Category: Butler Confessions

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 —

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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)” →

The Great Reboot of 2100: Just How Evergreen is Star Wars?

Posted on March 16, 2015August 23, 2016 by Head Butler Ryan

Imagine it’s the year 2115. Maybe the zombie apocalypse finally happened, maybe we’re facing the Blight seen in Interstellar, or maybe we’re all fleeing Mars for another planet. One thing for sure is that 100 years from now, the Force will have already awoken, noticed life has past it by, and it’ll be sad its old friends, those born prior to 2015, will have already died. Heck, those who will be born by the time of Ep. IX‘s release in 2019 would likely be on their way to becoming one with the Force too. But forget about whether your alive or not for a second and begin to wonder instead if Star Wars is still alive as a franchise in 2115, because as evergreen a property as it may be, can it really survive another 100 years, especially as is? Could those behind the franchise finally run out of ideas, letting Star Wars fade into everyone’s great-great-grandparent’s distant memories or could they have taken certain measures to ensure its survival for 100 more years? Enter ‘The Great Reboot of 2100.’

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Preserving the Mystery of In-Universe History

Posted on February 23, 2015August 11, 2015 by Head Butler Ryan

There’s been a lot said about the consumption of spoilers, specifically around The Force Awakens, and how the knowledge you gain from them may or may not affect you and your viewing experience. But as this article’s title suggests, it’s not going to be about spoiling TFA, instead it’ll be discussing the advantages of keeping the in-universe history which leads up to TFA a mystery. Because if the 30-35 years post-Return of the Jedi stays a mystery until the opening crawl and even after the credits roll for TFA, the film has a chance to emulate a feeling similar to when viewers were first introduced to the galaxy far, far away (be it 1977 or their first viewing of the films). Who doesn’t want that? Continue reading “Preserving the Mystery of In-Universe History” →

Star Wars Ring Theory: An Interview with the Author, Mike Klimo, and Why You Should Read It

Posted on December 23, 2014March 12, 2016 by Head Butler Ryan

One of the more amazing aspects of fandom is the way people interact and engage with their chosen franchise, from cosplay, to fansite writing/podcasting, creating various homemade games/films, or finding news ways to interpret it. Star Wars Ring Theory: The Hidden Artistry of the Star Wars Prequels is one of those unique things only a fanbase as passionate as the Star Wars universe can conceive of. If you haven’t read this multi-page epic dissection of the first six films in the saga, do so now and then return here for an interview with the author, Mike Klimo. If you don’t want to read it just yet, stick around and I’ll try to explain why you should read it no matter what level of fan you may be of Star Wars.

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Always On The Move: The Future of Star Wars Video Games (Part 2)

Posted on November 16, 2014January 24, 2017 by Head Butler Ryan

In part one of The Future of Star Wars Video Games I argued choice-based games, seen heavily in RPGs and adventure titles, wouldn’t be possible in the new era of Star Wars. Part two chooses to instead focus on something which will continue to be part of Star Wars gaming for years to come, whether you like them or not: mobile games. Continue reading “Always On The Move: The Future of Star Wars Video Games (Part 2)” →

Choice Isn’t an Option: The Future of Star Wars Video Games (Part 1)

Posted on August 8, 2014January 24, 2017 by Head Butler Ryan

Ever since the announcement of the new dawn of Star Wars storytelling, it’s been weird to go back and play some of the classic Star Wars video games. They’re still fun to play, and while I can easily imagine them fitting in with the Legends/EU version of events, I’m getting excited for all the new possibilities of the connected storytelling future instead. We’re going to be moving on from the disjointed gaming past of Star Wars, where story wasn’t always a large focus, to one where the story does matter. Continue reading “Choice Isn’t an Option: The Future of Star Wars Video Games (Part 1)” →