Star Wars Dark Horse comics disscussion and comments

[Reverend]

Kegg wrote:

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Jango not Mandalorian, kind of full circle there. As I recall the first episode with Mandalorians on that show depicting them as pacifists caused bit of a stir and, IIRC, contradicted how Karen Traviss was handling them in her novels (and she left SW writing not long thereafter).

Now I'm by no means an expert on the EU (far from it) but from what I've gathered from the KotOR games and the Clone Wars series is that there's a difference between being a Mandalorian and a "Mandalorian", at least by the time of the films.

On the one hand you have the Mandalorians who are a quasi-nomadic warrior culture, big on personal honour, glory in battle and mercenary work. IIRC these aren't any particular species as there's a cultural tradition of adopting just about anyone they deem worth (i.e. can throw a punch and/or shoot straight.)

On the other hand there's the people who actually live on Mandalore who--according to TCW--appear to be trying to shake their millennia old reputation and heritage as a warrior culture in order to join the Alderanian pacifists' club.

Again, I'm not clear on the details, but I think between the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire both these groups were put through the grinder so by the post-RotJ period they'd been--for better or worse--reunified.

[Kegg]

Reverend wrote:

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On the other hand there's the people who actually live on Mandalore who--according to TCW--appear to be trying to shake their millennia old reputation and heritage as a warrior culture in order to join the Alderanian pacifists' club.

Which, obviously, is exactly the opposite of how Traviss wrote her Mandalorians prior to the Clone Wars series, and she wrote her Mandalorians as existing during the time of that war (and even incoporating Mandalorian culture into the Republic army because Jango Fett).

My point was not a canon discussion of what Mandalorian means right now and more a reminder that it's been retconned a couple of times, and in this case because the TV series is 'more canon' than comic books or novels.

[Drago-Kazov]

Which, obviously, is exactly the opposite of how Traviss wrote her Mandalorians prior to the Clone Wars series, and she wrote her Mandalorians as existing during the time of that war (and even incoporating Mandalorian culture into the Republic army because Jango Fett).

It's not unlikely that there were rogue mando clans roaming the galaxy.

[Kegg]

Drago-Kazov wrote:

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It's not unlikely that there were rogue mando clans roaming the galaxy.

How very Ruusan Reformation of you.

[Hound of UIster]

Kegg wrote:

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Which, obviously, is exactly the opposite of how Traviss wrote her Mandalorians prior to the Clone Wars series, and she wrote her Mandalorians as existing during the time of that war (and even incoporating Mandalorian culture into the Republic army because Jango Fett).

My point was not a canon discussion of what Mandalorian means right now and more a reminder that it's been retconned a couple of times, and in this case because the TV series is 'more canon' than comic books or novels.

By virtue of being closer to the original source (Lucas). If previous writers had been more careful and read the stuff he had a hand in (novels and official club material), it never states that Fett was part of the mandalorians (or earlier the Imperial Shocktroopers), but always that he just wore the armor.

[Drago-Kazov]

Kegg wrote:

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How very Ruusan Reformation of you.

What the stang is that suposed to mean?

[Reverend]

Kegg wrote:

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Which, obviously, is exactly the opposite of how Traviss wrote her Mandalorians prior to the Clone Wars series, and she wrote her Mandalorians as existing during the time of that war (and even incoporating Mandalorian culture into the Republic army because Jango Fett).

My point was not a canon discussion of what Mandalorian means right now and more a reminder that it's been retconned a couple of times, and in this case because the TV series is 'more canon' than comic books or novels.

I wouldn't worry about it too much; just about everything written about the pre-ANH era has probably had to be "adjusted" to fit in with the prequels. Plus it's not like every novel, comic and game have been 100% consistent with each other even before that.

Plus, like I said, having an pacifist Mandalorian state doesn't preclude the existence of nomadic bands of Mandalorian traditionalists. It's a big galaxy.

[Turtletrekker]

This weeks installment of Brian Cronin's excellent web-column "Comic Book Legends Revealed" feaures three urban legends about Marvel's Star Wars comics, including things we've been talking about here and a legend submitted by yours truly.

[Kegg]

Drago-Kazov wrote:

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What the stang is that suposed to mean?

Oh you.

I explained that earlier in this thread, but I basically mean it's a rationalisation to fit together two seemingly opposite bits of canon. Which in Star Wars terms is exactly what the Ruusan Reformation is, clearing up some inconsistencies with pre-TPM EU and an offhand line TPM has about the Republic.

We're gonna see a lot of Ruusan Reformation-esque handwaving in our future, folks.

Reverend wrote:

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I wouldn't worry about it too much; just about everything written about the pre-ANH era has probably had to be "adjusted" to fit in with the prequels.

Right. But the context of me using these examples was to discuss the fact that no, the EU is not dead. The EU will have to adjust in reaction to these new movies and they may decanonize chunks of it, but all of that has happened before (and will happen again). It's not that I'm bothered about the Mandalorians as such.

[C.E. Evans]

Drago-Kazov wrote:

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DH amde some unique comics. Marvel focused on milking the big 3.

Dark Horse plans on doing the exact same thing now with their upcoming new ongoing series simply called "Star Wars."

But one thing to take into consideration is that when Marvel had the license, the big 3 were the focus as the original trilogy was still being made at the time. It's like blaming DC Comics for milking Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they had the original Star Trek license prior to TNG's debut.

[Hound of UIster]

That is a blatant lie. DH has only one book on the Big 3, the Brian Wood one. Most of their efforts has been on side books such as Legacy/Dawn of the Jedi/Agent of the Empire/Knight Errant/Kotor/Crimson Empire.

[Turtletrekker]

C.E. Evans wrote:

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Dark Horse plans on doing the exact same thing now with their upcoming new ongoing series simply called "Star Wars."

But one thing to take into consideration is that when Marvel had the license, the big 3 were the focus as the original trilogy was still being made at the time. It's like blaming DC Comics for milking Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they had the original Star Trek license prior to TNG's debut.

Exactly. This was WAAAY pre-EU. Marvel's Star Wars was a movie tie-in produced at the same time as the movies. They were meant to promote the movies and their characters. I highly doubt that Lucas would have green-lighted a comic that didn't focus on the main cast at that time.

[C.E. Evans]

Hound of UIster wrote:

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That is a blatant lie.

Nope. It's the blatant truth.

DH has only one book on the Big 3, the Brian Wood one.

It's no different from Marvel's book that focused on the Big 3. The only thing you can accuse Marvel of is only having one ongoing Star Wars title based off the movies at the time rather than lots of minis and one-shots.

[Drago-Kazov]

I bet the new big 3 comic will be superior. No more horny rabits and ridiculous penis monsters.

[PsychoPere]

Kegg wrote:

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Which, obviously, is exactly the opposite of how Traviss wrote her Mandalorians prior to the Clone Wars series, and she wrote her Mandalorians as existing during the time of that war (and even incoporating Mandalorian culture into the Republic army because Jango Fett).

There's also the minor problem of Traviss depicting all of the planet Mandalore as lacking in the type of urbanized cities that we see on Mandalore in TCW.