Issue 32 of “Star Wars: Republic” marks the start of John Ostrander’s epic run as the primary writer of this ongoing series. Starting here, he writes 19 straight issues, taking the series up to the start of the Clone Wars, then he’ll continue to be the main writer throughout that epic saga-within-a-saga. All told, he’ll write 40 […]
In the midst of re-reading the “Star Wars: Republic” ongoing series, I decided to peek ahead on the timeline in search of more information about Aurra Sing in “The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing.” And for the sake of keeping things together, that means re-reading “The Bounty Hunters” three-issue series (1999), which also includes “Scoundrel’s Wages” and “Kenix […]
When we last checked in with the heroes and villains of “Star Wars: Republic,” the title had built up serious narrative momentum: Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura had become central characters, but not only did we not know their backstories, but – thanks to the memory-loss effects of glitteryl spice, neither did they. Meanwhile, Force-using and Jedi-loathing […]
The third and fourth arcs of “Star Wars: Republic” — “Emissaries to Malastare” (1999-2000) and “Twilight” (2000) – continue the trend of one mediocre arc followed by one great arc. Despite being written by Tim Truman, author of the excellent “Outlander,” “Emissaries to Malastare” is a confusingly plotted hodgepodge.
As with the first series simply titled “Star Wars” (Marvel’s, from 1977-86), the second series by that name (Dark Horse’s, from 1998-2006) also gets off to a slow start. (To avoid confusion, I’ll call this series “Star Wars: Republic,” although that title didn’t appear on the cover until Issue 46.) But to be fair, Jan Strnad, the […]
“Outbound Flight” (2006) offers Expanded Universe fans the thrill of learning previously hinted-at “Star Wars” history. It’s similar to what “Episode I” offered to mainstream fans. Actually, as the “New York Times Bestseller” label on the front of the paperback attests, contradicting the party line of Disney, EU fans are no niche group. A lot of […]
TV commentary: The battle against the munchers is becoming must-see TV.
TV review: Like Rory, “Gilmore Girls” Season 4 sometimes struggles to find its footing in the transition to college. But it also boasts some classic episodes.
“Wish I Was Here” would’ve been a better title for 2004’s “Garden State,” where Zach Braff’s character’s use of strong anti-depressants keeps him from engaging with the world. It doesn’t work as well with the actual film of this title because, frankly, the 35-year-old Aiden Bloom (Braff) doesn’t have it all that bad.
Greg Bear’s “Rogue Planet” is a schizophrenic novel. It’s hard to read, but it’s filled with fascinating ideas. It’s packed with information that’s seemingly crucial to future stories, yet those future stories tend to ignore or contradict what happens here. In some ways it’s an essential read, in other ways it’s skippable.