The STAR WARS MONTHLY MONDAY Thread

[Arthur Ratnik]

In an ALL-NEW episode, the Freaks open up with Chris gloating over his UK Marvel Star Wars Weekly comics he won for a song on the E-Bay. Scott has also been reading some Star Wars trades and omnibi! Then, it's back to the good ol' USA for Marvel Star Wars # 53 and 54 - not exactly a high point in this run. Scott and Chris smell a rat... a big, fat MARTIAN rat! Shenanigans are called. Things get better, though! Todd Grady, our embedded Clone Wars correspondent weighs in with a great episode featuring a rogue clone! It's all here in your monthly Star Wars Freak fix!

[Joe Anthrax]

I am now going to try and use the term "wookie snake" every time I try to "get romantic" with my wife. It certainly can't hurt my chances...

Joe -- And the sound effects will be put to use as well... -- Anthrax

[Arthur Ratnik]

[Bibliomike]

Re: whether the "Long Time Ago" omnibus changes anything -- I don't know, but based on what you guys have been using as the intro to your reviews of the Marvel comics, didn't it used to say "Stan Lee Presents" in the banner instead of "Lucasfilm Presents"? (I also wouldn't be surprised if Lucasfilm brought some revisionist history pressure to bear on the "mistakes" copy on the back cover... and, to Dark Horse's credit, they did use those scare quotes around "mistakes," which could be read as a tacit acknowledgment that they weren't mistakes originally.)

I got this volume, too, based on how enthusiastic you guys are about these old issues -- but, sorry, these stories aren't for me. I had hoped I could read them with my son (just turned nine), but he seems to find them silly and uninteresting, and I'm afraid I'm forced to agree. On the other hand, we both really, really enjoyed the Al Williamson newspaper-turned-TPB three-volume set of stories. I was hoping these would be more like those -- but I guess these came a few years earlier, so maybe it was an unrealistic expectation. (And also, to be fair, I may be souring on media-licensed tie-in comics in general, so... it may not really be the fault of the book itself. I am giving the new "Knight Errant" series a try, mainly because that's an era of Star Wars history we don't have "official" movie or TV stuff to compare it to. But I've tried reading a few "Star Wars" novels now, and have been really discouraged -- I think "Star Wars" may work best on-screen, or, at the very least, visually. "Star Trek" seems different, although that may just be my personal bias!)

Chris, you're exactly right, that this episode is a prequel to the Clone Wars movie (as is "Cat and Mouse" from season 2). I am unsure why the creative team wants to do these out-of-sequence stories -- good episode and all, for all the reasons you guys stated, but why are they going to jump around in the narrative time frame? We'll see if they keep doing it, I guess, to see if there is a rhyme or reason to it...

We have gone Blu-Ray at our house -- and "Clone Wars," incidentally, is gorgeous in high def -- but I, too, am not whooped up about buying Star Wars for Blu-Ray. It will depend on how much extra material there is and what it is, because my player "upconverts" standard DVDs just fine, and I've got all the special editions. If there are several hours of original documentaries or something, though, I might be tempted (and provided I have a good discount coupon somewhere!)

[Arthur Ratnik]

[Joe Anthrax]

Were I a much younger man, I would probably have great amount of interest in Ms Levato becoming "acquainted" with my "wookie snake"...

Joe -- GRONK -- Anthrax

[Vindicator]

This summer has been a star wars orientated summer, i also re read the whole of the old Dark house star wars run, and its really good stuff. George Lucas loved the run and the character so much, he put him in Episode 1. The Clone Wars run is by far the best bit, and like Scott i agree that everyone should check it out, even if you hated the Prequels.

Also read the whole Republic commando novels, first off I HATE the ending, not because its a bad ending just because there are so many unanswered questions. One good thing i heard is that in the Legacy of the force novels, they answer some questions. Don't get me wrong they are really good books, one of the best runs out there, so again check it out.

Now this is kinda a weird coincidence, I read Corrosant Nights I like just last week and about to borrow the next one from the library. Again its a very good book, and feels like star wars. A group of different characters bunched together, there is alot of interesting plots and themes in that book, and really can't wait for the second one.

Also I'm glad someone picked up on there being way to many jedi still alive after order 66, I understand why there are so many, and I also understand alot of them join the dark side or just stop using the force. I mean we don't no how large the Jedi Order is, so there could only be like 1/50 of them left. I just think the empire should do a better job.

I was thinking about this recently, who's side were you routing for in the clone Wars? or who's side did you think was right?

[Hair-Metal Hero]

I was with the clones until the slaughter of the Jedi, they are puppets, just like everyone else under Palpatine/Sidious' machinations. They aren't bad guys, but they are doing bad things. Its also easy storytelling, these guys are also bread for war and to follow orders, with enough individuality stripped away that dissidence isn't an issue and we have a reason why the Jedi were so easily capped in a short period of time after the order was issued. If the Glactic Empire at the start was simply using soldiers from the group of worlds that it embodied, clearer heads may have prevailed and far more questions would have been asked. The clones gave you adaptability and control, with the ability to improvise and display human preservational skills without the hassel of a command ship blowing up nd shutting down a bunch of droids. Palpatine was a confindence man of the highest order. His Con took decades of careful control and manipulation. I'd like to see his time as the Sith Apprentice revealed as well as his initial rise to notoriety in the Senate. How did he lead a double life as a resident/local politician on Naboo while studying under a Sith lord who never revealed himself? What were the occurences of his master's assassination? There is some fertile ground there. But yeah, I love the clones as the Army of the Republic fighting along side the Jedi. Woah, got way off base there.

[Arthur Ratnik]

[Vindicator]

[Vindicator]

[Bibliomike]

[NewFun#6]

[NewFun#6]

[NewFun#6]

[Vindicator]

[FleaBeard]

Anyone else catch the Clone Wars S3 opener last week? Kind of funny that we were just discussing the morality of the clones on TTF and the season opened by jumping head first into the subject.

[Bibliomike]

[FleaBeard]

My son and I both groaned when they showed the preview with Mr. Binks as we call him.

[NewFun#6]

I sure did love those first two episodes, though, so I have faith.

BTW, have you seen the cut of Star Wars with a "bonus scene" of Jar Jar standing alongside Bail Organa as Alderaan is destroyed?