comic book

New: Saga, Ghostbusters, Boba … but where’s Grogu?

Posted on by earthtoshawna

After a four-year hiatus the award-winning comic book “Saga” is back! I got my copy of the new issue Wednesday at my local comic book shop, and if you haven’t read this title yet (and are 18 or older – it is rated Mature), I highly recommend you check it out. I have blogged about this comic before – multiple times – and it made my best-of-the-decade list. Here is my review from that post:

“Saga,” written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, is the best comic book series in the past 10 years, and I’m guessing it made lots of people’s best-of lists. Its central characters are Marko and Alana, lovers from warring planets, and their daughter, Hazel. The family is chased across the galaxy by an assassin whose sidekick is a giant, hairless, lie-detecting cat; a TV-faced robot prince; and Marko’s ex-girlfriend. See my review of the comic here: ‘Saga’ leaves you wanting more but you’ll have to wait

I finally saw the new Ghostbusters movie, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” It’s set 32 years after the events of “Ghostbusters 2” and involves Egon’s grandkids (played by Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace), who have just moved with their mother to his house, which they inherited after his death.

I liked that they did something different – focusing on kids this time around. I especially liked that it was the granddaughter who was the main brain of the story, and with her dark curls and glasses, she even looked like the late Harold Ramis.

I would have liked to have seen different ghosts this time; why did they feel the need to spin out the same spirits again? But it was fun to see the cameos from the original cast members – and Paul Rudd is always good!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably heard about the Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up.” I’m not sure why this got bad reviews. (Only 56% on Rotten Tomatoes? Really?) The plot lays out exactly how society would react if a comet was headed for Earth. Maybe it hit a bit too close to home for some viewers as it was intended as a satire of climate change deniers, but it could just as easily have been a satire about people thinking COVID is fake.

The film, written and directed by Adam McKay, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothee Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, and Scott Mescudi.

My favorite character was Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence), an astronomy grad student who discovers the comet. The dialogue struck me as very funny and I laughed out loud multiple times. It captured the absurdity of our politicians and media talking heads and was alternately heartbreaking and hilarious. I loved it and watched it twice.

How refreshing was Chapter 5 of “The Book of Boba Fett” (Disney+), with the return of our beloved Din Djarin? I mean, the first four episodes were okay, but this episode was a reminder of just how good “The Mandalorian” was. I loved this episode! But did I? Or was I just excited because for the whole hour, I thought we were going to get to see Grogu? Where’s Grogu??

Seriously though, it was nice to see Mando again, and also I love Amy Sedaris as the mechanic. It was a great episode (except no Grogu!) and I hope they put a little more of this energy into the rest of the season. And hopefully we will get to see Grogu next time!

I was sad to see the end of “The Expanse”! BUT. I read an article on WinterIsComing.net that explained why the producers ended it here, and apparently it was because the next book starts up, like, 30 years later. So. I think, and hope, and pray, that there will be a spin-off series after the events of this last series. Let me go find that story for you. … Here it is:

The Expanse producers “would love” to continue the show

I think that just about wraps up this post. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” coming to Paramount+ on May 5!

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Dark Horse’s time-bending ride ‘Ei8ht’ ends too soon

Posted on by earthtoshawna

I love dystopian science fiction, and time-travel stories too, so Dark Horse’s new graphic novel “Ei8ht,” which began as a webcomic by Rafael Albuquerque, is right up my alley.

“The past is green,” the intro reads, “the present is purple, the future is blue – the Meld is something else entirely.” From the start, we see this is not your average time-travel tale, if there is such a thing.

The colors match up to the scenes in the story. If a panel is illustrated in purple, we know we are seeing the future; the past is in green, etc. I’m not sure the color guide is necessary, but I guess it helps if you’re easily confused.

The first chapter is a bit vague, as our hero’s trip to the Meld leaves his memory fuzzy. I get a “12 Monkeys” vibe, though, as Joshua seems to have been sent there in an attempt to find a cure to a plague that is wiping out people in the present time. Or in the future. (Maybe I do need that color code after all.)

“Ei8ht” takes a Mad Max-ian turn when we see what kind of place Joshua ended up in. The first person Joshua meets in the Meld is a Tank Girl type, armed with a bow. She and her buddies seem like the same kind of characters you might run into in “Fury Road.”

It’s an inhospitable desert dimension that is not a nice place to be. Think of it as a sort of Bermuda Triangle, which factors into the plot, in Chapter 2.

The story is compelling and the art is haunting. I definitely got sucked into the story.  Of course there is the page-turning element of mystery – who is Joshua and why is he stuck here? But it’s also exciting to discover new worlds in science fiction, and the Meld certainly qualifies.

Albuquerque has described the Meld as a “temporal trash can,” a place in time where everything that’s ever been or will be on Earth can coexist – including dinosaurs and Nazis.

I initially liked the fast pace of the comic – don’t you hate it when a story arc drags on and on? But then in Chapter 5 I wondered if it wasn’t moving too quickly. Is this a miniseries?

If it’s over, then it’s a bit of a letdown. It’s too short to be a complete story, and there is so much wasted potential if this is the end. But the graphic novel (which collects comics 1 through 5) is called “Volume 1,” which leads me to believe there is more in store for these characters. I hope so.

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“Ei8ht, Volume 1: Outcast”
By Rafael Albuquerque and Mike Johnson
Dark Horse Books; October 2015

 

 

‘Skywalker Strikes’ sparks theory about ‘Force Awakens’

Posted on by earthtoshawna

I am a big fan of “Star Wars,” and I also love comic books. But “Skywalker Strikes,” the graphic novel which collects issues 1 through 6, is the first Star Wars comic I’ve read. The last Star Wars “Expanded Universe” books I read were Timothy Zahn’s books, the Thrawn Trilogy, back in the early ’90s. The trilogy is set five years after the events in “Return of the Jedi.”

I am sure that the upcoming Star Wars sequel “The Force Awakens” will have little in common with Zahn’s books, as Disney now owns the Star Wars franchise and has more or less declared the Star Wars Expanded Universe not part of official canon, pissing off Star Wars fans everywhere.

I get why they did it, but it seems a little insulting to throw out all the books and comics that came before Disney, and also a bit tricky. Coruscant, for example, a planet prominently featured in the movie prequels, first appears in Zahn’s “Heir to the Empire.” Are they only keeping EU if it was picked up in the films?

Also angering some fans was Disney’s refusal to renew Dark Horse’s Star Wars publishing license in January. They instead gave the license back to Marvel, which they also now own.

Star Wars comics were published by Marvel from 1977 to 1986, when they canceled it. So Dark Horse had been publishing Star Wars comics since 1989. In short, this is the first Star Wars comic released by Marvel since the ’80s.

Because Disney has said the new comics are canon, it is possible that the characters introduced in them will be part of the new movies, so if you don’t like spoilers and theories, stop reading now.

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If you’re still with me, you’ve read my spoiler alert and have been warned.

The biggest surprise in the new comic is the appearance of a woman named Sana Solo, who claims to be Han’s wife. She confronts him on a planet where he and Leia are hiding from Imperial forces, and even asks Leia, “Now who in the hell might you be, lady?”

Earlier in the comic, she is shown (in a mask) trying to track Han down, and it seems she’s a bounty hunter when she says Han belongs to her, but in light of her claim, her words take on a new meaning.

The fact that Sana is black has fans speculating about a “Force Awakens” theory – that she and Han could be Finn’s parents or grandparents, especially considering director J.J. Abrams’ decision not to reveal some of the characters’ last names (as it would give something away).

Of course, this is all just a theory, and Sana might just be a lying stalker. But why put her in there if she’s not important?

One thing I like about this series is that it’s not boring. From the very first page, we are in the thick of the action, with the Rebels infiltrating an Imperial weapons factory, but their plan to destroy it is thwarted by the appearance of Vader. Luke, who still doesn’t know Vader is his father, wants to fight him, but the voice of Obi Wan tells him to run. At least old Ben knows Luke is no match for his old apprentice.

I like the art in this collection; Han and Leia look like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. Luke is another story. Sometimes he looks like Mark Hamill and in other panels he’s almost unrecognizable. Maybe it’s just me.

Some of the action is recycled. A quick escape is hindered by a problem with the Millennium Falcon. Luke continues his existential Jedi angst. Han and Leia argue-flirt. Han flies through an electrical storm in an attempt to lose their tail – just like the scene in “The Empire Strikes Back” when he flew into an asteroid field. He even says, they “stopped following us, didn’t they?” In “The Empire Strikes Back,” he says, “They’d be crazy to follow us, wouldn’t they?”

The introduction of Sana reminds me of the introduction of another character – Gwendolyn from the comic book “Saga.” Marko’s crazy ex trailed him across the galaxy before confronting him and his new woman.

That’s not to say the lack of originality has turned me off the new comic completely. I am looking forward to reading more, if only because I want to see what’s going on with Sana, and a few other new plot points that have been introduced. (OK, one.)

If I am not blown away, it’s only because I expected more from Marvel. In their defense, I think their biggest obstacle was that the element of suspense is missing, because we already know what’s going to happen. But then why choose this time period? It’s filler. Or an excuse to set up the lineage of the movie’s new characters, if the theory proves to be correct.

That being said, it’s nice to see everyone again, and while the plot may not be earth-shattering, it’s familiar and fun to read while waiting for the movie.

“Star Wars Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes,” by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by John Cassaday and Laura Martin
Marvel; October 2015