Category: Butler Confessions

So Long, and Thanks for All the Sith: Kathleen Kennedy Steps Down, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan Step Up

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

 

After 14 years steering the helm of Lucasfilm after George Lucas sold the company to Disney, Kathleen Kennedy has announced she’ll step down. Taking her place, following the Disney subsidiary mold, are two new leaders: Dave Filoni, who will be more familiar to most fans, and Lynwen Brennan, whose storied career with ILM and Lucasfilm should get more attention. What does it all mean for the future of Star Wars, on-screen and otherwise? Will we see a big change or expect more of the same? In a big exit interview, Kennedy’s willingness to be open about her time running the company, and working under Disney’s ever watchful gaze, offers some hints at what to expect, while she also dropped some news regarding the myriad of films we’ve heard about but have yet to see. Let’s dive in below! Continue reading “So Long, and Thanks for All the Sith: Kathleen Kennedy Steps Down, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan Step Up” →

Let The Anniversary Die. Kill It, If You Have To: 2025 Star Wars Comics Year-In-Review

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

Picking the title for these Star Wars comics year-in-reviews is normally pretty fun, and while I still enjoyed the process for this year’s, anger spurred it on. Some of the anger stems from Marvel’s treatment of its series now, but really it’s from watching the dumb, fascist Trump administration spread its greasy fingers into disrupting any ounce of democracy we had. Businesses, especially small and local, suffering from the burden of tariffs, with the only hope seemingly Costco taking it all to court. Our neighbors and vulnerable communities attacked by the administration’s Gestapo agents, ICE, their rights and their lives trampled out of pure racism, especially thanks to ICE’s ability to use Kavanaugh Stops to spread their hateful destruction. How the genocide by Israel continues to be washed aside by failing legacy media and those who profit most from the destruction. And while anger is the path to the dark side, if you’re standing by, supporting, or the one doing these things, you’ve already fallen. But how do we turn this anger into positive resistance? There’s stepping up for the vulnerable in your community, from whistles to frog-costumes; voting for progressive candidates that want to do more than achieve the status quo prior to this administration and those before it; and donating to families in Gaza who need all the help we can offer. And to bring this all back to discussing Star Wars comics, how do we get a parent company like Disney to hear its fans again, not those of the filth-ridden MAGA media empire, full of sad little men with loud YouTube accounts and vapid morals? How do we help Disney see it needs to forgo its chosen shackles of compliance with the fascist administration and its white supremacist values when petitions (like for The Acolyte or The Hunt for Ben Solo) and planes with signs are clearly not enough? Is it sales? But will affecting sales have enough impact or just teach them the wrong lesson, like with Solo: A Star Wars Story? The answers aren’t easy, as so many variables exist to tackle and overcome, but we’ll examine them in my year-in-review of 2025’s Star Wars comics. Despite all this, 2025 was still full of events like all the wonderful endings to The High Republic, intriguing new beginnings, plenty of delays, yet also an anniversary that felt more like a womp rat flicked off a ledge by Jabba the Hutt than a podrace winning celebration.

— Spoilers for comics released in 2025 —

Continue reading “Let The Anniversary Die. Kill It, If You Have To: 2025 Star Wars Comics Year-In-Review” →

Unpacking The Hunt for Ben Solo Situation

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

Ever since the announcement of the trinity of films at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2023, Lucasfilm has been pretty quiet on updates for these projects, with us hearing the most about Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey film, New Jedi Order, and its various screenwriters. Yet the first new movie beyond The Mandalorian and Grogu announced and in production is one we didn’t hear about until it was basically all set to go, 2027’s Starfighter. Though as the news broke about a shelved The Hunt for Ben Solo film, first from the young Solo himself, Adam Driver, and then an insider report via The Playlist, it hinted at why there’s maybe been a reshuffling of projects. Continue reading “Unpacking The Hunt for Ben Solo Situation” →

Collab: Folklore Coffee & Mynock Manor’s Star Wars Special Menu for May!

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

Love coffee? Chai? A really good café/coffee shop? And want some fun Star Wars themed coffee goodness for the month of May?! Well, if you happen to be in the greater Chicago area, make your way to Folklore Coffee in Lemont, IL, as one of our best friends owns Folklore and we collaborated on a special Star Wars menu for May!!! The Froth is strong with these specials!!

Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024 in Star Wars Canon by Ryan and Chris, Part III

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

It’s time for the FINAL FOUR of the Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024, the series where Chris and I break down our favorite moments from the last 5 years of comic storytelling! In Part I we covered spots #10-8, which included everything from the High Republic’s villainous Marchion Ro to the surprising return of the Grand Inquisitor, and then Part II covered spots #7-5, which had everything from kyber crystals, Wookiee Jedi, and a whole lot of Sskeer and Keeve Trennis! So what’s in store for spots #4-1 in Part III?! Head below now to see everything from Doctor Aphra (of course), weddings, spectral battles, a certain character’s big return, and more grab the final spots! Continue reading “Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024 in Star Wars Canon by Ryan and Chris, Part III” →

Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024 in Star Wars Canon by Ryan and Chris, Part II

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

Welcome back for Part II of the Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024, as Chris and I break down our favorite moments from the last 5 years of comic storytelling! In Part I we covered spots #10-8, which included everything from the High Republic’s villainous Marchion Ro to the surprising return of the Grand Inquisitor, and now Part II reveals our #7-5 choices! Head below for kyber crystals, big reunions, and…finding home?! Afterwards, Part III is already out so find out what made the final four as well! Continue reading “Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024 in Star Wars Canon by Ryan and Chris, Part II” →

Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024 in Star Wars Canon by Ryan and Chris, Part I

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

It’s still hard to believe it’ll be The Force Awakens‘ 10th Anniversary this year, but even more so that we’ve now had 10 years of canon stories across all different mediums, including comics! The comics have been the recipient of the Manor’s biggest focus for the past decade and we already summed up our feelings on the first five years with the initial Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments series for 2015-2019, so with another 5 years under all our belts, it was time to see what was so Unforgettable about this next half of the decade. Teaming up with the Manor’s Sous Chef and Legendary Adventures mastermind Chris once again, we both wrote our own separate Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments lists, this time for 2020-2024!

In today’s post below, you’ll find our individual #10-8 entries, while Part II has spots #7-5, while Part III showcases spots #4-1!! So without further ado, let’s dive into the Manor’s Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024 Part I, by Chris and Ryan! Continue reading “Top 10 Unforgettable Comic Moments from 2020-2024 in Star Wars Canon by Ryan and Chris, Part I” →

When a Decade Old You Reach…Look As Good, You Will Not: 2024 Star Wars Comics Year-In-Review

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

June 2024 was the Manor’s 10th Anniversary and January 2025 marks 10 years since Marvel began its run of canon comics and when I started covering them on the site, which both feels not too long ago and somewhat exhaustingly long ago. Compared to the previous 9 years, 2024 felt the most different in the sense it was clear Marvel was setting up to close out all its current runs and stories, while Dark Horse spent 2024 solely focused on carving out their own piece of the larger High Republic storyline, and 2025’s announcements by both publishers pointing to a wider variety of timeline approaches in an attempt to bring something different to the table. Between the ending of the current era of stories and the High Republic initiative set to end mid-2025, it certainly left me thinking about the Manor, its future, and my own goals and plans going forward. While we certainly won’t be closing the Manor’s doors anytime soon (thanks everyone for making 2024 our biggest year yet!), my coverage of the comics and various content will be changing going forward, with less per issue comic reviews and more focus on arc/miniseries reviews, though the door is open for you, dear reader, to join our ranks if you want, not only for comic reviews, but other coverage and opinion pieces too. I’m still very excited for the future of the comics and Star Wars in general, even if the film part of the Saga struggles to make the jump to hyperspace like it’s the Millennium Falcon, but I’m looking to take more time for my family and myself, sitting back a bit more to simply enjoy what’s to come instead of going full critique mode. So as the comics transition into their future, and so does the Manor, let’s look back at the state of Star Wars comics thanks to, for better and worse, 2024’s output.

— Spoilers for comics released in 2024 —

Continue reading “When a Decade Old You Reach…Look As Good, You Will Not: 2024 Star Wars Comics Year-In-Review” →

A Midwest Goodbye: 2023 Star Wars Comics Year-In-Review

Posted on by Head Butler Ryan

I’ve lived my entire life in Wisconsin, so I know a “Midwest Goodbye” when I see one, as I’ve been stuck in them far too often (in fact, I may be writing this while stuck in one, they take that long). This year I did my best to bring one to a close over Thanksgiving, edging slowly to the front door, my feet getting frozen along the way as new conversation engagements came my way, but I still got to the door handle and, over the period of 5 minutes, managed to get it open and finally bring the process to an end. For the era between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, 2023’s Star Wars comics felt like that moment in the hallway by the door, as it’s clear we can’t spend that much more time in this era, but even if you spoke for hours at the event with everyone, suddenly 100 new topics need to be discussed despite you holding all the leftovers your fridge can handle, getting stuffy with a warm winter jacket on while the heat’s cranked up to 74, leaving one to wonder when this event will ever come to a close despite standing at the exit. The era was spiced up with a healthy side of horror by the end of the year, and a few series’ endings were announced, but it still seems like there’s no hope for the exit door opening in 2024 despite another round of goodbyes, though the promise of Prequel-focused stories is a nice change of pace for 2024. 2023 wasn’t all about an era we’ve been in for years now, though those series had some of the most memorable scenes of the year, as the High Republic brought a divisive Phase to a close and blew minds with starting the next, Dark Horse’s anthology explored favorites of all eras, Star Wars: Visions comics kicked off with an artful treat, and characters from Sana Starros to Yoda took center stage in their own series. A Midwest Goodbye only starts because one is with family and friends and, as much as every person involved wants the night to end, you don’t go quietly into the night if you didn’t enjoy your time together. So without further ado, here’s the Star Wars Comics 2023 Year-in-Review!

— Spoilers for comics released in 2023 —

Continue reading “A Midwest Goodbye: 2023 Star Wars Comics Year-In-Review” →

“To Whom Do We Give Faces?” – An Analysis of “The Veteran” in FACPOV

Posted on by James

Spoilers for “The Veteran” Ahead

Over the past six years, From a Certain Point of View (FACPOV) has been an exercise in the margins. These anthologies were an opportunity to expand Lucasfilm’s author base and provide glimpses into the lives of characters who might only appear for a split second on-screen. New voices, new faces, brought to the forefront and given new interiority. Fandom has even made a game of trying to guess which characters would be so honored. An unexpected recipient of Return of the Jedi’s FACPOV was Dexter Jettster in Adam Lance Garcia’s “The Veteran.” Continue reading ““To Whom Do We Give Faces?” – An Analysis of “The Veteran” in FACPOV” →