Video: Force Friday Countdown: Force Wednesday!


Jawajames, Yowie the Skunk and Baby Jawa are back at it again! They take unboxing Star Wars stuff very seriously in today’s video for Force Friday Countdown: Wednesday. This time, they review Star Wars fruit snacks; DK’s Ultimate Star Wars by Tricia Barr, Adam Bray, Dan Wallace, and Ryder Windham; and Adam Gidwitz’ retelling of The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to be a Jedi?. Need more info on Ultimate Star Wars? James has a Q&A with Tricia and Adam and a follow-up interview with Adam from this past May.

And if you missed it, check out their first video from Tuesday.

Video: Countdown to Force Friday

Jawajames is back with a new Star Wars unboxing video. Undeterred that he wasn’t selected to be one of the official unboxing hosts for Force Friday, he’s rounded up some recent and upcoming Star Wars products to review with his co-hosts, Yowie the Skunk and Baby Jawa. Reviews include Star Wars cereal, Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, and the upcoming retelling of A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken.

Video: Ultimate Star Wars book tour with Adam Bray and Tricia Barr


To promote their new book, Ultimate Star Wars, DK Publishing has dispatched the four authors across the US on a book tour. I caught up with Tricia Barr and Adam Bray at their talk and signing at the Carlsbad Library in southern California, and ended up moderating the author talk at the library.


After the signing, I was able to sit down with Adam Bray to go more in depth about Ultimate Star Wars and some other upcoming projects. Catch the book tour when it comes to your area!

Convention tips: How to photograph fans in costume

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A convention is a great place for taking photos: there’s plenty of cool things worth turning into con memories — celebrity sightings, cool displays, and plenty of people in costumes. At a Star Wars convention, expect most of the costumers to be your fellow fans, so here’s some important etiquette for taking pictures of or with folks in costume:

The basic rule: A person in a costume is still a person. Acknowledge them and treat them with respect. Here’s how: Continue reading “Convention tips: How to photograph fans in costume”

Team Hondo: Vote Ahsoka today!

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Hondo here, with a headache. I had a big party this weekend after winning the preliminary round over that Mando masked man, Pre Vizsla. At least that’s what my men told me happened. And they would never lie to me to have a party.

team-hondo-2014Back to business, err… This Is Madness. On the light side, there is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano. Hondo would like to remind you that I did once capture Obi-Wan, and he was pretty cool about it later, when he showed up at my base looking for that Darth Maul guy. But Hondo also once captured Ahsoka Tano as well, though she later talked her way out with some cute Jedi brats. So I have a bit of a soft spot in my pirate heart for her. Vote Ahsoka. Besides, Obi-Wan won last year.

On the dark side, it’s Boba Fett against Asajj Ventress. I don’t think I would want either of them showing up at my place. Boba Fett has lots of guns, but Asajj Ventress has a lightsaber and the dark side. In my experience, I can deal with guns. So vote Asajj, because I don’t want to make her mad.

Back to the party!

Team Hondo: Go vote for Hondo, now!

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Your favorite Weequay pirate, Hondo Ohnaka, is back and begs demands that you immediately go vote for him in StarWars.com’s This Is Madness. And then share this message with all your crew members and friends. and even enemies. Hondo will reward you later.

Also, if anyone wants to slice into the This Is Madness server and just declare Hondo the winner, it would save a lot of time and effort.

Anyway, in the Light Side, there are two clones: Rex and Gregor. Rex is a friend of Ahsoka’s, and Ahsoka is a friend of Hondo’s. So Captain Rex it is. He might have to owe me one.

Team Hondo: Day 2: Hondo is not happy

team-hondo-2014It’s your pal, Hondo, the only pirate to capture Jedi and Sith at the same time. The results of the first day of This Is Madness are up, and I am not pleased. Not pleased with any of you. I told you to vote for Hera Syndulla and the Inquisitor. And look who won – Leia and Grievous. Okay, Leia is fine with me. But that rusty robotic thorn in my side? Never!

Anyway, onto day two. On the light side, we have Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon got himself killed by that horn-headed Maul, who also once trashed my base. So he can’t be all that great of a Jedi. Then again, Obi-Wan was his apprentice and I have some respect for that guy. Then again, I also captured him. Yoda, on the other hand, seems to be a pretty powerful fellow, winning the first year and all. I’ll go Yoda.

On the dark side, there is Jango Fett and Greedo. Greedo gets my sympathies since he speaks Huttese and all, but seriously, he’s not much of a bounty hunter. Jango can at least shoot first. Jango Fett.

Team Hondo: This Is Madness begins!

team-hondo-2014Welcome to you! It’s your old pal, Hondo, and once again, the dashing folk at the official website have started up their This Is Madness bracket game again. And once again, Hondo Ohnaka, scourge of the space lanes, will reign supreme. Never mind that they show Yoda and Obi-Wan as past winners. It’s all lies, I tell you.

Watto has got some good tips on the competition. But don’t listen to that flying gasbag; let me tell you who to pick. Because if you do for Hondo, someday I might let you live instead of kicking you out of an airlock.

Anyway, the first match for the Light Side: Princess Leia vs Hera Syndulla. Both of them are those pesky Rebels you keep hearing about. But a princess and former senator? Ransoming her would bring more credits in. Then again, if I captured Hera, I’d probably also get her ship. And I could always use another good ship. Hera Syndulla.

On the Dark Side: General Grievous vs the Inquisitor. That four-armed cyborg once trashed my base. I’m still not over that. Pick the Inquisitor!

Review roundup: Star Wars #1 does pretty well for itself

marvel-sw1Now that the million or so copies of Marvel’s Star Wars #1 have hit the comic books shops, let’s see what people are saying:

  • IGN: “There’s an emphatic “Give the people what they want!” feel to this issue, and the creative team certainly delivers.”
  • iDigitalTimes: “…the best character work is Princess Leia…” (spoilers)
  • /film:”Not only does Vader make a great dramatic entrance but theres a very cool tense sequence that feels ripped out of Homeland (this is a strong compliment) and Vader’s response is nothing short of bad ass.”
  • Nerdist: “Writer Jason Aaron perfectly captures the pacing, action, and humor of the original Star Wars in a way that a lot of the comics haven’t for a long time it seems.”
  • Jedi News: “The true test of any comic script is does it leave you longing for more, and I can’t imagine anyone reading this issue and not being absolutely compelled to pick up issue #2.”
  • Tosche Station: 4/5 – “At times, it was difficult to NOT hear the actors’ voices inside my head reading the lines.”
  • Big Shiny Robot (a double review from Bryan and myself): “It brings us to familiar territory while still feeling fresh.”
  • Coffee with Kenobi: “Reading “Star Wars” No. 1 is like watching a movie.”
  • EUCantina.net: “Marvel knew they had to make a big impression with their first Star Wars issue, and they have succeeded.”

Talking with the creators:

Two more Marvel reprint collections revealed

LECNewRep1-192x300Our friends at Jedi-bibliothek.de have discovered two more Marvel reprints of Dark Horse material in the 2015 pipeline.

In their Star Wars Legends Epic Collection series, we have The New Republic Volume 1 coming out on May 26, containing Mara Jade: By the Emperor’s Hand, Shadows of the Empire: Evolution, The Jabba Tape, Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction, and material from Star Wars Tales 1, 3-5, 10, 14-15, 20, 22. The Old Republic Volume 1 collects issues 0-18 of John Jackson Miller’s Knights of the Old Republic and comes out June 16. Interesting that they are calling it simply The Old Republic – will future volumes contain some of the Tales of the Jedi comics after they finish collecting Knights of the Old Republic?

Previously announced was Empire Volume 1, being released April 28.