Lit I resent comics

It seems to me that unique backdrops and ideas that could be used for excellent novels are being squandered on weak comics.

For instance, i was disappointed that the story of what happens directly after the events of A New Hope were poorly told in the old Vader’s Quest book.

Now with this second chance I feel like that opportunity has been squandered again.
The writing and artwork of many of these comics are of an extremely low standard.

For years I always imagined what might have happened to Vader after his TIE flew off into deep space...
Did Rebel command on Yavin IV pick him up on scanners and send X and Y-wings after him, seizing the opportunity to take out the emperor’s enforcer?

Could Vader’s crippled TIE become stranded in between systems? Could he have a run in with pirates?

NOPE! the official canon said he just got picked up

Zahn once wrote in passing that Palpatine was so angry with Vader of the loss of the Death Star that he took Vader’s hand.
Did we see that anger, that meeting explored? NOPE!

This is just one example in a steam of missed or poorly handled opportunities. These comics are squandering what could be excellent stories in a quick fire, throwaway fashion.
I wish the comics weren’t canon.

It seems like the comics are covering these excellent time periods while the novels are often relegated to filler material.

Anyway, rant over. I feel better for getting this off my chest, feel free to criticise me.

 

With RoTS we know that did not happen...Kenobi took his good hand and both legs.

But I do get your point....Vader going before the Emperor and having to tell him what happened would be an interesting interlude in a novel set immediate post ANH.

 

Err, he’s collected by a Gozanti-class cruiser piloted by Ciena Ree. It’s covered in Lost Stars... a novel.

 

Ok, place yer bets on how long the thread lasts before it gets Mod-Starred.

Sent from my SM-A500FU using Tapatalk

 

I think it can be a legitimate topic if it turns into a discussion about the storytelling potential of novels vs comics, what stories are best suited to which medium, etc.

 

To help move it in said "Positive" direction let me help.

I think with books you get a lot of time to really flesh out the Universe compared to comics. Comics are very visual, but you don't have time to do paragraphs of how things work per say unless you have little narrative bubbles. I see the books as helping with more the historical/worldbuilding elements in that regard.

 

I think there’s room for discussion in regards to which stories do well in certain mediums. With new films coming out every year and several live action tv shows in the works it does unfortunately seem like books and comics will sort of get relegated to telling less important stories, side stories, or whatever.

I don’t think it needs to be a comics vs books or comics vs films debate though. It’s a big galaxy and each medium can have its place. For me the comics have been hit or miss, much like the novels really. I really like the Dr Aphra and Poe Dameron books as well as several of the mini series. The main Star Wars line however has been pretty disappointing and I lost interest in it a while ago.

I think maybe the best example of the kind of stories I see comics giving us is the first Lando mini series. It’s a simple but really well done story with excellent art, some new characters and some familiar characters.

 

IMO, comics are generally the best medium in which to tell a Star Wars story that'd ideally be on screen (either film, television, maybe videogames) but would otherwise go to go untold.

On the flipside, like, whenever I see someone go "WE NEED A FILM TRILOGY ABOUT THE FORMATION OF THE REPUBLIC", or whatever, I wince a little because something like that -- in my mind -- would be infinitely better suited to being told in a series of novels.

 

Plus that as a movie concept doesn't sound very interesting.

Movies have a certain pacing/dynamic/action that can't be replicated anywhere else.

It's why even though "Comic Book Movies" take things from comics...They still aren't comics, they are movies first and foremost.

Plus movies have to reach a wider audience, general audiences make or break films at the end of the day.

 

Yeah, a youth novel. But it a still a waste. Why waste these epic opportunities.

I just feel like the comics are gobbling up all the opportunities due to their monthly release schedule.

These moments are bring squandered because they are not being thought out.

Everytime I look into something on Wookieepedia I find out that it's been covered in some bloody comic.

 

I at least understand what you're getting at re: comics--they're not suited to anywhere near the same depth as a novel and some people like depth. But dismissing the YA books for basically the same reason is ludicrous.

 

Yeah those YA Novel has great depth and good lore too.

I felt Leia Princess of Alderaan had a lot of good lore in terms of the formation of the Early Rebellion.

 

It’s not the slightest bit ludicrous. YA books generally lack depth compared to adult novels. Some people like the depth of adult novels and dislike the lack of depth in YA. There’s nothing ludicrous about anyone’s reading preferences.

I haven’t bothered with any Disney EU, but most of Legends’ YR lacked depth in comparison to the adult novels. This doesn’t mean I think Legends YR were bad and not worth reading, but someone else might as it’s a matter of preference.

 

I put it off for a long time over the YA label....It was one of the better Nu-Canon books. Only thing is I would have loved a little more detail (what do they mine on Jelucan) and tie in to the movies (Thane should have been flying a Striker on Kerev Doi).

 

Considering the novel in question, Lost Stars, is oft-regarded as one of the best novels in canon, ludicrous seems like an apt description.

 

A youth novel which happened to be one of the best written novel in new canon (In my opinion but also im sure not a rare one)

 

I don't think u understand comics in general as a story telling medium

 

What Legends books are you referring to exactly? Something like the Jedi Apprentice series is technically a middle-grade series, which isn't what I'm talking about. YA is something roughly analogous to The Hunger Games--revolving around a "young adult" POV but not really any shorter or more simplistically written than any Del Rey SW book. Claudia Gray in particular has done two of each for SW at this point and there's very little discernible difference.

 

Things might have changed, but when I was reading Disney SW there was basically no discernable difference between a Young Adult SW novel and an adult adult SW novel.

LOST STARS is really no less "adult" than BLOODLINE. It's a proper SW novel. "Young Adult" is largely a marketing gimmick: "Oh this one has a focus on romance and features young protagonists; let's call it young adult".

 

Young adult usually just means that it deals with characters in that age group; stories that are about people transitioning from child to adult

 

star wars and comics go together like peanut butter and jelly.

 

Well this is a thread that seems to be in the ‘Comics are for kids’ camp & the comments about Lost Stars (did you actually read that novel before dismissing it?) point to that as well.

I’ve been disappointed with much of the new books/comics but there has been some good on both sides. Darth Vader, some Doctor Aphra, certainly the early Star Wars comics have been great & I think better than a lot of the novels, many of which just don’t seem to have much to say. Lost Stars ranks for me as one of the best new novels.

However, both seem to be treading water with new information and character progression when compared with the freedom that the old EU had, which is not surprising as we are in unknown film territory, much like with the original trilogy.
The prequel trilogy is slightly different in that, although there were the crazies that thought Sidious was a clone of Palpatine, there really weren’t that many secrets to keep, so the EU had more freedom.

It will be interesting to see what books & comics will be able to do after Episode 9

 

I was the same way as a kid, and still am a bit now. I never read the comics and wished that the stories could have just been novels instead. Since new canon I've collected all the comics and read most of them and enjoy them moderately. I would still much prefer novels but the comics still have value.

I hear this all the time, but it's not just that at all. The themes, nature of events and the vast majority of time the prose itself is simplified greatly in "Young Adult" books.

edit: I will add re. Young Adult books though, that it can be harder to differentiate with Star Wars as a lot of Star Wars novels read very "young-adulty" even if they aren't branded as such.

 

I have the book. I’m not saying that the book isn’t very good, I’m complaining about the wasted opportunity.

We have a fascinating opportunity to explore Vader’s life in his TIE directly after the Death Star’s explosion and it was wasted with him just getting picked up.

I used it as just one example of how Disney are wasting these opportunities mostly within the comics by churning out these monthly comics of questionable quality.

 

No, you misunderstand. I own many graphic novels, I enjoyed the medium - when done right.
I consider most comics lacking. I gave up buying them because i was frankly bored or disappointed by them.
Every now and again i will hear about a great run and buy the collected editions.

I own lost stars and read it. I enjoyed it. But i complained about one point - the squandered potential of a post Death Star Vader in his TIE. Iconic moments we all surely want to see explored.