The artwork was fine, but it looked like it was trying to throw back to the style from the '80s. You know, with lots of people sweating to show nervouThe artwork was fine, but it looked like it was trying to throw back to the style from the '80s. You know, with lots of people sweating to show nervousness, people running with one leg way way WAY back up in the air behind them, and every woman shown with curves for days (including a nannybot that was so oversexualized it hurt my eyes). And the whole "I serve the emperor refrain" got really old.
Still, it's a nice entry into the lore of Star Wars, AND it marks the end of my reading the Legends EU. There are still a couple of forthcoming collections that will wrap up all the comics in Legends that I haven't read yet, and then I will be DONE done with Legends.
The interesting thing about this collection is that it's a little misleading in its presentation. I expected this to be a warts-and-all sort of collecThe interesting thing about this collection is that it's a little misleading in its presentation. I expected this to be a warts-and-all sort of collection, reproducing the newspaper strips exactly as they'd been printed, but this is actually a collection of those strips, reworked and reformatted to fit into a comic-book-sized format. In a way, it's a good thing (the book starts off doing just that, and it's easy to get sidetracked by the summation of events that starts each strip), but in another way, I kinda wanted to get the original experience. I remember cutting out the Spider-Man strips from the paper when I was a kid and pasting them into a comic-book-sized scrapbook; THAT'S what I wanted to experience again.
I've been reading as much as I can find in the Legends era to get caught up on the lore more than anything else, but with the newspaper strips, there's really no lore to speak of. It contradicts the existing canon (and even the old canon) in different ways, but that's to be expected since a lot of this was written before the EU even became a thing. It was just different writers riffing on a shared theme.
Still, this was a fun diversion, and a curiosity satisfied. I still have volume two to finish, so we'll see if I feel any differently when I finish it....more
I've experienced a wide range of emotions reading the books in the Legends EU, but this is the first time I was straight-up BORED. I didn't even thinkI've experienced a wide range of emotions reading the books in the Legends EU, but this is the first time I was straight-up BORED. I didn't even think that was possible....more
This is a collection of six all-ages original graphic novels, each featuring one of the main characters from the original trilogy around the timeframeThis is a collection of six all-ages original graphic novels, each featuring one of the main characters from the original trilogy around the timeframe of the original trilogy. They're a mixed bag, but they're not bad. I especially liked the one that featured Chewbacca, since it jumped back to when he was younger (e.g., two hundred years ago).
This brings me to the end of the Star Wars Omnibus collections. I thought this was going to also bring me to the end of the Legends material, but it turns out there was some stuff never published in the original Omnibus series, so I plan to track those down, too. Rackum frackum.......more
Star Wars aside, this series has been worthwhile. Most of the omnibus collections have been a way to compile all the old Marvel stuff, but the later DStar Wars aside, this series has been worthwhile. Most of the omnibus collections have been a way to compile all the old Marvel stuff, but the later Dark Horse series seem to be the pinnacle of EU comics. Even if these weren't set in the EU (say the writers had come up with their own universe in which to place these stories), they'd still be good stories.
I still think Knights of the Old Republic is the best of the bunch. The characters were better, the pacing was better, and the emotion felt more genuine there. Dark Times touches on some of that, but without the stellar cast of characters and the sense of humor that was woven into KotOR, Dark Times feels just slightly inferior. Still, it's nice to see the stories of the other Jedi that escaped Order 66....more
I've always wondered what happened between the issuance of Order 66 and the start of A New Hope. In the movies, it's very much a one-and-done sort of I've always wondered what happened between the issuance of Order 66 and the start of A New Hope. In the movies, it's very much a one-and-done sort of thing, with Yoda and Obi-Wan escaping, but what about all the other Jedi that escaped? Surely if two can escape, more than two could escape, too. Right?
Dark Times tells us a good bit of that. It looks like the original series ran parallel or after Knights of the Old Republic, since it seems to be attempting the same sort of formula (though without the sense of humor), and that was reinforced when Zayne and Glyph and Celeste Morne all made cameos in the story. It's not quite as good as KotOR, but it's certainly a lot better than the other series I've read over the course of this reading project....more
This is really more like 3.5 stars, rounded up because of nostalgia.
I first read this story back in high school, and I remember it being this lean, meThis is really more like 3.5 stars, rounded up because of nostalgia.
I first read this story back in high school, and I remember it being this lean, mean story that could cut you as easily as razor wire. To some degree, that's still true (176 pages for Stephen King is about as lean as it gets), but I can see some of the cracks in the veneer some thirty-five years later. That could be due to the brilliant movie adaptation crowding in when I read the story, but it felt like some things weren't given enough time to grow, while other things happened too quickly.
King's penchant for referencing brand names to anchor a story in the real world dates the story (as, I suppose, it does for most of his early work), since I don't think Nytol or Sominex still exist. Or if they do, they're so under-represented now as to practically be nonexistent.
Still, this is a King story, written at the height of his career, and his characterization is spot on, as always. It's readable and engaging, even if it's not quite as slick as I remember it being....more
This is another assortment of previously-uncollected one-off stories that may or may not be canon (at least, at the time they were written; this is LeThis is another assortment of previously-uncollected one-off stories that may or may not be canon (at least, at the time they were written; this is Legends, after all), so it's a bit of a mixed bag. I hope you like Jabba as a main character, since he makes up a large percentage of the stories here.
On the other hand, the Tag & Bink stories are right up my alley. Think Ambush Bug meets the Expanded Universe. Those stories helped me bump my rating up a bit more. And I really thought I was going to adore the Sergio Aragones story, but ... eh. Maybe my expectations were too high....more
"Freelance Jedi for Hire" sounds a little glib, but it's a good summation of where this story goes once Zayne clears his name. The whole book could ha"Freelance Jedi for Hire" sounds a little glib, but it's a good summation of where this story goes once Zayne clears his name. The whole book could have been five stars, but the addition of the "War" series lessened the impact it had overall. It lost a lot of the sense of humor that was present through the rest of the series, and I honestly lost track of what was happening and had to go back to figure out what I missed. Still, for an EU story (and a graphic novel, at that), it's one of the better additions. I'm going to regret not being able to read more of these characters....more
This is still really impressive. The amount of thought that went into the whole Zayne arc ALONE is enough to bump this up to five stars, but it maintaThis is still really impressive. The amount of thought that went into the whole Zayne arc ALONE is enough to bump this up to five stars, but it maintains the sense of story, character, and humor that carried the first omnibus. I did find it odd that they broke volumes one and two where they did, and didn't carry the second one through just to the end of the Zayne arc, but that may have been a space limitation....more
Look, no one's more surprised than I am that I rated a Star Wars book, much less a Star Wars graphic novel, five stars. I read these books mostly to fLook, no one's more surprised than I am that I rated a Star Wars book, much less a Star Wars graphic novel, five stars. I read these books mostly to flesh out the lore and mythology of the universe, and I can tolerate some so-so stories to get that. It's a good thing, too, because most of the books in the EU are so-so stories.
Well, cue Knights of the Old Republic. I knew there was a video game, but did you know the video game came about because this series was so popular? Yeah, me either; I figured it was the other way around. I mean, everything about this collection is fantastic: the characters; the story; the plots; the humor. Yes, HUMOR. Reading this was like watching a comedic action movie.
I've been reading these omnibuses in publication order because ... well, it's easy to do (easier than figuring out the internal chronology, at least). I liked this book so much that I've jumped ahead to read volumes two and three, even though those are further down the publication order. Right now, I can't get enough of this series....more
This is a hit-or-miss collection of a bunch of odds and ends, including stories written for UK publications and toy companies. Of particular note are This is a hit-or-miss collection of a bunch of odds and ends, including stories written for UK publications and toy companies. Of particular note are the five stories here written by ALAN FREAKIN' MOORE, which are also noteworthy because it shows how little Moore understood the Star Wars universe. He may be the master at deconstructing popular culture, but that means you have to know that culture. His stories show a clear misunderstanding of the force and the whole mythology around the universe.
This is a collection of curiosities, and not much else....more
This is really three "What If?" meets "Star Wars" stories, one for each movie in the original trilogy. They're not intended to be read sequentially, sThis is really three "What If?" meets "Star Wars" stories, one for each movie in the original trilogy. They're not intended to be read sequentially, since the "What if?" moment is changed further and further along in the series as we progress, and the one for A New Hope is really the most interesting of them all, but these are neat thought experiments....more
I like these stories set around the Clone Wars. They're morally gray, so instead of reading stories about the goody-goody Jedi and seeing them as supeI like these stories set around the Clone Wars. They're morally gray, so instead of reading stories about the goody-goody Jedi and seeing them as superheroes, we see them feeling conflicted and acting like real people....more
There are some good stories here (I especially like the stories that show how some of the folks who were in the Empire believed they were doing good),There are some good stories here (I especially like the stories that show how some of the folks who were in the Empire believed they were doing good), but the artwork was a mixed bag. Some of it worked fine, but some of it was clunky, boxy, and didn't look a thing like the characters they were supposed to represent.
Oh, speaking of that, there was one story arc that had Luke and Leia butting heads over line of command, and it didn't ring true at all....more
Loading...
