Some Solo humor.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Del Rey’s Star Wars Sampler 2014 is out today with previews of John Jackson Miller’s A New Dawn, James Luceno’s Tarkin, Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi and Paul S. Kemp’s Lords of the Sith. You can get your free digital copy via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo and Google Play.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

StarWars.com has revealed that the first Marvel Star Wars comic. now that they’ve once again got the license, will be Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years. Reprinting Marvel Star Wars  #1-44 and Marvel Star Wars Annual #1 in a hardcover omnibus format. Marvel editor in chief Axel Alonso also hints that there will be more to come: “I am extremely proud to present these original Star Wars stories, told as only Marvel can, in the first in a massive and glorious Omnibus series.”

Writers: Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, Archie Goodwin, Jo Duffy and Chris Claremont
Pencillers: Howard Chaykin, Carmine Infantino, Walter Simonson, Herb Trimpe, Michael Golden, Al Williamson, and Mike Vosburg
Cover Artists: Howard Chaykin and Greg Hildebrandt
Details: 880 pages, $125
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9106-3
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9318-0 (Hildebrant cover only)

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Latest Databurst From the 501st covering 501st Legion event news from July 16 through 22nd. As always, be sure to mark your calendars and support your local garrisons.

July 16

• Garrison Titan will be in Stanwood, WA for the Shakespeare’s Star Wars author book signing from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.

July 17

• 70th Explorers Garrison will be in Tonganoxie, KS for the Summer Reading Program at Tonganoxie Public Library from 11:00 AM to Noon.
• Czech Garrison will be in Pardubice for GameCon from July 17 to 20th.
• Florida Garrison will be in Jacksonville, FL for Ancient City Con from July 18 to 20th.
• New England Garrison will be in Scarborough, ME for the Galaxy Event at Camp Ketcha.
• Northeast Remnant Garrison will be in Brick, NJ for Star Wars Camp at the Brick Library from 6:30 to 7:30 PM.
• Ohio Garrison will be in Grove City, OH for the Star Wars Celebration at Grove City Library from 1:30 to 3:00 PM, and in Metamora, OH for the Star Wars Summer Reading Challenge Party at Evergreen Community Library from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.
• UK Garrison will be in London for BFI Sci-Fi Days of Fear and Wonder press launch.

July 18

• Alpine Garrison will be in Murray, UT for the Cancer Relay 2014.
• Carolina Garrison will be in Greenville, SC for MonsterCon form July 18 to 20th, and in Hickory, NC for Star Wars Fan Day at Barnes & Noble from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.
• Czech Garrison will be in Prague for the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague‘s “Hollywood in Prague” concert.
• Mountain Garrison will be in Highlands Ranch, CO for the Ian Doescher book signing at the Tattered Cover from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.
• New England Garrison will be in New Bedford, MA for the Space and Robotics Camp.
• UK Garrison will be in Leicester for the Leicestershire cricket match.

July 19

• Alpine Garrison will be in Murray, UT for the Angels In the Park Celebration from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
• Austrian Garrison will be in Straßwalchen, Austria for Science Fiction Day at the Fantasiana Straßwalchen Amusement Park from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• Central Garrison will be in Bellevue, NE for the Offut AFB Air Show from July 19 to 20th, in St. Cloud, MN for SciFiCon at the St. Cloud Public Library, and in West St. Paul, MN for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Annual Summer Picnic at Fort Snelling State Park.
• Connecticut Garrison will be in Bridgeport for Sci-Fi Night with the Bridgeport Bluefish.
• Empire City Garrison will be in Long Island, NY for the Star Wars Fair at the Syosset Public Library from 2:00 to 3:00 PM.
• Garrison Carida will be in Pittsburgh, PA for Sc-Fi Family Day at the Carnegie Science Center from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, in South Charleston, WV for Star Wars Day at the South Charleston Public Library from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, in Bloomsburg, PA for May the Force Be With You Day at The Children’s Museum from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and in Wilmington, DE for Star Wars Night with the Blue Rocks.
• Garrison Excelsior will be in Troy, NY for Star Wars Night with the ValleyCats.
• Garrison Titan will be in Snohomish, WA for Kla Ha Ya Days Parade from Noon to 1:00 PM.
• German Garrison will be in Frankfurt for Convention Cosday at Nordwestzentrum from July 19 through 20th, in Hanau for the Sterntaler Children’s Festival, and in Gieselwerder for Weser lighting event.
• Great Lakes Garrison will be in Macomb Township, MI for the Miracle League of Michigan.
• Midwest Garrison will be in St. Charles, IL for the Kane County Fair, and in Chicago, IL for Star Wars Adoption Day as part of the Rachel Ray 100K Challenge.
• New England Garrison will be in Newport, ME for Star Wars Day at the Newport Cultural Center, and in Ipswich, MA for the Masonic Family Picnic.
• Northern Darkness Garrison will be in South Bend, IN for Star Wars Night with the Silverhawks.
• Ohio Garrison will be in Wapakoneta, OH at the Armstrong Air & Space Museum event from July 19 to 20th, Noon to 5:00 PM.
• Redback Garrison will be at KevKon 2014.
• UK Garrison will be in Manchester for MCM Comic Con, in Cardiff for the Tattoo & Toy Convention, in Co Durham for the Chiltern Gala Day, in Farehame for the Whiteley School Summer Fayre,  in Harlow for the Water Lane Primary School Fete, in Taunton for Village Fun Day, in Telford for the Brookside Big Local, in Plymouth for the Midnight Walk for Women, and in Aylesbury for a 60th birthday and 25th wedding anniversary party.

July 20

• Dune Sea Garrison will be in Phoenix, AZ for Star Wars Day with the Diamondbacks.
• German Garrison will be in Heilbronn for the ASB Children’s Festival.
• New England Garrison will be in Dorchester, MA for Dreamnight at the Zoo.
• UK Garrison will be in Rickmansworth for the Royal Masonic School Fete, in Gosport for Blue Light Service Day, in Matlock for Matlock Festival II, in Luton for Stockwood Discovery Centre Sci-Fi Fun Day, in Bletchley for the Jessica Sherman Foundation Summer Fair, in Guildford for Family Fun Day and in Northhampton for the Rothersthorpe Summer Fayre..

July 21

• Wisconsin Garrison will be in Little Chute, WI for Sci-Fi Adventure Night at the Little Chute Public Library.

July 22

• 70th Explorers Garrison will be in Lenexa, KS for Star Wars Day at the Sunflower Elementary.
• Empire City Garrison will be in Putnam, NY for the Star Wars Science Fair at the Putnam Library from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

Next Databurst…July 23rd.

*If you didn’t see the events listed for your garrison, send us an email at roqoodepot(at)gmail.com and let us know. We’re glad to add any we missed. For more info on the 501st Legion, be sure to check out their official website.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot. Shoot straight and troop on.

Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #3 is out today from Dark Horse Comics. Click here to check out our full review.

Darth Maul has captured Darth Sidious’s new apprentice! Mother Talzin and Maul attempt to sway Count Dooku to their cause, revealing surprising facts about Maul’s past. But an attack by an elite Jedi strike force throws everyone’s plans into chaos!

Writer: Jeremy Barlow
Artist: Juan Frigeri
Inker: Mauro Vargas
Colorist: Wes Dzioba
Cover Artist: Chris Scalf

Format: FC, 40 pages; Miniseries
Price: $3.50

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Assembly of Geeks: “Avoid Transformers & 250 Great Geek Moments” begins with a very odd discussion of the latest Transformer’s movie given that none of the hosts have seen it yet. Regardless, they discuss the reactions of critics and fans and lament the daunting runtime of the movie (a whopping 2 hours and 45 minutes). Afterwards they rundown the latest geek news including the appearance of the pilot episode of The Flash online, Pacific Rim 2, the Phineas & Ferb Star Wars episode trailer, and then dive into SFX magazine’s 250 greatest moments in sci-fi, fantasy and horror. Sadly a lot of the top ten is dominated by very recent films which seems like a poor way to form the list, but the hosts chime in with their picks and it makes for a good discussion.

Bombad Radio: Episode 155 has a bit of an intro with Jeremiah and Nick before going into an interview with actor Doug Jones. The Doug Jones interview is really good. He talks about working with Guillermo Del Toro, his roles in Hellboy, Hellboy II, Mimic, Pan’s Labyrinth, Falling Skies, Batman Returns, and Warriors of Virtue. As primarily a suit actor, he talks about how his background as a mime and listing himself as a contortionist has helped him get roles. However, the best parts are probably his impressions of Del Toro. It’s a very fun interview. Capping off the show is some more commentary from Jeremiah and Nick. Worth noting, the intro and extro audio quality isn’t the best but the interview portion is good, so you might want to skip ahead when listening.

July Free-For-All features hosts James, Jason and Kelsee with special guests Tricia Barr and Cheryk. This episode focuses heavily on the roles of women in film, diving into discussions on the Bechdel Test, evil female roles, representation of women in the toy market and the way Star Wars and Disney has been handling things. It’s a very interesting episode with a good variety of topics. Worth checking out.

Coffee with Kenobi: “A Cup of Clone Wars – The Order 66 Arc” features guest Eric Geller as they review The Order 66 arc from Season 6 of The Clone Wars. They analyze the nature of the clones and their limitations of free will, the cunning planning of Palpatine, whether the Kaminoans are evil or neutral, the impact of the Jedi twins, and the extent of Dooku’s knowledge of Sidious’ plans.

Full of Sith: Episode LXII features special guest Derek Hunter (artist for Adventure Time) and a long time friend of Bryan. They talk about Derek’s hate for the prequels, his boredom with The Dark Knight Rises, Bryan’s hate for The Matrix, and some other film thoughts. They also talk about showing Star Wars to their kids, a horrible Star Wars museum in Germany and more. It’s an interesting interview that’s light and entertaining. Surprisingly, Derek really doesn’t talk that much about working on Adventure Time.

Radio 1138: Episode 11 has a lot of random audio and covers mostly odds and ends. They have some audio from Richard LeParmentier’s memorial service, a discussion with a member of the 501st Legion, updates on Harrison Ford’s injury, a con report, audio from some pieces they did with media outlets and more. Nothing really essential so it is one that you could skip if pressed for time.

Rock Out Loud: “Hysteria!” is an awesome rundown on one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time. Steve and Kristin go through the album song-by-song, sharing Def Leppard trivia and even playing some audio of the band commenting on the songs and the album. I really enjoyed this episode and couldn’t help but feel compelled to plug the album in and listen to it. Great discussion and insight with plenty of sound clips.

Secrets of Star Wars: Episode 16 …catches up on the latest news and rumors for Star Wars Episode VII. They go over the latest on Harrison Ford’s status, touch on Rian Johnson being named as a writer and director for the rest of the sequel trilogy and his work on Looper, and they ponder the possibility of Gwendoline Christie playing a female Darth Vader. Regarding rumors, they talk about the search for Luke, Boyega and Ridley crash landing on Tatooine, Sith witches and Mandalorians, and Kevin Smith’s visit to the set. Nice episode that doesn’t run too long and covers each topic with just the right amount of attention.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 35 covers some news and rumors then segues into an interview with Mar­cus Gon­za­lez, a designer for Disney merchandize. Marcus talks about designing the special collectible popcorn buckets at the Disney theme parks, what it’s like being a concept designer for food and beverage products, and some of the drink glasses he’s come up with. It’s a pretty interesting interview. Afterwards they speak with Dan Berry who talks Star Wars Weekends, and with Matthew Clifton who is a huge Steve Blum fan. He talks about meeting Steve and the amount of voice work Steve has done. Good episode to check out.

Episode 37 kicks off with some news like Disney doing a Frozen Summer Fun Live event to compete with Universal Orlando’s Diagon Alley, and Carrie Fisher’s daughter being in Star Wars Episode VII. Then they talk with George Shaw, Jef­frey Gee Chin and Obi-Shawn Crosby about their fan film Star Wars Musical. It’s a YouTube video featuring Disney songs with Star Wars music. However they went way beyond just doing music, and the interview reveals just how much thought and effort went into bringing the idea to life. It’s an entertaining look behind the scenes. Definitely worth a listen.

Star Wars Bookworms: Episode #26 features a fantastic interview between Teresa Delgado and Star Wars author Drew Karpyshyn. Drew talks about the Darth Bane Trilogy, seeing Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and his thoughts on Mark Hamill voicing the character. He also talks about Revan, Annihilation, working on Star Wars: The Old Republic, his thoughts on Legends, and some fun general Star Wars stuff. Plus he covers his original fantasy trilogy The Chaos Born, the inspiration for the series, creating and naming the characters, and then tackles some fan question. Really great interview with excellent sound quality. A must listen to for Karpyshyn fans.

Star Wars Oxygen: Volume 8 features a lot of listener feedback but the hosts weave in some discussion of The Empire Strikes Back, play a couple more unused tracks including an AT-AT piece, and head into the Cloud City scenes. While the listener feedback does slow down their coverage of the films, it did give them a nice reason to talk a little about the Shadows of the Empire soundtrack.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

As a fan of the Dark Horse Comics omnibuses, I was a little surprised to see the price point on the newly announced Marvel Star Wars omnibus. A $125 is a big chunk of change when compared to the $25 price tags on Dark Horse’s omnibuses. Checking around on Amazon, it seems this is a normal MSRP for Marvel’s omnibus collections, though they typically get a discount that puts them at $85 to $90. That’s still pretty high in comparison to Dark Horse. So where does the extra cost come in?

Size.

According to the October 2014 solicitation for Marvel…

Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus HC (Chaykin Cover)

Written by: Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, Archie Goodwin, Jo Duffy & Chris Claremont
Penciled by: Howard Chaykin, Carmine Infantino, Walter Simonson, Herb Trimpe, Michael Golden, Al Williamson & Mike Vosburg
Covers by: Howard Chaykin & Greg Hildebrandt

As the phenomenon dawned in 1977, Marvel Comics published the very first Star Wars comic-book series. Now, the House of Ideas is re-presenting those original adventures in its wampa-sized Omnibus format! It’s the return of the Jedi to Marvel in an opening volume that begins with A New Hope and ends with The Empire Strikes Back. In between, the rebels face a wealth of new perils — from space pirate Crimson Jack to the bounty hunter Beilert Valance, as well as a surprisingly svelte Jabba the Hut (one “t”). Luke goes back to Tatooine, Leia battles alone, Han and Chewie play the deadly Big Game, and Darth Vader hunts for answers! With all your old favorites and plenty of new faces — hello, Jaxxon! — there’s no doubt, the Force is strong with this one! Collecting Star Wars (1977) #1-44 and Annual #1.

Release Date: January 7, 2015
880 PGS./Rated T …$125.00
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9106-3
Trim size: oversized
Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus HC Hildebrandt Cover (DM Only)
880 PGS./Rated T …$125
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9318-0
Trim size: oversized

Note the word “oversized”. The press release from StarWars.com also mentioned this, “is re-presenting those original adventures in its over-sized Omnibus format.” The standard size of Dark Horse Comics Star Wars omnibuses is 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches. Marvel, on the other hand, is around 11.1 x 7.5 x 1.7 inches. So the Marvel omnibus will be hardcover and will be the size of a normal comic instead of the slightly shrunk down version that Dark Horse goes with. The Marvel omnibus is also 880 pages, collecting issues #1-44, so going the Dark Horse route would require picking up A Long Time Ago…Volume 1 and A Long Time Ago…Volume 2 (which would cover issues #1-49 and Annual #1). Both of those only cost $24.99 (MSRP). Pick them up on Amazon and you can get a nice discount (about $19 each).

I noticed some discussion about recoloring, as Marvel tends to do that with their omnibuses, but no word has mentioned yet on whether Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years will receive that treatment. There’s also been some controversy with Marvel’s paper quality as of late. You can read more about that on Bleeding Cool. Basically the paper used for the pages is very thin, easily folds and creases when turning the pages, and over time, becomes wavy and warped looking. I’m not sure if this issue has been addressed and fixed or is ongoing, but it’s definitely an area of concern.

In the end, the question is up to the collector. If you’re a completist, the Marvel omnibus is a must have. If you already have the Dark Horse omnibuses, you might want to pass on this. For those who don’t have any collections of the old Marvel Star Wars comics, it comes down to cost and format. Is the larger sized hardcover worth the extra $60 to $75? Maybe, maybe not. As for me, I’ll be passing as I have the entire run of Dark Horse Comics A Long Time Ago omnibuses. I’m not a completist, and the slightly larger size isn’t enough incentive for me as a collector and comic fan.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Today we wish a very happy birthday to Star Wars artist Joe Corroney. Be sure to wish Joe a happy birthday on Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to stop by his website.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Today we wish a happy birthday to author Kathy Tyers. Be sure to wish her a happy birthday on Facebook and check out her official site, KathyTyers.com.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Nerdist takes a stab at the feud between Motti and Vader.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Today we wish a very happy birthday to voice actor James Arnold Taylor. Be sure to wish James a happy birthday on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Del Rey and Barnes & Noble have teamed up for the Get Pop-Cultured event running from July 18 to August 10th in select Barnes & Noble stores. As part of the event, there will be giveaways including the 2014 Star Wars poster and the 2014 Del Rey Spectra Sampler. Some stores will also have special guests. You can find the full list over on B&N, but we’ve included all the Star Wars guests below.

• Ian Doescher (William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return) 7/26/14 2:00 PM, 7881 Edinger Avenue Huntington Beach, CA
• Ian Doescher (William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return) 7/9/14 7:00 PM, 91 Old Country Road Carle Place, NY
• Ian Doescher (William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return) 7/13/14 2:00 PM, 401 E. Northgate Way Seattle, WA
• Jeffrey Brown (Goodnight Darth Vader) 7/19/14 2:00 PM, 55 Old Orchard Center Skokie, IL
• Zack Giallongo (Ewoks: Shadows of Endor) 7/30/14 7:00 PM, 1 Worcester Road Framingham, MA
• Daniel Wallace (The Marvel Encyclopedia) 8/2/14 3:00 PM, 3225 W 69th Street Edina, MN
• Drew Karpyshyn (The Scorched Earth) 8/19/14 7:00 PM, 10000 Research Blvd Austin, TX

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Check out the extended trailer for Star Wars Rebels which shows off a little cameo by Obi-Wan Kenobi (and that does indeed sound like James Arnold Taylor).

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

So in the latest Force For Change video, J.J. Abrams tries to get people to think of charity, but utterly fails by distracting everyone with the awesome visual of an extremely weathered starfighter that is not an X-wing. But hey, you could win a chance to be on set with that ship if you help out the charity. Anyways, check out the video and the uber cool starfighter.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Latest Databurst From the 501st covering 501st Legion event news from July 23 through 29th. As always, be sure to mark your calendars and support your local garrisons.

July 23

• Empire City Garrison will be in Center Moriches, NY for Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Summer Camp.
• UK Garrison will be in Nottingham for Ethan’s Buck List.
• Wisconsin Garrison will be in Manitowoc, WI for the Summer Reading Program at the Manitowoc Public Library.

July 24

• Alpine Garrison will be in Cedar Fort, UT for the Cedar Fort Parade from 10:30 AM to Noon.
• UK Garrison will be in Cardiff for the Tenant Family Fun Day.

July 25

• 70th Explorers Garrison will be in Quapaw, OK for the Joplin Ribbon Gala at Downstream Casino from 4:00 to 11:30 PM.
• Carolina Garrison will be in Hickory, NC for Star Wars Night with the Hickory Crawdads, and in Myrtle Beach, SC for the Nopi Nationals at Myrtle Beach Speedway from July 25 to 28.
• Central Garrison will be in Willmar, MN for Star Wars Day with the Willmar Stingers.
• Czech Garrison will be in Prague for the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague’s “Hollywood in Prague” concert.
• Garrison Carida will be in Glenshaw, PA for Star Wars Extravaganza Night at the Shaler North Hills Library from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.
• Mountain Garrison will be in Colorado Springs, CO for the PPLD Summer Reading Party from 10:00 AM to Noon.
• Spanish Garrison will be in Arrigorriaga, Spain for ADIPLAN.
• Wisconsin Garrison will be in Two Rivers, WI for the Relay for Life.

July 26

• 70th Explorers Garrison will be in St. Louis, MO for Star Wars Fan Fest at the St. Louis County Library Cliff Cave Branch from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.
• Alpine Garrison will be in Orem, UT for Cooper’s Run 2014.
• Bloodfin Garrison will be in Evansville, IN for “Me and My Sidekick Night” at the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.
• Carolina Garrison will be in Wilkesboro, NC for Wilkesboro Library Con 6 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Wilkes County Public Library.
• Central Garrison will be in St. Cloud, MN for Collectibles Weekend at Barnes & Noble.
• Empire City Garrison will be in Highland, NY for Highland Library Comic Con from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and in Belmont, NY for the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Family Picnic at Belmont Racetrack.
• Garrison Carida will be in Ephrata, PA for Star Wars Story Time at the Ephrata Public Library from 1:30 to 3:30 PM, in South Charleston, WV for Star Wars Day at the South Charleston Public Library from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, and in Clarksburg, WV for Star Wars Day at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library from 2:00 to 3:30 PM.
• Garrison Tyranus will be in Wytheville, VA for Wyvancon.
• Great Lakes Garrison will be in Dearborn, MI for Maker Faire Detroit, and in Lansing, MI for Barnes & Noble Collectible Day.
• Japanese Garrison will be in Kesennuma City for the Red Rocks Children’s Center vist for Akaiwa Children’s House Summer Festival, and in Shizuoka Prefecture at Fuji Speedway for the Bone Marrow Donor Bank Campaign from July 26 to 27th.
• Midwest Garrison will be in Peoria, IL for Kid’s Day.
• Mountain Garrison will be in Greeley, CO for Literacy Day at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
• Redback Garrison will be at the Albany Creek School Fete, in Indooroopilly, QLD for the Indooroopilly State School Fete, in Rockhampton, QLD for the Capricornia Medieval Guild, and filming the Star Wars Doco Pitch trailer.
• UK Garrison will be in Cleethorpes for the Seafront Airshow from July 26 to 27th, in London for the Batman 75th Anniversary Celebrations, in Rugby for the Acorn Charity Fundraiser, in Strood for the Get Ready Retro Comic Store opening.in Castle Donington and Cwmbran for Star Wars weddings, in Liverpool for Entertainer, in Staffordshire for Churnet Valley Railway Sci-Fi Day from July 26 to 27th, and in Cardiff for Summer Saturday Fun.

July 27

• 70th Explorers Garrison will be in Sauget, IL for Star Wars Night with the Gateway Grizzlies.
• Empire City Garrison will be in Deer Park, NY for the 5th Annual Responder Family Fun Day from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.
• Great Lakes Garrison will be in Brooklyn, MI for Brooklyn Make-A-Wish Heroes Hurrah.
• MidSouth Garrison will be in Louisville, KY for Star Wars Day with the Louisville Bats.
• Midwest Garrison will be in Sauget, IL for Slackers Star Wars Night with the Gateway Grizzlies.
• Northern Darkness Garrison will be in Wolcottvilee, for YMCA Summer Camp opening.
• Redback Garrison will be at the Worongay Muscle Care Show and will be doing the July Starlight visit.
• UK Garrison will be in Bristol for the Carlton Farm Hospice Fete, in Walsall for the Children’s Hospital Fundraiser, in Milton Keynes for the Henry Allen Trust Family Funday, and in Harlow at the Upwards with Downs charity event.

July 28

• Carolina Garrison will be in Charlotte, NC for the Star Wars fan event at Barnes & Noble (The Arboretum) from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

July 29

• Bloodfin Garrison will be in Evansville, IN for “Me and My Sidekick Night” at the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.

Next Databurst…July 30th.

*If you didn’t see the events listed for your garrison, send us an email at roqoodepot(at)gmail.com and let us know. We’re glad to add any we missed. For more info on the 501st Legion, be sure to check out their official website.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot. Shoot straight and troop on.

Dark Horse Comics has four new releases today.

Legacy #17 (of 18)

On a mission by order of the Empress, Ania Solo and a contingent of stormtroopers search for Jao Assam and Darth Wredd. Arriving once again on the rogue planet where her adventures began, Ania encounters something no one expected—an army of Sith!

Writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman
Artist: Brian Albert Thies
Colorist: Jordan Boyd
Cover Artist: Agustin Alessio

Format: FC, 32 pages; Ongoing
Price: $2.99

The Star Wars TPB

Before Star Wars, there was The Star Wars! This is the official adaptation of George Lucas’s rough-draft screenplay for what would become Star Wars—the film that changed motion pictures and the world. You’ll see familiar characters and places—but not all is the same in this long-ago and faraway galaxy. Still, strap yourself in for high adventure and lazersword duels, Jedi Knights, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and a battle to defeat the evil Empire!

* Trade paperback collects issues #1–#8 of The Star Wars.

Click here for a seven page preview.

Writer: J.W. Rinzler
Artist: Mike Mayhew
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Cover Artist: Nick Runge

Format: FC, 184 pages; TP, 6 5/8” x 10 3/16”
Price: $19.99

The Star Wars HC

* Hardcover collects issues #1–#8 and issue #0 of The Star Wars.

Format: FC, 216 pages; HC, 6 5/8” x 10 3/16”
Price: $39.99

Note that The Star Wars Deluxe HC won’t be out until August 13th.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

You can check out our review of Legacy #17 over on Jedi News!

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Jedi News.

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

501stCast: Episode 83 has some Star Wars news and rumors on Star Wars Episode VII, Phineas & Ferb, and the Lucas museum. The rest of the episode is devoted to troop reports. If you’re wanting to catch up on what the 501st Legion is up to, they’ve got you covered.

Bombad Radio: Episode 157 is a nice movie discussion show that stays spoiler free but interesting. Hosts James and Jeremiah are joined by guests Steve C. (Disney Infinity Cast, The Mousecast) and Adam D. (Drogemeister Blog, Blue Box) as they cover Godzilla, The Amazing Spiderman 2, The LEGO Movie, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Edge of Tomorrow, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. From the best movies they’ve seen this year to the worst, and what they’re looking forward to next, they cover a lot of films.

Coffee with Kenobi: Coffee Chat with Mark Dodson is a good interview, though the audio can be pretty rough. The interview is courtesy of James Howell, unfortunately all of James’ side of the conversation is really crumby sounding, however Mark’s side of the audio is excellent. Mark talks about working as a laborer for Industrial Light & Magic, being fascinated with voice actors as a kid, doing all the voices for the gremlins in the movie Gremlins, and how doing the voice of Salacious Crumb got him that part. He covers how his audition for Ackbar led to Salacious Crumb, being an extra in Howard the Duck, and talks about tips for voice over. If you don’t mind the silent gaps and static riddled questions, Mark’s side of the conversation is well worth listening to.

A Cup of Clone Wars with Tasia Valenza is a cool interview with the voice of Shaak Ti from The Clone Wars. Unlike the Dodson interview, this one is done by the hosts, Dan and Cory, and while the audio is a lot better than the Dodson interview, the pitch does change a couple times. It’s not a huge deal. Anyways, Tasia talks about her voice work, her thoughts on her characters and what happened in the show, and more.

Disney Vault Talk: The Top Ten Episode covers their top ten favorite Disney movies, both animated and live action, yet it starts with honorable mentions. That amounts to a lot of movies, including, but not limited to, TRON: Legacy, Emperor’s New Groove, Frozen, Flight of the Navigator, The Jungle Book, Volt, Aladdin, Wreck It Ralph, Tangled, Beauty and the Best, Robin Hood, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid. Lots of films, lots of Disney talk, and a few technical difficulties, but still a good show.

Fantasia Episode kicks off with a lot of listener feedback covering favorite Disney films, 2D vs 3D, Snow White’s horrible singing voice, and the beginning of an amusing gag for Swinimer. From there, they move on to news-the passing of Dick Jones (the voice of Pinocchio), a live action Dumbo movie, and casting for Frozen characters in Once Upon A Time. Then they dive into trivia for the main discussion, Fantasia. I didn’t realize Disney had a whole campaign for the movie involving specialized Fanta audio systems in the theaters. Pretty interesting. Also interesting is the fun facts, like Fantasia being a big psychedelic hit in the 60′s. The main discussion includes a song by song breakdown of each of the major sequences of the film. As someone who has actually never scene the movie, they do a good job of describing and creating interest. I’m now intrigued enough to make some time to see this one. Last but not least, they also talk about harpy nipples and topless centaurs. If that doesn’t do it for you, nothing will.

Geek Out Loud: Patreon Day Episode is hosted by Steve, Riley and Bethany as they talk some Star Wars and speak with special guests such as Marcus, Jimmy Mac and Teresa Delgado. Steve and Marcus recount some fun Celebration III stories, Jimmy Mac stops by for a quick shoutout, and Steve, Riley and Bethany delve into Star Wars, and Teresa shows up for some Star Wars and Transformers talk (spoiler free). It’s a nice, free flowing discussion with plenty of stuff for Star Wars fans.

Jedi Journals: July 2014 Episode features lots of lit news and coverage of all the upcoming Star Wars Rebels stuff and more. Jonathan Wilkins joins them for the entire show as they rundown news, recent acquisitions, and Star Wars Insider. Jonathan gives some nice insight on what will be in the next issue.

Know What I’m Saying: Revenge of the KWIS starts off with some Star Wars Weekends tales from Steve and his adventure picking blueberries at night. Karl mentions he’s back in a Batman kick which leads him to discussing his love of the Dark Knight Trilogy. Then Karl drops a bombshell about something that happened at Star Wars Celebration VI. In Steve’s words, Karl’s a manwhore. Yes, I was laughing out loud at this. Fun episode and worth checking out.

RebelForce Radio: Episode 7.4.2014 includes Anklegate updates, news on a possible flashback scene in Star Wars Episode VII for Billie Lourd (Carrie Fisher’s daughter), Andy Serkis’ production company doing special effects work for the film, and they cover a stormtrooper incident in Kansas where a blaster was mistaken for a real gun. Jimmy Mac has a report from PfieferCon, an event showing off one collector’s impressive Star Wars collection, and the show wraps up with the Billy Dee quote of the week. Good episode.

Rock Out Loud: We’ve Got You Covered dives into cover songs, but starts out with some listener feedback. I did not know Bon Jovi did a cover song of “With A Little Help From My Friends”. I’m a big fan of Joe Cocker’s version of that song, so it was pretty cool to hear a clip of Bon Jovi doing it. So cool that I had to rush home and listen to the whole thing. Other revelations in this episode included learning that Quiet Riot “Cum On Feel the Noize” is a cover song. It’s originally done by some group called Slade. Whether you like cover songs or not, this a good episode to tune in to. It’s interesting to hear all the songs and some of the stories behind them.

Star Wars Action News: Episode 428 has a long rundown on San Diego Comic Con Star Wars exclusives, so collectors heading to SDCC will want to check this episode out. For those heading to the fan breakfast, they go through all the giveaway items that will be available. Plus they run through the Star Wars panels that will be at the convention. Also in this show, Arnie reviews the Sideshow Snowtrooper Premium Format Figure.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Del Rey has revealed that author Christie Golden will be writing a Asajj Ventress/Quinlan Vos novel!

Exciting news from our panel Dave Filoni, executive producer and supervising director of Star Wars Rebels has announced Del Rey’s upcoming Star Wars novel. Starring Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos based on unaired Star Wars: The Clone Wars scripts, the book is being written by Christie Golden and is scheduled for publication in the summer of

And Bonus! Check out the exclusive art by Aaron Mcbride featuring Ventress’s new look.

Dave Filoni: “Ventress had become one of the most interesting characters…we had all this material, we had all these designs…This is based on scripts we had written with George Lucas…I’m super excited about this book.”

According to Jennifer Heddle (and the SDCC panel recap on StarWars.com), this novel will be geared more toward adults, and according to Pablo Hidalgo, will be able to dive deeper in ways the show could not.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.

Marvel has revealed three Star Wars comic series they’ll be doing at San Diego Comic Con 2014, and StarWars.com has the covers, some inside artwork, and interviews! Each will pick up after Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Check out the highlights below.

Star Wars

Ongoing series
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: John Cassaday
Starting January 2015

Jason Aaron: “It’s very much a team book and we’ve got all the main players here. Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, the droids, and Darth Vader all get big moments in this first arc, and that’s our core cast going forward. I do want to be able to use Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’ve always liked the old Ben Kenobi version of Obi-Wan, so we will see him in some capacity.

Story wise, I think our book is driven in some big way by Luke and by the pretty interesting spot we find him in at this period in the timeline. You look at the gap between Episodes IV and V and there’s quite a bit that happens off screen that we get to explore.”

Star Wars: Darth Vader

Ongoing series
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Starting February 2015

Kieron Gillen: “The high-level concept is that it picks up very shortly after the destruction of the Death Star. Vader is the sole survivor of the greatest military disaster of all time. A disaster he isn’t entirely to blame for, but at least some of the blame is his. He completely let the Rebels escape with the plans. So this kind of comes back to him.”

“Then there’s a lot of stuff that touches on the underworld. When Vader’s reaching out to people to try to get stuff done, he can’t really do it in front of the Empire. One of the things I’ve always found fascinating is the bounty hunter briefing scene in Empire. It tells you two things. One, Vader really is a micro-manager. [Laughs] And two, he knows them. He specifically says, “No disintegrations,” [to Boba Fett]. He knows enough about this dude, and these dudes, to brief them in specific ways. So we’re digging into that relationship a little bit — how Vader knows this stuff.”

Star Wars: Princess Leia

Five issue miniseries
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Terry Dodson
Starting March 2015

Mark Waid: “Basically, the nugget of the idea I seized on is — once the Death Star is defeated, once all the adrenaline dies down, once all the medals are given out and Leia gets a chance to take a half step back — the emotional impact of losing absolutely everything you know, everything about your culture, everything about your family, all in one fell swoop. That’s something we just don’t have the time to deal with in Episode IV and V. That, I find really captivating, because that’s got to be the lowest moment in her entire life and a character is really defined by how they react in the lowest moment of their life. In this case, she has to actively choose: Will I be princess of nothing, and sort of just ride along in the Rebel Alliance and subsume myself to them, or is there a responsibility that comes with the title of Princess even though there are no subjects or royal house anymore.”

“So, our story is about Leia not long after the end of Episode IV deciding, “Well, as the princess, there are still responsibilities that fall to me, like making contact with any stray Alderaanians out there who may not know what happened. It is my job as princess to deliver the bad news. It is my job to bring those who survived by being in other places, together. It is my job to help preserve some sort of cultural heritage of my people, so that everything my planet stood for and everything my people stood for doesn’t get forgotten.” So it’s a five-issue story [arc] that takes her across the galaxy in search of others of her kind to try and pull them together. Of course, some of them are going to be suspect, because they suspect this could be some sort of weird trap by the Empire. Some of them are going to be very angry, as they rightly or wrongly blame the house of Organa for what happened. Obviously, Leia will be traveling as low profile as she possibly can. If and when the Empire gets wind of the fact that Leia is doing is this, they’re going to be very interested themselves in what she’s doing, what she thinks she’s doing, and what information there is to be mined from these people.”

Be sure to check out the full interviews on StarWars.com.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.