Podcasts in Review

August 13, 2015 at 12:01 am | Posted in Disney, Interview, Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars | 1 Comment
Tags: adam bray, dave filoni, greg weisman, john jackson miller, jordan d. white, roger christian, tad stones

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Comic Book Noob: The Atom covers the super hero’s Golden Age and Silver Age origins, the ties to the The Flash and Arrow tv shows, how he’s powered by white dwarf matter, the female version–Atomica–who I’ve read but didn’t realize it in Forever Evil, plus they give their suggestions on where to start in comics. Once again another good episode that’s both informative and entertaining. I highly recommend checking these out if you have an interest in comics and superheroes.

Comics With Kenobi: Issue #4 has a review of Star Wars #7, the Obi-Wan standalone issue, Kanan – The Last Padawan #4, and their top five favorite Star Wars: Tales stories from Dark Horse Comics. Lots of great discussion with a deep and heartfelt appreciation for the comics medium. Now, as for my favorite Star Wars: Tales stories, the first to come to mind are “Fett Club”, which is absolutely hilarious, and “Fortune, Fate, and the Natural History of the Sarlacc” with it’s gorgeous artwork by Kellie Strom. Oddly enough, I’m not a big fan of “Into the Great Unknown”.

Fly Casual: Episode 50 opens with a Disney chat. Mike talks about riding Star Tours during his recent trip to Disney World, they cover the news with Bob Iger being very happy with the cut of the film he’s seen so far, Simon Pegg talking Star Wars, Carrie Fisher writing another book, Gary Whitta talking Star Wars, new casting for Rogue One, and Senator Jebel. Changing gears, they talk about coming around to the new Star Wars books and comics, their picks for worst Star Wars books ever, and they do a Tarkin bite of the week since Cory isn’t in this episode (and the Tarkin bit was pretty good). Rounding out the episode, they do their toy coverage with the SDCC First Order trooper selling out in five minutes online and they’re experiences trying to buy it, the boost in Slave Leia sales since the controversy, the 18 foot Falcon, stores clearing out of Star Wars figures in preparation for Force Friday and new product and where to get good deals. While there was no Cory in this episode, it was still as funny as ever. It actually turned out really good with lots of laughs, on topic discussion and plenty of useful Star Wars info.

Full of Sith: Episode CXXVII is hosted by Bobby, Bryan and Amy as they talk a little about midichlorians and Blu-Ray steelbooks before diving into a great discussion on Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars animated show. I’ve never watched the show, but they do an excellent job of describing it and presenting what elements stuck a chord with the fanbase. They lay out the things it did first, what voice talent started with that show and transitioned over to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, what elements found their way into TCW, and what elements were contradictory. Top notch episode and well worth checking out.

Full of Sith: Episode CXXVI is part one of their Coffee With Kenobi crossover. Coffee With Kenobi hosts Dan and Corey join Mike, Bobby and Bryan as they talk about a bunch of fun topics. From Mike’s Shadows of the Empire experience at a flea market, to the intriguing idea of Anakin’s afterlife with the people he disappointed most and the obvious absence of the one person he wanted most, Padme. I really like the idea of Anakin haunting Padme’s grave. They also contrast Mace Windu, his fate, and why he didn’t become a Force ghost. They also touch on the Cinelinx Star Wars Netflix story, J.J. Abrams breaking his back to make The Force Awakens, and how this will affect the commentary on the film. All in all, another episode filled with great discussion.

Great Big Beautiful Podcast: Episode 13 has a superb interview with Ultimate Star Wars author Adam Bray. Adam talks about being a travel writer, getting the Star Wars gig, seeing Revenge of the Sith overseas, his biology degree and wildlife background, writing Star Wars: What Makes a Monster, and of course what it was like working on Ultimate Star Wars. However, what really caught my interest in this interview was the travel side of things. They really dig deep into his travels and his stay in Vietnam. He talks about how he wound up there, why he stayed, and what it was like. It’s very interesting stuff and adds a whole new dimension to Adam. I highly recommend checking this one out. The episode has great sound quality, the hosts do a good job of leading the discussion into some fun territory, and Adam tells some entertaining stories.

Great Big Beautiful Podcast: Episode 10 is part two of their interview with Tad Stones. Tad doesn’t have anything to do with Star Wars, but he has lots of Disney connections and it’s a fun interview. This episode jumps right into the interview where part one left off. He talks about his transition from an animator to a story creator, working at Disney on things like The Fox and the Hound, doing educational stuff that led to Epcot and television work, how Disney got into tv animation, Eisner’s role, touches on Greg Weisman, talks about the Aladdin sequel, singing with William Shatner, a Robin Hood pitch he did, and they do a series of Darkwing Duck questions to wrap things up. It’s very Disney focused, interesting and has a lot of insider info. I found it to be a lot better than part and easier to follow along with. It’s worth a listen.

Great Big Beautiful Podcast: Episode 5 features a discussion with Greg Weisman. While they don’t talk too much about Star Wars, Greg does go in depth about his Reign of the Ghosts project, how it came about, doing a full audio treatment for it, and the endeavors of a kickstarter campaign and all the work that goes into it. He talks a little about Star Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and the Kanan comic. Overall, a good interview and interesting to listen to.

Jedi Journals: August 2015 episode cruises along with a mention of Gary Whitta’s non-Star Wars novel, Star Wars lit news and coverage, and an interview with Marvel Star Wars comics editor Jordan D. White who talks about the ideas they came up with, the artists, how fast Stuart Immonen works (will probably finish 18 Darth Vader issues within a year), the Chewbacca series (it will be fun, there will be no Han, Chewie is the main character and will have no translations), Vader Down and how that crossover will work (Vader Down #1 is a one shot, afterwards it will bounce back and forth between the Darth Vader and Star Wars series, the one shot will be about 30 pages), as well as them having two more mini-series currently lined up starring big name movie characters. Jordan also comments on them not having any interest in branching out into series with all new characters (like Dark Horse did with KOTOR or Legacy). It’s a good interview except for some audio issues with Jordan’s line. Sometimes it statics out, sometimes it changes tone, and sometimes it just sounds weird. Really hurt the sound quality of the interview, but there’s good content.

Radio 1138: Episode 30 includes a great interview with Dave Filoni covering Star Wars Rebels, part two of their interview with Roger Christian who talks about Black Angel and shooting it again which is pretty cool, and they have Jonathan Wilkins on to talk about all the latest Star Wars Insider magazine stuff. Solid episode full of great Star Wars content.

Rebel Force Radio: Episode 8.27.2015 features Jason, Jimmy and special guest Sheldon Norton as they talk about the “When the Galaxy Listens” documentary, Jimmy and Sheldon’s trip to Skywalker Ranch, talking with Dave Filoni and they play some audio of Dave and Jimmy’s conversation covering several different topics. Later on, Steve Sansweet joins them to catch up on Rancho Obi-Wan. It’s a neat episode and worth adding to your playlist.

Rebel Force Radio: Episode 7.31.2015 has some discussion on Marvel comics, trade paperback sales, Lobot and the Lando comic, Carrie Fisher’s comments on the Leia action figure controversy, Mark Hamill’s comments on Amy Schumer, the Cinelinx Netflix story and Jason and Jimmy’s speculation on what direction we could see Star Wars go – character versus situation and quality versus cost. They also cover Simon Pegg, Benicio del Toro, Joaquin Phoenix, Rogue One casting news, Game of Thrones connections, Journey to the Force Awakens publishing news, Aftermath, Wedge, the use of third person present tense storytelling and a hilarious Ackbar impersonation that made me laugh out loud. They rundown the upcoming Star Wars YA books, hit some listener feedback on the Leia action figure story, practical effects and more. Lots and lots of great topics in this one.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 87 starts with some inspiration for Darth Vader, an old character called The Lightning, which is pretty neat. They talk about Disney buying more land next to Disneyland and the possible implications, they have an interview with D23 senior manager Jef­frey Epstein who talks about George Lucas’ induction, the Disney Infinity 3.0 preview, Star Wars: Battlefront and lots of other events and displays that will be happening at D23, then they talk with Georgia Davis about her first experience at Disneyland. I have to say, Georgia has a great singing voice. Afterwards they with me, of all people, about what else…and it’s so weird to be typing this…the “Podcasts in Review” segment. Yeah, that’s pretty meta. We talk a little about my fandom, how Roqoo Depot started, the meaning of the name, what we do, how the “Podcasts in Review” got started, and some general discussion on podcasts. It was a lot of fun and I hope people enjoy it. While it may be biased for me to give this episode two thumbs up since I’m in it, I’m still totally going to do so. Seriously, give it a listen and hear what I actually sound like, and maybe get a peek behind the curtain. It’s always fun to learn more about the people in Star Wars fandom.

Star Wars Action News: Episode 454 is part one of their San Diego Comic Con Star Wars coverage. They talk with Gentle Giant who was very forthcoming with what they’re doing and where they’re going. They check out the Hot Toys booth, the ThreeA booth, and they chat with Hasbro who was very cagey. Some of the audio is a little lower in quality than usual, most of the audio is right from the con floor, but still a lot of good content.

Star Wars Action News: Episode 455 is part two of their SDCC Star Wars coverage. They provide their after the con report which bounces back to their usual excellent sound quality. Plus they give a full report of the Funko fun night party madness which they were a part of. Being the mortal combat of giveaways, this was easily the most entertaining and hilarious toy event report I’ve ever heard. They also cover all the Hot Toys and Funko collectibles they saw at SDCC, Steve provides a London Comic Con report, they have a review of Dark Disciple, and a report from someone who was at Hall H and gives an accounting of the line, the panels, and the experience. Great episode to wrap up their coverage.

Star Wars Bookworms: Episode #44 stars with some news as they talk about the Chewbacca series, the Kenobi one off of Star Wars #7, the Aftermath excerpt, Lego photo art, micro comics, new book covers, and their contest winner. Then they get to their main topic, their review of Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi. To sum it up, Teresa love it, and Aaron didn’t. For Teresa, she liked the first person narrative, the lack of space battles, Luke’s portrayal, and Nakari. Aaron on the other hand didn’t like the first person narrative. They brought up some interesting relationships between the book and typical YA style novels, as well as the importance of format. Personally, I’m in complete agreement with Teresa. To me, format isn’t as important. A good story is a good story. While Aaron was annoyed with Luke and prefered reading about the wise Jedi Master we used to see in Legends, Teresa found joy in the humor of the book. I have to admit, I really bonded with Teresa in this episode. We both felt the same about the story. And yes, they tackle the Tootlefruits. I actually like that part of the discussion because Teresa brought up some good real world examples of how bands use their music as a commentary on society. They also dig into major spoilers, so be sure you’ve read the book before you listen. In the end, it’s a great episode approaching the book from two very different points of view, thus giving full coverage to the story no matter what side you fall on.

Star Wars Influences: Episode #12, to put it bluntly, is Paul’s chance to talk about Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. He gives his thoughts on seeing the trailer, the influential imagery, provides a visual element breakdown, talks about the sabacc tournament they had, and more. Paul also talks about Star Wars Rebels and admits that he had a hard time seeing any changes being made to Ralph McQuarrie designs, but warmed up to it and it happy with the opening of season two. While this episode isn’t the most tightly focused and doesn’t touch too much on the influence to Star Wars, it does cover how Star Wars has influenced fans. Kind of a fun listen.

Star Wars Report: Episode #175 starts with Mark and Riley’s reactions after seeing the SDCC Star Wars panel and the behind the scenes reel. It’s a bit of rambling and a loss of words. They’re joined by guest Joey Tavano, Kenny Kraly Jr., Bethany and Steve Glosson. It’s funny how things change when Steve comes in. Steve sounds so professional in comparison. It becomes a podcast. Steve directs the show, pushes the discussion, juggles the hosts and it becomes great. With Steve’s guidance, they really dig into the meat of the panel. Also, after hearing them mention it, I really want a Steve and Mark debate episode. That would be awesome. While this episode starts off rough and meanders a little, it shapes up when Steve comes on board, thus giving it a strong finish.

Step In Time: The Love Bug with Stephen Stanton covers the Disney movie The Love Bug with special guest and voice actor Stephen Stanton. They talk about how the movie is based on a book, their childhood memories of the movie, favorite scenes and lots of fun trivia. Plus there’s listener feedback on the film. Overall, a fun episode whether you’ve seen the movie or not (yes, this is another Disney film I’ve never seen, at least not entirely).

Talking Apes TV: The Adventure Continues features guest Paul Bateman as they talk about where The Planet of the Apes tv show could have gone had there been a season two. It results in some great pitch ideas. They also go over a bunch of unproduced scripts and talk about how episodes were later cut into five made for tv movies that featured new footage of Galen. It’s a good episode with a lot of neat info and discussion. Must listen for Apes fans.

Twin Suns Transmission: John Jackson Miller episode starts out with some news, the passing of a Star Wars: The Clone Wars member that I hadn’t heard about anywhere else, some pre-GenCon news, an auction for a The Force Awakens private screening, and then they step into their main feature, an interview with Star Wars author John Jackson Miller. They cover how he became a Star Wars fan, what it’s like writing for Star Wars, how much of the stories are his and how much the publishers pitch, his involvement with the Star Wars miniatures, what he had to work with for A New Dawn, the challenge of how Kanan went from a cowboy Jedi to Ice Road Truckers, his creation process, outlining and how the middle beats and dramatic beats are the hardest part, working with others, gives his thoughts on Legends, how authors are chosen, his upcoming events, and more. John also mentions working with Jason Fry on the new short stories that will be included in the Rise of the Empire story collection. It’s a nice interview but there are a couple flaws. For starters, the volumes levels of the hosts don’t match, so one comes in loud and the other quiet, so it’s hard to find a happy volume setting to where you can still hear what they’re saying without getting your ears blasted. The other thing is it could have used some editing as it would have been a real simple thing to edit out some of John’s coughs which would have greatly increased the quality of the interview for the listeners.

Who Shot First: Episode 1 features guests Gus Lopez and Mark Newbold as they square off on a fun Star Wars trivia match. Questions cover the Knights of the Old Republic video game, the name of the space slug, the real life languages the Ewoks speak, how many toes Yoda has in ESB, the value of collectibles, Star Wars Rebels and more. Plus they find some time to talk to each of the guests with Mark talking about Jedi News and Radio 1138 and Gus talking about owning the Death Star from ANH, traveling to Star Wars locations and his collecting books. Fun episode with a really cool premise for a podcast. Looking forward to listening to more episodes.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.