Review: new Star Wars comics

Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Allegiance by Ethan Sacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun tie-in to The Rise of Skywalker.

On a mission to secure weapons for the Resistance, Finn and Poe are entangled with the new favorite bounty hunter crew that appear all over the new Star Wars canon.

Leia, Rey, Rose, Chewie, and C-3PO secure so me ships and support from Mon Cala at the cost of betrayal and First Order presence on the amphibious planet.

Allegiance works at a tie-in by setting the stage for Episode IX and having some fun fan nods without being too essential.

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Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Villains by Tom Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The "Age of...." run has featured new scenes of some of our Star Wars loves and love-to-hates. The stories and follow-up essays therein usually work to connect the main arc of each character in the films with other pieces of Star Wars lore from new novels or other comics.

The Age of Resistance - Villains book features stories about Phasma, Hux, Smoke, and Kylo Ren. No, we don't get the Snoke origin story that we were all hoping for, bit we get to see some Snoke-Kylo training. Meanwhile Hux and Ren both continue to deal with their pasts in super unhealthy, world-destroying ways. Phasma continues to not give a damn.

Not essential Star Wars reading by any means, this book builds on First Order lore in a nice way and helps wrap up the "Age of..." series.

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Review: Doctor Aphra Vol. 6

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Vol. 6: Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon by Simon Spurrier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To play or be played?

In the sixth Doctor Aphra book, Chelli does what she does best and plays those who are out to play her. Si Spurrier delivers another satisfying end to an Aphra arc, as our titular misanthrope gets the best of the Imperial P.R. lady and further cements herself to the Empire by saving Palpy's life. 

Readers are also given more of Aphra's unsurprisingly tragic backstory. 

Looking forward to (one?) more Aphra book with Vader back in the picture. And it remains to be seen how Aphra will drastically destroy her relationship with Vulaada. 

Much thanks to Gillen and Spurrier for giving me a Star Wars character that I remain hopelessly in love with.

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Belief in Mistborn, Part 1: The Skaa Messiah

*(This post contains spoilers for "Mistborn: The Final Empire," "The Well of Ascension," and "Mistborn: Secret History." There are some fairly non-spoilery references to the second era of Mistborn novels.)

I'm currently reading Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series for the third time. I think I read the first book when it was just called "Mistborn." In the series, as in Brandon's other books, belief and religion are consistent themes. Though faith does not have as central a role in Mistborn as it does in Elantris or Warbreaker, the importance of belief and the power of religion in people's lives are driving questions for one of the protagonists, Kelsier. Those questions then set the course for future events--both in the immediate and centuries later--following Kelsier's death.

In "The Final Empire," Kelsier is deeply interested in the staying power of religion, especially those that lasted a few centuries into the Lord Ruler's reign. If the Lord Rules was brutally persecuting all religious sects, what made some hold on longer than others? Kelsier learns about speaking truth to power and the ways that beliefs rooted in hope in an alternate world give people real power. He comes to know how a single religious-martyr figure can awaken people into a new state of being and call them to action to fight for the alternate reality that they have only dreamed of before. Ultimately, Kelsier gives his own life for the cause. He becomes the sacrificial death that ignites revolution.

For a while now I have read the Kelsier story in "The Final Empire" as a take on the story of early Christianity. I'm pretty sure that is not the case at all, at least in the mind of Sanderson, but what can I say except that I spent three-and-a-half years at seminary. Stuff happens.

The take is that the messianic figure is not necessarily divine nor even a sinless human but is actually benevolent and seeks the healing of humanity by instituting righteousness and justice for the poor and the oppressed. Sounds like your standard progressive Christian take on the Christ story, yeah?

I think the rub of this take is that Kelsier isn't simply imperfect. He's deeply flawed. He's rightly concerned with justice for the skaa, but he's a little...murdery. Also, as Vin so helpfully calls out, Kelsier basically is a nobleman. I.e., unlike Jesus of the Christian gospels, Kelsier does not seek to save the poor by identifying with them.

Also Kelsier's arms are covered in scars from his time of punishment at the Pits of Hathsin. This experience is the catalyst that leads him from a life of self-centered thievery to other-centered thievery and revolution. Early Christians read this old verse from the prophet Isaiah as being about their savior: "The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5b, NRSV). Yet Kelsier earned these scars through actual lawlessness, rather than righteous resistance to unjust laws.

While that contrast between the two figures used to close the door on the Mistborn-Gospels discourse (yes, I just said that), it currently really, really excites me. Because while Jesus of the Bible is many things--compassionate, righteous, steadfast--he doesn't really have a personality. Like sure God took on flesh in the Incarnation, but he wasn't flawed, at least according to traditional theology. The idea of a flawed savior is frightening yet terribly attractive. I think it also testifies to how the lives of ordinary people can take on a much greater significance for those looking for something to believe in.

The other aspect of the story that makes "The Final Empire" feel like a take on early Christianity is "Kelsier's" appearances to his followers. Though this is not Kelsier but the kandra, OreSeur, who has consumed his body (though for a dead man, Kelsier clings on tightly to life albeit in the cognitive realm.) Belief in his redemptive death takes off because some people see him after he is dead. Kelsier's apparent death at the hands of the Lord Ruler takes on meaning and is imbued with new power when his new followers see him after the fact. In some way, he lives! Likewise early Christianity, after Jesus' tragic death, tells stories of a few select appearances to his closest followers. On the one hand, we're supposed to trust the story because of these eye witness accounts. On the other hand, it seems important to the story that Jesus didn't go on a public speaking "Resurrection Tour" around the ancient world. Part of the deal is that only a few people knew about it.

Kelsier is the flawed skaa Messiah, born of the noble and the poor, whose story of love, loss, and friendship just might have something to say to the classic Savior story.

Review: The Dragon Prince Season Three

*This is my spoiler-y review of The Dragon Prince season three*

I recently devoured season three of Netflix's The Dragon Prince. I really like this show, but I often feel that I should really dislike this show. My main complaint is that plot events often feel very far-reached to me, e.g., Viren will do something just so ridiculously bad or things move to fast. Overall, though, this show has so much fantasy goodness that the end of each season has left me eagerly anticipating the next.

Book Three: Sun, takes off right where Book Two left off. Interestingly, there was no summary of the first two seasons, leaving my wife and I frantically searching the internet for a few things. We do get a brief scene of a nameless, very Viren-like (???) mage blinding the dragon Sol Regem, whom Rayla and Callum must face as they seek to enter Xadia.

Speaking of that 'ship--it happens! Many fans rejoiced at the Rayllum (Call-la?) developments, my wife included, but I'm still holding on to a very small hope for Claudi-um (Call-lia?) because I'm sick. Anyway, Rayla, Callum, and Zym make it past Sol Regem and are crushed to learn that Rayla is basically dead to her people and that they have the magic to back up that sentiment. Thankfully Runaan's husband briefly breaks himself out of the cruse and helps the crew along their journey to the Dragon Queen. They finally arrive after making it through the super-creepy desert with Nyx, who will hopefully not be a one-off.

Meanwhile, Ezran discovers that he just can wait to be king, handing control of the kingdom back over to Viren as he realizes he can't convince Prince Dudebro to give peace a chance. Ezran's friends and our favorites conspire to free him from the dungeon and send him off to find Rayllum in Xadia.

Viren descends into "no, this is totally fine" levels of relationship with Aaravos and drags Claudia and like eighty percent of the human population down with him. Disturbingly but all too realistically, Viren is able to lure the masses into his evil plot by playing to their fears, insecurities, and xenophobia (Xadia-phobia, get it?).

Our heroes make their stand along with the remnants of the Sun Elves at the base of the Dragon Queen's mountain, but they eventually win--yay!

Note Soren's redemption beard.

One of the most satisfying elements of season three was the completion of Soren's redemption arc, which is encapsulated in his facial hair growth. After hitting rock bottom in the last season, Soren has to accept that his dad is absolutely the worst and wouldn't know true love or empathy if it was standing right in front of him. Soren's arc was important to the show for more than just its emotional pay off. For a show that can feel so touch-and-go with lots off one-off characters and seemingly-superfluous magics, it was good to have three-season arc like Soren's.

Though there are still questions remaining* this season was the first to have an ending with resolution. It has that nice halfway point feel.

*Like, "wtf, Viren?"

Album Review: WHO (Deluxe)

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey put out their first lp as The Who since 2006. I was very impressed with this album, as I typically pick up new music from classic rock staples with trepidation. I love me some dad rock, but I also find most new music from "the greats" to be...un-inspired (except for my forever favorite of course).

On "All This Music Must Fade," The Who come out swinging with a tune that is undeniably them. The rest of the album continues in a similar vein. WHO has many of the classic characteristics of the band, e.g., vicious acoustic guitar, piano, and soaring chords supporting an even higher-soaring Roger Daltrey (whose voice has aged really well--Pete's too!).

However, the band is not afraid to draw upon some 21st century production (I see you, "Danny and My Ponies," and your auto-tuning). There are some pretty strong Train vibes on "Break the News." It's fitting that the album is at times a negotiation between the ethos of 70s Who and 21st century pop. Like Pete's 2019 novel, The Age of Anxiety (see my review here), this album is part meditation on age and part. Where do The Who fit in the scene today? Whatever the answer, they are still chasing their art. From the rocking acoustic-driven vibes of the opening to the cry for peace ballad "Beads on One String" and the latin feel of "She Rocked My World," WHO is a great listen!

Book Review: The Age of Anxiety

The Age of Anxiety: A Novel by Pete Townshend
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure what was going on for much of this novel from classic rocker, guitarist, and genius of The Who, Pete Townshend, but I couldn't put it down after the first few chapters.

The Age of Anxiety is two parts character study and one part story, loosely following the journey of pub-rocker Walter through the anxious mind of his godfather, Louis Doxtader.

Louis is an art dealer who has often helped artists to channel their various neuroses into their art. And so it happens that his godson, Walter, has begun having strange auditory experiences at his shows. Walter feels that he is experiencing the emotions of his audience in some way. All of their anxieties come to him and weigh upon him. Louis leads his godson to washed up actor-turned-artist, who had experienced visual experiences akin to Walter's. Walter retreats from his life but remerges anew fifteen years later, full of new artistic life, back together with his band again.

This novel looks at Walter's anxiety, along with the worries of the world at large, e.g., violence, climate change, through the mind of Louis Doxtader, who is himself haunted by an experience in his own past. This event and Louis's uncertainty around it propel him into deeper and deeper stress and worry.

This was the hardest aspect of the novel for me, as the climax of the book was discovering the truth and realizing that Louis didn't rape Walter's current wife after Walter's wedding to his previous wife. I'm not sure if it's a "me too" era thing or not, but the whole last act just felt bad. The best possible outcome was that our main character didn't have to have his life ruined after raping someone during her blackout. Somehow the stakes were too low but also not recognized being very high for what it did to her as opposed to the decades-later effects on Louis.

Townshend shows off his craft in this, however, as the seemingly innocuous Louis quickly becomes the stories potential villain, all from Louis's own perception.

Any elements of struggle in this novel are mostly internal to Louis, but the only thing that stands against the anxieties of the world is fate or serendipity, which makes jarring appearances throughout. Characters show up--for good or ill--at exactly the right time. Long-lost adopted children discover their birth parents, who were close at hand all along.

I'm still not sure what captivated me in this novel, but Townshend expertly crafts this neurotic character study using what the world knows him for: sex, drugs, and rock-'n'-roll.








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