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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit The Trades Thread (Discussion and Review for All Comic TPBs)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Jedi Ben, Sep 3, 2012.

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  1. BultarSwan

    BultarSwan Founder: Grand Rapids, MI FF star 10

    Registered:
    Jul 5, 2003
    Who is the author of the Rogue Squadron comics/Omnibuses/ect?
     
  2. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Michael Stackpole, with various artists.
     
  3. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    After a few months where it receded, it looks like the Titan Books chicanery is returning for those of us based in the UK! Bugger. :(
     
  4. BoromirsFan

    BoromirsFan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 16, 2010
    what do you mean?
     
  5. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Titan Books has a number of contracts to issue UK editions of TPBs, the practical difference actually ends up as little more than a sticker on the back saying it's Titan Books rather than the company, only in a few cases do they publish stuff directly - like Charley's War.

    The problem? The cost of purchasing the Titan version tends to be significantly higher than purchasing the comic company version due to the result of £-$ conversions, in the case of SW the UK RRP for the TPBs is regularly £14.99. Even a 30% discount only gets it down to £11.25! Whereas frequently the DHC versions will be at the £12-13 with online discount taking them below £10. The trick is getting them!

    Because Titan somehow seem to have a sort of exclusivity deal in place. For instance, both Amazon and BD last night started displaying unavailable notices for the DHC TPBs of Purge and Agent for the Empire Volume 2, it hasn't yet affected Dawn of the Jedi Volume 2 but probably will do.

    So, if you don't want to pay the higher prices what do you do? Keep an eye out for a big fat discount, I've 40% off Knight Errant Vol 3 so £14.99 goes down to £9.59. Or buy via Foyles or Forbidden Planet.co.uk who seem to have a better supply network and can access the cheaper US editions with price to match.

    It's a pain in the arse and makes a mockery of the free market we're supposed to have.
     
    Zorrixor likes this.
  6. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    Or you could try ordering from Amazon US. I order books from there quite a bit if the UK site doesn't have them. Shipping takes longer and you have to pay but depending on $/£ it sometimes works out cheaper. (And books don't attract duty.)
     
  7. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    True, I'm a bit wary of the postage time but can work well if you're more patient.
     
  8. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    I find it takes about 9-10 days to the London area with the cheapest option. You can get it faster if you're willing to pay more.
     
  9. Zorrixor

    Zorrixor Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 8, 2004
    On the few occasions when I've used it, I've always been incredibly surprised by how fast stuff arrives from Amazon US.
     
  10. TrandoJedi

    TrandoJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 4, 2011
    Amazon is my favorite place to get trades due to how expensive they are at local book stores. Full suggest price vs. half-price!
     
    Dark Lord Tarkas likes this.
  11. DarthBroox

    DarthBroox Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 22, 2003
    Overstock.com sometimes ends up selling SW TPB's at 60% off.
     
  12. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    My copy of Darth Vader & The Ghost Prison has despatched! [face_party]
     
  13. swcolts1277

    swcolts1277 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2013
    Enjoy! I don't know if you the issues or not, but it is one of the best SW comic series.
     
  14. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Nope, don't have the issues but have been reading the comments - its reputation certainly precedes it!
     
  15. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Darth Vader & the Ghost Prison

    Now, this is a story with a rep! Does it deserve it? Yes.

    Why? Excellent art and writing, stunning art - Alessio is a talent to match the likes of Scaif and Wheatley. But while those are all very good things, it is other things that raise this into the stratosphere. Like weaving a surprisingly mature and complex tale and not presuming to give answers yet still delivering a satisfying tale in spite of the lack of them. Is it pro or anti-Empire? Neither! Oh, you can take info from it to use for either side, but it doesn't really commit to one side or the other - it leaves that judgement to the reader.

    And what of Tohm? Poor, deluded, doomed Tohm? For some, his death at the end at Vader's hands was excessive, killing off a potential character to be developed. For me, his death is the point of the story. We see Tohm be admiring of the Empire and its "efficiency", personified by Vader, yet he never even contemplates how the lack of protection for individuals may turn against him - which it does, also in the form of Vader.

    The inclusion of Tarkin and the Death Star is an example of Blackman skilfully drawing on continuity to enhance his story further, but adding Trachta to the mix takes it one step further. A minor EU character, those who read the Empire know his final fate. Here he works as an alternative outlook to Vader. We get a basis for his later acts too, but that's far more an Easter egg for the fans than anything else.

    It's always tempting to read a wonderfully executed work like this, enjoying it for the supreme accomplishment of craft by its makers and then demand more just like it! Yet works like this, in part, derive their power and reputation from being exceptional. If all stories are exceptional then none are! So, while I understand the deire for more stories of this one's quality, I know I will be unlikely to get it.
     
    instantdeath and Zorrixor like this.
  16. Zorrixor

    Zorrixor Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Glad to hear you enjoyed Ghost Prison, Ben.

    As far as making amends for TFU, the boyBlackman done good with DVatGP. [face_mischief]
     
  17. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    I picked up Blood Ties: Boba Fett Is Dead. Gimmick premise and series devolution to focus on Boba aside, it ended up being about as good as a Boba Fett story can be these days. I'm still not a fan of Connor, but Boba gets to be an ice-cold badass who's multiple steps ahead of everybody else, refuses to explain himself, and has a totally broken relationship with Sintas and Ailyn. I had more fun than I expected to.
     
    instantdeath likes this.
  18. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    And now I read DOTJ volume 1. I enjoyed it, though is it just me, or is the world-building fifty times more interesting than the story it's wedged around? I want to know way more about Tython and the Je'daii and the rest of the system, learn all about their history and philosophy and temples and Masters and techniques and teachings. But I don't really care if I learn any more about Xesh or not.
     
    Zorrixor likes this.
  19. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    If you have not read it get Boba Fett and the Ship of Fear a much more classic Boba comic. :)
     
  20. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    I liked Ship of Fear, but BFID gets to do something with Fett's backstory and him as a character, not just have him shooting stuff.
     
  21. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Glad you liked it, series is now dead but I loved Scaif's art, he seemed to work well with Taylor's scripts.
     
  22. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    I'm not the biggest fan of that art style applied to comics, but Scalf generally makes it work, and gets some really cool images out of it. Speaking of Taylor, I think he does a lot better outside Invasion than it it -- he wrote Boba really well, and created a fun enough little script that took his Abel backstory into account.
     
  23. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    I picked up the first Blood Ties TPB more for Scaif 's art as I'm a fan of painted art, wasn't expecting the story to be all that as I'm not a fan of what the PT did with Fett. To my surprise, it was the best Fett tale I'd read in ages!

    On a different note, my copy of Knight Errant: Escape has despatched! I have mixed feeling about it: It'll be great to read, but on the other hand, another SW comic series bites the dust. Next will be Agent for the Empire in that respect. :(
     
  24. Zorrixor

    Zorrixor Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 8, 2004
    I... haven't minded the stories in Blood Ties themselves, as they've been good stories, I just am so, so, so bored of Boba Fett that it's always reduced my overall enthusiasm in them.

    Knight Errant: Escape was fun though. There's a lot of plot threads that I'd have loved to have seen developed further, but as far as "endings" go it does its job in a KOTOR1 kind of way of finishing the battle, even if there's more to do.

    In some ways, I almost wish there were more stories like Knight Errant that were happy enough to just expand the universe, as it's not like every new OT or PT story has to "finish things", so it would be nice if we got more expanded stories set during, say, the Mandalorian Wars or the NJO or whatever.

    In that respect, I guess Invasion and Knight Errant both possibly tried to do too much, but it's a shame if that's now going to mean we don't see either of those eras revisited again, as I'd have enjoyed more standalone mini-series set in the New Sith Wars or Vong War. If we can get all these Darth Vader and the .... series, then why not a one-off Darth Revan and the ... series?
     
    Jedi Ben and dewback_rancher like this.
  25. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Maybe that'd be the way to sell them too? X people will buy a KOTOR series but far more might buy a Darth Revan and series.

    IF it's character names that sell though, why stop there? There's no shortage of iconic characters in SW.
     
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