New Marvel Bad Guys

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

Marvel has really been delivering with their Star Wars titles, in my opinion. Yes, there's a couple of "meh" issues here and there, but for the most part, I am really enjoying the new stuff.

There's some new bad guys on the Star Wars front that I think are going to stand the test of time.



VADER's foe, CYLO.

I think his name is an inside joke. If you kill him, his consciousness is transferred to another clone body. So, I think it's a nod to Battlestar Galactica and the Cylons (new BS, not old BS). Cylo is a worthy adversary for Vader. He's a bad guy for a bad guy. He's a Lex Luthor to Vader's Superman. Cylo always seems to be one step ahead of Vader, out-thinking him.

Cylo is a master with cybernetics. In fact (and this is canon now), Cylo was the lead designer of Vader's suit. You can say that the Emperor ordered Cylo to rebuild Vader after Anakin's near death on Mustafar. Near the end of this series, we find out...that Cylo hid a kill switch among Vader's suit circuitry! Awesome!

And, Cylo has his own action figure now!

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

DAMERON's foe, AGENT TEREX.



Next is Agent Terex, a foe of Poe Dameron. Terex served as a stormtrooper, but now is with the First Order Security Bureau.

He's got the Carrion Spike, too. That ship used to to be Gran Moff Tarkn's personal transport.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

VADER's Ally? DR. APHRA.


I saved the best for last. She's totally cute and totally sociopathic, accompanied by her two droids, the anti-C3PO and R2D2, Triple-Zero and Beetee. Two homicidal droid maniacs with a sense or humor and subtext.

[Sutehp]

I've heard of Aphra, though mentions in some of the TvTropes Star Wars entries. I think I'm going to have to find graphic novels of the new Darth vader comics just to see what all the hubbub's about.

I heard of a scene where Vader takes on an entire Rebel regiment (complete with air support!) by himself. It turns out to be a Curb Stomp Battle...that Vader wins. Of course, Vader is Saved By Canon, so it's no surprise.

Oh, speaking of surprises? Remember "Rosebud?" It was Citizen Kane's sled.
_________________
Sutehp's RPG Goodies
Only some of it is for D6 Star Wars.
Just repurchased the X-Wing and Tie Fighter flight sim games. I forgot how much I missed them.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

MARVEL STAR WARS LINES



For those interested, here are the current and past Star Wars trades. "Trades" is short for "trade paperbacks" or "TPB". These are collections of 4-6 comics--usually a complete story arc. That the way I read comics. I don't fiddle with individual issues.



STAR WARS

DARTH VADER

These are the first two main series lines. Star Wars follows Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie from the last moments of the Battle of Yavin onward. This series is still going with Vol. 5 due out in July.

The Darth Vader series is set contemporaneously with the Star Wars series, except it focuses on Vader and the Empire. Some stories are the same in both series, just told from the different points of view.

Darth Vader ended, and not only is it collected in trade form, but there is now a bigger omnibus, too.

The new series trade, for Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, should be out in early December.

There is a cross-over book that brings the Star Wars and Darth Vader series together, called Vader Down.





LOVED THESE

This is the LOVED IT category. These are all new series or limited, mini-series that I really enjoyed. Each of these are fantastic reads.

Han Solo

Chewbacca

Lando





SURPRISED ME HOW MUCH I LIKED THESE

These are also very good. They surprised me at how much I enjoyed reading them.

Kanan - this is a two trade set, or you can get it in omnibus. It is really written well. The first trade tells the story of how Kanan lost his master and was set adrift, along, as a padawan. The second trade shows us how Kanan and his master became master and padawan.

I don't watch Star Wars Rebels, but from what I understand, those that do really like these books.

Poe Dameron - This series convinced me to start really liking the character. I went from feeling "meh" about Dameron after seeing the movie to digging the character because of this book.

There are three trades in the series so far. The second one is due out in July.





THE "MEH" CATEGORY

It's not that these books are really bad. They're not. They just didn't excite me. I thought that they were "OK".

SHATTERED EMPIRE - Shows the last days of Endor after the movie ends. Poe Dameron's parents are featured.





THE "I'M NOT THAT CRAZY ABOUT IT" CATEGORY

The only book of the new Disney/Marvel comics that I can say that I really didn't like that much is this one.

PRINCESS LEIA. It just...kinda bored me. I was disappointed, but I think Leia can be such a rich character.





THE "I HAVEN'T READ IT YET, BUT I WILL" CATEGORY

Captain Phasma - due out in November

Obi-wan & Anakin - just haven't gotten around to reading it yet, but it looks good.

Darth Maul - the badass returns! Due out in September.

Doctor Aphra - Loved her debut in the first Darth Vader series. Now, she's in her own book. Due out in July.




THE MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORY

Star Wars: The Classic Newspaper Comics - two volumes. I read these in a slightly different form in a Dark Horse series. Now, these newspaper strips have been returned to their original format.

They're simple but fun. They were being written as the movies were coming out. Boba Fett first appears in one of these strips before we saw him in ESB. The Brian Daley novel, Han Solo At Stars End, is adapated as one of the stories.

I'm holding off now, but I may revisit these one day.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

JUST VADER...OR VADER AND STAR WARS?



The first Vader series is collected in five collections--

DARTH VADER
SHADOWS AND SECRETS
VADER DOWN
THE SHU-TORUN WAR
END OF GAMES



VADER DOWN is a cross over story between the Darth Vader series and the main Star Wars series. If you just want to read the Vader series, then read it in the order I present above.





....WITH STAR WARS.

If you want to read the main Star Wars series along with the Vader series (and I recommend doing both, as the stories will overlap, especially at the beginning, and you'll see the same story from different points of view), then read in this order...

SKYWALKER STRIKES!
DARTH VADER
SHOWDOWN ON THE SMUGGLER'S MOON
VADER DOWN
REBEL JAIL
THE SHU-TORUN WAR
END OF GAMES
LAST FLIGHT OF THE HARBINGER
YODA'S SECRET WAR (Published in July)



These trades also include extras, like the Star Wars and Darth Vader Annuals, some stories featuring Anakin and/or Obi-Wan, and End of Games has a very interesting short story only referred to as "Coda".

Marvel is also putting together bigger collections in hardback, but if you're hungry for the entire story, it's not all out yet.

STAR WARS VOL 1 covers issues 1-12 (which is Skywalker Strikes and Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon together - not sure if the extra content is included).

DARTH VADER VOL 1 is also hardback and contains issues 1-12 (which is Darth Vader and Shadows and Secrets together. Again, I'm not sure if the Annual and other issues are included in this.)