Podcasts in Review

April 13, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars | Leave a comment
Tags: brian miller, claudia gray, dave filoni, joe corroney, lin zy, matt busch, sam witwer

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Blast Points: Episode 67 covers the first Star Wars documentary, The Making of Star Wars. From their conspiracy theory to how it could be canon, to audio clips and fun observations, they cover the commentary and keep it entertaining and informative. Great episode.

Blast Points: Episode 68 starts out with some excitement for Star Wars Celebration Orlando as they talk wardrobes and mental prepping. Then they rundown the convention history of Star Wars. From the first convention in 1976, to what could be called Celebration Zero, and then going through some of the official Star Wars Celebrations. They cover what led up to the event, and their memories of the first ones they went to. Fun episode. They cap off with some final tips for those heading to Celebration.

Bombad Radio: Episode 274 covers news. Star Wars Celebration, Mass Effect: Andromeda, movie news, DC movie updates, upcoming Batman movies and more for a bunch of Star War and non-Star Wars topics. Good episode.

Brews and Blasters: Episode 115 is hosted by Joe and Bill as they talk about the advantages of enjoying Star Wars Celebration from home on the livestream. They also talk toys, Bill gets into some non-Star Wars collectibles that sound pretty cool, and they cover Star Wars collectibles, too. Fun episode.

Classic Marvel Star Wars Comics: Episode 13 starts with Randy going over his Celebration print, then they shift to the recent art scams that have been going on online and what to look out for. Randy will be at the Skywalking Through Neverland podcast panel for a mini-episode of Classic Marvel Star Wars Comics, then they get into their review of Day of the Dragon Lords. They discuss the artwork of the cover, their thoughts on the story, and their favorite moments. Fun episode.

Comics With Kenobi: Episode 29 details their meetup plans for Star Wars Celebration Orlando, then they talk with Otis Frampton about his pitch for the Jawa Adventures. He talks about how the idea got started, his thoughts for it and where else it could go, and he talk a little about his original series Oddly Normal. Afterwards they get into some Star Wars Q&A. It’s a good interview. Once that is wrapped up, Jeff and Matt review Darth Maul #2, Poe Dameron #12 and Doctor Aphra #5 with some a good accounting of the Indiana Jones connections. Excellent episode.

Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode 42 covers the Oscars and whether Star Wars should get more nominations. They talk Star Wars canon and storytelling. Plus they talk Han Solo casting, Star Wars Rebels season four, Hyperspace Mountain, Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia and for their character discussion, they cover Mon Mothma.

Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode 43 features a conversation with author Claudia Gray as they talk about her new book Defy the Stars. Then they talk with Star Wars Celebration Orlando artists Joe Corroney and Brian Miller. Good episode.

Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode 44 is one you will not want to miss. While Rebel Force Radio did not get an interview with Dave Filoni, Fangirls Going Rogue did. They talk with Dave about Sabine, music, choosing the organ for Thrawn and how Sabine’s theme was inspired by samurai music. Dave talks about Thrawn and the long game, Bendu, his purpose and his inspiration, the hot Kallus club, Maul and his fate, Hera and Kanan, Kanan’s arc, female creators and Dave mentions he’ll have buttons at Star Wars Celebration Orlando. Afterwards the hosts talk about the new trailer for the Freemaker Adventures, some Filoni afterthoughts, and they have a second guest, Annalise Ophelian, who talks about the Looking For Leia project. Great episode.

Fly Casual: Episode 130 is their April Fool’s episode which starts out with a Star Trek RPG sessions which is pretty funny. Then they kick off the show and get into reviews for Poe Dameron #12, Darth Maul #2, Star Wars Rebels “Double Agent Droid,” “Twin Suns,” and “Zero Hour.” Afterwards they go into rumors for Episode VIII regarding Finn, Phasma and more. Fun episode.

Fly Casual: Episode 131 kicks off with a white butt intro, then it’s onto news and toys. They cover new Han Solo casting news, kyber crystals perhaps getting overused, a return of Vader’s castle, the possibility of a fourth trilogy, Rogue One #1 doing a nice job of providing something new rather than being a straight comic adaptation, new items from Fantasy Flight Games, Itty Bitty plushes, Gentle Giant, Hot Wheels and more. They also talk a little Celebration and a planned appearance at the Jedi News booth sometime on Friday. Good episode.

Full of Sith: Episode CCXII opens with an intro from Mike sharing a couple Carrie Fisher stories, then it cuts into the panel audio from FanX hosted by Bryan, Holly, Matt Martin and Amber Dahl as they remember Carrie Fisher. The audience also chimes in with their own Carrie Fisher stories, and it does get emotional so be prepared.

Hutt Space Radio: Episode 3 is a new podcast I came across. I didn’t know Chris from Brews and Blasters had his own solo podcast. In this one, he talks about his Star Wars Celebration Orlando autograph pre-orders and other collectibles, his recent purchases, and he laments some on Maul and the Star Wars Rebels “Twin Suns” episode. Audio is okay. If you like Collector’s Hutt or Brews and Blasters, you might want to check this one out.

Jedi Journals: April 2017 covers their Celebration plans, the new Darth Vader comic series, recent acquisitions, upcoming items, Celebration exclusives and panels, signings, and a Star Wars Insider update.

Kanata’s Castle: Episode 5 starts with listener feedback, news, the alternative Rogue One Vader ending, and they discuss Star Wars Rebels “Twin Suns.” They get into Obi-Wan knowing Ezra’s name, dealing with the outcome, the chosen one, and how they think Rebels should end. Then they get into their main discussion, Rey. They talk about the various books including Greg Rucka’s novel and Rey’s Journal, what those expanded upon and explained regarding her character, and they piece everything together as they probe the possibilities for Rey. They also touch on the Force tree rumors and discuss Kylo’s disappointment with Han. Great episode.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode 105 covers ten Star Wars encounters Tim would like to see with some fun choices.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode 106 is a quick episode with Darth Taxus as they talk Fan Expo Dallas.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode 107 is a headlines episode rounding up the latest news including the Star Wars: From A Certain Point of View anthology novel, the latest Star Wars video from Bad Lip Reading and some Star Wars: The Old Republic news.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode 108 is another Kenner action figure episode as Tim opens his latest package.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Bonus Episode 5 is worth a listen for those who have been following the show as Tim reveals why he does a short format podcast. After hearing the reason, I am truly amazed that he somehow still finds time to do even a five minute podcast. It just goes to show what the love of Star Wars means to fans. We will go above and beyond for our fandom. Hats off to Tim for all the work he does, even it if is a short format show, it’s still a nice contribution to the fandom.

My Saga: Episode 10 features an interview with Star Wars artists Joe Corroney and Brian Miller. It’s a great interview covering Star Wars, their Celebration prints, watching out for online scammers, enjoying the new films and more. They also talk with Andrew, a member of the 501st Legion’s Redback Garrison. Good episode.

My Star Wars Story: Episode 25 features Dr. Amy H. Sturgis who tells her Star Wars story. Going from Star Trek to to seeing Star Wars in 1977, she recounts how it changed her life. She goes through the experience of seeing the films, the lead up to each sequel, and playing as Leia with a lightsaber. She talks about the early days of fanfic and how there was a gender divide between fan filmmakers, who were mostly men, who Lucasfilm encourage, and fan fic writers, who were mostly women, who Lucasfilm sent cease and desist letters to. She talks about her disappointment with the Thrawn novels and how the characterizations didn’t hold up to what some of the best fanfic writers were able to do. She gets into her feeling for the prequels, and how she brought Star Wars into the classroom for her classes. Plus she mentions how author John Jackson Miller helped her with some online interactions with her students. Really cool episode and worth checking out.

Rebels Chat: Episode 75 features a great little interview with Sam Witwer as he talks Maul, discusses whether the character was redeemable, digs into Maul’s relationship with Ezra, and touches on what Maul would have done if he had defeated Kenobi. This one gets pretty funny. Definitely worth listening to.

Rebel Force Radio: Episode 4.7.2017 covers the RFR Bash, news, Bob Iger’s comments, the possibility of a Kenobi film, Episode VIII and IX rumors, familiar planets, slicer rumor, as well as Riz Ahmed’s comments on Rogue One and seeing the Vader scene for the first time. They play some old audio of Alec Guinness impersonating George Lucas and talking about her percentage points on the film, they cover Mark Hamill’s work in the latest Bad Lip Reading video, and a Star Wars reference in The Goldbergs.

Skytalkers: This Galactic Life: Rebels Season 3 is hosted by Charlotte and Caitlyn as they talk a little Revenge of the Sith, Celebration and Mark Hamill, then they get into Rebels. I really love the way the organized their discussion as it’s broken into three parts. Part one covers Sabine. Part two covers Obi-Wan, Maul and “Twin Suns.” Part three covers “Zero Hour,” and then they throw in some other season three thoughts. It’s a really nice discussion and I highly recommend this one for Rebels fans.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 163 covers some Celebration news, where they’ll be and meetup opportunities. For Hoojib fans, there will be a Hoojib hop on Sunday at 1:00 PM in the main hall (ie. a scavenger hunt). Afterwards they talk with Star Wars artist Matt Busch and Lin Zy Busch about their Celebration prints. Great interview, definitely worth checking out. Then there’s a Skywalker story, and a Star Wars Rebels music discussion as they get into Sabine and Mon Mothma’s themes. Great episode.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1006 continues the Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia coverage with Jedi fates.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1007 dives into where Ahch-To is in the galaxy and piecing together the Unknown Regions.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1008 wraps up Allen’s coverage of Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia by touching on the hints to the sequel trilogy. If you don’t plan on getting the book, this one will be of particular interest to you.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1009 covers the Star Wars Insider short story “Blade Squadron: Jakku” and how it explains Snap Wexley’s escape from the battle of Jakku.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1010 is a Star Wars trivia episode as Allen gets quizzed.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1011 is a conversation with Steele Saunders covering a couple random topics.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1012 is a conversation with Amy Ratcliffe covering her work as a Star Wars Celebration stage host. It’s a neat peek behind the scenes.

Star Wars Counseling (ForceCenter): Episode 5 covers fan grievances with Maul’s death and seeing the Rebellion depicted as cowards with defenses for both topics to help fans get over their issues.

Star Wars Report: Episode 275 kicks off with Riley and Mark talking about Celebration and Disney news, then Bruce joins them as they talk about Dave Filoni’s interview with IGN, Star Wars Rebels “Zero Hour,” Celebration details, and a rundown through some of the panels. Good episode.

Star Wars Report: Episode 276 is a short episode solo hosted by Riley as he talks about the Star Wars Report dinner meetup, the Star Wars Report podcast panel, some Celebration news, Operation Blue Milk and the Star Wars: From A Certain Point of View anthology.

Talk Star Wars: Episode 64 is hosted by Marc, Rob and Steve as they go over a Kenobi pitch from a listener, dive into Vader’s thought process when fighting Luke at Cloud City, and discuss his redemption. They tackle a TFA what if, Rey and Luke, the possibility of a Shadows of the Empire type movie or tv series, Hayden being at Celebration and what that might mean, thoughts on an Ahsoka story, and some Episode VIII stuff. Good episode.

TechnoRetro Dads: TechnoRetro Dads Celebrate Jabba, Wookiees and Jabberwock with GORF covers lots of stuff, from the Monty Python like Jabberwocky, to GORF the video game, history, movie news, Six Million Dollar Man, Big Trouble in Little China board game, and Star Wars Celebration. Lots of fun. If you haven’t checked out TechnoRetro Dads yet, be sure to give it a try. They combine great audio quality with fun discussion that changes episode to episode.

The Gamer’s Dominion (Assembly of Geeks): Mass Effect Andromeda features guests Emily Kelley and Josh Boykin as they talk Mass Effect: Andromeda without spoiling the story. They cover the experience of the game, the quality of the different aspects, and the mechanics.

The Sandcrawler: Episode 21 starts with some joking around with Celebration and funds, they talk about the awesome swag they’ll be giving away, and their Mark Hamill photo op plans. Dan gets into his woes with trying to get a Luke jacket, and they talk autographs and photos, collecting, plus some tips. Fun episode.

The Sandcrawler: Episode 22 is a best of their recently Celebration discussions all combined into one episode, so if you’ve been listening to the recent episodes, you can skip this one. If you haven’t this one condenses them into one spot for your convenience. The audio is echoey but it’s not bad, just different, almost like they were speaking in an auditorium.

TSW Comics (Talk Star Wars): Episode 0 is hosted by Marc and Rob as they kick off a new podcast and give listeners an idea of what it will be like. They go over the format, and they cover their own comic preferences and habits.