}); The Road to Episode Infinity: March 2017

Friday, March 17, 2017

The Forgotten Star Wars Comics of Alan Moore

Alan Moore’s
Rare, Obscure, and Forgotten
Star Wars Comics


Alan Moore is most famous for “Watchmen”, “V for Vendetta” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”. In the early eighties Alan Moore began writing some four or five page comics for “Doctor Who Weekly”. Moore says this experience taught him how to construct a story. Moore went directly from Doctor Who to Star Wars.

At the time Marvel’s Star Wars comics were being imported into Britain. But Marvel UK commissioned a few original tales that were not included in the American versions. In total Alan Moore created five very short comics for Marvel UK. 


These comics are not really Star Wars as we know it. These are weird, strange tales more likely to be found in “Tales of the Crypt” or Stephen King’s “Creepshow”. Nevertheless, these are artfully done. Alan Moore’s strong voice and point-of-view makes these fun to read. It is only four years later that he would begin work on “Watchmen”, the series that forever changed comics.

The canonicity of these Star Wars tales were ambiguous even before the Disney merger, but a few elements of Alan Moore’s version of Star Wars have found their way into post-Disney-merger material. The strongest story here is probably “Dark Lord’s Conscience”, which is the least mystical and captures the silent-strength of Vader perfectly. Each one of these tales is a fun-read and if you find a way to get your hands on some of these rarities, it will be worth it.


“The Pandora Effect” by Alan Moore
Marvel UK- November, 1981

Han, Leia, and Chewbacca are on a smuggling mission and are chased into a Hellhoop (some kind of black-hole like structure that Han refers to as a ‘Mathematician’s Nightmare’) Inside they are captured by a religious cult called “The Five” who wander the galaxy imprisoning and torturing anything they come across. In an effort to escape Chewbacca smashes a crystal structure, which has been holding a demon as prisoner. The demon (called a Wutzek) is set loose and the titular Pandora Effect is set in motion.



“Tilotny Throws a Shape” by Alan Moore
Marvel UK –February, 1982

Princess Leia finds herself on a desolate planet being pursued by stormtroopers. Alan Moore informs the audience that she will die before next sunfall. Leia soon runs into some nonmaterial beings who play around with matter and time. This is certainly the most science-fictiony / supernatural that Star Wars has ever been.



“Dark Lord's Conscience” by Alan Moore
Marvel UK – April, 1982

Darth Vader plays a giant game of Firepath (space chess) with a squid queen who floats in a spherical fish tank. It seems to go against Vader’s nature to use his intellect to defeat his enemies, although it is reminiscent of the trap that he set for Luke in “The Empire Strikes Back”. The story takes place on a planet called “Cheetlit”, which would be featured again in 2015 in “Rey’s Survival Guide”.


“Rust Never Sleeps” by Alan Moore
Marvel UK- May, 1982


C3-P0 and R2-D2 find themselves on a junk planet called Ronyards where countless bodies of dead or broken droids have been dumped. The rusting husks of droids that still survive on this planet worship the planet as the “god of the droids”. When the Empire shows up to harvest the old metal droids for their own purposes, the planet seems to fight back. Of course droids don’t have a god… or do they?

“Blind Fury” by Alan Moore
Marvel UK – July, 1982


Luke Skywalker has intercepted a distress call from the planet Garn. Luke lands on the planet and enters a tall black tower. Inside Luke finds many dangers including a host of terrifying macabre beasts. He also finds the skeletons of Jedi Knights in their battle armor. Apparently Alan Moore’s version of Jedi Battle Armor includes giant horned helmets reminiscent of the Vikings or the Japanese Shogun era. Eventually at the heart of the tower Luke finds the High Shaman from a group called The Order Of The Terrible Glare (which is kind of like the Sith Order, but the Sith mythology hadn’t yet been explored in the 1980s.)


*These stories have since been collected in the 1996 “Classic Star Wars Devilworlds 1 & 2” by Dark Horse and most recently in the 2013 collection “Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 1”



Dark Horse Comics
 (
Link)

Dawn of the Jedi  Dawn of the Jedi

Tales of the Jedi Tales of the Jedi

Knights of the Old Republic Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Republic Star Wars: Republic
Dark Times Dark Times
Empire & Rebellion Star Wars: Empire & Star Wars: Rebellion
Brian Wood's Star Wars Brian Wood's Star Wars
Dark Empire Dark Empire
Crimson Empire Crimson Empire
Invasion Invasion
Legacy Vol. 1 Star Wars: Legacy
Vector Star Wars: Vector
Legacy Vol. 2 Legacy Volume 2
Infinities Infinities
The Star Wars The Star Wars

Star Wars Tales Star Wars Tales

Marvel Comics

Original Marvel Comics Original Marvel Comics
Star Wars #108 Star Wars #108
Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics

Han Solos Vs. Space Crocodile Han Solo vs. Crocodile in Space

Marvel's New Star Wars Line Catching Up With Comics

Age of Republic Age of Republic
Age of Rebellion Age of Rebellion
Age of Resistance Age of Resistance

Star Wars #1... Again Star Wars #1... Again
Ewoks in Comics Ewoks in Comis
Who is Doctor Aphra Who Is Doctor Aphra

The Last Jedi Expanded Universe The Last Jedi Expanded Universe
Who is Jaxxon Who Is Jaxxon

IDW Comics
Tales from Vader's Castle Tales from Vader's Castle

Return to Vader's Caslte Return to Vader's Castle

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Marvel Star Wars: Catching Up With Comics


The first Star Wars comics were published by Marvel in April of 1977. This was one month before the first film released to the public. Marvel continued to publish Star Wars comics until 1987. In 1991 Dark Horse picked up the Star Wars license and published thousands of comics for two decades. Then in 2015 (after the Disney acquisition of Lucas film) the rights to publish Star Wars comics transferred back to Marvel.

A few years ago I read the bulk of the Dark Horse Star Wars comics, but recently I wanted to investigate this new era of comics published by Marvel. Here is what I discovered...


Star Wars #1 - #29 (Ongoing)
Written By: Jason Aaron

This is the flagship Marvel "Star Wars" series, which follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, & Han Solo between “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back”. It may seem that such a premise would be limiting, but Jason Aaron does his best to explore parts of Star Wars mythology that remain unexplored. Occasional flashback appearances from Old Ben Kenobi are a good example of this. We actually get to see how closely Kenobi was watching Luke grow up for all those years and get glimpses of what young Luke is like. New characters such as Sana Staros keep the story fresh and interesting. Sana Staros actually claims to have once been married to Han Solo, which kind of shakes up the history of our favorite smuggler. Could Sana feature in the 2018 spinoff Han Solo film?



Darth Vader #1 - #25 (Concluded)
Doctor Aphra #1 - #5 (Ongoing)
Written By: Kieron Gillen

Star Wars: Darth Vader ran for 25 issues. Though this comic is titled "Darth Vader", he is probably only the fifth most interesting character in the series. The most prominent character in the series (other than Vader) is Doctor Aphra. Aphra is an archeologist who completes missions for Vader and is accompanied by her two assassin droids. 0-0-0 and BT-1 are essentially evil versions of C3-P0 and R2-D2. Another wonderfully dark character in this series is Black Krrsantan, a Wookie Bountry Hunter who is the anti-Chewbacca. "Darth Vader" ended its run last fall, but the story is continued in the new ongoing comic “Doctor Aphra”.




Poe Dameron #1 - #12 (Ongoing)
Written By: Charles Soule


Poe Dameron is the only Marvel comic that is set in the Resistance / First Order timeline. Taking place just before “The Force Awakens”, Leia has sent Poe on a mission to hunt down Lor San Tekka, who could possibly know the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker. Hunting down Lor isn’t easy, however. Poe and his “Black Squadron” go on many missions, in what seems like a Galactic Easter Egg Hunt. Anyone who enjoyed Aaron Allston’s X-Wing series, will enjoy this comic series. Spending time with Poe, BB-8 and their team (Snap Wexly, Jess Pava, L’ulo & Kare Kyn) is just plain fun. 


Kanan #1 - #12 (Concluded)
Written By: Greg Weisman

Before Kanan Jarrus was Kanan Jarrus, he was padawan Caleb Dume, training under master Deppa Billaba. When Palpatine sets Order 66 into motion, Deppa is killed and Caleb becomes a fugitive. This story is set in Kanan’s past with flash forwards to his time on The Ghost with Ezra, Hera (and the rest). A vice admiral named Rae Sloan also shows up, who Kanan recognizes from his adventures in the book “A New Dawn”. Other fans will recognize Sloan from the "Aftermath Trilogy" where she is promoted to Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy. “Kanan” is a must read for any fan of “Rebels”.



Lando #1 - #5 (Miniseries)
Written By: Charles Soule

Possibly my favorite mini-series of the new Marvel Comics- "Lando" tells the story of everyone’s favorite swindler, who has fallen on tough times. Lando is able to charm his way out of most any situation, and when charm doesn’t work, a blaster will. This series bravely tackles the origin of Lobot, which is sort of devastating. This is a must-read for avid Star Wars fans.





C3-PO #1: The Phantom Limb (One Shot)

Written By: James Robinson


This single issue could have been a throwaway story to promote The Force Awakens and to explain why C3-PO lost his arm and now has a red one. It’s not a throwaway story, however. This issue is possibly the greatest C3-PO story ever told, if not the greatest Star Wars comic ever published. The story follows a group of droids who have become marooned on a remote planet. As they attempt to survive, the droids engage in some philosophic discussions about the nature of droids in general. How do droids feel about memory wipes? Are droids able to question orders or disobey their masters? By the end of the 40 pages, the reader feels greater respect for C3-PO, who spends the whole comic apart from his usual counterpart. It’s a bit of a heartbreaker.


Han Solo #1 - #5 (Miniseries)
Written By: Marjorie Liu


The Dragon Void Run is the oldest and most dangerous race in the galaxy and Han Solo has entered. Solo isn’t just racing though, Leia has sent him on a mission to rescue rebel informants and pull them out of the field. Han is to collect one on each leg of the race. It’s a strange galaxy out there, and getting stranger, but Han, Chewie and the Falcon are ready for anything.




Princess Leia #1 - #5 (Miniseries)
Written By: Mark Waid


“Aggressive Negotiation” was a term coined by Leai’s father, but there is no one better at this strategy than Princess Leia Organa. In this miniseries the Empire is hunting down Alderaanian refugees from the recently destroyed planet and Leia takes it upon herself to stop them. This series is notable loaded with female characters and it tackles many complex issues such as the nature of grief, military desertion, prejudice against human-alien hybrids, and interfamilial political disagreements. It’s worth the read and some of the plotlines tie in with the "Aftermath" trilogy novels.



Obi-Wan and Anakin #1 - #5 (Miniseries)
Written By: Charles Soule

In this comic Anakin is still young (somewhere between Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christianson). He is thinking about leaving the Jedi order (mostly because Palpatine has been trying to convince him that the Jedi are a joke). Obi-Wan takes him along on one final mission to a steam-punkish planet where space-travel has not yet been invented. The Jedi Master & his Padawan find themselves in the middle of a planetary conflict, as they also deal with the conflict within themselves. Anakin struggles with who he wants to be, whilst Obi-wan struggles with his failures as a master. There’s good stuff here.



Chewbaccca #1 - #5 (Miniseries)
Written By: Gerry Duggan

On the planet of Andelm IV there is a slave girl named Zarro. Zarro is brave and defiant, but may need help to save her family from servitude. Help comes in the form of a seven and a half foot tall furball who happens to be a former slave himself. In this comic Chewie is on his own, without Han Solo to translate any of his grunts and groans. Yet he is as faithful a companion as ever.




Shattered Empire #1 - #4 (Miniseries)
Written By: Greg Rucka

Shattered Empire picks up immediately after the celebration on Endor seen the final shots of Return of the Jedi. Basically, the next morning, there is still some clean-up to do. The Empire hasn’t stopped fighting just because the Death Star is gone and Palpatine is dead. This series features some of our favorite heroes, but mainly, it features the parents of Poe Dameron.




Darth Maul #1 - #5 (Miniseries)
Written By: Cullen Bunn


The newest Marvel mini-series features Darth Maul before “The Phantom Menace”. It is nice to see a strong-silent young Darth Maul compared to the old, chatty resurrected Maul that we see in "Rebels". Maul uses his combat skills to take down Rathtars and Pirates, anything his master demands… but Maul grows weary of running chores for his master. Maul hungers for revenge. I’ve only read one issue of this mini-series, the second one releases next week.


It was a delight to catch up with the new Marvel "Star Wars" comics. Dark Horse did some wonderful things with Star Wars between 1991-2015, but it's Marvel's turn to show us some fresh ideas. I love how these new comics also tie into the Novels & Television parts of the franchise. Please do not shy away from the world of Star Wars comics and try to check some out from your Local Library if you have the chance.

Get Reading, Younglings!



Dark Horse Comics
 (
Link)

Dawn of the Jedi  Dawn of the Jedi

Tales of the Jedi Tales of the Jedi

Knights of the Old Republic Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Republic Star Wars: Republic
Dark Times Dark Times
Empire & Rebellion Star Wars: Empire & Star Wars: Rebellion
Brian Wood's Star Wars Brian Wood's Star Wars
Dark Empire Dark Empire
Crimson Empire Crimson Empire
Invasion Invasion
Legacy Vol. 1 Star Wars: Legacy
Vector Star Wars: Vector
Legacy Vol. 2 Legacy Volume 2
Infinities Infinities
The Star Wars The Star Wars

Star Wars Tales Star Wars Tales

Marvel Comics

Original Marvel Comics Original Marvel Comics
Star Wars #108 Star Wars #108
Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics

Han Solos Vs. Space Crocodile Han Solo vs. Crocodile in Space

Marvel's New Star Wars Line Catching Up With Comics

Age of Republic Age of Republic
Age of Rebellion Age of Rebellion
Age of Resistance Age of Resistance

Star Wars #1... Again Star Wars #1... Again
Ewoks in Comics Ewoks in Comis
Who is Doctor Aphra Who Is Doctor Aphra

The Last Jedi Expanded Universe The Last Jedi Expanded Universe
Who is Jaxxon Who Is Jaxxon

IDW Comics
Tales from Vader's Castle Tales from Vader's Castle

Return to Vader's Caslte Return to Vader's Castle



Saturday, March 4, 2017

Star Wars Legacy Characters

In this blog I examine which Star Wars characters have been most important to the franchise and will be important in the future. I judge these “Legacy” characters on three criteria, Film Count, Years Between Appearances, and Potential For Future in order to determine which of these iconic characters Disney will be able to utilize the most in future films.



#16 –Grand Moff Tarkin
Film Count: 3
Years Between Appearances: 39
Potential for Future: Low



Disney resurrected Peter Cushing from the dead to reprise Grand Moff Tarkin in “Rogue One”. Tarkin’s appearance in Rogue One was met with mixed reviews, with some fans not noticing that the character was CG, and others finding the effect took them out of the film. A young Tarkin was present in “Revenge of the Sith” but that effect was even worse. I don’t consider it likely that we will see Tarkin in further Star Wars films.


#15- Mon Mothma
Film Count: 3
Years Between Appearances: 33
Potential for Future: Low



Mon Mothma has been portrayed by two actresses, Caroline Blakiston in “Return of the Jedi”, and Genevieve O'Reilly in “Revenge of the Sith” and “Rouge One”. Mothma is a strong character, but has never really been a fan favorite. It’s hard to think of political Mothma is going to be featured in her own standalone story or work her way into anyone else’s. I think her future in the film franchise is limited, yet you can see her in the current season of “Rebels”.




#14- Emperor Palpatine
Film Count: 5
Years Between Appearances: 25
Potential for Future: Low to Medium


Though he hasn’t been seen on screen since “Revenge of the Sith”, Palpatine’s legacy has an affect on the Star Wars galaxy as a whole, after all it was he who turned the Old Republic into the Galactic Empire. Palpatine is portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in 4½ Star Wars films, meaning that he appears in the Special Edition of “The Empire Strikes Back”. I am actually a bit surprised that Palpatine (and McDiarmid) was left out of Rogue One. Although McDiarmid is 72, I wouldn’t necessarily rule out an appearance of the character in the future. Maybe in an Obi-Wan Kenobi Anthology story?


#13 Nien Numb
Film Count: 3
Years Between Appearances: 34
Potential for Future: Medium

Nien Nunb helped Lando Calrissian take down the second Death Star and also piloted an X-Wing against Starkiller Base. It is confirmed Nien Numb will be in Episode VIII and there is great potential for him to continue to appear in the franchise. Yet because he is essentially a puppet that doesn’t even speak “Basic”, his role will always be a secondary one. Mike Quinn, who portrayed Nien Numb in “ROTJ” and “TFA” is only 53, so there is not reason we won’t see him back for years to come.




#12 Lando Calrissian
Film Count: 3
Years Between Appearances: 38
Potential for Future: Medium


Unless Disney is keeping a well-kept secret, we probably won’t see Billy Dee Williams reprise Lando in “The Last Jedi”, though- it’s worth noting that Billy has reprised the character in “The Lego Movie”, “Robot Chicken”, and “The Freemaker Adventures” & “Rebels”. We will see Donald Glover portray a young version of the character in the “Han Solo Anthology” film in 2018. Beyond this film one wonders where Disney could take this character. Could we see an entire movie spinoff based on Lando alone? Probably not, but one can dream.





#11 Admiral Ackbar
Film Count: 3
Years Between Appearances: 34
Potential for Future: Medium



Admiral Ackbar will make his third appearance in “The Last Jedi” this December. Though he will once more be puppeteered by Tim Rose, he will no longer be voiced by Erik Bauersfeld because the actor died last year. This begs the question, will they find an alternate voice actor for Ackbar or will his Episode VIII appearance be dialogue free?




#10 Boba Fett
Film Count: 3½
Years Between Appearances: 22
Potential for Future: Medium



Boba Fett first appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978 (in animated form), and he appeared in “The Empire Strikes Back”, “Return of the Jedi”, “A New Hope Special Edition” and “Attack of the Clones”. Seven actors have portrayed Fett in the films, but most famous is Jeremy Bulloch who was under the mask for the original trilogy films. I am almost flabbergasted how little Disney has utilized this character since acquiring Lucasfilm. As far as I can tell he has appeared only in a handful of comics. Although I’d be willing to bet Disney is saving Fett for something big- probably a stand-alone film.




#9 Yoda
Film Count: 5
Years Between Appearances: 25
Potential for Future: Medium


Frank Oz has voiced Yoda for 5 Star Wars films and one wonders if the 72-year-old actor will ever portray the character again. If it does happen, I really hope they bring the puppet back, CGI Yoda just doesn’t do it for me. Yoda is one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in the Star Wars films, and the potential for him to return in films is almost limitless since he has a 900 year old history and a force-ghost form. Technically Oz recorded new lines for Yoda during production of “The Force Awakens”, but they didn’t make the cut. Maybe we’ll have better luck with “The Last Jedi”.

#8 Princess Leia
Film Count: 7
Years Between Appearances: 40
Potential for Future: Low to Medium




Carrie Fisher will be seen as Leia one final time in this summer’s “The Last Jedi” and rumors are Disney is scrambling to try and figure out how to handle Fisher’s untimely death. Certainly there will be rewrites to “The Last Jedi” and “Episode IX” to deal with this issue. Leia’s potential usage in Star Wars films seems small, especially after Disney stated they would not be recreating the character with CGI. Leia’s character was quite young in “A New Hope”, so the chance of recasting her is also quite low. Maybe a Anthology story about a very young Leia growing up on Alderaan? Sadly it seems that the death of Carrie Fisher, may really spell the death of this iconic character.



#7 Obi-Wan Kenobi 
Film Count: 6
Years Between Appearances: 35
Potential for Future: Medium to High



The fact that Ewan McGreggor is quite eager to reprise this Jedi Master, makes me think that we will get one or more “Ben Kenobi” stories in the future. I listed Kenobi’s film count as 6, but maybe it should be 6½ considering the line that Ewan McGreggor recorded for “The Force Awakens”. Most fans agree that McGreggor’s Kenobi was probably the strongest character in the prequels and only enhanced Alec Guinness’ portrayal of the role.


#6 Han Solo 
Film Count: 5
Years Between Appearances: 41
Potential for Future: Medium to High



I think it is going to be hard for some fans to grapple with the fact that Han Solo has been recast. Some fans will dismiss the 2018 Star Wars film outright, because no one can ever be Han Solo other than Harrison Ford. Although I am willing to give Alden Ehrenreich a chance, he has some big shoes to fill, doesn’t he? If this film is successful, I would assume that Disney would consider pursuing more Han Solo films, but even if Ehrenreich’s appearance is a one-off, I don’t think you can count Harrison Ford out of another appearance either. Though his character was killed in “The Force Awakens” there are certainly other ways to bring the Ford back to the screen.



#5 Luke Skywalker 
Film Count: 6
Years Between Appearances: 40
Potential for Future: Medium to High



Luke Skywalker made only brief appearances in “The Force Awakens”, although the character is sure to have a much bigger role in “The Last Jedi”. One can even hope that they continue Luke’s story well into the future of the franchise, although there are potential problems here. One reason Skywalker was the MacGuffin in “The Force Awakens” is that JJ had a hard time fitting him into the film without Luke taking over the plot completely. I mean this is Luke Skywalker- the character isn’t going to fade quietly into the background very well. It’s his iconicity that betrays him- for many of us Luke is the very center of Star Wars. For the story to move forward with new characters, to give these new characters space to grow- they may have to kill off Luke. I hope this doesn’t happen soon, but I also understand the necessity of it.



#4 Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker
Film Count: 7
Years Between Appearances: 39
Potential for Future: High




Vader’s usage in both “Revenge of the Sith” and “Rogue One” had mixed receptions. In Rogue One, the problem was the suit. They tried to emulate, the low budget “New Hope” version of the character instead of the shiny “Empire” and “Jedi” version of the character that most of us have in our heads. There’s also the problem of James Earl Jone’s aging voice and the alterations they made trying to make him sound younger. There’s also that pun… I think the end result is that audiences see a weird cosplay version of Vader instead of the Vader they remember from the 70s and 80s. Still Vader is such an iconic Star Wars character that I am positive that there will always be a place for him in the future of Star Wars. Don’t count out future Vader appearances, even if there isn’t one on the immediate horizon.



#3 C3-PO 
Film Count: 9
Years Between Appearances: 40
Potential for Future: High



C3-PO gets the first line of the Original Trilogy and the final line of The Prequels. In fact, until we see Luke in “A New Hope” it’s pretty much Threepio’s story. Anthony Daniels is the only actor with speaking roles in all eight Star Wars films and will certainly have more to say in his ninth appearance this December. The problem with portraying a character for 40 years is that it means Daniels is aging as well. The 71 year old actor can’t portray the protocol droid forever and- sadly- Threepio is sure to be recast eventually. It’s a little sad that Threepio doesn’t have much to do in the Prequels or Sequels considering his role in the original trilogy was so vast, but Threepio will ultimately outlive his human counterparts and appear in Star Wars films from now until… probably forever.


#2 Chewbacca
Film Count: 6
Years Between Appearances: 41
Potential for Future: Very High



Chewbacca is an unlikely film character by any measure. You never know what he is growling about. Chewbacca was famously killed off in the 1999 book “Vector Prime”, however when Disney abolished the old canon, he got a second chance at life. Chewbacca is the only character who is sure to appear in both 2017’s “The Last Jedi” and 2018’s “Han Solo”. If Disney is smart they won’t be killing off Chewie any time soon. With Peter Mayhew transitioning out of the films and Joonas Suotamo taking over the role, there is no reason why we can’t have more of the mighty Chewbacca.




#1 R2-D2
Film Count: 9
Years Between Appearances: 40
Potential for Future: Very High





R2-D2 is the greatest Legacy character that Disney has at their disposal. Though he is sometimes portrayed by an actor, often he is what he is- a robot. R2 has the advantage of never getting old and his usefulness as a character is pretty limitless. He can be written into a film as much as little as necessary. R2 speaks in warbles, which means that the audience can easily relate to him by letting their imaginations inform their viewing experience. We have been subjected to 40 years of R2-D2 and he will likely be around for 40 more.