Star Wars
We've reached the first film in the prequel trilogy, "The Phantom Menace." We will talk about the novelization which, spoiler alert, is far superior to the actual film. Then we will explore the time between Episode 1 and 2, with stories featuring Obi-Wan and Anakin and Padmé Amidala.
"Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" by Terry Brooks
A blockade by the Trade Federation of the small planet of Naboo is the spark that ignites one of the most enduring sci-fi sagas of all-time. Supreme Chancellor Valorum dispatches Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Naboo to try to discreetly end the blockade diplomatically while things are bogged down in the Senate. Suffice to say, things go south quickly, and soon Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are leading a rag tag group including the young Queen Amidala, an annoying Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, the Queen's headstrong handmaiden, Padmé and a resourceful astromech droid, R2-D2, to the miserable planet Tatooine. There, a seemingly chance encounter with a young slave named Anakin Skywalker, will change the destiny of the galaxy forever.
I think a lot of us can agree that Episode I isn't a great movie. I totally get if people enjoy it. I enjoy it. It was the first "Star Wars" movie I saw in the theaters, not counting the special editions of the original trilogy. I watch it semi-regularly and it is probably my favorite of the prequels. Yeah, I said it. But objectively it's not a great movie. Say what you want about George Lucas (and I have), but when it came to adapting the prequels, he and the group at the books division of Lucasfilm made a great decision by hiring Terry Brooks to pen the adaptation of "The Phantom Menace."
Terry Brooks is famous for penning the Shannara Saga and having him handle this adaptation is the textbook definition of a get. Brooks is able to take Lucas' hodgepodge of a screenplay and makes it something really compelling. Now, don't get me wrong. Even Brooks can't make Jar Jar Binks not annoying. He's not a miracle worker. But he does his best. One of the things that Brooks does is flesh out the character of Anakin Skywalker. The novel begins with the pod race that is mentioned in the film. The one that Anakin loses due to Sebulba's cheating. There is also an interlude with Anakin, See Threepio and an injured Tusken Raider that really highlights Anakin's potential and the person he could have been. It really amps up the tragedy that is to come in Episode II.
My favorite sequences in "The Phantom Menace" are the pod race and the fight between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. A lot of times actions sequences don't really compare in books to how they are portrayed on screen, but Brooks does a phenomenal job of making you feel the tension, the stakes, the nerves. It's all palpable. Brooks even makes Lucas' dialogue palatable and that is not an easy feat.
I would highly recommend picking up this novelization. It doesn't matter if you're a fan of the film or hate it. I feel like after reading this it will raise your appreciation of the film ore give you one.
Grade: B+
"Obi-Wan & Anakin" by Charles Soule & Marco Checcheto
This five issue graphic novel collects an early adventure of famed Jedi duo, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. When the Jedi Council receives a distress call coming from the planet Carnelion IV, they dispatch Obi-Wan and Anakin to investigate. It's not a great time for the fledgling duo since Anakin has recently told Obi-Wan that he plans to quit the order once they complete this mission. Not only do the fledgling pair have to deal with rival factions on Carnelion IV and the sender of the signal, Obi-Wan has to decide if he should allow Anakin to leave or convince him to stay. While unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, his Padawan is being influenced by an outside force.
Much like "Master & Apprentice," this graphic novel explores a time that really hasn't been touched on a lot. Thanks to "The Clone Wars" we have a sense of how Obi-Wan and Anakin related to each other as equals, but aside from what we see in "Attack of the Clones," we don't know a ton about the early days of their partnership. We get a glimpse into it here and it's a lot of what we expect. Anakin is brash and cocky in his training in the Temple. Obi-Wan is frustrated because this is not necessarily the Padawan he would have chosen for himself. He feels an overwhelming obligation to the deceased Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin feels that resentment which feeds into his bad behavior.
You are going to find reading these posts that I fucking love Charles Soule. He does a lot of work for Marvel and does a lot of work for the "Star Wars" line specifically and I think he's brilliant. His character work is top notch and he immediately nails the voices of Obi-Wan and Anakin. The interactions between them are worth the price of this book alone. One thing I wasn't expecting was more of the fleshing out of Anakin and Palpatine's relationship in these early years of Anakin's training. Palpatine and Anakin going in disguise to the seedier parts of Coruscant so Palpatine could "expose Anakin to the corruption within the Senate" was really well done. I wanted more of these scenes and I'm hoping that this will be explored more in the new EU.
The artist for this book is Marco Checcheto and he is bomb. He has penciled a lot of the new Marvel Star Wars stuff and it's easy to see why. His line work is clean. His expressions are so good. He definitely uses the actors as reference points but makes them his own which is great. Sometimes artists can get too bogged down in trying to get these characters to look like their actor counterparts and the art suffers. Checcheto doesn't really fall into that trap since he's drawing Obi-Wan and Anakin at times that aren't really shown in the movies.
If there is one flaw in this book, it's the main conflict that brings Anakin and Obi-Wan to Carnelion IV. It's semi-predictable and no one on either side of the conflict is enough to really draw you in. It's not super compelling. The sender of the distress signal is probably the most interesting new character but we don't spend enough time with them. All in all though, this is definitely worth a read, especially if you're already and Anakin & Obi-Wan fan.
Grade: B
"Queen's Shadow" by E.K. Johnston
With this novel, one of the most overlooked characters of the prequel trilogy finally gets her due. Of course we are talking about Padmé Naberrie Amidala. Just as her second term as Queen of Naboo is ending, Padmé is called upon to continue serving her planet, not as queen but as the newest Senator from Naboo. She immediately accepts, putting her plans, not on hold, but in the capable hands of one of her trusted handmaidens, Sabé. Once on Coruscant, Padmé quickly learns she needs to adapt or she'll be discredited or worse. Along with her new team of handmaidens, Padmé works to create new allies... and new enemies.
Queen Amidala became my favorite prequel character before I saw the movie, read the book, really knew anything about her. I mean, look at that fierce bitch on the cover of "The Phantom Menace." How could a 16 year old gay boy not immediately stan? Sadly, Padmé wasn't treated the best in the movies, to say the least. I was happy to see her get some respect in "The Clone Wars" and was overjoyed when I found out she was getting her own book that focused on her. This is very much Padmé's story and in it she is more than just Anakin's wife or the mother of Luke and Leia. That is super refreshing.
Johnston does a really great job of fleshing out Padmé's backstory and history. Having Amidala be a persona that she sort of steps into when she needs to was really clever and smart and makes a lot of sense. When we meet Padmé again in "Attack of the Clones," she is already a well-respected Senator leading a movement. It's nice to see her unsure of herself in the political arena, which is not something we are used to. I loved reading about her cultivating her relationships with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, making tough decisions about who to align with politically. Deciding whether she should go with her head or her heart.
Johnston gives us more time getting to know Padmé's handmaidens specifically Sabé who was disguised as Amidala for the majority of "The Phantom Menace." There is a lot of things implied about what went on during the occupation of Naboo and it's a lot more terrible than we had been led to believe up to this point. It's these small things that really help make this book so good. Padmé's interactions with Palpatine are great and there are these small things that happen, where he drops the mask and Padmé gets a glimpse of who he really is.
After I read this book, I checked out Amazon expecting to see glowing reviews, but a lot of people were complaining that there was no real conflict. I beg to differ. This book is chock full of conflict, but it's not the standard conflict for a "Star Wars" novel. There aren't huge space battles, but there is a lot of political intrigue and I for one was here for it. If you don't love that and aren't a Padmé fan this isn't the book for you. I've left a lot out because there are things that I want readers to discover on their own. So, do it. Read it. Live it. Love it.
Grade: A
The new canon continues to chug along and be pretty good. It's nice to see care put into these books. Next up we attack some clones. If you're reading or have read this new material, I'd love to hear from you. Hit up the comments and let me know what you think.
No comments:
Post a Comment