Luke Skywalker; last of the Jedi.  Destined to return balance to the Force.  That’s a difficult legacy to be a part of.

Son of Anakin Skywalker and twin brother to Leia Skywalker, raised as an Organa, a lot was expected from Luke.  You see, the Empire had [...]]]> A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Luke Skywalker; last of the Jedi.  Destined to return balance to the Force.  That’s a difficult legacy to be a part of.

Son of Anakin Skywalker and twin brother to Leia Skywalker, raised as an Organa, a lot was expected from Luke.  You see, the Empire had overthrown the republic some years before and Darth Vader, a Sith Lord, had hunted down all of the Jedi and killed them – including Luke’s own father.  One Jedi who survived the purge was Obi Wan Kenobi, ‘Old Ben’ as Luke knew him.  He’d fought in the Clone wars, side by side with Luke’s father only to go into hiding when Vader started hunting the Jedi down.

When Luke comes of age, Obi Wan begins his training in the ways of the Force.  Before he can finish training young Luke, Obi Wan is killed, murdered by Vader.  Luke joins the Rebel Alliance against the Empire and, with the reluctant help of his new friend Han Solo, he manages to destroy the Death Star.  But that was only the beginning.  He soon found himself being trained by a second Jedi to survive the purge; Yoda.  With Yoda, he learns much more about the Force and, with his new power, sees his friends in danger on a city in the clouds.  Rushing forth, Luke falls into a trap set by Darth Vader.  He is forced to fight Vader only to lose his hand and learn that Vader was, in fact, his father and that his mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi had lied to him.

To add insult to injury, Han Solo, his best friend, is captured by the bounty hunter known as Boba Fett and taken off to Jabba the Hutt, a criminal kingpin who rules his organization from Tattoine, Luke’s home planet.  Along with his friends, they rescue Han and return to the Alliance only to learn that a new, more powerful Death Star is being built by the Emperor.  With Yoda dead, Luke is the only remaining Jedi.  He decides to confront Vader and his Emperor while the Alliance deals with the Empire.  In the end, he reaches that spark of humanity left in Vader, that little piece of Skywalker still beating deep within his heart.  Vader turns from the Dark Side, sacrificing himself to destroy the Emperor and save his son.

…the story doesn’t end there, nor does the Skywalker line.  After the Empire falls, Luke meets and falls in love with Mara Jade.  They have a son, Ben, who follows Luke into the new Jedi Order.  Luke’s sister, Leia, also has children strong in the Force who become Jedi.  The Skywalker line continues on until, 125 years after the events on the forest moon of Endor, Cade Skywalker becomes a Padawan…

Star Wars Legacy: Volume One-Broken is a trade paperback / graphic novel that brings together issues one through three and five through six of the comic book Star Wars Legacy originally published by Dark Horse Comics.  Apparently issue four was a stand alone that didn’t fit in with this story, which seems silly to me (for them to do in the middle of series) but, oh well.

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse (May 2, 2007)

You can’t keep a Jedi down.  Wipe them out to near extinction and they come back.  So do the Sith.  They are two sides of the same coin, Sith and Jedi.  Over a hundred years after the fall of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic, a new purge is underway and a new Empire is surging forth to seize power.

Darth Krayt has risen to power and, with an army of Sith following him, is striking out against the Jedi to purge them from the galaxy once and for all.  He sends his Sith to Ossus to destroy the last Jedi Temple and kill all the Jedi and Padawans.

Kol Skywalker and his son, Cade, are among those fighting to survive.  Master’s Skywalker and Sazen order their Padawans, Cade and Shado, to evacuate the younglings while they keep the Sith at bay.

When Master Sazen is cut down by the Sith, Cade rescues him and, enraged and afraid to lose his Master, uses the Force to heal him from the brink of death.

But using the Force this way somehow takes him dangerously close to the Dark Side.  Seeing his father cut down by the Sith sends him teetering over the edge.

He hops into a fighter to cover his Master’s escape with the younglings, eager to kill as many Sith as he can manage.  The last they see of Cade Skywalker is the destruction of his fighter.

Seven years later.  Darth Krayt is now Emperor of a divided Empire.

A second Emperor, Roan Fel, holds together a ‘loyalist’ Empire not sworn to the Sith.

The Jedi are hunted by Imperials, Sith and Bounty Hunters, a massive price on the head of each and everyone of them.

Master Sazen and Shado, two of the few remaining free Jedi, are convinced Cade Skywalker still lives and are determined to find him.

Elsewhere, Princess Marasian, daughter of Emperor Fel, travels the galaxy seeking loyal Imperials to serve her father so they can overthrow the Sith, unaware she is being hunted by Darth Talon.

She falls in with a band of bounty hunters, her only protection from the Sith hunting her.  They are good at what they do, but one may be more than he appears…

Well, what can I say about this one?

Tons of action, tons of adventure, tons of, well, everything.  You have the developing character of Cade Skywalker; part of a legacy he wants no part of, struggling to become something, but he doesn’t know what.  He’s running from his past and his future, haunted by memories and a destiny he refuses to embrace because he’s afraid that path will lead him to the Dark Side.

You have a compelling story of a galaxy in upheaval; the two Empire’s exist on top of each other with one Emperor on Coruscant and another constantly on the move.  Each is trying to solidify their position.

You also have tons of Jedi and Sith; the Empire has ‘Imperial Knights’, including the Emperor Roan Fel and his daughter, Marasian.

So even if all the Jedi are hunted down, there are still the Imperial Knights to deal with.  Gone is the ‘one master, one apprentice’ Sith rules, thrown out by Darth Krayt who sees strength in numbers as being more important.  Plus, it gives him plenty of Sith to throw around and into battle.

You can probably tell by now that I really enjoyed this.  The art was fantastic, the storytelling solid and engaging.  I’ve already bought the second volume in this series.  If you’re looking for a great Star Wars story, this is it.  You don’t really need to know any of the expanded universe stuff to get into it.

Star Wars Legacy, Volume One: Broken will run you $18 at your local store sans any discounts you might receive or you can find it online for around $12.

~P

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It is a time of upheaval for the galaxy.  The Mandalorian Wars have strained the Old Republic’s resources to the breaking point.

With so many forces at the front, systems in the outer rim teeter on the edge of lawlessness – [...]]]> 3,964 years before the Battle of Yavin, the Old Republic was embroiled in a galactic war.

It is a time of upheaval for the galaxy.  The Mandalorian Wars have strained the Old Republic’s resources to the breaking point.

With so many forces at the front, systems in the outer rim teeter on the edge of lawlessness – even the city-world of Taris, once a thriving commercial center. Here, as elsewhere, the Republic relies on the Jedi Knights and their students to help maintain order.

But some Knights, frustrated with the conduct of the Wars, argue for a more active Jedi role, appealing to others for support.  Even from those Jedi – and their untried students – who are struggling to help maintain order at home…

Thus begins Star Wars-Knights of the Old Republic Volume 1: Commencement

Commencement is a trade paperback / graphic novel that brings together issues 0 through 6 of the Dark Horse comic-book series Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Paperback: 152 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse (November 11, 2006)

When I was heavily collecting comics, the Dark Horse line of Star Wars books was on my list.  They were putting out some fantastic stuff. They continued after I was done, of course and with the convenience of the graphic novel, I can pick up a ‘complete’ story from the series in a single book, which rocks.

The Knights of the Old Republic series is great; it gives us a glimpse at the Star Wars universe long before any of the events we know and love have taken place and is chocked full of Jedi and Sith rocking the Force (yes, I just said that. Well, typed it) in ways Luke Skywalker never figured out.

In Commencement, we meet Zayne Carrick, a young Padawan struggling to become a Jedi Knight.  Zayne is clumsy, late all the time and seems to leave a trail of debris in his wake wherever he goes.  The story begins with his trying to arrest a Snivvian named Marn Hierogryph – Gryph for short, a con man selling everything under the sun to whoever can buy it.  Gryph is immune to Jedi mind tricks and, apparently, quite adept at escaping from Zayne whenever he manages to catch up to him.

On the day Zayne is to become a Jedi Knight, he manages to catch and hold Gryph.  Eager to show his Master his success, and running late for the Commencement ceremony, Zayne brings Gryph with him, in cuffs, to the Jedi Temple on Taris.  Rushing into the temple, an apology already spilling from his lips, he bursts into the ceremony to find…

…the Jedi Masters standing over their slaughtered Padawans.

“You’re late, young one,” says his Master, Lucien.

And if THAT doesn’t make you want to read this book, I don’t know what will.

Marn Hierogryph

From that point on, it’s a race as Zayne tries to first escape from the Jedi Masters who killed his friends, then figure out why they killed them in the first place and why they want him dead as well.  He and Gryph are thrown together as fugitives on the run with the Jedi, the Civil Authorities and Bounty Hunters all tracking them.  Gryph leads them into the Undercity and to the Junk Junction where they inadvertently draw Jarael & Camper, a strange pair with a ship who are hiding from the universe in general, into their adventure.

I have to say, this was an incredibly enjoyable book. It had all the elements of an excellent Star Wars story – heck, of -any- story; mystery, tragedy, adventure – you name it.  The artwork is awesome, the story compelling.  I also like the twist; The first few pages lead you to believe that you’re going to read a Master/Apprentice story.  We are introduced to Zayne who can’t seem to get things right and then to his friends, all Padawan’s who have faced the trials and are soon to be Jedi.  They sympathize with Zayne, who doesn’t think he’s going to make the cut and will have to watch them move on without him.  The ceremony is set, the cast set and then WHAM!  Twist.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Volume 1: Commencement retails for $20 at your local book store, or you can get it online for $12 or so.

~P

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It’s all over the net (io9, TVSquad, IGN) that Lucasfilm Director of Fan Relations Steve Sansweet suggested that a new animated series would continue the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa.

How, isn’t quite clear yet.

People are kinda confused, to tell you the truth.  Including me – which is why I’m posting [...]]]> Well.

It’s all over the net (io9, TVSquad, IGN) that Lucasfilm Director of Fan Relations Steve Sansweet suggested that a new animated series would continue the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa.

How, isn’t quite clear yet.

People are kinda confused, to tell you the truth.  Including me – which is why I’m posting about this.

The confusion is over what show the guy is talking about.  Is it Seth Green’s new Star Wars comedy?  Or is it something else entirely?

Whichever way it goes, the question now becomes – what about all those novels that’ve been written?

After Return of the Jedi came out, there wasn’t much Star Wars to be had.  There were a couple of different books and that Christmas Special no one likes to talk about.  There was also that Droid cartoon. But nothing substantive.

Enter Timothy Zahn.

I remember it well; I was walking (not loitering) in Manchester Center (a mall in Fresno) and just so happened to pass (Okay, so, maybe I lived there part time) the Waldenbooks (it’s not like they knew me by name or anything) and saw this giant sign (Okay, so, maybe they knew me by name but there’s nothing wrong with that) that said ‘Pre-order your copy of the new Star Wars novel today!’

After they stopped me from humping the sign (that totally never happened), I pre-ordered my copy and spent the next couple of months going, “WHERE THE F*&k IS MY G*# D@#N BOOK?!”

Then the day came.  It was in the store.  A Star Wars book.  A NEW Star Wars book.  It was full of Star Wars stuff.  I was sure there were lightsabers and shit.

I also remember, somewhere, at some point in time, George Lucas saying that he had authorized the books (and then I went, WHA WHA WHA?!  There will be MORE BOOKS?!) because he wasn’t going to go there anymore – he was going to concentrate on other things.

(Like friggin Jar Jar.)

So, after Zahn finished his spectacular trilogy, more books came out, furthering the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han.  Dark Horse picked up on the whole thing and started tying comic books into the ‘new canon’, expanding on it.  More books came and the universe continued to expand and become rich and deep (and sometimes utterly stupid.  Many Bothans died to bring us some stupidity…).

What happens to all of that ‘history’ if a new show goes forward based on those characters?

The only comparable parallel I can draw would be Star Trek.  When Star Trek went off the air the first time (TOS), there were some different incarnations of it that showed up including an animated series, some comic books, even a few novels.

When Pocket Books took over the franchise, the authors involved in the new stories (initially) kept a continuity between novels.  This ended fairly quickly when Pocket Books (Or Paramount, or maybe even Roddenberry himself (who had issues with ‘those damn books!’)) put the kaibosh on the idea of any sort of continuity.  In the beginning of all of that stuff, there wasn’t any sort of official canon policy.

That did change though.

Paramount, via the website StarTrek.com, has said some stuff about canon.  First up:

“Although the Animated Adventures had an undeniable Star Trek-ness to them, they are not considered part of the Star Trek “canon,” or accepted Trek storyline. Almost without exception, it is the live-action series and movies that are considered canon. However, some Star Trek “facts” are actually borrowed from the animated show, i.e. the name of the original U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 captain, Robert April; the surname for Spock’s mother, Amanda “Grayson”; etc.”

Second, when specifically asked, “What is considered Star Trek canon?”, Paramount answered in an FAQ:

“As a rule of thumb, the events that take place within the live action episodes and movies are canon, or official Star Trek facts. Story lines, characters, events, stardates, etc. that take place within the fictional novels, the Animated Adventures, and the various comic lines are not canon.

There are a couple of exceptions to this rule: the Jeri Taylor penned novels “Mosaic” and “Pathways.” Many of the events in these two novels feature background details of the main Star Trek: Voyager characters. (Note: There are a few details from an episode of the Animated Adventures that have entered into the Star Trek canon. The episode “Yesteryear,” written by D.C. Fontana, features some biographical background on Spock.)”

Given this stance on what is and what isn’t canon from the only other comparable series out there, I would lean towards Lucas going the same way as Paramount, which sucks.  It means that all that new history is left to flap in the wind.

I doubt Lucas will be as thoughtful about it as Roddenberry was.  Roddenberry didn’t green light the Star Trek novels the way Lucas did, so he wasn’t very happy with them.  In a letter he was quoted as saying:

“Yes, I dream of how nice it would be if I had been able to own it wholly and control all rights. Many of the present Star Trek novels would never have appeared and probably none of them without some really extensive rewriting. On the other hand, by giving the property my sole attention there would have been many novels I would have written, keeping the entire Star Trek property more cohesive. Certainly it would have been fun to see Earth and Federation civilization of that century better explained. But none of this was possible, as my attitude now is that it has probably worked out as well as it could have happened in this real world that I must live in. And I am grateful for the talent of those who did write those books and stories. Indeed, I am not past hoping that the entire experience is leading me toward something more important, even more more fulfilling.”

I don’t know that Lucas can be quite so magnanimous.

~P

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In the 90’s, a comic [...]]]> I think we all enjoy writing a little fan fiction.  For me, there was a lot of different, well known universes that I played in as I was learning to write.  Sometimes, it’s easier to write in well established worlds because you know them so well.  Hopefully, you do them justice.

In the 90’s, a comic book series started running over at Dark Horse called ‘Tales of the Jedi’.  I imagined this story based on that format; in the Star Wars Universe, but not within the ‘established’ movie continuity (we didn’t have ‘Episode I’ or the Timothy Zahn books yet).  I also thought, ‘How weird/cool would it be if someone from Yoda’s race was a Sith?’

I hope you like it.

© belongs to the rights holders. Anything else is © 2010 Patrick Hester, all rights reserved.

Tales of the Jedi: Masurai Odet

Masurai paused mid-step.  She’d sensed something nearby, something that didn’t quite feel right.  Before she could delve further with her senses, harsh purple light sliced through the darkness towards her.  She reacted instinctively, her own lightsaber appearing in her hand, the blue/white blade rising with a hiss just in time to block the other from slicing her in two.

The next few seconds were a blur as Jedi and Sith battled furiously, lightsabers clashing as they dipped, swayed and arced in a strange and beautiful, albeit deadly, dance.  Masurai was beginning to wonder if it would not be her death that punctuated this dance.

“Fear, young one.  All Jedi must conquer this most elusive of enemies if they are to survive.”

That was her old Master, echoing through her mind.  He did that now.  It was more than a little disturbing.

When her lightsaber met the other again, she lifted her hand and pushed with the force, causing the Sith to fall back for just a moment, more than enough time for Masurai to flip backwards and away, spinning as she flew through the air.  Landing softly, she took two steps and then jumped again, pushing herself higher with the force, landing in a run on the low ledge of the wall.  She knew that this would not be enough though, so she leapt from the ledge, again using the force to push her higher, tapping the wall three times with her feet to go even higher before using her fourth step to launch her to a balcony on the opposite wall.

Through the doorway, her lightsaber dark, she slid up against the inner wall and waited.  She could not sense him, the Sith, but she knew he was still out there.  That, too, was disturbing – she should be able to sense him.  Did the Sith have some way of shielding themselves from detection?  And why hadn’t he followed her?  He certainly could have managed it.  He should be here.  That he wasn’t, bothered her greatly.  Still, she could not wait here and let him ambush her again.

She sprinted down the darkened corridor, using her senses to show her the way.  These ruins, they were in fair condition, all things considered.  A few holes in the walls and floors here and there, easily avoided.  The dust was a problem.  He could track her by her foot prints, so she used the force to push the dust away before her, and return it to the floor behind her.

Suddenly, she paused again.  Something was wrong.  She reached out with the force.  There was… no life.  None.  Not even the smallest insect anywhere that she could sense within the ruins.  She couldn’t help but gasp.

That was a mistake.

The floor cracked loudly, breaking into a dozen chunks that fell away beneath her, causing her to lose balance and begin to fall as well.  She reached out, touching one of the larger chunks with an extended toe and, jumping up, pushed with the force.  She nearly reached the unbroken floor when it cracked as well.  Everything was coming down around her.  She leapt from fragment to fragment, then the walls cracked and broke, chunks hurtling towards her.  Lightsaber in hand again, she blocked the first fury while still managing not to fall.

Just when she thought she was going to make it out, a large piece of wall slipped through her defenses and struck her just above her ear, sending her spiraling, dazed, then; darkness.

* * *

“The Sith use fear as a weapon; the Jedi must learn to overcome their fears, to push them away and give them no sway over our actions.”

“But Master, how does a Jedi overcome their fears?”

“That, my young Padawan, is what I must teach you.”

* * *

Masurai groaned.  Her head felt like a Wookie was stomping up and down on it.  She tried to move, but found that she couldn’t.  Opening her eyes to darkness, she tried again.  Her hands, arms, legs and feet were bound somehow.  She struggled for a moment, then tried to sense what was binding her.  Shocked, she felt nothing at all.  No, that wasn’t right – it wasn’t ‘nothing’, it was more like an absence of anything…

She shook her head and saw stars.

“Little Jedi, alone you are, Master’s gone, how you are scarred.”

The voice was oddly melodic.  There was no other sense of anything around her, not the Sith, not any life.  She shuddered.  Never before had she felt such an absence of everything that is natural.  What was this place?

Light, intense and sudden, filled her vision, then pain seared through her body and she screamed.  How long she screamed, she couldn’t know, but it felt like forever.

“Tell me now what I wish to know, and promise do I to let you go…” he giggled.  More light, more pain.  Sith magic.  Searing through her.  She screamed again.  When it stopped, she gasped for breath.

“How…can…I…tell…you…anything…if…you…keep…doing…that?”

He giggled again, and a ball of light appeared.  She squinted and saw him for the first time.  He was tiny, even smaller than most of the younglings at the Temple.  His face was round and long with droopy and pointy ears on either side.  His skin was green, his hair dark and thin and he wore a tight fitting, black tunic and pants.  Staring at him, she realized she’d never seen his species before in her life.  Which was not good.

His three fingered left hand held aloft the ball of light, his right hand twirled her lightsaber around in circles.  She instinctively reached out with the force to snake it back to her but she met that same invisible wall that seemed to permeate the air around her.  He looked at her, his eyes squinting, and giggled.

“Try as you might, you will fail.  Stronger am I, than ever be you will.”

A chill ran through her.  Then the pain began again and all she could do was scream.

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Probably one of the strongest influences on my life from a very young age was the original Star Trek.

Rerun in syndication almost endlessly, the original Star Trek was huge in my life growing up.  I knew the characters so well you’d think they were family.  I could quote episodes like the [...]]]> Star Trek: The Original Series.

Probably one of the strongest influences on my life from a very young age was the original Star Trek.

Rerun in syndication almost endlessly, the original Star Trek was huge in my life growing up.  I knew the characters so well you’d think they were family.  I could quote episodes like the best convention goer, though I myself had never attended one (and didn’t know such things existed).

For me, Star Trek was equal parts wild imagination and rip-roaring adventure.  I was absolutely in love with that show like no other before or since.  I was a Trekker to my core.

When I discovered that there were novels based on the adventures of the Enterprise crew that took them beyond the show I knew so well, I was floored.  I spent a lot of time and no small amount of money, buying up these books every chance I got.

Bolstering my addiction and my collection, mom would tell people how I read these books often and always cover to cover, sometimes more than once, and so many of them began giving her their own copies for me.  She would come home from work (she was both a waitress and a bartender) with half a french dip wrapped in aluminum foil (which I would greedily take to school for lunch the next day) and a sack full of slightly used Trek novels for me to read.

It was fantastic.

Some of the very first things I wrote were Star Trek fan fiction.  I dreamt of joining the ranks of such wonderful authors as Diane Duane, D.C. Fontana, A.C. Crispin, Vonda N. McIntyre & Howard Weinstein.  I’m here to tell you, I wrote some pretty terrible crap back in the day…  But that’s okay – we have to write crap in order to learn and grow.  I may wince (and groan) today when I look at old, yellowed pages full of Trek fanfic born from my brain, but it was necessary.

This obsession with all things Trek only grew when The Next Generation debuted and, although I loved Star Wars as well (and could essentially quote the movies verbatim), there was just more Trek to be had at the time, so it tended to be forefront on my brain.

Computers (and technology).

A second great influence on my life has been computers and technology.  I used to stare, fascinated, at the scanners on the conveyor belts at the grocery store, trying to figure out how the lasers knew what things were and how much they cost.

Star Trek (and other movies and television shows) painted a universe where computers did things they could not, currently, do.  I wanted in on this.

The first chance I had for any sort of hands-on computer stuff came in the fifth grade, I believe.  My school, a Catholic elementary, was offering a special computer education course for a separate fee (Catholic schools are tuition based).  I begged my mom to let me attend these classes and she relented/agreed/paid for it.

They setup the computers in the library and we went through a lesson plan that taught us BASIC (Beginners All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) and some DOS (Disc Operating System), all on Apple IIE’s.  I want to say that the classes didn’t last very long but I honestly don’t remember.  We did simple things, wrote simple programs, used their software to learn to type – that sort of stuff.  I do remember being hooked.  I liked messing around with these computer things and wanted more.

I didn’t get much ‘more’ until high school, when I took the same essential course on a Radio Shack TRS-80 (which we affectionately called ‘Trash 80’s’).  I also owned my very first home computer, the Radio Shack Color Computer II complete with a 5 and a quarter floppy drive.  I mostly used it to play games, but I also learned a bit more about BASIC, DOS and graphics in general.

Lastly, I took electronics as an elective, which meant I got to learn how these things worked in the first place.

At some point, my mom decided that I needed to work for my uncle so I could be close to his eldest son who, at the time, was heavy into computers and programming.  Through Don, I learned about UNIX and eventually, HTML and the Internet.  I also took my first steps into graphic arts, design, desk top publishing and advertising working for my uncle who, one day, set me down in front of a Macintosh IIcx with Adobe Illustrator and Aldus PageMaker and told me to learn all about them so I could start making flyers and catalogs for the company.

So. Star Trek fed my imagination with a steady diet of scifi and futuristic technologies which lead me to want to know more about these things later on.  I wouldn’t be me without these particular influences in my life and you can see (I believe) how these things have affected my writing (hopefully) today.

Even though these have been huge influences, there’s still more.  (You know what’s coming next…)

…and I’ll talk about that tomorrow.

(you totally saw that coming.)

~P

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Short story – true story.  I don’t buy comic books anymore because I had a problem.  I spent waaaay too much money on comics.  I mean, we are talking serious money here.  I joke [...]]]> So.  What with all the SDCC talk of late, I’ve been feeling more and more nostalgic for comic books then ever before.

Short story – true story.  I don’t buy comic books anymore because I had a problem.  I spent waaaay too much money on comics.  I mean, we are talking serious money here.  I joke that I put the owners kids through college.  I joke.  Seriously.  Mostly.  Probably.

Anyway, one day, I said to myself, “Self,” I said. “There are all sorts of things we could be using the money we buy comic books with, that might be more important to us.  Like paying for gas for the car, maybe a meal out once in awhile.  The electric bill. Phone bill. Rent.”  So, I went into the comic book store I’d grown my discount to massive proportions with, and I cleaned out my saver box for the last time, strolled down the aisles, picked up a few other things, checked out the cards in the display case, perused the poster section, went through some of the shirts…  Then I told myself that it HAD to end! SO I paid for what I had, canceled my saver, said my goodbyes and never looked back.  Except for those couple of times I looked back.  And that one time I called.  And that other time that I called.

I SWEAR TO GOD IT WAS LIKE CRACK!

Anyway, this is the main reason I do not now, step into a comic book store.  I’m like a recovering addict except they don’t make a coin for me.  …if they did, it would be like a 15 year coin.  Maybe 10-12ish.

So, that’s my story on comic books.  I still have them.  Most of them.  I tried to do the convention circuit at one point, turn my addiction into something positive, but it didn’t work out well.  It killed me whenever I sold anything and I wasn’t even breaking even on the cost of the table.  Eventually I boxed everything up and have been lugging it all with me wherever I live and sticking it in a closet.

Figure my collection spans the years 1977-1995/6ish.  Very sparse in the beginning, and what is there isn’t in very good condition, all the way up to massive amounts from every publisher in the day and the majority of it bagged and boarded and kept in fairly decent condition, if not in mint condition.  Of course, that’s when everything was sort of on the bubble, and then the bubble burst (long before the housing bubble, I might add) so there’s not a lot that’s worth much because the market is so saturated with product.  Still, it’s a decent collection.

And I’ve decided to start going through it now and again, taking it one random box at a time, taking some photos, and talking about what I find.  I invite you to tag along with me cuz I hope it’ll be fun.  And it might just give you a little insight into the things that inspired and amused me growing up, and how they came to influence my own writing.  As I find novels that I’ve got boxed up as well, I’ll bring them out into the light and let you see them too.  Yes, I have books in boxes – I don’t have enough room for shelves to properly display them all, so they sit, sadly, in boxes until such time that I do have room to bring them out again. Someday.  Someday…

This is a long post, so take your time – come back later if you need to.  But not really.  STICK AROUND AND GO THROUGH THIS WITH ME – GAWD!

Random Box #1 – Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy

This photo is of, arguably, the oldest comic book in my collection.  It dates from 1977 and is issue #3 in Marvel’s adaptation of the first Star Wars movie.  It’s in horrible condition.

Click the image if you want to see it a little bigger.

I have absolutely no recollection of where or when I got this.  I want to say that this was bought for me as a distraction to shut me up when we moved cross country from Chicago Il to Fresno Ca back in the late 70’s.  I’ve had an opportunity to ask my mother if this is a correct assumption or not.

She took the comic in her hand, read the cover, flipped through the pages, pausing now and again, closed it up, handed it back to me with a smile and said, “I have no idea where you got this.”

Thanks ma!

The cover artwork is…terrible.  The inside stuff isn’t much better.  I’m wondering if Marvel had the rights to make the comic, but not to the actual likenesses from the film.  I mean, none of the characters look like the actors.  Heck, Chewbacca looks like either Bigfoot or a reject from one of the Planet of the Apes movies.

To contrast, I offer you something from later on in the Star Wars comicdom.  This is from Dark Horse and is their adaptation of the Timothy Zahn’s ‘Heir to the Empire’ book, which I absolutely loved.

I remember when that book came out.  I saw the teaser stuff for it at Waldenbooks, I think – in Manchester Center; a mall in Fresno near where I worked at the time.  I was stunned.  I couldn’t believe they were going to publish a new Star Wars novel.  I had the Brian Daley books, the ones on Han Solo, from the 70’s and the novelizations of the movies, of course, but there hadn’t really been any ‘new’ Star Wars other than comics, in a very long time.  So it was very exciting.

The day the first book came out, I was at the book store as early as possible to secure my copy.  I think I read the whole thing in like 2 days and it was fantastic!  We were absolutely STARVING for Star Wars back then!

Anyway – check out the art on that puppy.  Chewie looks like Chewie, not like Cornelius.  For you kids who have no idea what I’m talking about, ‘Cornelius’ was a character from the original Planet Of the Apes movies.  Not that thing Tim Burton did.  We’re talking original stuff here, and played by what’s his face – Roddy McDowel? (spelling on that anybody?)  Who ended up playing a bunch of the chimps in the other movies and the tv show.  But I digress…

Moving on…

Guardians of the Galaxy.  How to explain this?  Avengers in space?

I loved this comic.  I really did.  It was all the stuff you loved in a comic, the heroes, the villains, but it was also set way in the future, so there was none of the cross-over crap that was going on so much at the time (I need to blog about that.  I will blog about that.  I know it’s like the normal thing to do now, but boy was it annoying.  Just you wait til I find the box with the Secret wars in it!  Or Crisis on Infinitive Earths – you are gonna get such an earful i tell you what!).  Anyway, this book was very SciFi, very fun.

The characters were different, yet familiar.  Like, there was a whole planet full of Punishers and the main guy was sort of Captain America, but not really.

It just felt different so I really enjoyed it.  I think I sold #1, which was probably stupid, but I needed the money at the time.

Ah well.

Anyway, that’s the first part of box #1.  More from this box coming tomorrow, or maybe Friday – we’ll see how it goes.  Stick around – you may enjoy this.

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With the ‘reboot’ (I am really coming to hate that word now) of the ‘Star Trek’ franchise and the elimination to all references Roddenberry, Holywood has a new [...]]]> If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then surely Hollywood duplication, rehashing, rebooting and out right copying must be the key to big box office bank, right?

With the ‘reboot’ (I am really coming to hate that word now) of the ‘Star Trek’ franchise and the elimination to all references Roddenberry, Holywood has a new way of redoing stuff we’ve already seen but making it legitimate in their eyes.  It’s not a sequel!  It’s a -reboot-!  They’re breathing new life into something old and dated!  They are, in short, out of or afraid of new ideas and since something worked once, it will probably work again if they throw enough CGI and lens flares at it!

So, because I can, I’ve come up with my list of 10 things Hollywood should absolutely not remake, rehash & reboot.  Will they listen to me?  No.  But it’s still on my brain and therefore must come out!

10.  The Pink Panther (I know they did, but they shouldn’t have)

9.  Star Wars (I’ve read rumors)

8.  Battlestar Galactica (A movie?  Now?  Really?  And nothing to do with the SciFi show?!?!)

7.  Land of the Lost (see #10 above)

6.  Predator (I’m sorry but… No.)

5.  A Nightmare on Elm Street (Oh god…)

4.  Scream (…)

3. Robocop (Kill me now.)

2. Aliens (AGAIN?!)

1.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Absolute stupidity)

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Okay – Episodes 1 – 3 were about making George Lucas tons more money.  As a side note, they were also intended to show us the descent of Anakin Skywalker from annoying little child savant to evil [...]]]> So, I’m confused by Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  Both the movie and the new Cartoon Network TV show.

Okay – Episodes 1 – 3 were about making George Lucas tons more money.  As a side note, they were also intended to show us the descent of Anakin Skywalker from annoying little child savant to evil Sith Lord.  Depending on who you talk to, they either accomplished this feat quite well or they destroyed something sacred and held dear to an entire generation.

Let’s go with the theory that they did it well, that they showed Anakin’s slow change into the evil sith Lord, Darth Vader.  Episode 1 showed us Anakin as a child, Episode 2, an angry young man who wanted to do things his own way and in Episode 3, we saw a man twisted by his own anger and fear into doing things that he wouldn’t otherwise do.

Given this progression, The Clone wars makes no sense.

“Let’s give Anakin a spunky young Jedi Padawan who makes him laugh and send em on some light hearted adventures!”

Um, what?

I am so confused…

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This was it – the battle to end all battles.  The Rebel Alliance sending snub fighters against the Empire’s most powerful weapon ever: The Death Star!

What?  You telling me you couldn’t bullseye something the size of a wamprat with your T16?

This battle set a tone for every space battle that [...]]]> Star Wars: Episode IV

This was it – the battle to end all battles.  The Rebel Alliance sending snub fighters against the Empire’s most powerful weapon ever: The Death Star!

What?  You telling me you couldn’t bullseye something the size of a wamprat with your T16?

This battle set a tone for every space battle that followed it.  You had a series of dogfights in space, you had the chase, the insurmountable (seemingly) odds stacked firmly against the little guy, and it all came down to one person with thier steady hand on the trigger, waiting for…just…the…right…moment…

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