Sean Foster (66)
"The Siege of Lothol"
Last week, I had the privilege of attending Star Wars Celebration for the first time. It was unlike any experience I'd ever had and such a joy to meet so many different fans from around the world. My last day there, Saturday, was a non-stop Star Wars Rebels fest for me, as I attended the Cast-and-Crew panel, where they debuted the Season 2 trailer and capped it off that evening with the big event: the Season 2 premiere! For this review, I'm going to keep it pretty much spoiler free and under the assumption that you've all watched the Season 2trailer (which is available after the break), because if you haven't seen it yet, you really should!
I didn't know what to expect going into Refill (by Random Cushing and Nick Sudar), but I can honestly say I enjoyed my short time with the characters. Phil, or Refill as he's also called, is a paranormal detective of sorts on a case to find a missing box of hats. But, these are no ordinary hats. They have the power to transform the wearer into the form of the powerful Totem Spirits. Refill is enlisted by the sisters of the 3 Sisters Power Emporium to track them down before things get out of hand.
Luke, Leia, and Han all take a back seat in this issue, as Vader takes center stage for the first issue of a two-part arc, though, through the eyes of the newly appointed Ensign Nanda, a woman detailed to Darth Vader as his special assistant. With Birra Seah now MIA, I wasn't at all surprised to see another woman by Vader's side given Brian Wood's attention to female characters, both in this series and his X-Men series, and I welcome the idea of using his arc to bring more women into the original trilogy's universe.
In preparation for this issue, I pulled out all the previous ones and had a big, long marathon session. Having just watched A New Hope within the past few weeks, it made re-reading this entire series that much more enjoyable. Brian Wood has crafted a story that captures everything I love about Star Wars, and I can say that Issue #12 is no exception. After the action-heavy Issue #11 consisted mainly of dogfights, things slowed down a bit here and allowed time for more character development which, given the medium, I prefer. The more dialogue, the better.
I swear, this series just keeps getting better and better. That's saying a lot, considering we know the future of these characters, having already seen Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but Brian Wood manages to keep me enthralled and eager for more after every issue.
Of all the games I've played over the past year, and there have been A LOT, DMC: Devil May Cry is without question one of my top two favorites. Maybe even number one. It's a tough call. As someone who was familiar with the franchise but never actually played the series, I figured this would be a nice jumping on point as it was pegged as a sort of "reboot" for American audiences (i.e. not anime stylized).
This series is the gift that keeps on giving.
Much like last issue, we are constantly jumping back and forth between all of our protagonists. We don't spend too much time with one character, or pair depending on the scene, but each glimpse was enough to get my heart racing.
While I may have lost my Clone Wars animated series, the blow has been considerably softened by the monthly installments of this incredible Star Wars comic series by Brian Wood. While I love the stories and action from the Old Republic era, to the Clone Wars, and beyond the original trilogy, there's something very refreshing about Wood's back-to-the-basics approach that I find to be a breath of fresh air. And, while I've enjoyed every issue of the series thus far, I believe this one may be my favorite.
I'm gonna be honest with you folks. I was not all that excited about The Wolverine the past few months leading up to its debut. Not like I was with Iron Man 3 or Man of Steel. No, the bloated mess that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine left such a bad taste in my mouth that I felt there was very little they could do to get back in my good graces.
Well, I am happy to report that The Wolverine exceeded my expectations. Yes, there are some gripes, of course, but they are minor. Also, this is a spoiler-free review, so enjoy!
The intro to Star Wars: Dark Times - A Spark Remains #1 caught my attention pretty quickly. Mysterious, faceless Jedi, a trap, burning Clone Troopers, and an always on his guard Vader. Seems like someone is trying to off everyone's favorite Dark Lord of the Sith and, of course, who can blame them. But, why? And, who?