Star Wars TV Shows Part 1

 A hot topic in the Star Wars Universe is the lack of movies and Disney's focus on making Star Wars television shows while they plan their reset of movie plans. Ahsoka is the latest live action offering that Disney and Lucasfilm has produced. The success of the Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi shows have been offset by the mild receptions of Book of Boba Fett and Andor. 

This series will take a look at the different shows, what I liked about them and what I have not. While I have focused on the recent shows, I want to start this series with a discussion of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This animated series debuted as the first animated movie in Star Wars. The box office for the movie was disappointing by Star Wars standards, only making around $68 million. This did enough to entice Cartoon Network to produce the show. Clone Wars ran for five seasons on Cartoon Network, it had a sixth season titled "The Lost Episodes" released on Netflix and a seventh, and final season, released on Disney+.

Clone Wars provided an insight into the events that occurred between Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones and Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith. The Clone Wars shows Anakin as he attempts to guide his padawan Ahsoka Tano on her path to being a Jedi and Anakin's unavoidable fall to the dark side. 

Some Negatives of the show: 

Clone Wars is a show that may take some time to get into. The first season jumps from conflicts and battles with an opening segment that sets up the episode. This has the ability to make a viewer feel as if they missed an episode or missed context in a previous episode. This gets better in the later seasons, but it does make it hard to initially get into the show. 

Anakin Skywalker in Clone Wars

With the show being a cartoon, it had a perception of being a kid show and this can be off-putting for adult fans as well. This show can be viewed by children but there are darker themes and it makes for compelling viewing for adults. I had the chance to meet Matt Lanter, who voices Anakin in the show, at Rhode Island Comic Con and we discussed how the show got progressively edgier as it went on. It was great to hear even the voice actors recognize the tone shifting in the show. 

Some Positives of the show:  

Fleshing out Anakin's character between Episode 2 and Episode 3 was needed as he shifted drastically between the movies. This allowed them to show his maturation and allowed his mentoring of Ahsoka to help show his growth as well. Also, it does a great job of really showing his relationship with Obi-Wan in
a different light as well. 

As mentioned above, this show introduced Ahsoka and it also introduced Asajj Ventress to the Star Wars universe. While Ahsoka helped to show Anakin's growth, Asajj was introduced to be Dooku's apprentice. She is a great character and is a great foil to Ahsoka.

Hondo Ohnaka in Clone Wars

Hondo Ohnaka (voiced by the famous voiced actor Jim Cummings) is a space pirate introduced in this series as well.  This character is great as he is neither for the Republic nor
for the Separatists. He is simply a pirate out to make money. His episodes are some of the most entertaining. If you have ever been to Galaxy Edges keep an eye out, you might see him.

Overall, Clones Wars is a must-watch show. While it is tough to get into because of the scattershot nature of the first season, it is worth powering through that as the stories introduced in the later season add a lot to the lure of the Star Wars Universe. 

 Just wanted to check in over here. 

I have started a YouTube channel to go along with this blog! These are exciting times for Whoosh! As you can see we have also overhauled our logo.

Whoosh! Comics and Running Youtube Channel

Debut Video:

Please make sure to check us out over at YouTube and continue to check out this page as we will still be publishing written blogs as well!

I am starting a new blog series about the Star Wars TV shows discussing the positives and negatives of each! The first in this series will be out this Friday and discusses Clone Wars.

New York Comic Con 2023 Pt. 2

Nightcrawler print from Todd Nauck

Friday started by heading to Artist Alley. Comic book artist Todd Nauck was the first person I wanted to see that day. I had the chance to meet him at Boston Comic Con in 2015 and that meeting gave me a new appreciation for comic art. A funny thing happened while in line for Todd though, he had been talking to Andy Lanning and as Andy went to leave, my wife and I were introduced to him. He could not have been nicer. We actually discussed Disneyland Paris with him. Andy Lanning is known for his work on Guardian of the Galaxy.  If you can, make sure to check out those stories. 

Talking with Todd was great. I got to thank him for giving me a greater appreciation for the artwork in comics and I purchased a Nightcrawler print he had at the con.  It was another great meeting. I hope to purchase a page of his original comic art in the future. 

Costumes from The Marvels

We walked around the show floor a bit and saw some of the cooler things on display. Some of the highlights were costumes from Loki Season 2 and The Marvels movie. Also, various vendors throughout the show had celebrities at their booths as well. The details and the craftsmanship of the costumes were evident when seeing them in person. 

Costumes from Loki

w/ Sam Riegel

From here we headed to the photo op area again as we had a photo op with Sam Riegel of Critical Role. Even in the short time of the photo op, he was very welcoming. Having been a Critical Role fan, this was somewhat surreal. 

w/ Claudia Gray

This was followed up by a return to Artist Alley. There we met Claudia Gray the author of multiple Star Wars books.  It turns out she was a big fan of Andor and Rogue One. This led to a ten-minute conversation where we completely geeked out over both. I picked up a copy of Master and Apprentice which she kindly signed!

w/ Chris Evans

After this, we headed back for another professional photo op. This one was with Chris Evans.  Being from the Boston area ourselves, it was pretty funny to meet a Boston guy in New York so the only fitting thing to do was to say “Go Red Sox”.  

W/ David Tennant

Next was the photo op with David Tennant, who played Doctor Who and Killgrave. He was very nice and seemed genuinely excited to meet all of his fans. I had the chance to meet him previously at FanExpo Boston and he was just as nice here as he was then.

We wrapped up NYCC 2023, by doing one more trip around the convention floor. We purchased some fudge from Copper Coast and decided to head out. However, one last stop on our way out of the convention was the Burger Mobile that was used to promote Good Burger 2.

Burger Mobile!

New York Comic Con 2023 Pt. 1

 Having been to FanExpo Boston and Rhode Island Comic Con multiple times, I thought I was prepared for New York Comic Con. I was not. This event is bigger than I could have imagined which was great and not so great. 

Jim Cummings

I had tickets to attend NYCC 2023 on Thursday and Friday. I knew Saturday would be overwhelming and I did not want to travel back on Sunday after the con. Thursday was a very cool day at the con. I met Ryan Parrott, the writer for over 100 issues of Power Rangers for Boom! Studios, Dee Bradley Baker, the voice of almost all of the clones in Star Wars animation, and Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Hondo Ohnaka.  

Tait Fletcher

I had the chance to talk to Tait Fletcher, Paz Vizla in the Mandalorian, again. My wife and I originally met him in July at Terrificon in Connecticut. Both times talking with Tait was great. He is a very nice and personable guy who makes you feel like you have known him forever. Also, try to check out some of his other work if you have a chnace.

Thursday finished up with a professional photo op with the cast of Star Wars The Clone Wars, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter, and Dee Bradley Baker.  Having had the chance to meet all of them before the photo, I was excited to meet them again. Photo ops are much quicker than autograph signings but it was still a great experience. 

All in all, Day 1 was great. Spending sometime in Artist Alley was really cool. The crowd was definitely manageable. Lastly,  never be afraid to make friends with other people at the con. While in line for Dee Bradley Baker we met this awesome family who are huge Star Wars fans. We kept running into them at the con and enjoyed each meeting.

Voice cast of Clone Wars. (Left to Right)
Dee Bradley Baker, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor

Demon in a Bottle

 Demon in a Bottle is the name given to a story arc within Iron Man issues 120-128. Originally published in 1979, this has become an iconic storyline that discusses the topic of alcoholism and Tony Stark's battle with it. This storyline is defined by the iconic image of Tony Stark staring in to a mirror while looking like he's going through a withdrawal. While, the acoholism is the center of this story, we see the debut of Justin Hammer. Hammer is a corporate rival to Tony and targets Iron Man within this run.

It is important to remember that in the comics, Iron Man is still Tony's bodyguard and not Tony himself. The story starts with Tony drinking on a plane when the plane is struck by an army tank flying through the air. This brings Tony into contact with the "US Navy". Who say they use the island for toxic waste and Namor is trying to keep a man prisoner on the island. This leads to fight between Iron Man and Namor. During this fight Tony realizes that maybe his drinking is causing an issue with his reflexes. 

This is the first of many times we see Tony use alcohol to deal with the pressures and stresses of his life. We see Iron Man's armor malfunction, S.H.I.E.L.D. is trying to take over Stark Industries and eventually Iron Man kills a foreign ambassador after his armor malfunctions again. All of this is to say, Tony's life is pretty stressful.

However, the alcohol use causes Tony more problems than it solves. It causes him to lash out at Bethany Cabe, who Tony is dating during this story, and Jarvis. In addition to lashing out at Bethany, Tony misses a date with her as well because he was drunk and wrote the wrong address to meet her at. 

Lashing out at Jarvis causes Tony even more issues as Jarvis was gifted two stocks in Stark Industries, but he used them as collateral for a loan. He took the loan because his mother was sick and he needed the money. Tony needed Jarvis to hold on to those stocks to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. from completing their takeover. After Tony lashed out at Jarvis, Jarvis quit and broke the terms of his loan. He needed to stay gainfully employed and since he quit, the loan company defaulted the loan and sold the stocks. 

We see Tony spiralling further down and he decides he no longer wants to be Tony Stark any longer and he will be Iron Man full time. Tony dons the armor and jumps out the window looking to be a hero once more. This starts off horribly as he crashes through the window because in his drunken state, he didn't open the window before jumping out of it. It is then made worse we he attempts to assist with a train derailment involving a tanker of toxic gas. Iron Man lifts the tanker, but the piece he uses to lift the tanker breaks off. The tanker crashes to the ground annd splits open. This causes the toxic gas to leak and Iron Man to leave in shame. This only exacerbates his spiral. 

Eventaully, we see Bethany confront tony about his alcohol use and she tells Tony that she turned her back on someone who needed her before but she won't do it again. She tells Tony the story of her husband who was so focused on rising within his job, that he began to lean on pills. She says that he would use them to stay awake, to sleep, and lastly, to escape. He ended up dying in a car crash and Bethany says that the doctors could not say whether it was the pills or a heart attack that did it. She tells Tony to lean on her and let her help him through this. This is the start of some very powerful images and panels. Tony first asks for help and then we see Tony going through withdrawals while he detoxes from alcohol. 

Tony eventually makes amends with Jarvis and Jarvis returns to work. he learns about Jarvis using the stocks as leverage. He attempts to get his stocks back and this is where he learns that they have already been sold. Fearing that S.H.I.E.L.D. bought the stocks, Tony feels that spiraling feeling beginning again and he reaches for the bottle of alcohol once more. Bethany sees him reach for the bottle and reminds him that he's not alone. This is enough to make Tony close the bottle and choose to spend his afternoon with her. As we see the comic closing we see Tony make a declaration that he'll regain control over Stark Industries and repair it's damaged image. 

Usually, I do not write this mouch for a blog post, but there are a few reason's why this required such a long write-up. First, the stroy arc spans nine issues. Second, and more importantly, this story highlights so many things that are still relevant today. Addiction is still a scruge on society, people feel more alone than ever, and healing from past trauma is important. So remember, you're never alone and there's always hope for a better tomorrow. If Iron Man can battle his demons, so can you. 

Ghost Rider Live Action

So with my last post being about the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows and with me currently, re-watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, I thought I would talk a little about the Ghost Rider's that have been portrayed in either movies or t.v.. The most recent incarnation of Ghost Rider was Robbie Reyes on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it is my favorite incarnation so far.

To be fair, I have tried to give the Ghost Rider movies, starring Nicholas Cage as Johnny Blaze, their fair shake, but they are almost cringe-worthy in the way that Punisher Warzone is cringe-worthy.

This was the transformation of Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance. It is a pretty silly transformation. One reason could be the technology at the time, but that reason basically goes out the window when you look at the movies that were released the same year such as Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. The CGI work in the movie can be blamed on budget, but it does not make up for the silliness of the transformation overall.


Meanwhile, in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. the transformation looked like Robbie was in pain and he was constantly struggling to contain the spirit. The Robbie Reyes character as a whole has a really compelling backstory and character build. It is amazing that the television show had such a better looking transformation than a big budget movie.

Most of my dislike for the Ghost Rider movies comes from the absurdity of the Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance as Ghost Rider, the first movie, was an okay movie. Nicholas Cage actually portrayed an okay Johnny Blaze in that movie. The movie was on par with most of the non-Marvel Cinematic Universe movies released in that time period. This may not seem like a ringing endorsement, but those movies are somewhat enjoyable.

If you are a Ghost Rider fan and have not seen this incarnation you definitely need to check out Season 4 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as he is part of the entire first arc. Once you watch that arc, make sure you continue because while Ghost Rider is a great start of the season, it only gets better from there.

If you have seen both live action Ghost Riders, let me know which you prefer!

Marvel Cinematic Universe TV Shows

Photo From tvtropes.com

As a kid I remember watching Marvel cartoons on TV often. Looking back on it I don't think they were on nearly as much as I remember but still. We were lucky enough to have Iron Man, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Fantastic Four and an Incredible Hulk cartoon. This does not even take into account, Spider-Man Unlimited or X-Men: Evolution. Both pretty good cartoons in their own rights.

Now however, we live in time where our larger than life superheroes are actually larger than life because we can watch them on the big screen. The cartoons were my entrance into the comic and superhero world, however the movies were the evolution of my fandom. Seeing Iron Man on the big screen re-ignited all of my childhood imaginations. What's cooler than a superhero that has a suit of armor for every situation? If he needs to go into space, he has a suit for that. He needs to go into a volcano, he has a suit for that. You know it and he either has a suit for it or he can create one. 

However, I digress from the point of this. Marvel still produces cartoons, but now they produce live action TV shows as well. We live in a time were just in the Marvel Cinematic Universe there are multiple live action shows.  Within this universe there is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, The Punisher, Runways and the soon-to-be released shows of Cloak and Dagger and The New Warriors. This is on top of the feature film entries in this shared universe. 

With all of these shows available, it can be extremely hard to pick a favorite. I happen to like all of the entries to varying levels. My two favorites are Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Daredevil. However, that is to take nothing away from the more polarizing shows like Agent Carter and Iron Fist. They both had positives they brought to universe. 

This is a day late and maybe a dollar short, but as a comic book fan, I am grateful for all of the comic related entertainment available and especially the TV shows which I never dreamed a network would take a chance on.

Let me know what you're favorites are or were. If you want to talk about the 90's cartoons, please leave a comment and we can discuss them. They're amazing!