So, the first two episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars have aired on Cartoon Network (Oct. 3 9pm) and I have to say that I am one happy fanboy!

The first episode airing was the best of the two and followed Yoda and 3 clone troopers as they make their way through battalions of battle droids, commanded by the evil Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress, to reach the leader of the planet Toydaria so they can be made allies of the Republic. The action was kinetic and the characters really shine here in many ways better than they ever did in the prequel films. The second episode involved jedi Plo Koon commanding clone troopers in the quest to take down a Separatist weapon commanded by Count Dooku and General Grievous. The weapon destroys Plo’s fleet of ships and he ends up in an escape pod with some troopers as they are hunted by Grievous’s droids. Anakin and his new apprentice, Ahsoka, rush to rescue Plo and crew. This episode was very good but lacked the action that the first had. Still, Star Wars fans should find much to be geekily happy about here. And that brings me to what I have to say about certain so called Star Wars fans…

It’s always been known that mainstream critics usually dislike a Star Wars property. Now, I’ll give them some credit. The prequel films did have a lot of problems and they did not measure up to the fun of the original trilogy. But there is also a lot about them I like and I found them entertaining. This animated series basically had it’s pilot shown in theaters around the world in August as a feature film. I loved it. I thought it was better in many ways to any of the prequels. Hell, I actually liked Anakin for the first time in this flick. But, the fanboy community ripped it apart complaining that it didn’t have any depth and complained about the humor (mainly the exchanges between battle droids). All I got to say is why don’t you just sit back and enjoy a Star Wars film for what it is. It’s supposed to be entertainment, not a religious experience. And George Lucas has said time and again that this series is supposed to be for kids and the young at heart. All of you 30-ish year olds need to realize that this animated Star Wars is aimed at kids. If the adult fans like it, that’s awesome but the truth is that this is for the young and it’s just entertainment, nothing deeper than that. Yeah, it does deal with some mythological and dramatic themes but we’re not talking about the Bible or Shakespeare here. Now, it seems to be the cool thing to hate Star Wars. If you take it for what it is and still don’t like it, that’s cool. But if you are making this out for more than what it is then you really need to get a life.

Critics were definitely kinder to these two episodes that have aired on Cartoon Network but still there were a good bit of haters out there. And, of course, the fanboys put in their two cents and I guess they want the second coming on television. What I watched has me really looking forward to the coming episodes. This is an action packed show that promises to present some great characterization and finally will give the clone troopers some of the spotlight. The only flaws I can see so far is the length (30 minutes w/ commercials is pretty short) and the humor with the battle droids (which really isn’t that bad). Overall, this is good stuff!

So, if you’re not really a Star Wars fan but like wonderful animation you should check this out. The visuals alone are beautiful. If you are a Star Wars fan, quit being so anal about it, get yourself a girlfriend and enjoy the further exploration of the Star Wars universe. This show actually gives us a lot of the fun that was missing in the prequel films and enriches this particular universe.

Remember — Cartoon Network Fridays at 9pm.

May the Force be with you…

Well, Marvel Comics had such a hit with Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series they are going to see if they can do it again (and I’m sure they will) with his apocalyptic epic, The Stand.

Writer Robert Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Mike Perkins (this dude can draw!) adapt the story of a military engineered plague that wipes out most of the population and brings forth true evil in the personification of the figure on the cover above, Randall Flagg. This issue introduces us to 3 of our main characters – Stu, Frannie and Larry – and shows us how the plague starts to spread initially. Even though I know the story I still found certain imagery here to be very gripping and creepy. What makes it creepy is the reality of the plague. You know that the government could, and probably is, messing around with something like this right now and all it takes is one little mistake and we’re all screwed. If you’ve read the original novel or seen the excellent TV mini-series from the Nineties you’ll still enjoy this. If you are totally unaware, you’re in for a treat. Apocalyptic stories don’t get much better than this. Grade: A+

Dark Horse Comics: Star Wars – The Clone Wars #1

I’ll admit that I’m a Star Wars junkie. Even though the prequel trilogy pales in comparison to the original trilogy I still found joy in much of it. Yeah, Jar Jar is one of the most annoying characters of all time but I think when people look back at the films, wooden acting aside, I think that they will see that they’re not that bad. This comic is based on the upcoming animated series (as well as the film that’s still in theaters) and I dig it. I am one of the select few who actually thought the animated flick was good and in some ways better than the live action prequel flicks. The action was very kinetic, the characterization was good and for the first time I really liked Anakin. This comic takes place shortly after the events in the film which naturally places us in the ongoing Clone Wars. There’s a thin story here but plenty of action and it’s art style is similar to the animated ‘toon. Basic, fun Star Wars is what we have here and that’s just fine with this geek! Grade: A-

Marvel Comics: Secret Invasion #6 ( of 8 )

First, the cover of this issue kicks a lot of ass! I’m still not crazy about the new Captain America costume but for some reason it works here and these three look like they are ready to obliterate some Skrulls. Second, this issue has got a great scene with some whacked people all ready to believe that the Skrulls are here to make their lives better and quickly learn that the Skrulls are aggressive, scary assholes. Third, this issue has the action and the arrival of Thor is cool as hell. Writer Brian Michael Bendis gives us some moments of great dialogue here but most of the heavy lifting is handled by artist Leinil Yu. The art for the most part is fantastic but there are parts here where I felt Yu might be either overwhelmed or just burnt out on handling such an epic. There are certain panels that just felt off but for the most part the issue is gorgeous and the end pages of this are freakin’ AWESOME! Grade: B

Until next time—Peace…

Dude, this f#ckin’ rocked! What the prequels should have been.