Marc really blew me away with this one. I’m not sure I can quite say what it is that’s so impressive. I think it’s the camera angles and the way it paces the whole strip beautifully. I think choosing your angle is VITALLY important to comicking, but so few artists can do it well. I know I can’t. Marc? No problem.
WATCHING STAR WARS WITH ELORA, Part Two
by Brock Heasley on October 13th, 2011Last time, I explained how and why I decided to watch the new Star Wars Blu-rays with my 9-year-old daughter in a funky order: IV, V, I, II, III, VI. At the end of that blog, Elora and I had gotten halfway through the saga, having just finished Episode 1, The Phantom Menace. She dug everything she’d seen so far, but Episode II, Attack of the Clones would prove to be trying…
Back when Elora was very, very young and before her long term memory really kicked in, Attack of the Clones was her favorite of all the Star Wars films. It was released the year of her birth, 2002, so maybe that had something to do with it. The original Star Wars was released the year of my birth, 1977, and that one was always my favorite. Elora responded to ‘Clones’ this time right away and gasped at the big explosion that kills one of Padme’s doubles.
A lot of the early politics were lost on her, but her suspicions about Chancellor Palpatine were raised. She didn’t like the cut of his jib. I pointed out that he was Anakin’s friend and seemed nice, but she wasn’t buying it. There was something fishy about that guy. When Obi-Wan when off into his own little detective story, she was fascinated–though I had to put the pieces together for her.
The romance she had no patience for–so she said. Elora still hides her eyes when people kiss on screen, but she loves movies with romance. She just won’t admit to actually liking the romance aspect of the movies. Of course, saying there’s any real romance in ‘Clones’ is a bit of stretch. While I found myself really admiring the imagination and much of the action, the love story plays worse and worse each time you see it. That’s just not how human beings fall in love. That’s not even how aliens fall in love.
The end battle scenes were Elora’s favorite part. Because that’s what kind of a girl she is.
Revenge of the Sith made Elora nervous. She knew this was the PG-13 one and she knew this was the one where Anakin burns up and turns into Darth Vader. She did not want to see those parts. I assured her I’d mute the sound and tell her when to close her eyes.
The opening battle remains stunning, if confusing to look at. Elora wasn’t terribly impressed with it. It was only once Anakin and Obi-Wan jumped out of their starfighters and took on Grievous’s ship that she was in. She thought R2′s antics were hilarious. And the crash landing on Coruscant? Made her eyes pop out.
Her suspicions about Palpatine continued to be raised, though she couldn’t quite figure out what his play was. She finally decided he was completely evil about five minutes before his big reveal and then was wowed by the revelation he had been Darth Sidious the entire time. It’s funny because that wasn’t a reveal that even seemed like much a reveal to me. It was always so obvious. But to her? It was extremely satisfying.
She didn’t quite understand Anakin’s turn to the dark side or why he would go so far so fast. It is abrupt and I did my best to explain, but I don’t think she was ever completely satisfied. I know I’m not, so that’s not surprising. When the big moment at the end of the big fight came, sure enough she hid her eyes.
The other big reveal for her was that Luke and Leia were twins. When Padme had TWO babies, it blew her mind. It was a lot of fun seeing her jaw drop like that, and, I think, much more satisfying than if I’d let her watch ‘Jedi’ first and find out the same time Luke does. That’s one twist that’s much improved watching the films in the order we did.
Finally, we reached the end and joined back up with the original trilogy with Episode VI, Return of the Jedi. I’ll admit that the one drawback to watching them all in the order we did is that by the time you get to ‘Jedi’ you’ve kind of lost the plot of the original trilogy. Three movies is a loooooong flashback. However, we got caught back up rather quickly and I’ve got to say that ‘Jedi’ resonated in a whole new way with me. When you have all the history from the prequels swimming in your head and realize that, essentially, Luke and Leia are all that’s left of what everyone was fighting for, it really gives the events of ‘Jedi’ a whole new weight. Plus, there’s a lot of symmetry between ‘Sith’ and ‘Jedi’ and that plays really, really well when you watch them back-to-back. It was the most satisfying viewing of ‘Jedi’ I’d had in quite a while.
Jabba was gross, of course. But Elora loved all the interplay with C-3PO and R2-D2. It was like having old friends back. (Side note: I’m surprised the nudity in the scene where Jabba’s slave dances for him wasn’t edited out. On Blu-ray, you can see it much, much more clearly.)
Far and away the thing Elora loved most about ‘Jedi’ was the Ewoks. She thought they were HILARIOUS and cute and wonderful. She laughed and laughed at the idea that teddy bears could defeat stormtroopers. She stopped laughing once the Ewoks started dying. By then, she was attached and wasn’t expecting that. Honestly, I get it. I’ve never hated the Ewoks and always thought they were really cool. That the Empire is defeated by a bunch of small teddy bears isn’t stupid, it’s fitting. Quintessentially American, even. I dug it when I was six, and I still dig it now.
To Elora’s credit, even she noticed how odd it was for Anakin’s ghost to look like Hayden Christensen when Obi-Wan and Yoda had to be old men.
Elora went nuts for Star Wars. It took us about a week and a half to get through them all and not a day went by that she didn’t bed me to watch “just 10 minutes” if that was all we had time for. She’s hooked, but she’s spoiled. She can’t even comprehend the amount of time I had to wait between movies.
Now, she’s moved onto The Clone Wars. She’s already watched the 2D short series that came out years ago and is working on the current, CG series right now. They’re pretty fun, so I try to watch them with her as much as I can.
When was the last time you watched all the Star Wars movies? What order will you show them in to your kids? Will you show them the prequels and risk them loving Jar Jar? Love to know what you think!
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Is this Jerry realizing he may have gone a little overboard? Or is this all part of the plan?
Well, it’s all part of MY plan. How’s that?
I’m with THeasley on this’n. This is Jerry realizing Dr. Rocket makes a darn good robot.
DR don’t mess around!
This is going to get messy.
Also, way cool robot…would make a great action figure.
Couldn’t agree more. This was Marc’s first–and only–design for the robot. Nailed it on the first try.
I feel like I’ve been AWOL for commenting, but life’s like that. I can’t imagine Jerry would do all this planning just to let the robot ruin everything, so more than likely he’s got it programmed to ‘just miss’ everyone. Although considering everyone thinks he’s got no special powers I’m not sure how he plans to take it down without revealing his Third Man identity.
Meantime, let’s all keep in mind that the robot is the last of everyone’s worries. Y’know, massive vengeful alien invasion and all?
Will be really interesting. Until recently Jerry has had the gift of future sight to guide his plans. Now that he is flying blind, his plans may not always work the way he wishes them to.
Alien invasion? Dang, I almost forgot about that! And that’s a great observation, Blackbeard’s Delight. Jerry is flying blind for the first time in a long, long time.
I think Dr. Rocket has a plan of his own. Jerry just dumped his trunks in this strip (see panel 1).
We shall see…
I actually considered Dr. Rocket double crossing (single crossing?) Jerry as well.
I love the ominousness of the second panel….makes the zap in the 4th panel all the better.
Actually if you’ll look more closely? The robot has them both stone cold and ready to fire. It’s not ominous or building tension…. JERRY commissioned this robot. He more than likely made sure to have Nikola program it to NOT harm or kill Spy-gal, the woman he loves. The woman that this is partially all for. Wanting to make it as realistic as possible however? He PROBABLY didn’t make the same request for himself. Hence Donut-tron fires immediately after she runs off and is clear of its line of fire. And I agree with the general consensus that Jerry there is having one of those “Holy #$%^” moments of hindsight. I also can’t help but wonder if she doesn’t know…. That’s a VERY thoughtful look on her face in panel 4. I would love to debate this at length with ya Brock.
I don’t think debating with ME would be all that productive since I actually KNOW what everyone is thinking. But feel free to have it out with everyone else!
I can’t help but appreciate the irony of a giant robot whose torso looks amazingly like a giant CAMERA in Las Vegas. It looks like a camera on purpose right? I know it’s actually some kind of projection array for a horrible super weapon…. But it’s Jerry’s camera. Jerry’s camera that takes fatal shots instead of landscape shots. Also I bet it’s perfectly powerful enough to handle landscapes…. or even panoramics.
I can’t help but appreciate the irony of a giant robot whose torso looks amazingly like a giant CAMERA in Las Vegas. It looks like a camera on purpose right? Because no one in their right mind goes to Vegas and DOESN’T take a camera with them. I know it’s actually some kind of projection array for a horrible super weapon…. But it’s Jerry’s camera. Jerry’s camera that takes fatal shots instead of landscape shots. Also I bet it’s perfectly powerful enough to handle landscapes…. or even panoramics.
This giant robot, like all giant robots, is simply misunderstood. I think you’re right on the money. He just wants to take pretty pictures! But he’s clumsy, so it looks like he’s trying to kill people instead. Poor, poor robot.
Some of those places request that folk refrain from flash photography for a reason….. Donut-tron says ‘@#$%&* flash photography this!’