Lit Coop's MARVELous Voyage

Remember after RotS came out, when people who'd raised their kids on the prequels started showing them the OT for the first time? Yeah, this is kind of like that.

After Lumiya in LotF, Nagai in Legacy, and Fenn Shysa in Mindor, I have now, at long last, begun reading the Marvel comics. Obviously, I've managed to learn a good bit about them via other avenues over the years, but I still expect lots of interesting discoveries along the way. Rather than start a new thread every time something strange gets stuck in my head (and perhaps quasily in honor of my passing four thousand posts recently), I thought I'd make one dedicated solely to any comments, questions, and reactions that come to me as I go, mostly in terms of how these things fit in with everything that's come since. Beyond that, I suppose this can serve as a broad "fitting Marvel into modern continuity"-themed thread.

Quick question - it looks like the Annuals are sort of lumped in at the back of certain trades; are there specific issues on the ongoing I should read them between?

Another quick question - where does RotJ fit in? According to the Wook, it looks like that's the one movie whose adaptation wasn't part of the ongoing series.

Anyway, I'm through the first six issues so far, also known as A New Hope. I'm guessing that I won't have quite so much to talk about as I move into the original material, but who knows. Moving on...


Issue 1:

DS conference room - um...is Vader holding a cup of coffee?

Outside the sandcrawler - somehow, Owen's "shut up" to Threepio in the movie seemed a lot less mean than this version. Also - It's funny that here Owen interrupts Luke's Tosche Station line in the middle. To think that we could've been spared the bulk of a big whiny moment all these years if this had been the way it was in the movie.

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only ho!"

Stormtroopers inspecting the escape pod - not really tied to the comic specifically, but something just occurred to me - isn't it kind of odd that Artoo or Threepio would have happened to just randomly shed a piece right at that moment? And then leave it there?

Issue 2:

Obi-Wan's hut - "My father, Bail Antilles"?? That's news to me. Does that mean that the writer at this point thought she was Princess Leia Antilles, or...?

Docking Bay 94 - Yay, Mosep!! Is that a blue Snivvian with him? Is that color canon, or should I disregard it?

Above Tatooine - The ISDs are described as "fully 100 times the size" of the Falcon. Volume-wise, it's more like, what, 500?

The Falcon's got a much more open floor plan here. Not bad - it's like Han and Chewie's kick-ass loft.

Issue 3:

Someone please tell me they don't put "The Force" in quotes throughout the entire series. Also - god, I hate recap dialogue. "The Force? You mean, that thing you told me about three scenes ago?"

Issue 4:

Death Star Duel - Obi-Wan and Vader's dialogue is really interesting - Obi accuses him of only knowing "half of the Force", which nowadays is the standard argument the Sith make about the Jedi. It's hard to look at it in the opposite direction. Also, seeing Ben literally fade out of existence like that is freaking creepy.

Issue 5:

[image=http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/c/cc/Mswc5cover.jpg]

I know comic book covers like to exaggerate their contents, but...the hell??

Unless I missed something earlier, page 2 here is the first time she's called "Leia Organa", which means that "Bail Antilles" in #2 really doesn't make sense. Come to think of it, Bail isn't mentioned by name in the movie as being her father, so maybe the writer mixed up Bail's character with the "our last master was Captain Antilles" line.

TIE dogfight - okay, that makes three times now that they've re-explained to us what "The Force" is. I know it's a new concept at this point, but it's not like we're still wondering what "the Empire" is.

Rebel base - is says that three of Yavin's moons can support life. While I'm impressed that it even bothers to suggest that m

 

I too recently started to read the old Marvel stuff. The whole time I had too keep asking myself how half the things I read could be considered canon? There are some good stories, don't get me wrong. I just can't see why some of the "goofier" stories Can't be let go. There are Tales stories that can easily be inserted in to the greater canon over these classic stories, yet the Tales ones are Labeled Infinities while these are not. I always hear talk about how the OT era is too crowded with material, it's too hard to write for that era (see Rebellion) but if it's the marvel stuff that's clogging up all the space I say let the Marvel stuff go--some of it at least. I could, However, be wrong about everything i just said regarding canon, but Emperors Black Bones they can't be serious.

If nothing else you are in for a good laugh.

 

Should I commend you for witty analysis of a somewhat silly old comic book series, or deride you as an immitator of the Jacen Solo thread? Well, I enjoy being a jackass, so I think I'll go with the second.

Also, I love the second cover you posted. It's a refreshing change of pace for us to see Vader and Luke's duel on the pink and purple outer surface of the Death Star.

 

...while Leia struggles to even stand up, as womenfolk are known to do.

And for the record, I don't read the Jacen thread.

 

Didn't Trip do something like this a while back? And like in all thing Trip starts, failed to finish?

 

Coop,

You've made me decide to haul out my Marvels and give them a complete read through too. It's been some time since I looked at them, but I'm actually suddenly looking forward to tearing through them and getting to the great moments like the Luke/Lumiya fight, which was so well drawn in the comic, and the great final issues by Jo Duffy. Glad you started this thread to give me a kick in the pants to reread them.

 

It should go between #80 and #81.

I don't think it was random at all. I suspect the impact of the escape pod against Tatooine's surface probably jarred loose a few of either droid's components.

They don't put "The Force" in quotes throughout the entire series.

At least, IIRC....

 

I think I'll join you on this little trip; I read a couple of the A Long Time Ago... books a long time ago, but don't really remember much. <_<

Now I just need to find a copy of Marvel's RotJ adaptation. >_>

 

The stuff with Vader holding a cup of coffee (or whatever) and Ben accusing him of only knowing "half the Force" is all in the novelisation, too.

 

[Luke in ROTJ]NEVARRRRRR!!![/Luke in ROTJ] I would sooner jettison the prequel trilogy then get rid of the Marvel Star Wars series.

Can you give some examples of "goofier" stories? The OT is a goofy era, man.

 

Funny, funny stuff. Two comments:

- the inhabited Yavin moons are Yavin 4,8 and 13. So the "three moons" are still around.
- In the X-wing series, "Piggy" was revealed to be an affectionate nickname, when explaining to the intelligent Gamorrean who ended up with it again.

 

I always love reading these kinds of threads. I look forward to seeing your reactions.

Why isn't Coop wearing pants already?


I remember Trip's thread. I loved that one. It's a shame it died

 

I quite like the Marvel stuff. Sure it's silly but when you look real close, isn't ANH silly as well to a certain extent? Anyway, I'll come along with you on this journey Cooper!

I wish I could get hold of the first A Long Time Ago TPB... I can't seem to able to find it here in Europe. At least not for a reasonable price.

 

Coop - thank you for sharing. The old Marvel series was a big part of my early childhood - I saw Episode 4 for the first time when I was not quite 3, and the comic books helped me get through some hospital stays.

I know they're a ways off, but I can't wait until you get to the Hiromi.

And hoojibs, Zeltrons and Nagai ... good, good stuff.

Except for the hot pants.

Thanks,
Onderon1

 

Hope you do better than me and Trip did.

 

Volume 1 Doomworld is a pain to get even in the US. I ended up paying almost $60 plus horrendously inflated shipping for my copy...the other 6 volumes I got for less than cover price and free shipping though, so it all balances out.

 

Sure, spoil it.

Yeah, but we've seen Artoo do field repair on himself and Threepio numerous times at this point. I mean, I can conceive of a situation where this might have happened (unnecessary piece, in a hurry, whatever), it's just very, very convenient for it to happen right then.

I'm up to #10 and it hasn't stopped yet. I'll be sure to note when it does.

Had a feeling some of it might've been...been a dog's age since I've read it. Interesting that both sources feel the need to explicitly give him a drink, but neither explain what he'd do with it.

Lemme just say this - I was totally unprepared for Jaxxon to show up in #8; I thought he'd come in much later. It's like they finished the adaptation, then thought "finally! Big green bunny time!"

Re: comments about whether I'll finish...I can't promise that I'll be commenting as extensively throughout the series (though I don't seem to have let up much so far), but I can absolutely guarantee I'll at least be reading the whole thing, as I hate having unread stuff lying around. I'm glad a bunch of you are interested in following this, but I never expected so many would want to read along with me! Happy hunting, men!

 

Coop, are you planning on reading stuff besides ROTJ that didn't make it into the trades? There are the Droids and Ewoks Comics (and short stories in the Ewoks Annual), Pizzazz, Devilworlds, Death-Masque, World of Fire, The Weapons Master, The Way of the Wookiee, and The Day after the Death Star, too.

 

Not as part of this process, no - I may even skip RotJ; not sure yet. And I've already read Devilworlds, Death Masque, and Day After the Death Star.

 

The answer lies within.

 

I suspect Vader was trying out psychometry as a means to find Obi-Wan.

 

Oi. The Annuals are the least of your problems. The Long Time Ago trades reprinted the series in the exact order the individual issues were released. This is a pain because you often have random issues within ongoing storylines that take place later or earlier--even within the regular series itself. The storyline even doubles back on itself at least once. I've got a timeline you can follow if you want, but you'll end up skipping back and forth within the trade collection.

TC

 

I wouldn't mind taking a look, Card - let's just say I'm not relying solely on the trades.

Aw, Vader saved one of Obi's cups all those years?

Anyway...


Issue 7:

Han Solo - "...if we don't get back to Dantooine and pay Jabba..." Alright, two pages into the new material and already an error. Good times.

It's funny that Han's immediately certain the pirate ship isn't Imperials when it looks exactly like a Star Destroyer - at least, the way this guy draws them. Should I just be treating anything that's suggestive of an ISD as an ISD, or have they retconned some kind of classification for these? The way the bridge is more flat against the body, they almost look like small Pellaeons.

First reference I've seen to "High Galactic"...interesting.

I know Banthas have been established on multiple planets already, but the one on Aduba-3 has a drastically different face - I wonder if part of it might be that "Bantha" is just a general term for any animal of that general type? High Galactic, perhaps? At the very least, they seem to evolve in different ways on different planets, however they happened to be there.

As much as Aduba-3's spacers hate cyborgs, the place must've had it pretty rough in the Clone Wars.

Fifteen Shyriiwook words for "violence"...yeah, that works nicely.

Say...devoutly religious insectoid...any way this guy could be retconned into a Tritonite? Crap, no - Verpine. Damn you, Pablo.

Issue 8:

Oh lord, Jaxxon already?? That didn't take them long at all.

Okay, and now we've suddenly got Bantha-looking banthas again. What's up with this?

Um...where'd Han's shirt go?

Between Serji-X Arrogantus and Elan Sleazebaggano...I wonder if there's some cultural thing in parts of the GFFA that involves naming people after character traits. Maybe it's a punishment for juvenile offenders, like sex offenders having to tell their neighbors when they move.

Issue 9:

Oh, dear lord, Don-Wan's got a lance.

High-hounds - #&%@ed. Up.

Bestine reference. Neat.

Issue 10:

"But when a creature appears to be indestructable, killing it could become a problem." - Thank you, oh-so-vital narrator.

Any precedent for giant lizard monsters (with laser foreheads)? I'd Wook it, but I'm not even sure what to search for. Sithspawn, maybe?

Okay, it took me two issues to realize the Starkiller Kid isn't wearing pants. And I can't look at Hedji without thinking that Hank McCoy dropped out of the X-Men and become a magician.

Jimm and Merri - one happy, pantsless family.

Final thoughts on the Star-hoppers - not bad, really. Largely ridiculous, but I like the Seven Samurai feel of it (right down to the Asian-looking villagers). It's funny to be seeing this now with Blue Harvest coming up soon. I had a lot of immediate reactions to the new characters (Hedji=Togorian?) that I discarded because I know other stuff has already been written about them; hopefully that won't be a common problem beyond the Star-hoppers, Lumiya, Valance, and maybe a couple others. I'll have to go back and re-read that Gamer article sometime soon; I can't wait to see Don-Wan's backstory. Jaxxon, honestly, wasn't that bad - he was certainly one of the more competent members of the group.

Issue 11:

"Is it Han Solo you don't like, Jolli...or Corellians in general?"

"It's men, lady...the whole blasted breed!"

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new first gay SW character - Jolli!

Doomworld!! The most vaguely-threateningly-named planet in the Outer Rim!

Issue 12:

Wow, someone who actually doesn't know a droid when he sees one? That's actually pretty cool. I can't think of any other culture we've seen (I mean, aside from obvious stuff like the Dantari) where they aren't at least aware of droids.

I was just reading Clone Wars: Crash Course a little while ago, and I love that from the newest material all the way back to '78, the one comm