Graphic Novel Review - Star Wars: Yoda

Name: Star Wars: Yoda 

Published by: Marvel Comics

Writers: Cavan Scott, Jody Houser & Marc Guggenheim 

Artists: Nico Leon, Luke Ross, Alessandro Miracolo & Ibraim Roberson

Colorists: Photobunker's Dono- Sánchez-Almara, Nolan Woodard, Annalisa Leoni & Neeraj Menon

Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna

I was a bit sceptical about picking up this one. Yoda is a huge brand name for the Star Wars franchise, anything with his name usually results in quick and sure sells, so I thought there might not be any worthwhile substance in this. Despite my reservations, I decided to finally check this out based on the reviews on the internet and also as part of timeline wise read-through.

There are a total of three stories here featuring different time periods throughout the long lifespan of Yoda's life, all culminating in a brilliantly executed last issue. The first story occurs on a previously unknown planet inhabited by two new species, who are at odds with each other and the author slowly explores the reality of the situation. 

The second one seemed the weakest to me despite having one of my favorite characters, Dooku. The exploration of the enmity between Trandoshan's and Wookiee's and the unreliability and maddening effect of prophesies was the main focus.

The third story occurs during the time of another of my favorite time periods 'The Clone Wars' and also featured maybe my favorite Star Wars villains General Grievous, so obviously I enjoyed it.

The art was quite gorgeous throughout, with detailed backgrounds and appropriate facial reconstructions and expressions. The action sequences were also done quite competently.

Overall score - 4.5 out of 5 stars. And I do hope other adventures from Yoda's lifespan will be explored in this format, as there is vast scope for experimentation. 

Graphic Novel Review - Hyperspace Stories: Qui-Gon

Name: Star Wars Hyperspace Stories: Qui-Gon 

Published by: Dark Horse Comics

Writer: George Mann

Artists: Andrea Mutti, Gigi Baldassini

Colorist: Vladimir Popov

Letterer: Comicraft's Tyler Smith and Jimmy Betancourt

The new line of character centric 'Hyperspace Stories' initiative truly seems like a promising initiative. It is a great scope to tell fun stories featuring these beloved characters occurring throughout the vast timespan of the franchise. And the first entry is quite enjoyable in a simplistic yet poignant way.

The story is placed sometime before 'The Phantom Menace', while also incorporating a glimpse into Qui-Gon Jinn's time as a Padawan. The characterization was spot on and the cameo by Dooku was a nice delight.

It was nice to have the story focus on the greyer side of the force rather than a straightforward concept of light vs dark. I really liked the interesting yet less known cult that was a part of the story. The interesting story did make up for the relative scarcity of action.

The art was okay, but nothing extraordinary barring a few detailed backgrounds. I would have liked if the art was a bit more eye-catching.

This gets 4 out of 5 stars from me mostly based on the interesting story.

New Book Review - Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Name - Walking to Aldebaran

Written by - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by - Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Series - Terrible Worlds: Destinations

Published by - Rebellion Publishing Ltd. / Solaris Books

Audiobook by - Tantor Media

Adrian Tchaikovsky is an author who is a pure workforce with the versatility of a computer. And his unique prose style and ability to convey so much enjoyment in a wide range of lengths and his genre versatility make reading any of his fiction a wholesome and unpredictable experience. 

'Walking to Aldebaran' is a novella-length tale of science fiction told in the first person that can also be perceived as a metaphor for dealing with the trauma of isolation or torturous ordeals. The build up is a bit slow at first, but the slow reveal of the twist was quite intriguing. And the ending was very satisfying to say the least.

The prose uses quite a lot of humor and pop-culture references to make the shock have that much more impact and after the reveals towards the end the readers realize there were various hints dispersed throughout the story all along.

As I listened to this as an audiobook, I would also like to mention the brilliant narration by the author which added quite a lot to the experience (although as English is not my first language I had a few problems with some accents).

This gets a well deserved 4 out of 5 stars from me and I'll surely delve deeper into the works by Adrian Tchaikovsky soon.

Graphic Novel Review - Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years

Name: Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years

Published by: DC comics

Writters: Various

Artists: Various 

When considered as a sampler or entry point for new readers into the world of Aquaman, this collection does a fine job. But when thinking of this as a collectable item for seasoned reader it does fall a bit short as it misses some of the classic or legendary issues.

Readers will mostly get an introductory idea about the characters and setting of the world of Aquaman and some information regarding some of the noteworthy runs featuring Arthur. Some of the art from the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age  is quite charming and beautiful. And the primers from the modern comics also pique interest regarding these storylines.

I would have loved to read or experience some of the other specific legendary issues, like silver age introduction of Thanatos or some of the other extravagant Peter David issues beside the mid blowing 'Single Wet Female'.

Overall score - 3.5 stars from me, mostly due to some unfortunate omissions.

Retro Book Review - The Rising Force

Book - The Rising Force

Writer - Dave Wolverton

Series - Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice #1

Published By - Scholastic 

'Star Wars Legends' line of fiction has always interested me a lot, so I finally decided to get into the depth within this world and started reading pre-episode-I stuff to compare it with the current canon. The overall verdict about this series featuring everyone's favorite team of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the internet was quite positive and I would in a sense agree with this based on the first book as this one quite enjoyably establishes the setting and opens up interesting momentum for future storytelling.

This one has quite a few interesting tid-bits regarding the life of a youngling in the Jedi temple, the first interactions between the featured duo, introduces us to some interesting aliens and has a rather fast-paced simplistic structure to provide a relaxing experience while reading.

In a negative aspect, the characters do seem to behave a bit unnaturally at times (this is to be expected in a middle-grade book actually), the villains are too one dimensional mostly, and the ending seemed a bit abrupt.

In the end, it creates a nice starting platform for the series and hopefully things will get even better down the line.

3.5 stars from me.