Comic Book Review: Darth Vader #15 - Marvel Comics (2016)

Vader Down - Part 6 of 6

Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Salvadore Larroca

The conclusion of the Vader Down story line pits Darth Vader vs. Commander Karbin.  Luke is looking for Princess Leia.  Chewbacca and Han Solo are emboiled in a fight with the Wookie warrior Black Krrsantan.

I love how, despite the story line coming to a conclusion, everything continues.  Fans of The Force Awakens will be speculating about these comic book issues as we still have lingering questions from the film and the comic series may give direction to answer our queries.  It may not be anything either, but these are some of the best comic books being written right now.

If you find yourself more of a fan of the original Star Wars trilogy, you may want to pick up Darth Vader and Star Wars.  Pick up the Vader Down story line in comic book form and see if there are trade paperbacks to catch up.  Better yet, try out the Marvel Unlimited service as it is one of the best subscription services available.

These comics feel very much like you are watching the films.  The way the characters talk and interact with one another is done so remarkably well.  Darth Vader is one of my must have series each and every month.

What are your thoughts on Darth Vader?  What other comic book series' would you like Maskerpiece Theatre to review?  Please leave your comments below.

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Comic Book Review: Star Wars #13 - Marvel Comics (2015)

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Mike Deodato

Vader Down: Part 3 of 6
Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 have been found by Dr. Aphra, BeeTee and Triple Zero.  Han Solo and Chewbacca have left the rebels to find Luke.  Princess Leia gets a team ready to find Darth Vader.

We get to see Dr. Aphra in action vs. Han Solo.  Chewbacca gets to do what he does best.  Add in all the action that can be handled within the twenty or so pages and you have yourself a great comic book.

The dialogue is everything we have come to expect from Jason Aaron during his run on Star Wars.  Mike Deodato taking over the artistic duties worked out great and doesn't miss a beat.

Getting to the end of this issue leaves you with an extraordinary cliffhanger.  The Vader Down event is truly masterful story telling.

What are your thoughts on Vader Down?  Are you reading all of the Star Wars comic book titles?  What other comic book series' would you like the Maskerpiece Theatre gang to review?  Please leave your comments below.

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Comic Book Review: Darth Vader #13 - Marvel Comics (2015)

Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Salvador Larroca

Vader Down: Part 2 of 6
Darth Vader is under attack after his ship was brought down on the planet Vragos Vos.  The rebels, despite the numbers, do not seem to be much of a match for the Sith Lord.  Han Solo and Princess Leia disagree about where priorities should be.  Leia remembers what happened to her home planet of Alderaan and Han's loyalties are tied to Luke.  Luke finds he and R2-D2 have crash landed near an old Jedi temple.  Aphra and her droids makes their way to Vragos Vos.

The Star Wars/Darth Vader series continues to wow me.  The intertwining stories that are so separate yet woven together is an absolute joy to read.  In the Vader Down #1 review, I was hoping there would be interactions with the characters from Darth Vader's comic book series and the characters from the Star Wars books.  At the end, we get just that!

***Cue the speculation of Aphra as Rey's mother.***

Okay, put down your light sabers, that's a blog and/or podcast for a different day.  We are only in part two of the Vader Down story line and it's been nothing but action and suspense.  Many of the comic book events that I read are a lot of build up and then action at the end.  Not so with Star Wars.  Action, a little more action, comical bantering and then more action.  Grab some popcorn but keep your buttery fingers off the pages.  You're in for a wild ride!

What are your thoughts on the Darth Vader comic book series?  Are you enjoying Vader Down?  What other comic books would you like the Maskerpiece Theatre bunch to review?

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Comic Book Review: Vader Down #1 - Marvel Comics (2015)

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Mike Deodato

Darth Vader is on his way to Vragos Vos to find Luke Skywalker.  Once there, he meets a rebel fleet and takes them on by himself.

The Darth Vader series has been one of my favorite comic book series going and now it has moved into the Star Wars series as well.  Vader Down is the beginning to the ultimate six issue tie-in.  I know I normally complain about any comic book that is over $3.99 in price.  This doesn't seem to be an ongoing title so I'll forgive the one-off ridiculous price.

 Seeing Vader taking on a fleet of rebel X-Wing fighters was awesome and his eventual take down was remarkable.  The entire rebel army on Vragos Vos get word that Vader is down and Princess Leia sends everyone after him.  You can imagine how Han Solo feels about this.

Luke is down as well and it should be interesting to see if/when he and Vader cross paths. I'm also looking forward to seeing other characters from each book such as  Aphra, BeeTee and Triple Zero from Darth Vader's book interacting with Han Solo, Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 from the Star Wars books.

What are your thoughts on Vader Down?  How are you liking the Star Wars comic books?  What other comic book series' would you like the Maskerpiece Theatre squad to review?

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Comic Book Review: Star Wars #12 - Marvel Comics (2015)

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Stuart Immonen

On the smuggler's moon of Nar Shadaa, Luke is in Grakkus the Hutt's gladiator arena against the monster known as Kongo the Disembowler.  Chewbacca and C-3PO are on the planet as well but have been embroiled in a fight a
gainst a bounty hunter named Dengar.  Han Solo, Princess Leia and Han's "wife" Sana have just arrived onto the infamous moon and see what is happening with Chewie, C-3PO and Dengar.  We also find out there's more to the Gamemaster than anyone had originally imagined.

Luke is in a fight for his life but the odds quickly change into his favor.  Imperial forces are raiding Grakkus the Hutt's arena and Luke's allies are on the way.  There's so much going on all at once, it's tough to type up a review.  Kudos to Jason Aaron for crafting such an awesome tale.  Twelve issues in and the action has been incredible.

I apparently don't know too much about how EMPs impact the Star Wars universe.  I guess the electronics target blasters, communicators and shock collars.  Light sabers and droids are fine, so that works out well for our heroes.  It was also kind of fun seeing Chewbacca and Princess Leia weilding the light sabers as well.

I like the direction of the Gamemaster.  He is more than just a trainer and it looks like we will see plenty more of him.  He looks a bit like a professional wrestler with an Assassins Creed gimmick but it still seems to work.

I absolutely love this series.  Never a dull moment and Jason Aaron is using dialogue that makes you feel like you actually hear the characters' voices.  That, coupled with Stuart Immonen's amazing artwork, has made this a monthly must-buy.

What are your thoughts on the Star Wars comic books?  What other comic books would you like the crew at Maskerpiece Theatre review?  Please let us know in comments below.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) A Masked Blogster Movie Review

Luke Skywalker is missing and the First Order is looking to take over the galaxy in a way that the evil Galactic Empire never could.  The Resistance know they need Luke Skywalker to bring balance to the force as the Dark Side is clearly on the side of the First Order.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the seventh episode in the Star Wars cinematic saga.  Television, comic books, novels and more have attempted to continue the story of the tale but we, as an audience, are finally treated with a film.  JJ Abrams brings the fans of Star Wars the movie they deserve.

Action.  Good luck catching your breath during The Force Awakens as there is plenty of aerial combat, light saber battles, blasters and even a bit of fisticuffs.

New characters.  Our new bad guy is Kylo Ren(Adam Driver) and he wants to be every bit as bad as Darth Vader and the voice is awesome.  Domhall Gleeson and Andy Sirkis are added to the baddies as General Hux and Supreme Leader Snoke respectively.  Finn(John Boyega) is a Storm Trooper who is having a bit of an identity crisis and is a great addition.  Poe Dameron(Oscar Isaac) is the likable hot shot pilot.  Rey is played by Daisy Ridley who absolutely shines in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Rey and the newest droid, BB-8, are the true stars of this movie and truly make everything go.

Old Characters.  Han Solo(Harrison Ford), Leia(Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca(Peter Mayhew), C-3P0(Anthony Daniels) and Luke Skywalker(Mark Hamill) all make a return to the franchise.  All are back for a reason and that makes this movie even better.

The Look.  The Force Awakens did not feel like everything was computer generated imagery.  Even if it was, it didn't have that "clean" feel that Episodes I, II and III did.  Tie Fighters and X-Wing Fighters actually looked dirty.  BB-8 was actually built.  I also enjoyed the sets immensely.  The inside of the First Order's base had a look reminiscent of the Death Star.  Not a bunch of floating Senate seats but big walls with lights and designs that mimicked episodes IV, V and VI.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is going to be the first film that I have reviewed for Cinema Head Cheese, and Maskerpiece Theatre for that matter, to receive the five out of five Pile Drivers.  I liked it so much, I may need to throw in some other wrestling finishing moves.  It's a great movie and highly recommended.  The theater experience makes it even better as you hear the cheers, oohs and ahhs.

Go see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and use Movie Pass.  You can also see any other movie in the theater at one low monthly cost.

What did you think of Episode VII?  Leave your comments below.

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Comic Book Review: Star Wars #11 - Marvel Comics (2015)

Written by Jason Aaron

Art by Stuart Immonen

Luke Skywalker is forced to fight in a Gladiator-style event by Grakkus the Hutt on the moon Nar Shadaa, Leia and Han are in a ship with Han's "wife" on the way to attempt a rescue of Skywalker, C3-PO and Chewbacca are on the moon looking to get into the arena where Luke is about to fight for his life.

Did you get all that?  There is a ton of action in this comic book and it is non-stop!  Star Wars and Darth Vader are my clear favorites when it comes to Marvel Comics.  Taking place between episodes IV and V, we are seeing what our favorite rebels are up to and what kind of trouble they find.  

Chewbacca and C3-PO are still together and I really like that dynamic.  I truly enjoy that we have no subtitles for Chewie and everything is based on how others respond to him.  Han and Leia's relationship is being put to the test and it's been awesome to read their lines.

I'm a huge fan of Jason Aaron's writing and I'm excited every time I get to pick up a book from this series.  Stuart Immonen has been wonderful for this series, having to draw many different settings and lots of action with magnificent facial expressions.

You can read the first few issues on the Marvel Unlimited app, but you'll have to get the past six months at your local comic shop or online.  This is an extraordinary series and a great way to quell your Star Wars appetite as you wait for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters later in December.

You can read more of my blogs here on Maskerpiece Theatre and also on http://cinemaheadcheese.blogspot.com/

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Drawn Out: Introduction to the New Artwork Blogs

A question was posed by Handsome J. on the Maskerpiece Theatre Fan Page on Facebook about what everyone would like to see from our blogs.  We were met with some great suggestions including more artwork.  As a group we should have figured that to be the case as the original comic book, "Twisted Magic," is one of our most popular postings.  

With all this being typed, I plan to post more of my drawings on here. 

I had never drawn Chewbacca(at least to memory I hadn't), and a really good friend commissioned me to draw the Wookie for her Star Wars loving sister.  I decided to do a practice run digitally using my Wacom tablet and Manga Studio 5 software. This was my first attempt.  Chewie has become much improved the works that followed this one.  They were not done digitally and have yet to be scanned.  

I was doing a lot of drawing for a series I am working on but at the end of the day I wanted to draw something fun.  Rancid is my favorite band and I wanted to draw someone enjoying the music.  The skulls were added because the lead singer Tim Armstrong  includes skulls in much of his amazing artwork.  This picture and the next one were also drawn with a Wacom tablet and using Manga Studio 5 as the software.

Kevin Moyers and I are working on a comic book series called Blasto the Clown.  We have a post of the first book here in the Maskerpiece Theatre blogs and also on YouTube, complete with voices and sound effects.  I sketched this one before work one day.  There is a bit of a tease of a future character sneaking his tentacle over the bathroom stall. 

You can read more of my blogs here on Maskerpiece Theatre and also on http://cinemaheadcheese.blogspot.com/

Please let us know your thoughts and or artwork suggestions in the comments below.

Comic Book Review - Star Wars #10 - Marvel Comics

Written by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Stuart Immonen

Luke Skywalker has been captured by a Hutt gangster and is now being forced into combat for entertainment.  Chewbacca and C-3PO are on the hunt for Luke.  Han Solo and Princess Leia are fleeing the Galactic Empire with the assistance of Han's "wife" Sana.

There is a lot going on in this book but by the end it all looks to be coming together nicely.  The Han Solo, Princess Leia and Sana verbal exchanges are well done but the stars of this comic book are Chewbacca and C-3PO.  Who would have thought that these two would make such a fantastically entertaining team?  Threepio doing the talking and Chewie doing the roaring and pummeling.

Luke may be finding some of his Jedi answers soon, but he's got a serious battle ahead of him.  Han and Leia are on the way to the moon where Luke has been captured but it's going to cost them as Leia makes an unsavory deal with Sana.

This book was going really well until the final page.  A Gungan is giving information to one of the characters.  It kind of looked like a pirate Jar Jar Binks.  I'm really glad it was on the last page as it left me feeling underwhelmed.  The speech in the balloons was very Jar Jar-like.  I hope this isn'y a recurring character.

Comic Book Review - Chewbacca #1 - Marvel Comics

Written by: Gerry Duggan

Art by: Phil Noto

Chewbacca is stranded on a planet, needing a part for his ship.  While he is out "earning" the money for the part, he meets Zarro, an escapee from a nearby prison labor camp who needs help rescuing her father and others.

I have to admit, I was a little hesitant picking up this first issue.  I was fearing we would see Chewbacca thought balloons because how else are we to know what's going on?  Luckily Gerry Duggan knows how to write a Chewbacca book and this issue is basically through Zarro's world view.

Zarro and her father were imprisoned due to Dad's debts.  They have been told they will work off the debt but nobody really feels they are truly getting out of there.  So with dear old Dad's help, Zarro escapes and steals the closest speeder she can find and heads to town.  Everyone in town recognizes the speeder as coming from Jaum's prison camp and apparently, nobody messes with Jaum.

Now here's where Zarro meets Chewbacca.  She follows him back to his ship and spends time coaxing him into helping her rescue her father and her friends.  The Wookie roars totally work with the story as they're sized just right to convey what Chewie is thinking.  Unlike other characters in the Star Wars universe, Zarro has no idea what Chewbacca is saying so she is reading his body language, just like the reader.  

This is a fun book and worth checking out if you liked Chewbacca in the Star Wars films.  If not(yeah, I hear there's people who haven't seen the films, weird) you should watch the movies first to get a sense of Chewbacca the character.

Comic Book Review: Star Wars #9 - Marvel Comic

Written by: Jason Aaron

Art by: Stuart Immonen

Luke Skywalker is looking for clues about the Jedi and has a run in with some of the biggest gangsters in the universe.  Han Solo and Princess Leia are in a fight for their lives with the unlikely companionship of Han's "wife."  Someone needs to save Luke but who will step up and do so?

For those of you out there that loved the original Star Wars movies, this comic book series takes place between episode IV and V (A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back).  The verbal exchange between characters, especially Han Solo's scenes, feel like you can actually hear their voices.  This holds true in issue #9.  This book is suspenseful and fun which is how a Star Wars comic should be.

The mystery behind Han Solo's wife is still there as nothing can be explained while Imperials are hot on the tail of Leia and Han.  There is a great panel where Leia and Han's wife have a good back and forth and when Han attempts to interject, the ladies each answer him at the same time with a "No!"  This was incredibly well done as I can totally see that play out on the big screen.

Luke is in serious trouble in this issue and may require some assistance.  The reveal at the end will make you ready for issue #10.