In 2006, Benbella Books put out “Star Wars on Trial,” a collection of essays responding to eight charges against the “Star Wars” franchise (plus a ninth, overriding charge: Considering all the factors above, ‘Star Wars’ has been damaging to science fiction readers, writers and moviegoers.). Sci-fi author David Brin, who had written two Salon articles critical of […]
In its nearly quarter-century as the home of “Star Wars,” Dark Horse often gave fans what they clamored for (see “Boba Fett” or “Darth Maul” or the Royal Guard-centered “Crimson Empire”). In other cases, the company showed remarkable audacity. I doubt many people were demanding “Jabba the Hutt” comics. But fairly early in Dark Horse’s tenure we […]
The main thing I remembered from my first reading of “Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood”(1998-99) was that it was really hard to follow. And I wasn’t the only one. A letter writer mentioned the confusing storyline and the editor sympathetically suggested that “Crimson Empire II” is best read all in one sitting.
“Crimson Empire” (1997-98) is one of the most popular Dark Horse “Star Wars” titles, and I suspect it gets a ton of mileage out of the fact that it focuses on the Emperor’s Royal Guards, arguably the coolest-looking characters in the saga. The very first action figure I got was a Kenner Emperor’s Royal Guard for […]
In my re-read of the Bantam novels, I thought I was saving the worst for last with “Planet of Twilight” (1997). My 18-year-old self hated this novel, and I remember why: This is the final chapter of the Callista trilogy, following “Children of the Jedi” and “Darksaber,” and for a Callista-Luke ‘shipper, it’s a huge letdown. […]
Vonda N. McIntyre’s “The Crystal Star” (1994) often appears on lists of the worst “Star Wars” novels, so I went into this re-read with low expectations and a sense of dread. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the novel is well-written and logically plotted with accurate characterizations and good concepts. It’s by no means a […]
Roger McBride Allen wraps up his “Corellian Trilogy” with “Showdown at Centerpoint” (1995), another installment that’s padded despite leaving a lot of interesting ideas on the table, but can’t totally be dismissed since it introduces a lot of important characters and elements to the Expanded Universe.
‘X-Men’ flashback (Movie review): The Wolverine sequel adds appealing grit to the saga.
‘X-Men’ flashback (Movie review): The trilogy capper stumbles through a classic comic-book narrative.
“Divergent” plays with traditional dystopian sci-fi tropes and totalitarian government riffs in rather unsurprising ways, but it holds a viewer’s attention thanks to the immensely watchable Shailene Woodley and a beautifully grim post-apocalyptic Chicago cityscape. Avoiding the clichéd helicopter shot over water, the film opens with a shot of a dried-up Lake Michigan – a wonderful […]