Review- STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI- THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES VOL. 3

STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI- THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES VOL. 3 (Abrams Comicarts, Second Printing, 2016; Hardcover)

Collects the red and blue sets of The Topps Star Wars Return Of The Jedi trading cards and stickers. 

I remember asking for the owner of the corner store to save me an empty box and he did. This was back in a time when a kid could wander around his neighborhood unsupervised. 

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. These Topps trading cards were one of the few ways to relive these movies in the days before home video and in a time when many homes (like mine) did not have cable television. I have gone over all of this in my reviews for the first two volumes in this line, so I'll skip the rest of that spiel and get to the meat of it. This series of books is a blast of nostalgia for those of us who were around to buy these cards at the time.

I managed to cobble together both sets of cards in 1983. I was surprised back then that there was only two sets while Empire had three, but it was a relief in a way since I started “officially” collecting comic books in January of 1983 and couldn't afford to split my money in two directions. Jedi was the last series of cards that I sought to complete. While I would buy packs of, say, Garbage Pail Kids and a few others afterward, I was never compelled to buy them all.

There's not much else to say. These are high resolution scans of the original cards, with the front on one page and the back side on the next page. Flipping through the book is similar to looking at a deck of the trading cards. If you love Star Wars, love trading cards, or are a younger fan who wants a chance to check out merchandise which was released at the time of the original trilogy then these books are a fun, relatively inexpensive way to relive the fun of buying these cards in 1983.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials of physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

This book is a small, chunky book clocking in at 528 pages. The cards and stickers are presented in their original size.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding. The binding is very tight, requiring two hands to keep it open at all times. This is the result of the book block being glued square to the casing.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: The dustjacket has a waxpaper feel to it, similar in spirit to the wrappers of the original cards. The image on the front of the paper casewrap is the stick of gum found in every pack of cards. The back cover of the hardback shows the stick of gum broken. The casewrap has a matte coating.

Review- STAR WARS- THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES VOLUME 1

STAR WARS- THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES VOLUME 1 (Abrams Comicarts, Third Printing, 2015; Hardcover)

Trading cards were very important to kids in prehistoric world of no cable television or home video. Kids like me, who was 4-5 years old when these cards were released. These Topps cards were the only game in town to remember and relive the Star Wars movies in the comfort of your own home. I didn't see the first movie until late spring 1978, so the cards and comics were how I first learned about this movie, building my anticipation to a fever pitch...and I was not disappointed when I finally saw the movie.

One of my favorites from the blue set when I was a kid.

Even many months after it's release the movie was a big deal. I remember my mom taking us to see it at the show and standing in a line that wrapped around the block of the two-screen movie house. No multiple screens or showings back then. We got in line for a one o'clock show and finally got up to the window for the 3:30 showing. I have never seen anything like that for a movie since then.

I stuck this sticker on the door to the upstairs of my mom's house. She never said a word about it, nor did she ever remove it. It was there until I moved out of her house.

It is impossible to overstate how huge of an event that this movie was to those who were too young to experience it. It was a cultural atom bomb on par with Elvis' swiveling hips and The Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show. Star Wars, Kiss, and Queen...1977-78 were the zenith of Western Civilization, a cultural golden age that we'll likely never see again.

I really enjoyed this picture as a kid. I'm not sure why.

I had several packs of the blue set as a kid, while the red set was not sold on my end of town. I was unaware of their existence until 1984, and my mind was blown when I discovered this “lost” set. I had several packs of the yellow set, maybe two of the green, and only one pack of the orange set as a kid. My family was poor and my mom would occasionally buy me a pack of cards here and there. I treasured them, spending countless hours flipping through them and learning how to read partially by memorizing the back of the cards.

The Wonder Bread cards were awesome.

It was a blast to go through and relive the excitement of collecting these cards. The cards are all scanned, front and back. In 1987 I was able to get complete sets for under $10 each. Sealed wax packs of the Topps cards were $1 each. I opened them and tried a stick of the then-10 year old gum. It crumbled to dust when it hit my tongue.

The Wonder Bread cards are included, which is a great bonus. I remember my brother taking every loaf of Wonder Bread off of the shelf looking for the missing cards to complete his set. I had most if not all of them back then.

These are the four bonus cards, seen here laying on the dustjacket.

There are four bonus cards included for reasons I cannot ascertain. In an age of nearly limitless hard drive storage and images being a right click away it may sound silly to young people to pay for pieces of cardboard with an image printed on them. But these cards were and are a treasure. My son collects card games like Magic and Pokemon, so trading cards aren't dead, they have just changed into games that kids trade. The days of Topps issuing mass market pop culture cards found in every convenience and drugstore in the country might be gone, but their place as an indispensable part of the original Star Wars experience and popular culture as a whole is secure.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is a small, chunky book.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding. The binding is very tight, requiring two hands to keep it open at all times. This is the result of the book block being glued square to the casing. On the plus side, there is no way that this book will ever fall apart. The denizens of 2148 will delight in this book, as it will surely outlast me.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: The dustjacket has a waxpaper feel to it, similar to the wrappers of the original cards. The image on the front of the paper casewrap is the stick of gum found in every pack of cards. The back cover of the hardback shows the stick of gum broken. The casewrap has a matte coating.

Review- STAR WARS VOL. 2: SHOWDOWN ON THE SMUGGLER'S MOON

STAR WARS VOL. 2: SHOWDOWN ON THE SMUGGLER'S MOON (Marvel, First Printing, 2016; Softcover)

Collects Star Wars #7-12 (cover dates September, 2015- January, 2016)

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artists: Simone Bianchi (#7) and Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger (#8-12)

Colorist: Justin Ponsor

Checking out books from the library has taught me something. I no longer feel like I need to own so many comic books, as most of them are worth one read only.

Loads of S P O I L E R S from here on out.

#7 is a filler issue about a passage in the journal that Obi-Wan Kenobi left for Luke to find. It has mediocre artwork by Simone Bianchi and I would have been pissed if I paid $4 to read it when it came out. Things pick up right where left off last time with #8, with Luke Skywalker on a quest to locate information about the Jedi. His journey takes him to Nar Shadaa, the Smuggler's Moon. It's like Mos Eisley on steroids. Luke hopes to find someone to take him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, only to be captured and turned over to Grakkus The Hutt.

Grakkus is a collector of Jedi artifacts, and wants to add Luke to his collection. He has Luke use the Force to open his collection of Jedi Holocrons. Every secret of the Jedi Order is contained in them, but only those strong in the Force can open them. Luke learns that the Jedi Temple is the Imperial Palace now, and that Grakkus owns every relic that was left in the temple.

Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa are taken prisoner by Sana Starros, a woman claiming to be Han's wife. Sana has plans to turn Princess Leia over the Empire and collect the bounty on her head. It turns out that Han and her planned a scam by using their “wedding” as a cover, only for Han to steal her half and make a run for it, so Sana wants vindication. Things go predictably, with her ending up helping Han and Leia escape the very Imperials that she summoned while answering R2-D2's distress call from Nar Shadaa.

Chewbacca and C3-P0 also answer the call to Nar Shadaa, resulting in the whole band getting back together to free Luke from Grakkus' arena, where he wants to show the last Jedi getting killed. Before that, Dengar discovers Chewbacca arriving, and wants to capture him to lure Han Solo so that he can collect Jabba's bounty on him. Chewbacca and Dengar battle as Solo swoops in and saves the day. Things look bad for Luke as he battles a beast in the arena, but Grakkus' Gamemaster, who sparred with Luke and showed him some tricks with Grakkus' collection of Lightsabers, double crosses Grakkus. It turns out that the Gamemaster was really an Imperial agent named Sergeant Kreel who was sent to watch Grakkus, and Luke falling into his lap forced him to blow his cover.

Kreel reports his finding to Darth Vader, who is aware that Luke Skywalker is his son and is strong with the Force. This ties into the events in Vader's own title, where he is trying to find Luke before the Emperor does.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit, although I remain unimpressed by Stuart Immonen's artwork. It's not bad, but there is something about it that underwhelms me. I can't quite put my finger on it. In any case, a solid read that makes me want to see what happens next...for free, if and when my local library gets in Vol. 3.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I find library copies to be fascinating studies of durability in the workmanship and materials of these collected editions.

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- STAR WARS: DARTH VADER VOL. 2: SHADOWS AND SECRETS

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER VOL. 2: SHADOWS AND SECRETS (Marvel, First Printing, 2016; Softcover)

Collects Darth Vader #7-12 (cover dates September, 2015- January, 2016)

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Artist: Salvadar Larroca

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

This is a very well done series. Everything is slick and top notch, from the writing to the artwork to the coloring. Aphra has come into her own as a fully formed character. In the first arc she felt stiff and wooden, little more than a plot device. Here she develops a personality and a purpose.

There are a ton of cool things going on here. Lots of bounty hunter action, with plenty of Bossks and IG-88s to spice things up. Triple-Zero (or 000), the sadistic protocol droid, continues to amuse me.

The Emperor obviously suspects Vader's betrayal, and assigns Inspector Thanoth to assist Lord Vader in finding the stolen Son Tuul Pride treasures. Vader engineered the heist to fund his search for Skywalker. It becomes a game of cat and mouse, with Thanoth implying Vader's guilt while trying to convey a sense of cooperation in working with him to root out the enemies of the Empire.

There is still no resolution to the first arc, as we have a sprawling 12 issues and counting storyline. I am okay with that, as this series works. I checked this book out at my local library but it is worth paying for.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I find library copies to be fascinating studies of durability in the workmanship and materials of these collected editions.

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- STAR WARS: CHEWBACCA

STAR WARS: CHEWBACCA (Marvel, First Printing, 2016; Softcover)

Collects Chewbacca #1-5 (cover dates December, 2015- February, 2016)

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Phil Noto

Colorist: VC's Joe Caramagna

My son and I checked this out of the library but he lost interest after the second issue. We also checked out the new Princess Leia series and he had a similar reaction to it. Princess Leia was unreadable, but I managed to solider on and finish this one.

Like the rest of these Marvel Star Wars comic books, this takes place immediately after Star Wars (or Episode IV: A New Hope for you 1981-on new jack types). Chewbacca is flying a ship and crash lands on a planet where he encounters Zarro, a feisty young girl whose father has been enslaved in a mine by a crook named Jaum who is trying to make a deal with the Empire. Long story short, Chewbacca helps Zarro free her father and the rest of their villagers while simultaneously thwarting the Empire.

Reading a series where the star speaks in unintelligible grunts and growls is interesting to say the least. It requires the rest of the characters featured in the story to carry the dialogue. Things move along at a slow pace, and the action is never explosive. This is a quieter tale, and I can see why my 9 year old son became bored with it. It's not without its charms, however, as the artwork and coloring are both top notch. You could certainly do worse than this book. I'm glad that I read it for free, as it is something that is not worth owning in my opinion.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I find library copies to be fascinating studies of durability in the workmanship and materials of these collected editions.

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- STAR WARS- THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES VOLUME 2: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

STAR WARS- THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES VOLUME 2: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Abrams Comicarts, First Printing, 2016; Hardcover)

Trading cards were very important to the kids of 1980. In the land of no cable television or home video (most people did not own VCRs at the time), these Topps cards were the only game in town to remember and relive the Star Wars movies in the comfort of your own home. I bought as many of them as I could afford, scraping together quarters and empty pop bottles. My brother and I would trade our doubles, eventually completing all three sets.

It was a blast to go through and relive the excitement of collecting these cards, memorizing the facts on the backs of the cards and doing the puzzles from the backs of the stickers. I remember using the alphabet stickers on school folders, and my brother putting S W A M P on our bedroom door. He was a big M.A.S.H. fan and called our room the Swamp after that show.

The cards are all scanned, front and back. Some are presented slightly larger than the original cards, while some are slightly smaller due to the front and back being on the same page. I enjoyed the commentary about the first series, which was planned before the movie was released.

This book is a real trip down memory lane. I still need to get the book for the cards from the first movie, Star Wars (suck it, you 1981 rerelease A New Hope revisionists!) and am looking forward to the Return Of The Jedi book.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is a small, chunky book.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding. The binding is very tight, requiring two hands to keep it open at all times. This is the result of the book block being glued square to the casing. On the plus side, there is no way that this book will ever fall apart. The denizens of 2148 will delight in this book.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: The dustjacket has a waxpaper feel to it, similar to the wrappers of the original cards. The image on the front of the paper casewrap is the stick of gum found in every pack of cards. The back cover of the hardback shows the stick of gum broken. The casewrap has a matte coating which gets scuffed fairly easily. 

Review- STAR WARS VOL. 1: SKYWALKER STRIKES

STAR WARS VOL. 1: SKYWALKER STRIKES (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Star Wars #1-6 (cover dates January- June, 2015)

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: John Cassady

Colorist: Laura Martin

Dark Horse had the Star Wars license ever since Marvel and Lucas parted company in the 1980s, building into an entire line of comics. I haven't read any of the original Dark Horse material but I do know that it is well regarded by the fans.

Marvel has taken a somewhat different approach, treating Star Wars as a universe of comics unfolding across all titles at once. There are events in this title that also occurred simultaneously with the new Darth Vader title and vice versa. And it works. It really, truly works.

There is some considerable talent on this book. Writer Jason Aaron gets it. John Cassady is a master, with a cinematic style of comic book art that fits a comic book based on the cinema like a glove. Laura Martin provides solid, tasteful coloring that compliments but never overpowers the art. That is the real trick with modern colorists. They have a million colors to choose from, and the results are often a garish S-P-L-A-T right across the art. Not so here.

The story takes place between Episodes IV and V, stretching known movie continuity to its limit with the lightsaber battle between Luke and Vader. Nothing flies in the face of anything, so including all of this stuff from earlier and later films works. Luke returning to Tattooine stretches it, though, as we are led to believe in Return Of The Jedi that he never thought that he would be back there.

There are lots of crowd pleasing stunts here, like pitting Boba Fett against an inexperienced Luke Skywalker. I thoroughly enjoyed the bargaining between Darth Vader and Jabba The Hut, as did my son, who checked this book out of our local library and asked to read it with me.

My 9 year old son's take: It was really good. He liked the fact that they used Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. He felt that there was suspense through the whole thing, like that one bounty hunter that they don't tell you who he is. It bothers me that they don't tell me who he is. He also said that he liked that there was minimum swearing.

As a lifelong Star Wars fan there is nothing more that I could possibly ask for out of a Star Wars comic. My son was equally impressed with it. I am pleased with everything that Disney has done since acquiring Lucasfilm. The future is bright. Star Wars lives!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone

Paper stock: Good weight coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- STAR WARS- DARTH VADER VOL. 1: VADER

STAR WARS- DARTH VADER VOL. 1: VADER (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Darth Vader #1-6 (cover dates April- August, 2015)

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Artist: Salvador Larocca

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

My 9 year old son checked this out of the library and asked me to read it with him. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. This takes places between Episodes IV and V and deals with Darth Vader being taken to task by The Emperor for his failure with the destruction of the Death Star. Lots of Easter eggs, such as Vader hiring Boba Fett to track down Luke Skywalker, etc. The Emperor ends up making Vader seem too human. It was really strange to have Darth Vader be the “hero” of the story, with readers being forced to sympathize with him. I normally dislike it when the villain is humanized, as sympathy for the bad guy is something that I do not like. I prefer straight up good versus bad guy, white hats versus black hats stuff. Real life is not so black and white though, so I have come to terms with moral ambiguity and things being various shades of gray instead. To quote the kids, it is what it is.

I liked how events from the prequels were brought in and inserted into the original trilogy. I really enjoyed Triple Zero (0-0-0), a sadistic protocol droid. I found his behavior hilarious when compared to C-3P0's benign nature. Aphra was annoying in a way, but she worked as far as furthering the plot. I found her dialogue to be mostly unlikable, as the character herself was fine.

My son's take: It was good. I liked the fact that it was centered around Darth Vader. How Darth Vader framed someone. He liked the writing and artwork. We both enjoyed reading it together.

Kieron Gillen's writing is solid. He has a solid grasp on the Star Wars universe. Salvador Larocca's artwork is great, as it always has been. This is solid stuff that would please any Star Wars fan, old or new.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone-

Paper stock: Good weight glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover. 

The Disneyfication of Star Wars

My family and I went on vacation to Disneyworld in Orlando, FL in June. When I dumped all of our pictures on my computer, I meant to post these here on my blog. I'm certain that the hardcore Star Wars toy collectors and fans are well aware of these, but for us “average” Star Wars fans these should be an eye opener.

My son got to do the Jedi Training Academy.

There were tons of Star Wars related things at Disney Hollywood Studios. I'll try not to bore you with all of them. Here is my son and daughter on Speeder Bikes.

My son loves Indiana Jones ever since he caught a snippet of the second movie on cable. They had an Indiana Jones stunt spectacular thing that we all enjoyed. They also had this exclusive 5 pack of action figures which my son begged me for but I told him no. When he was in the restroom I bought it and stuffed it in my backpack. He'll get it for his birthday soon.

We also did Universal Studios and the Universal Islands of Adventure. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror gift shop had these sweet action figures that I wanted but didn't buy because I buy too many comic books.

They think they're Batman. Wrong universe, hatchlings mine.

There was a Toonville thing there, and I saw this Prince Valiant image on the pillar and was so geeked. I am currently reading Volume 1 of the Fantagraphics series of hardcovers and am loving it. I would have totally bought a T-shirt but there wasn't a scrap of Prince Valiant merchandise to be found in the shop. I voiced my displeasure at this development to the employee who looked at me like I was a nut. “Who is Prince Valiant?” 

All of the parks are Coca-Cola exclusive. I was twitching and scratching my arms for a Diet Mountain Dew fix. I finally got a bottle at the airport. Their bottles look way different than our 20 oz. bottles do here in Michigan.