Mini Review: Showdown on Smuggler's Moon (Star Wars, Vol. 2)

After seeing Rogue One I wanted to keep the Star Wars bug biting so I picked up the second volume of the comic series. I read volume one several months ago and thought it fit the characters perfectly and did a nice job to fill in the space between the first two films. This one also does a very nice job of that, though I think it veered a bit further away from a plot I wanted than the first did. The characters are still spot on and I swear I can hear the actors voices when I turn the pages, and things jump off the page thanks to the great quality art.

For plot in general, it moved a little too fast for certain things to happen they way they did. In part of it Luke receives training, and I had a feeling, based off of what the characters said, that this lasted for at least a few days, or a week at most, but on the page that only amounted to one or two brief training scenes. Because of this I did get a bit confused over the timeline, which also makes it seem that everything that happens to Han and Leia takes place in about a day, while Luke's story clearly doesn't.

Everything paid off in the end, though, and I loved how it all finished out. Spoiler alert: seeing the original squad all holding Lightsabers was a dream come true.

Movie Review: Rogue One

This was easily the best movie of the year- don't argue with me because you can't change my mind on this. And I saw some very good movies this year. I'm a pretty large Star Wars fan, though I'm definitely of the newer breed. The first Star Wars movie I saw in theaters was Revenge of the Sith and I wasn't wowed at the time. It took me until last summer before I went off to college to actually sit down and watch the original trilogy... and completely fall in love. With everything! And then I saw the prequels and pretty much forgot they happened. And then Force Awakens came out and it is (in my opinion) in the top three Star Wars films. This one, alongside Episode 5, rounds out those top three. Don't fight me- I'm right.

Rogue One is darker than every other Star Wars film for a number of reasons, but most of those have to do with the final act of the film. It's not just the deaths that take place but the way the battle scenes and general cinematography work to mimic WW2 fighting and death. It's a surreal parallel that works incredibly well both because the Empire has always been based on Nazi Germany but because those are classic images for the Western audiences watching. It makes the War in Star Wars more real than all the previous films have really managed to.

A big reason it worked so well to seem like real war was the range of characters. First of all- the main cast featured a woman leading a group of POC men (and the best robot in the whole franchise- sorry R2, C3PO, and BB8) who didn't treat her any different for being a woman and was supported by a range of characters we've seen before and are only being introduced to now but they feel as if they could have been part of the original trilogy as well. I'm not a POC but I have seen so many reactions online from viewers and fans who are and some of their reactions- those of joy (seriously go read some you'll be touched to the heart and really understand what diversity means for people)- have made me cry (in happiness of course!). I'm so happy this was the direction this movie went because if there wasn't a more perfect time for this sort of representation I don't know when is. Second of all- there wasn't really anything extraordinary about any of the characters. Of course, they were all special and important, but none of them were a Jedi or a Sith. And that made all the difference. One of the reasons the prequel trilogy doesn't live up to the original is because the prequels only feature a bunch of "special snowflakes" basically. This one doesn't revolve around any and it makes them interesting for different reasons and also made everything they did- all their struggles and everything they achieved- mean so much more.

You don't need to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy this movie. In fact, if you've wanted to become a Star Wars fan this is the perfect place to start. I've seen the "proper" watching order swirl around the internet a bit, and if you're interested in jumping into the franchise this is the order I'd recommend: 

1. Rogue One
2. A New Hope
3. The Empire Strikes Back
4. The Phantom Menace
5. The Clone Wars
6. The Revenge of the Sith
7. The Return of the Jedi
8. The Force Awakens

As soon as Rogue One releases onto DVD I will be having the aforementioned movie marathon and I couldn't be more excited.

Have you seen it? What did you think? Were you a ball of emotions afterwards, constantly thinking about what you just witnessed, as I currently am? Most importantly- WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER? Let me know in the comments!

April Trailer Round Up

I am a huge fan of movie trailers.  In fact, I tend to like trailers more than I like actual movies.  There's just something about a shiny new trailer, with all the potentials and possibilities still left to fate, that gets me really excited.  And these last few weeks have been chock full of awesome new trailers.  Here's a collection of my absolute favorites:

Doctor Strange

Release Date: November 4th, 2016

Suicide Squad

Release Date: August 5th, 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Release Date: November 18th, 2016

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Release Date: December 16th, 2016

A Monster Calls

Release Date: October 14th, 2016

What upcoming movies are you excited for?  Any of these?  Let me know in the comments!

Graphic Novel Review: Skywalker Strikes (Star Wars, Vol. 1)

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artists: John Cassaday and Laura Martin

Edition: Paperback

Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository

Goodreads Link

Rating: 4 Stars

I picked this up pretty much the day after seeing The Force Awakens because I was in such a mood for Star Wars things.  And this did not disappoint.  If you even sorta considered picking it up, just do it!

Skywalker Strikes takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, following Luke, Leia, and Han on a mission for the Rebellion.  Things don't turn out quite the way everyone would have liked, which leads Luke to reevaluate his status as a Jedi, and Han to confront what he's actually doing helping the Rebels.

Immediately it was like I could hear the voices coming off the page.  The art is fantastic at making the characters appear as they did in the movies, and the writing is so lively and exact that it's not hard to imagine everyone saying what they say.  It was a pleasure to fall back into this story without a hesitation, and it fleshes out the characters in such a nice way that even hard core movie fans can appreciate it.

Nothing was particularly surprising about the story, since the major spoiler at the end was spoiled for me months ago, when it originally happened.  In fact, you've probably heard of the spoiler, too, but I won't mention it here.  It actually helped me appreciate the character and heightened the tension knowing the truth.

Besides our heroes, Vader and Boba Fett play important roles in this volume.  I loved how ruthless Vader was portrayed, and it makes me eager to pick up his own series soon.  He's a bad guy, and while I've always kinda appreciated him, I didn't actually love to hate him until reading this.

So, yes, this is a must read if you're a fan of Star Wars.  And, with volume two coming out in a few weeks, you won't have to wait long to see where the story goes.

January Pre-Orders

So, I have the habit to preorder books, more so lately, it seems, and I wanted a chance to spotlight the books I'm most excited for releasing this month.  I'm thinking this might even become a monthly post where I talk about the books I've preordered.  So, without further ado, here we go:

Truthwitch

by Susan Dennard

releases January 6th

I've actually never read anything by Susan Dennard, even though I've had a book of hers sitting on my shelf for quite some time.  I'm looking forward to this one, since it sounds awesome, and since I've heard some really amazing early reviews.

Sword and Verse

by Kathy MacMillan 

releases January 19th

I'm excited for this one because it sounds really good.  And, I'll be buddy reading this one, so that's an extra exciting bit.

Noragami Vol. 10

releases January 26th

I think this goes without saying, but this is part of my favorite series, and this volume is going to break my heart, I know it.  So, yeah, I'll need to prepare for this one a bit before I get to it.

The Siren

by Kiera Cass

releases January 26th

I love the Selection series (even though I'm way behind) and can't wait for this one.  It's not just the author, though, that makes me excited.  I mean, have you seen this cover?  And the description?  Sounds like a dream and I'm dying as I wait.

Showdown on Smuggler's Moon

releases January 26th

I recently read volume one, and it was surprisingly amazing, so of course I had to preorder this one.  Hope it's as good as the first was (though how can it not be, right?).

Night Study

by Maria V Snyder

releases January 26th

I haven't read a single book in this series, but I own all of them on my kindle because I expect to read and love them.  I'm strange like that, and I actually used to do this a lot more two years ago.  I don't do this super-buying anymore except in the rare occasion, such as this.  I'm really looking forward to bingeing them all since it sounds right up my alley.

Horimiya Vol. 2

releases January 26th

The first volume was one of my favorite reads of last year and I'm bouncing up and down just thinking about this one.  It's one of the cutest stories I've ever read and thats exactly what I need in my life right now.

Dark Days Club

by Alison Goodman

releases January 26th

This reminded me of Infernal Devices and while I've never read Eon or Eona, my friend says they're very good.  So, I'm looking forward to this one.

What books have you preordered or are looking forward to this month?  Let me know in the comments!

5 Star Movie Review: The Force Awakens

Starring: Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kanata), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Anthony Daniles (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma)

Director: JJ Abrams

Rating: 5 Star

So, guys, I saw Star Wars.  Twice, so far, both on opening day, but I hope to see it again, soon, on Imax.  Perhaps even sooner if I can manage it.

Don't worry, I've decided not to include spoilers in this review.  When the movie releases digitally (I've already preordered) I'll review it again, full of spoilers, and my theories for the characters and such.  That won't be for a while, though, and if you ever want to chat with me about it, spoiler or non-spoiler, I'm open.

This movie was so good.  When the words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" came across the screen I all but started crying.  It was so amazing to finally have reached this movie.  And also, it was midnight, so I might have been a little over-tired and hopped up on ice cream and popcorn.  Throughout the whole film, I felt just amazed at being in the presence of this movie and when it finally ended I couldn't stop thinking about it.

JJ Abrams did an amazing job retaining the feel that the original movie had.  Not only did he master merging the old and the new, but he was able to mimic the feel of the originals by incorporating traditional scene changes (the fade in/out circle, for example), and planets somewhat paralleling older ones.  It was as much a new film as an ode to the old ones.

Casting was superb.  In the acting category, this one definitely takes the cake.  Every actor was perfectly suitable for their roles, and each new role was a unique character.  All the new characters will now forever hold a place in my heart.  Poe is, as I predicted correctly, my favorite character, though Rey, Finn, and Kylo have also reached seats in my pantheon of great characters.  I was surprised that I enjoyed all their characters so much.

The plot wasn't excessively surprising (if you followed the chatter online, fan theories, and breakdowns of trailers, you know the general shape of the plot), though my mother, who was in the dark before going in and, while she's seen all the films, isn't a mega-fan, was surprised quite a bit more.  I liked the direction the story went, though I have a few complaints about how much certain characters weren't in it, and can't wait to see where it leads in the next film.

While there is a Star Wars anthology film coming out next year around this time, now we all have to wait until May 2017 for Episode Eight.  Fingers crossed the wait doesn't feel that long!

Your Future Book Tag

I saw this really awesome tag over on Lauren Stoolfire's blog which you should go check out right now because it's awesome.

The Tag:

Choose five books to answer the questions.  The five I chose were ones I've either begun or finished that I have with me at college.

Sunday Comics

Welcome back to another edition of Sunday Comics.  I do this post every other week to chronicle all the individual comics I've read.  This week is a rather long post, so strap in and enjoy.

Sunday Comics

Sunday Comics is something I do every other week to spotlight all the comics I've read recently.  I love talking about comics and, rather than write an individual review for each individual comic I read as I read it, I compile all the reviews here.  If you ever want to know more about a comic series please ask because I'd love to share what I know!

Sunday TV

Welcome back to Sunday TV!  I do one of these posts every other week to spotlight all the shows I've been watching.  I also do a Sunday Comics in the weeks I don't do this post.  Basically, I watch so much TV that I want to talk about, but rather than dedicate a little post to each episode or series of episodes, I do this one huge wrap up.  I watch a mix of new and old shows from many different genres and age groups.  Basically, I'm addicted to TV when I'm not reading.

Sunday Comics

Sunday Comics is something I do every other week to highlight all the comics I've been reading.  Since getting Marvel Unlimited I haven't been able to put it down.  If you're interested in comics I really recommend getting Marvel Unlimited because it's only ten dollars a month and you get to read not only classic comics but new ones released within the last six months.  It's handy for newcomers and old readers alike.

Graphic Novel Review: X-Wing Rogue Squadron (Vol. 1) (Star Wars Legends)

Edition| Kindle eBook  Rating| 3.5 Stars

Authors| Haden Blackman, Michael A Stackpole, Darko Macan, and Mike Baron

Wow this was really confusing.  X-Wing Squadron is certainly not the place to start with Star Wars comics.  Neither the art nor the writing lend themselves towards acclimating the reader, sadly.

A+ TV Review: Star Wars Rebels (Season 1 & Season 2 Premier)

If you aren't watching this show, you're making a mistake.  It's really, really good.  You don't even have to be a fan of Star Wars to like this show.  It's perfect for people who crave a great animation that's not afraid to tackle serious events.  In that vein, it actually reminds me a lot of Avatar: The Last Airbender.  It's a family friendly, carries on the Star Wars legacy, and will also appeal to adults and an older audience.