Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1

/ / Comics

star-wars-dawn-of-the-jedi-1I understand full well that Star Wars comics are a mixed bag. Although I’m a fan of the Expanded Universe novels that have continued the tales of Luke, Han, Leia and their children, the expanded comics stories have more misses than hits.

When I heard the idea of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi I was intrigued by how John Ostrander would choose to tell the beginnings of the Jedi Order. I know I should have known better, but I gave it a shot.

This comic is a mess, from beginning to end. Although the art by Jan Duursema has a cinematic quality to it, and is pretty enough to look at, the story itself is a disaster that begins with a 12-page narration of the beginnings of the Jedi Order… and then moves quickly into the future to give us a story seemingly only slightly connected to the “Dawn of the Jedi.”

Also troubling is the fact the series takes at the beginning but Jedi already have lightsabers? And there are Sith (who look like generic Vader wannabes)? The Force is not strong with this one. Pass.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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Winter Soldier #2

/ / Comics

winter-soldier-2-coverPart of the trouble when starting a new comic is the time necessary to set-up not only the story you want to tell but the characters, the villains, their motivations and relationships, and even the world in which the comic takes place. Despite beginning with Bucky and the Black Widow taking on a gorilla with a machine gun and a jet-pack (which is pretty damn cool) the second issue of Winter Soldier gets bogged down a bit by still setting up what this comic is going to be.

Winter Soldier #2 isn’t a bad read, but I’m still not quite sold on the art by Butch Guice which simply isn’t my taste (although it fits well enough with the Cold War spy story the comic kinda wants to be), and the story gets a little bogged down by stopping to explain more about the Soviet assassins the Winter Soldier trained and give us a little more insight into the plans of Lucia Von Bardas.

The comic is still worth a look but I think once writer Ed Brubaker can spend less time on set-up and let the stories flow more naturally I’ll be happier with the result. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Castle – Linchpin

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Castle – Linchpin
  • tv.com: link

castle-linchpin

After almost drowning Beckett (Stana Katic) and Castle (Nathan Fillion) are able to escape the watery grave Gage (David Chisum) left them in but Dr. Blakely (Timothy Carhart) is dead, they have no idea what the linchpin he was working on that could threaten the safety of the entire country, and Sophia (Jennifer Beals) is less than thrilled with the results of Beckett and Castle’s investigation.

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Puss in Boots

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Puss in Boots
  • IMDB: link

puss-in-boots-blu-rayReprising his role from Shrek 2, Antonio Banderas returns in this prequel which explores the history and legend of Puss in Boots. The Shrek spin-off is available on Blu-ray and DVD this Friday.

Puss in Boots centers around the relationship between Puss (Antonio Banderas) and Humpty (Zach Galifianakis) whose childhood friendship was destroyed after Humpty violated Puss’ trust by tricking him into becoming an outlaw.

Reunited with Humpty and his companion Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), and against his better judgement, Puss agrees to help Humpty fulfill his childhood dream of climbing the beanstalk and finding the goose that lays the golden eggs. To achieve this they’ll have to steal the magic beans from Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris) and stay one step ahead of the murderous pair to claim the prize.

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