Category: Butler Confessions

“Nothing is impossible for the Force”: A Joint Retrospective on the first Darth Vader Comic Series

Posted on March 31, 2017April 23, 2021 by Head Butler Ryan

The original Darth Vader series, written by Kieron Gillen, with art by Salvador Larroca and Edgar Delgado, was part of the initial launch of Marvel’s return to Star Wars comics in 2015. After it ended over a year and a half later, October 2016, its epic story of betrayal, Sith machinations, and surprisingly well-laden doses of dark humor ensured it would live on in the hearts of fans new and old for years to come. Chris and I sat down to ruminate on the now classic series, which you can read below, discussing some of its various components that have led to its undeniable legacy in Star Wars comics as a whole. Continue reading ““Nothing is impossible for the Force”: A Joint Retrospective on the first Darth Vader Comic Series” →

Marvel Strikes Back: 2016 Star Wars Comics Year-in-Review

Posted on January 4, 2017January 6, 2024 by Head Butler Ryan

As 2016 comes to a close, Marvel’s second year at the helm of the comics included the unforgettable end of the Darth Vader series, the start of Doctor Aphra (the first series lead by an original comic character), an interesting revelation about Anakin during the early days of Obi-Wan’s training, Han Solo in the race of his life, the “Rebel Women Kick Ass in Jail” arc, Poe Dameron’s charming antics, and so much more. Overall, how does the 56 issues of their second year hold up? Better than the first year’s content? In my Star Wars Comics 2016 Year-In-Review below, I’ll show you what I believe did and didn’t work, reveal my Top 5 moments of 2016, and share some fears and hopes for 2017.

— Mild spoilers for all the comics released in 2016 — Continue reading “Marvel Strikes Back: 2016 Star Wars Comics Year-in-Review” →

“I’m a Rogue Archaeologist. You Have to Expect a Little Digging”: The Many Reasons Why You Should Be Excited for the Doctor Aphra Comic Series

Posted on November 30, 2016July 30, 2017 by Head Butler Ryan

When Doctor Aphra was initially introduced in Darth Vader issue #3, it didn’t take long for myself and many others to fall in love with the character. Twenty plus comic issues since, the enjoyment and excitement that comes from her being on the page hasn’t waned and has only grown even more and more. It recently reached a fever-pitch since the dual revelation she survives her time with Vader and will have her very own ongoing series, but for those who have yet to enjoy her special brand of snark, wit, and love for weapons, you’re probably wondering why exactly fans like myself are so damn enthusiastic this rogue archaeologist persists. Check out below why you too should be jumping over ewoks in joy at the upcoming Doctor Aphra series! Continue reading ““I’m a Rogue Archaeologist. You Have to Expect a Little Digging”: The Many Reasons Why You Should Be Excited for the Doctor Aphra Comic Series” →

The Curious Case of Governor Arihnda Pryce

Posted on August 23, 2016March 11, 2018 by Head Butler Ryan

There’s more to being a Head Butler than tidying up the Manor, especially since those mynocks tend to make a mess of everything (well, anything with a power source that is), and occasionally even we members of the service caste get some free time. Thusly, one develops hobbies to bide the time between guests at the Manor, and mine has become being a detective…a detective of the growing Star Wars story. With “The Curious Case of…” series, I’ll show you what I’ve found…

I’m just excited as the next fan that Grand Admiral Thrawn is in canon now, set to appear in Star Wars Rebels‘ third season, but there’s someone I’m way more intrigued by at the moment, coming to the show in the same season: Lothal Governor Arihnda Pyrce. As I mentioned in my review of the Rebels‘ season three premiere, “Steps into Shadow,” I didn’t find Thrawn as interesting as Pyrce because he’s a known entity, in that anyone who has read the Thrawn Trilogy has a good idea what to expect out of him: studying his opponent’s art to find their weaknesses, a brilliant 5-steps ahead of you strategy that will make any chess player jealous, etc. But Governor Pyrce has pretty much been a non-entity in the show and suddenly in her first appearance not only is shown as practically an equal to Grand Moff Tarkin but she’s standing right by Thrawn’s side after she demanded he be brought in. How did she go from a character barely mentioned in season one, rarely in season two, to hanging out with the two most recognizable Imperials who have names that start with “T?” After some careful research, I’ve uncovered ewok crumbs leading straight to the answer thanks to the forward-thinking work of the Lucasfilm Story Group. Be curious no more about Governor Arihnda Pyrce, as Detective Mynock is on the case… Continue reading “The Curious Case of Governor Arihnda Pryce” →

Dream or Force Vision: A Crazy Night’s Thoughts on Star Wars: Episode VIII

Posted on August 19, 2016November 7, 2016 by Head Butler Ryan

It’s not very often I have Force visions (see: never), but I just recently had a dream that I could easily mistake for one. This dream, despite all the Rogue One news and trailer dropping or all the hours I’ve sunk into No Man’s Sky on PS4, was about the ending to Episode VIII. In the interest of posterity, and just seeing if maybe somehow this dream was actually a prophetic Force vision of the future, I wrote it all down so when the next saga film releases in December 2017, I could compare. I’ve decided I’ll share that dream with you all as well, but please note: This is not a theory or based on any spoilers, as I’ve not read any spoilers (if there are any), I was there for the Future Filmmakers panel at Celebration Europe 2016 but that didn’t reveal much besides a great list of old movies to study (which I’ve only seen two of them), and I’ve only seen some of those behind-the-scenes pics of filming at Dubrovnik and various parts of Ireland; Other than all that, I know as much about Ep. VIII as a wampa in a cave on Hoth. This is just for fun and simply nothing more. Heck, the whole dream was in LEGO, if it being a dream wasn’t enough to tell you how seriously you should take this. With all that in mind, please enjoy. Continue reading “Dream or Force Vision: A Crazy Night’s Thoughts on Star Wars: Episode VIII” →

Marvel’s Back: 2015 Star Wars Comics Year-in-Review

Posted on January 2, 2016January 6, 2024 by Head Butler Ryan

In 2015 Marvel returned to Star Wars comics, wrestling control from Dark Horse after its nearly 25 year run. Unlike its first go-around, every tale Marvel planned on telling would be canon, supervised much more carefully by the Lucasfilm Story Group, as well as scrutinized by fans of Dark Horse’s work and Star Wars fans in general. As Marvel’s first year back comes to a close, 58 issues later (all pictured above!), how has their return to Star Wars comics fared? In my Star Wars Comics 2015 Year-In-Review, I look back at what did (there’s a lot) and didn’t work (there’s not too much), name my top 5 favorite moments, and share a few of my thoughts (i.e. hopes, fears, and possible fixes) for 2016’s comics.

— Mild spoilers for all the comics released in 2015 —

Continue reading “Marvel’s Back: 2015 Star Wars Comics Year-in-Review” →

The Force Awaken’s “(Just) Let It In,” – A Parody of Frozen’s “Let It Go”

Posted on October 24, 2015February 7, 2016 by Head Butler Ryan

Ever since I heard Maz Kanata’s line at the end of the new The Force Awakens trailer, I couldn’t get it out of my head: “Just let it in.” Part of it stuck with me because it promised hope for whomever the character was talking to (likely Rey), while the other because it sounded so suspiciously close to “Let it Go,” the hit song from Disney’s Frozen. Once I made the subconscious connection between the two, I was unable to shake the thought of “Let it In” and “Let It Go” being so similar. It got to the point where I was hearing “Let It In” replacing the words “Let It Go” in Idina Menzel’s song and that’s when it hit me: the only way to get the two unconnected in my head was to go all out and completely redo Elsa’s showstopping number “Let It Go” to become Rey’s breakout hit, “Let It In.” Maybe not the best idea, but below are the results. Continue reading “The Force Awaken’s “(Just) Let It In,” – A Parody of Frozen’s “Let It Go”” →

Grand Admiral Canon: To Be or Not to Be “So Artistically Done” Again

Posted on September 23, 2015July 29, 2016 by Head Butler Ryan

– Warning: This article contains spoilers for Aftermath and Lost Stars –

Let me start this off by saying, without a doubt, this article is pure speculation. The Fleet Admiral character introduced in the final pages of Star Wars: Aftermath is without a name, species, or any other physically identifying details. He remains a mystery and will likely remain to do so until we’re much closer to the release of the second part of the Aftermath Trilogy sometime next year. But what we have been given is enough for myself and many, many, many others to speculate on the Admiral’s identity, with millions of fingers pointing at an all too familiar Grand Admiral who is synonymous with the original Expanded Universe. However, it’s as equally likely it’ll be someone else entirely or a brand new character as much as it could be the famous Admiral. But once I decided to make the assumption it could be the old staple of the Legends-verse, Thrawn, I started to wonder: how can the new unified canon make the Grand Admiral character fresh and unique while still honoring what came before in Legends? Can he really be so artistically done again? This article has my answers to those questions. Continue reading “Grand Admiral Canon: To Be or Not to Be “So Artistically Done” Again” →

Star Wars Netflix Hopes: The Rule of Two

Posted on August 11, 2015February 7, 2016 by Head Butler Ryan

Once the rumors of Lucasfilm bringing not only one, but three live-action series to Netflix started, so too did every fan’s imagination. The wonderful folks over at the WhoWars Podcast just recently did a little segment on what shows they’d like to see, while asking and featuring responses from Twitter followers. Of course I suggested an idea and they graciously included it in their segment, but once I came up with it I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, hence this post. My idea was this: a show focusing on the Rule of Two, and how over the generations Bane’s simple plan managed to survive long enough for Palpatine to use it to destroy the Jedi. Here’s why I think it would work so well as a TV series. Continue reading “Star Wars Netflix Hopes: The Rule of Two” →

A Good Blaster At Your Side: The Future of Star Wars Video Games (Part 3)

Posted on May 19, 2015June 19, 2016 by Head Butler Ryan

Jedi usually mean big things: battles aboard Death Stars, planets destroyed, seats of government changed, galaxy-wide conflicts, etc. But if the non-Jedi mini-story focus of the first Anthology film Rogue One is anything to go by, there’s a push away from big spectacle to smaller focused stories for everything Star Wars without an Episode number and I feel like the same will be true for the beginning of EA’s video game content: expect games with a single player campaign (i.e. not Battlefront) to, at least at first, give the game’s protagonist a good blaster at their side instead of the mystical lightsaber. Continue reading “A Good Blaster At Your Side: The Future of Star Wars Video Games (Part 3)” →