That’s No Moon

Marvel announced last year that they were going to be releasing not just one, BUT THREE new Star Wars comics, and being a huge Star Wars fan myself, I was fairly intrigued by the idea even though I hadn’t been into comics for the last several years. Over the last few months each of Star Wars, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia has come out and I’ve managed to snag a copy of each one so far. The only bump in the road I’ve hit was having to pick up a copy of Star Wars #1 off eBay as my local comic book shops sold out in a few hours. Apparently there was a lot more demand for that one than I anticipated. Or at least more jerks buying multiple copies to re-sell at a higher price.

STAR WARS #1 & #2
StarWars1

As expected, this comic follows the entire group as they attempt to keep the momentum of their biggest strike against the empire (blowing up the Death Star) going. I love the fact that the reader is immediately thrown back into the thick of things with the crew on another action packed mission to weaken the already loosened grip of the empire. To no one’s surprise, things don’t go quite as planned and they have to improvise to keep the mission alive. I’m not going to spoil anything, but it’s been pretty fantastic so far. I also really enjoy the art style as it has a lot of detail to it which makes it feel realistic, and really helps draw you into the world. They definitely spent some time on it and I can really appreciate the effort. Of the three comics, this is the one I’m enjoying the most, but that’s because it reminds me of the movies, which I love.

DARTH VADER #1 & #2Darth1

These comics follow Darth Vader after his greatest failure yet, the destruction of the Death Star. Due to his failure Darth Vader has been pushed out of the emperor’s inner circle and now has to report to General Tagge instead. The interactions between the two are excellent, as Vader is still intimidating and acts inconvenienced more than anything. The story is focused on him trying to secretly figure out what the emperor is up to, as well as attempting to track down the young rebel pilot responsible for blowing up the Death Star. It has been less action packed and more dialogue driven, but the writing is superb and it easily keeps my attention. Plus it does have exciting moments from time to time. The art style once again has that realistic detail, but with a slightly darker feel. I’ve got no complaints with it at all. The Darth Vader comics have been a great ride so far.

PRINCESS LEIA #1leia

I know there have been other Leia focused stories in the past, but this is the first one I’ve picked up, and was really looking forward to it. I was not disappointed to say the least. This story starts exactly where Episode IV left off, so you get to see what happened directly after everyone left the award ceremony for Luke and Han (still waiting for Chewbacca’s medal, damn it!). As would be expected, the leaders of the rebellion are all busy with getting the base on Yavin evacuated and finding a new planet suitable for their needs. Nobody wants Leia to go anywhere or do anything as she is wanted by the empire, but she isn’t having any of it. With the help of a rebel pilot named Evaan (also a female!), she sets out to find and protect the remaining citizens of Alderaan. Both Leia and Evaan come across as strong, bad ass characters which should make for a great adventure and story. The only problem I have with this comic is the art style. It’s not as sharp and has more of a cartoon-ish look than the other two, and I just wasn’t super impressed. It’s not bad by any means, and it’s certainly not going to stop me from buying the next issue.

Overall, I’ve been really pleased with Marvel’s latest foray into the Star Wars universe. I’m going to be picking up each of these from now on and I couldn’t be happier about that fact (although my wallet might be a tad bit sad). I highly recommend checking them out if you have the chance!

Comeback Series

Everyone has them. A moment you gave up on something because it left a bad taste in your mouth, and later after some kind of persuasion you give it another chance and end up going back. And no, I’m not talking about relationships.

Whether it’s been on the TV screen or in the theatres, there have been several series I have given up on due to lost of interest due to poor storyline writing or the movie/show itself is just too slow for my taste. However, there are a few that after someone or something influenced me to comeback and watch it again that have grown on me.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of SHIELD
When this show first came out, I was very excited. I am a Marvel fan, have enjoyed the movies, and the thought of a TV show based on the Marvel movie storyline was intriguing. The first episode was good, but after watching a few more episodes I was unimpressed by the ‘no-duh’ story. I could see Skye becoming a good person and falling for Agent Ward. So I stopped watching it.

Then, after being persuaded to watch a few more episodes and seeing the changes that happened after Captain America: The Winter Solider with HYDRA, I was brought back to watching (and enjoying) the show. Characters like Agent May and Coulson had depth, and the coupling Skye and Ward didn’t end up endgame either. Thank God (way too predictable for my tastes).

Just finished season 1 (favorite scene from the finale “Hey guys, I found it.”), and am gearing up for season 2. Still not sure how I feel about Skye, but I like the other characters enough to be curious as to what happens next.

Star WarsStar WarsI never originally watched the original Star Wars movies, probably due to the fact that my dad never would have taken me for a Star Wars fan? I was however taken to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace by my dad when it came out in theatres. It wasn’t horrible, but I remember Dad not being too impressed. When Star Wars: Attack of the Clones came out, we went to see that one as well. However, after watching that, we were all unimpressed (its so unmemorable I can’t remember why) and that’s where my Star Wars story almost ended.

It wasn’t until I started dating Chris that I watched the first original movie at his suggestion. Star Wars: A New Hope was good, but I also wasn’t jumping to watch the next one. After a few more months and being suggested several times to watch the fifth movie, I watched The Empire Strikes Back and latched on. Several days later, I watched Return of the Jedi and knew why people enjoyed Star Wars. The creative storyline and planet backgrounds as well as the dynamics of each individual character was much better then the movies I had seen years ago.

Hoping Disney delivers with The Force Awakens this December. In the meantime, I’ll probably watch 4-6 again as a refresher while dreaming of Ewoks.

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

The Hobbit

My family ended up getting Lord of the Rings when it came out on DVD for Christmas. I popped into the DVD player to watch one night, and after all of the scenery shots in the first 30 minutes and slow plot, I turned it off. I did not give Lord of the Rings another chance (much to the chagrin of many friends.)

However, when The Hobbit was released in theatres, several friends in college dragged me to see it on opening night. I’ll admit, I fell asleep at first (I honestly did in the first 30 minutes). I woke up after a few minutes though and watched the whole thing… And liked it. I liked the story of Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who never asked for an adventure and was very realistic in terms of character (afraid of danger, stuck to his previous ways.) I loved the magic and the adventure throughout all three movies, as well as the scenery (and was thankful said background was not the main focus.) Bilbo Baggins’ evolving character was strong and well built, hats off to J.R.R Tolkien.

(P.S.- Tauriel may have been an original character to the story movie-wise, but I enjoyed having a strong female character to follow… Also could have done without the romance.)


I’m sure there will be more comeback series in the future for me with the way stories develop. What about you? Do you have a movie/TV show you grew to dislike, and then came back to enjoy?