Star Wars #5 – Review

By: Brian Wood (Writer), Carlos D’Anda (Artist), Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist)

The Story: Han Solo has to find a way out of Coruscant, as Leia and her squad fight some Tie-Fighter as per her plan to guess just who might be the rat in the rebel army.

The Review: I finally understood something about this comic and myself, something that came as some kind of realization as to why I rather disliked some of the scenes while I enjoyed others. I once said that I preferred the Han Solo scenes in general, while I found the space battles to be rather boring, but gave a rather vague assessment of just why I felt that way about those.

Star Wars #4 – Review

By: Brian Wood (Writer), Carlos D’Anda (Artist), Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist)

The Story: Han Solo tries to escape from Coruscant, Leia goes on with her plan to find out the rat in the rebellion and Darth Vader is awesome.

The Review: When I reviewed the last issue of Brian Wood’s take on Star Wars, I mentioned the fact that there were parts that were much stronger, or at least, more interesting than others. I now realize, in retrospect, that it was not absolutely fair, as it seemed to come a bit from personal taste rather than actual appreciation and critical analysis of the various scenes. However, while I do admit that I rather prefer Han Solo to Leia Skywalker as a character, this issue made me see just why perhaps this analysis was closer to the truth than what I thought.

Star Wars #3 – Review

By: Brian Wood (Writer), Carlos D’Anda (Artist), Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist)

The Story: Luke gets a little bit rebellious with one of his comrades; Leia tries to uncover the identity of the spy while Han Solo gets into a trap set by the empire.

The Review: There are several things that can be frustrating in comics featuring a whole universe: some concepts that are too conceited or too much used, some characters that don’t have enough screen time and a whole load of other problems. This issue here has a very particular problem that does not fatally undermine the whole thing, yet becomes a bit handicapping: there are some parts and characters that are much more interesting than others.

Now, this may seem normal, even obvious to most, but there is a difference when it is a ‘’universe’’ book. In a team book, it’s pretty much normal that some people prefer some characters above others, but in a ‘’universe’’ style book, the writer has to show a whole world through his story and his characters, to make everything interesting and relevant to the plot. Here, we have two plots, with one being about Leia commanding her own squadron and trying to uncover a traitor amongst their midst, while the other one features Han Solo being his regular self as he tries to get some work on Coruscant. It is the latter one that is more interesting and actually better written, as the adventure of the charming rogue is actually more fulfilling for a reader.

Star Wars #2 – Review

By: Brian Wood (Writer), Carlos D’Anda (Artist), Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist)

The Story: Han Solo is pursued by a well-known bounty hunter, whole Leia form a team to carry out the mission she received.

The Review: This feels like Star Wars. It’s a bold statement to start this review with, but it also very much true. In this issue, you’ve got much of everything that made this franchise great to begin with. There’s the scope, the war between good and evil, the space fight and the characters. Much of it ring true to the original trilogy, but there’s also something more to it.

What Brian Wood has succeeded in doing so far is properly extend and deepen some characters while respecting who they actually are and how they usually are presented. There’s Han Solo, still roguish and savvy like always, partnered up with his trusty Wookie friend Chewbacca. Here, he explores just how his life as a smuggler has been affected by his actions from A New Hope, which is a wise choice, as it had not been properly explored in the actual sequel to the original movie.

Star Wars #1 – Review

By: Brian Wood (writer), Carlos D’Anda (artist), Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist)

The Story: After an ambush by the empire on Luke, Leia and Wedge, the alliance suspects that there might be a spy in their midst.

The Review: Star Wars means a lot to most of us, both as a sci-fi universe and as movies. It is cherished by millions, loving the classic battle between good and evil that was represented during the whole saga. It is a universe that is no stranger to comics, with some very good stories told in its vast continuity and lore. Writing in such a loved universe can have its lot of challenge to even the most seasoned of veterans or the greatest of writer. It is even more so when the story that is told in this issue is set in the most beloved part of the saga: the original trilogy of films.

A single error in characterization, in the timeline or the addition of several unwanted elements could topple all this noble effort down by the fans. Thankfully, Brian Wood is a smart writer and knows exactly what he can and what he should do with this series and all its characters. Here we see all the beloved characters, themes and designs from the first movie in a comic book format and it works really well, incorporating just the right amount of new elements in the mix to make sure it is a brand new tale.

Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest – DVD Review

A long time ago, but somehow in the future…

First things first, if you are not a fan of both Star Wars and Family Guy, you will probably not enjoy this film enough to warrant buying it. That being said, if you are a fan of both and are properly armed with a healthy knowledge of 1970’s – present pop culture references, this DVD is a must own.

As hugely conspicuous Star Wars Fans, Seth MacFarlane and the crew at Family Guy have created what may be considered the ultimate Star Wars parody, going farther than Space Balls and Robot Chicken before them. This film is not a clip show or quasi-homage, Blue Harvest is a complete reimagining of Star Wars: Episode IV (the first film if you are keeping track). The reimagining takes the characters of Family Guy and places them in the roles of Star Wars characters, while maintaining much of their original personality traits. In addition, the plot is maipulated to allow for the inclusion of the Family Guy humor many have come to love. From the pedophiliac Mr Herbert as Obi-Wan to Peter as Han Solo to Stewie as Vader, the laughs don’t stop. The movie is absolutely hilarious and takes shots at many of the memorable scenes from the original film. After watching this film, one can see the effort and dedication that true Star Wars fans put in to the design and execution of this piece.

The film would be enough on its own but the DVD comes fully loaded with extras. Included is a making of feature, animatic material, a clip compilation from the regular show, a digital copy of the film (that can be loaded onto iTunes and uploaded to a portable video device like an iPod) and an interview with George Lucas. What’s George’s favorite TV show? Watch the DVD and find out.

My advice is to run to your nearest video store, buy Blue Harvest and prepare to geek out. (Grade: A)

– Chris Williamson