Star Wars & Dark Horse Comics: going out on top

Ever since the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, I knew that the Star Wars license would go to Marvel Comics eventually. It makes sense; Disney also owns Marvel Comics. Back in, I think, December it was announced that the license would revert to Marvel either in 2014 or 2015 (I’m still not clear on that).

Then Dark Horse Comics went back to basics for their new Star Wars title by Brian Wood was announced – then I read it – and I couldn’t imagine a better book at another company. The new Star Wars series is fantastic and I can’t wait to get two years into it and reread them.

Dark Horse Comics announced this week, on April Fools’ Day no less, that they were publishing a book based on Lucas’ original screenplay for Star Wars. The series will be titled, “The Star Wars” because that was the title of the original screenplay and the first issue is scheduled to come out this September. As someone who’s seen those concept action figures that Hasbro put out a few years ago, I know the original script and the final script were very different and I’m excited to see what could have been.

According to NBC New York: “Written in 1974, the original draft of what ultimately became the epic franchise's first screenplay is quite a different adventure than the one from the galaxy far, far away that was immortalized on screen. Luke Skywalker is an older Jedi general, while charismatic smuggler Han Solo is a lizard-type alien. The story’s main protagonist is named Annikin Starkiller.”

I know that it makes good business sense to not license your property out and to create new stories in-house, but I’m good to miss Star Wars being done by Dark Horse Comics. There was a time when there was nothing new that was Star Wars – no action figures, no novels, nothing. Then came that first great Timothy Zahn novel, then a line of re-sculpted action figures (that were unrealistically buff but the fans were super excited because they hadn’t seen anything Star Wars in a long time), and then Star Wars re-exploded into pop culture. And Dark Horse Comics was in the mix publishing new stories and giving the fans something to look forward to every month.

As a fan, I just need to sit back and really enjoy the last few years of Dart Horse Comics’ books. And I have to keep in mind that Marvel Comics has access to a lot of great writers and artists who are probably chomping at the bit to get a hold of Star Wars and put their mark on it. Now that Episode 7 will be made and released in a few years, there’s a great opportunity to dig into the story of those characters and to keep creating new characters.

Review: Star Wars #1

Star Wars #1 by Brian Wood, Carlos D’anda, and Gabe Eltaeb

The Rebel Alliance has scored a victory against the Empire but they’re still outnumbered and on the run. Desperate for a new place to put a base, the Rebels scour the system for any place that will be hospitable or inhabitable which isn’t easy with the Empire’s superior numbers combing the galaxy for them. When Leia, Luke, and Wedge are ambushed while searching for a place to put a base, Mon Mothma senses a spy and gives Leia a black ops command whose mission is simple: Find a new home for a base or find the spy.

GOOD: This story is set right after the destruction of the first Death Star. The characters are pretty well written (some moments feel wrong or a little manufactured but in the actual movies the characters acted a bit off from film to film). Still, the interactions between the characters makes me imagine that it really happened and setting it after the first film makes it feel like cannon. When Princess Leia blasts a Tie Fighter pilot then blasts him two more times when he’s down it shows a different side of her. She was always tough in the movies and willing to shoot back but she assassinated the pilot without saying a word – no asking for surrender, no words of anger – it’s a ruthlessness that makes sense for the character but is shocking to see on the page.

And D’anda’s rendering of Darth Vader is about the most badass rendering everywhere. There’s a panel where he’s striding toward the reader and his head is down a bit so it looks like the eyes are glaring more than usual. You can see the bulk in his arms and legs that tell you that even if he didn’t have a lightsaber, he’d choke you out MMA-style.

The yellow narration boxes serve to remind you (as if you’ve forgotten) what the Rebels are up against and what the characters are feeling. Long gone is the day of thought bubbles so the narration is a great way to add context to what’s going on and information on what the current mission is.

I don’t know if anyone caught it, but on the first page Luke holds up three fingers and Leia, understanding what he’s asking, switches to communication channel 3 letting the reader know that they’re involved in a private conversation. It’s an excellent little detail and one that Wood uses brilliantly.

BAD: This is a case of good news / bad news. The good news is that Dark Horse Comics has done it again with a fantastic new title. The bad news is that since Disney owns Star Wars and Marvel Comics, they can hand the property back over to Marvel Comics.

CONCLUSION: Like I said, Dark Horse Comics has done it again. Welcome back, Original Cast! You have been missed. Now if we can get new action figures…

Angel & Faith #1 review - SPOILERS

Angel & Faith #1 by Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs

SPOILERS AHEAD: I didn’t know how I felt about this title. Angel or Faith should have their own title but I didn’t think they’d be great together. I was wrong…as I usually am when I doubt the wisdom of Whedon.

The book starts with Giles trying to help a woman whose daughter is being inhabited by a demon. He’s not powerful enough to get rid of the demon so he seals it inside the girl, promising that he’ll return one day to finish the job. Then we jump to Angel & Faith finishing what he started and freeing the girl from the demon.

As they kill the demon, Giles’ spell unravels and Angel winds up with the memories of the day Giles and Jenny Calendar fell in love – both of whom he killed by snapping their necks while he was someone else (Twilight and Angelus respectively).

Then we meet Nadira. She’s a friend of Faith’s who is a slayer. Nadira tells her about the day all of her slayer squad was killed by a pair of new big bads while Twilight watched and vows to kill Angel and everyone involved.

When Faith confronts Angel with the information he tells her about LA going to Hell and becoming Twilight because he believed it was the only way to keep the entire planet from going to Hell. That’s when Angel tells Faith what he wants to do: bring Giles back to life.

Good: Angel and Faith have taken up residence at Giles’ home where Angel is reading through his journals for things Giles left undone and getting to know the man better. The flashback of Angel killing Jenny and LA going to Hell was a great way to acknowledge that the writer knows the mythology and for the reader to know that the characters are still affected by these events.

The art is fantastic – unlike the hit or miss art of IDW’s Angel, Dark Horse has always had fantastic art on the majority of their Season 8 issues and now they’ve got Rebekah Isaacs onboard.

Bad: I don’t understand Whistler’s part but I imagine that will be revealed in future issues. Bringing Giles back from the dead isn’t something Angel would do if he knows Buffy was pulled out of Heaven. He knows Buffy was dead and knows she came back to life but I don’t know if he knows the circumstances. I’m not sure if Faith even knows. I guess if Angel and Faith don’t know what Buffy went through, that makes this decision very interesting.

Buy/Skip: This isn’t a gateway book. You can’t pick it up cold, have no experience with the characters, and still get the layers of story. If you’re a fan of Buffy and have gotten some or all of Angel’s IDW series, you’ll love this. It continues Buffy Season 8 and Angel’s IDW series perfectly and captures the characters perfectly. Join me in buying it and anxiously waiting for #2.

Willow One-Shot (or Tara vs Kennedy)

Joss Whedon and Karl Moline back together. I’m glad that Joss is working with his Fray partner on a non-Fray project. I hope that the two of them will do more together. I kind of wish Karl Moline were working on Angel over at IDW (I don’t hate the artist they have, I just like Moline’s likenesses better).


SPOILER ALERT: I’m about to screw this up for you if you haven’t read the issue.

The title is the untold story of Willow’s journey to find someone to guide her in the use of abundant power. In the story Willow meets some guides who tell her that she already has a guide in mind.

I was going – “Who does she have in mind?” I turn the page and there she is: Tara.

I don’t know about you, but I was as happy as Willow seemed to be (of course Willow refused her as a guide).

It got me thinking. I watched season seven, I eagerly read each new issue of season eight, and I know that Willow is with Kennedy now. Still, I always think of Willow and Tara as a unit.

It turns out I’m not the only one. Most of fandom feels the same way about Tara.

For me, I got to know Tara for almost three seasons. I met her family, saw her through good times and bad with Willow, watched her take care of Dawn, saw what Glory did to her, and watched her die in Willow’s arms. By the time Tara died, I loved the character.

Kennedy came to us as a Potential. Her character had to compete with a bunch of new faces to get our attention. In season seven, Willow was healing from Tara’s death and almost destroying the world with her grief and rage. As fans, Willow’s continuing sense of loss echoes our own sense of loss.

The only thing Kennedy does of value in the relationship in season seven is talk Willow down when a spell makes her take on Andrew’s attitude and actions (the same ones that led to Tara’s death).

But, for the most part, Willow comes to the relationship with Kennedy after her addiction to magic, after she’s helped save the world more than once, and when she’s more secure with who she is and her position as a Scooby. And Kennedy brought no visible baggage. She is the no-nonsense, tough, loving Potential who (along with the rest) became a Slayer. Kennedy never suffered from a lack of confidence or a traumatic back story.

On a personal note – having met the actresses that play Tara and Kennedy I like the characters a lot more.

Still, I prefer Tara.

That said, I understand how Kennedy is a more appropriate girlfriend for Willow right now.

I think that when Willow’s power was weak and she was still unsure of herself, Tara was perfect for her. Tara herself was not only insecure but her power synched and boosted Willow’s power. During Willow’s addict behavior, Tara was there for Willow as much as she could. Do you really think Kennedy would have put up with that – she’d be gone for good at the end of Tabula Rasa. Tara never gave up on Willow.

At the beginning of season seven, Willow’s power is massive but she’s gotten the best training and she’s no longer an addict and no longer a mass of rage and grief. Willow is a whole person. In that way, she’s perfect for Kennedy who, herself, is a whole person. I’m just saying that Willow couldn’t have dated Kennedy first then ended up with someone like Tara when the smoke cleared.

Still, I prefer Tara (did I already say that?).

I guess my Tara-lock mostly comes from Kennedy not being in most issues and when she is, she doesn’t really add to the story. She mostly appears to remind us that she’s still with Willow and Willow’s brought her up a few times to make the same connection for us.

But that’s just my take. You’re reason for liking Tara over Kennedy or Kennedy over Tara is probably different.

Why Can't We Be Friends?