Three months and 100 issues ago, I started my “Star Wars” Marvel comics re-read by noting how horrible the Roy Thomas/Howard Chaykin issues were. Once Archie Goodwin took over with No. 11, the standard of quality improved for the next 80-some issues, but when the series ran down in 1985-86, those early troubles were unfortunately revived. The Mary Jo Duffy/Cynthia […]
TV review: “Veronica” switches to a new network and a slightly new format in the final season of its original run.
OK, here we go. All three films have been released, and it’s time for a fresh narrative start to the Marvel comics series after “Return of the Jedi.” More Han Solo stories. Maybe a battle for the galactic capital. Luke searching for new Jedi. A consistent, serial storyline. … Cue movie-trailer-style record scratch. For some reason, the period immediately […]
I was looking forward to re-reading Mary Jo Duffy’s early issues in the Marvel run, as I vaguely recalled complex plots about the quest to rescue Han Solo and the search for missing X-wing pilot Tay Vanis, who possesses the Death Star II plans. About halfway through these 12 issues — which spring from the end of […]
Part of the fun of the Marvel comics — and the whole EU, really — is seeing the Kenner action figures come to life. But the best non-main character from the Marvel run, by far, was a new invention, X-wing pilot Shira Brie, and she wasn’t cast in plastic until nearly three decades after her first appearance. […]
All the things we loved about previous Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movies “Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz” and “Paul” are present again in the pub-crawl comedy “The World’s End”: A bit of smart humor (the first two pubs look identical), a bit of smart-dumb humor (one character smashes through a door a few brews into the […]
Taking over for Archie Goodwin — who took his talents to the “Star Wars” newspaper strip — David Michelinie proves he’s up to his predecessor’s high standards on his first batch of issues in the Marvel series. Granted, he makes some bad mistakes; Bespin has a planetary surface and Luke still uses an unexplained lightsaber at times. (Could some […]
The “Star Wars” Marvel comics run gets off to a rocky start after “The Empire Strikes Back” adaptation (issues 39-44), although the batch from 45-50 certainly has more than its share of talking points.
“Shadows of the Empire,” which I recently reviewed, leads directly into “Return of the Jedi,” and “The Truce at Bakura” (1994) leads directly out of “Jedi.” For that reason alone, it should be an intriguing novel to “Star Wars” bookworms.
Movie review: Hugh Jackman continues to be great as the Wolverine saga gets smarter.