son of Moff Tarkin.

In this first issue writer Haden Blackman gives us a glimpse into the mind, dreams, and regrets of the man who was once Anakin Skywalker as well as his growing pains at assuming his new role as the Emperor‘s right hand. One interesting note here is the early scene suggesting Vader’s mechanical limbs take far more (painful) maintanace than has previously been suggested.

The early scenes work well and as does the last half when the comic shifts into full-on action mode as Vader’s troops attack the planet of Atoa. The feel of everything is right here, even if the Atoans themselves are a bit disappointing – although we do get a glimpse of something more in the final page. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse $3.50]

Darth Vader and the Lost Command #1 Read More »