Over the past couple months, I've been bad, with the help of my lovely wife.  I've picked up a number of G.I.Joe figures, but have no place to display them.  So, I've taken to setting them up on the top of the box of my 25th Anniversary Optimus Prime (that I still have yet to open).

I've also started to consolidate my Star Wars figures to the main display shelf in the bedroom.  I added a couple Boba Fett figures to the Mandalorian section of the shelf.  They are the animated special version and a second concept version, this one with the alternate head, both from the 2007 30th Anniversary line.

Finally, with the addition of Plo Koon to my Mighty Muggs collection, I am officially out of room to display any more, should I buy more.  To fit Plo in, I had to swap the Star Wars and Marvel/Indiana Jones displays around as the latter's area has more room and the former will likely keep growing.  I don't know what I'm going to do when the Transformers and G.I.Joe ones come out.

We had another test this morning.  This one seemed to go relatively quick for me, so I'm not sure what that means.  I'm either getting smarter or just whipping through it.  Regardless, I ended up with almost an hour before the next scheduled event (including our first of two mandatory breaks), so I pulled out the iPod and hit shuffle, skipping only three songs this time because they're in Japanese and I don't know how to translate that.

1.) Not Quite Paradise by Bliss from the Titan AE soundtrack

2.) Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin from Verities and Boulderdash

3.) Conroy by Cake from Rarities and B-Sides

4.) Courtyard Fight from the Star Wars the Clone Wars soundtrack

5.) Kyur4 Th Ich by Linkin Park from Reanimation

6.) All is Well, My Friend by Jack Wall from the Myst III Exile soundtrack

7.) Sleep to Dream by Fiona Apple from Tidal

8.) Move This by Technotronic from Pump Up the Jam

9.) War Pigs (Live) by Cake from Rarities and B-Sides

10.) Outlaws Theme from the Best of Lucasarts soundtrack

11.) Trapped in the Drivethrough by Weird Al Yankovic from Straight Outta Lynnwood

I was pleasantly surprised by this mix.  Some songs I haven't listened to in a long while, like the track from Myst III and Move This, while others I can't get enough of and seek them out at times, like Cat's in the Cradle and Kyur4 Th Ich.  I was surprised Cake made it in there twice from the same album and yet another track from the Clone Wars soundtrack.  I think my iPod is learning from me.  Maybe this is the precursor to Skynet... *shudder*

Yesterday was one of the laziest Saturdays I've had in a long time.  Most of it was spent on the computer or napping.  Lots of napping.  You'd think I never slept.  And the computer time?  Browsing the web and playing games on Facebook.  There were two occasions this monotonous time was broken up with though.

Comic Book Ink hosted a signing of former Washington resident Tim Sale.  He's best known for his work on various Batman series as well as Captain America and Spider-Man to name a few.  He's also the artist behind the paintings seen throughout the Heroes television show for the first two seasons.  I assume he's still working on the show for the third season, but don't want to give out false information.

While I've read most of the comics that Tim's done the artwork for, I own none of them. I do have the first hardcover Heroes graphic novel and the first two seasons of Heroes on DVD, but didn't want to go to the signing until my wife read about it in the newspaper on Friday.  I picked up the first season DVD at Target, so it had four postcards with his artwork on them, so we had a total of seven things to get signed.  So, with book and DVDs in hand, we went to the store and waited.  He arrived about 15 minutes late, but that was all right.  Things happen.

After a short Q&A session, the line started to move, slowly.  At first, they were only allowing three autographs per person per time through the line.  That meant you could get more than three things signed, but you had to go through the line again.  That soon changed.  See, Tim was there also plugging his charity, the Hero Initiative.  With a small donation, you could have everything signed at once.  So, we donated $20 when it was our turn in line, which I think took both Tim Sale and John Munn, owner of Comic Book Ink, by surprise since most of the bills in the box were $1's and $5's.  Tim seems like a nice enough guy, but I didn't know what to say to him after spending time in line behind a big pack of nerds that annoyed me for almost my entire time in line.  We also got small certificates of authenticity from John for each item we got signed.  We plan on getting the postcards framed with the certificates underneath at Michaels next time they have a 50% off custom framing coupon in their sales flier.

At around 9pm, we took off for a new Target that opened up a couple months back in the outskirts of Puyallup near Graham.  Maybe it's in Graham.  I don't know.  It's just out there and it's huge, bigger than all the ones we frequent.  There's a WinCo out there we buy groceries at, so we decided to finally stop by this new Target.  In addition to being huge, it has all-plastic shopping carts which are super-quiet, unlike the children that were running around the store.  Don't parents put their kids to bed on the weekends?  I was never out that late until I was a tween or whatever the term before teenager is.

I saw the new Star Wars the Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Delta 2 Starfighter there.  That thing is cool.  In addition to being the shio Kenobi flies in the Clone Wars movie and television show, it splits into two vehicles, one piloted by him and the other by whatever astromech is in the socket.  The human-piloted section looks like an early version of the Jedi Starfighters from Revenge of the Sith.  But, it was $20 and I wanted the Plo Koon Mighty Muggs more, which was half the price.  They had a few Star Wars figures I wouldn't have minded getting either, like Breha and Bail Organa and Stass Allie.  But, I'm on a budget and we still had groceries to buy.

I'd go on about the grocery shopping, but I'm sure whoever reading this is bored already, so I'll skip that.  Today we plan on seeing Bolt.  We'll see if that pans out.

I usually try to sleep on the bus ride home from work, but tonight there were a couple people nearby that wouldn't stop talking.  So, I grabbed my iPod and hit shuffle.  Here's what I listened to (in order):

1.) Restoration by Toshihiko Sahashi from the soundtrack to Fatal Fury the Movie

2.) Around the World by Daft Punk

3.) The Jedi Council from the Star Wars the Clone Wars soundtrack

4.) In Between by Linkin Park from Minutes to Midnight

5.) It Can Happen by Yes from the Ultimate Yes Collection

6.) White & Nerdy by Weird Al Yankovic from Straight Outta Lynnwood

7.) Thrills by Cake from B-Sides and Rarities

8.) The Touch by Stan Bush from In This Life

9.) Jedi Don't Run! from the Star Wars the Clone Wars soundtrack

10.) Nobody's Listening by Linkin Park from Meteora

11.) 1stp Klosr by Linkin Park from Reanimation

Those were the songs I listened to.  I skipped over 16 others on the way home that I just wasn't interested in listening to at that moment.  I was a little surprised to hit two Clone Wars tracks and three Linkin Park tracks in the first 27 songs.  You'd think with a little over 1,200 songs on the thing that there would be more variety.

It wouldn't be a chapter of the Star Wars saga without a certain protocol droid and the Clone Wars is no different. C-3PO is back with what I believe is his best action figure ever. There are no missile launchers or grappling hooks or lightsabers here, just a good, solid toy. So, whether he's rescuing Padme from Ziro the Hutt or palling around with Jar Jar, C-3PO doesn't disappoint.

C-3PO comes molded in a muted gold color, no chrome here. The middle of his torso is painted black with white and red wires running all over the place. His eyes feature light-piping which works well even in some of the worst lighting, like the glow of a laptop monitor.

What really makes this version of C-3Po shine isn't the accuracy of his likeness to the animation model, but his articulation. He has no less than 10 ball-socket joints; neck, shoulders, elbows, torso, knees, and ankles. Add to that the four swivel joints from his wrists and hips and you have the most articulated C-3PO figure to date. That makes up for his lack of accessories.

In closing, Clone Wars C-3PO is a must own figure. Go out and buy one today.

Spawned from design sketches from the prequels, Asajj Ventress makes her fourth action figure appearance in the Clone Wars line from the recent movie and television series airing now. It is also the best Ventress action figure to date, but there's still a little room for improvement.

Dooku's apprentice has the best articulation of the character to date. She has ball-socket joints at the neck, shoulders, knees, and ankles along with a swivel joints at the elbows, waist, and hips. I would have liked ball-socket style elbow joints and I'm sure it can be done, but they might have been a little flimsy.

Asajj comes with her dual trademark curved-handled lightsabers that can be wielded as single units or combined together. She also has a holo-transmitter with a mini-hologram Count Dooku "projecting" from it. Her belt buckle is removable as well and is the sole thing keeping her belts and skirt in place.

The detail of her paint applications are amazing, at least on her upper body. There's not much going on below the belt. The wraps on her arms and facial and head tattoos are especially well done. The strap that comes down from her belt and lightsaber handles are also intricately well-painted.

So, if you're a fan of the Clone Wars or Asajj Ventress or hot, bald bad guys, you should pick her up if you find her.

Joining the Mighty Muggs line in the Clone Wars wave is the Sith Lord Darth Tyrannus. That's Count Dooku to you and me though. Dooku uses the standard Mighty Muggs body with what I like to call a Type-2 right arm. The hand is cupped down with a hole in the palm to place the included Sith lightning. He also comes with a cape and lightsaber.

Dooku translates well into a Mugg. His plain, brown top offsets his detailed belt and boots. What's interesting to me is that Dooku's eyes and ears are much higher on his face than most of the other characters. This gives his moustache and beard quite a bit of prominence as well as his pointy nose.

Count Dooku is a welcome addition to the Star Wars line of Mighty Muggs. The hole in the saga's Sith Lords is finally filled. Go out and buy him. It's probably the only official Christopher Lee Mighty Muggs that will be made.

Anakin Skywalker joins the ranks of the Mighty Muggs in the outfit he's known for wearing in the Clone Wars animated series. He uses the standard Muggs body type and so has neck and shoulder articulation. Now, unless you're familiar with the expanded universe of the Star Wars saga, Anakin isn't all that recognizable out of the box. Take away his lightsaber and he could be anyone.

Anakin is painted up very nicely. His outfit is very accurate given the Mighty Muggs proportions. He has the scar he received early on in the Clone Wars across his right eye. I'd like to know how he got that. I'm sure it's out there somewhere. But I digress.

Anakin Slywalker is a decent addition to the Mighty Muggs line. The choice in outfits could have been more iconic, but since the Clone Wars is airing now, I can understand why Hasbro went with this particular one. So, if you collect the Mighty Muggs, add Anakin to your collection. If you're looking for a gateway Muggs toy, I'd pick someone else.

Where to start?

The last couple weeks of training have gone well, more or less.  My head seems so full of new information that at times I believe it will explode, raining bits or cranium all over my classmates.  I've started to make friends with some of the people in my class.  Unfortunately, the ones I'd actually like to hang out with after work live in either Seattle or Everett.  I suppose if it's meant to be that something will work out.  There are a couple *cough*three*cough* of people in my class that annoy the living crap out of me.  All are know-it-alls and all apparently love the sound of their own voice.  One of them bugged the crap out of me so much during a lunch break that I almost called HR on him.  My wife talked me out of it.

During breaks and lunches, I've managed to finish reading my copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.  It's a wonderful read for those of you Star Wars fans out there that want to know some of what happened between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.  The story was expanded on so much from the graphic novel and PSP version of the game that it makes me wonder if any of the missing material that I read in the novel are in the X-Box 360 or PS3 versions of the game.  So now, naturally, I want either of those systems so I can play The Force Unleashed on the bigger screen.  Since I'm making more money now, it might be a possibility later on.

In one of my more recent blogs, I touched on my scoring of new Transformers; Universe Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Silverstreak.  Well, I finally took some pictures of them today since it was sunny outside and I was able to clear a shelf off in the living room.  The pics came out all right, I'd say.  I still miss my old camera.

Here we have Ironhide and Silverstreak.  Once upon a time, Silverstreak used to go by Bluestreak, because his character "talked a blue streak."  For some reason, Hasbro can't seem to trademark or copyright that name, so they went with Silverstreak, which means nothing.  He's Bluestreak to me.  He and Ironhide are together because they had a significant scene in the original Transformers 3-parter where Ironhide chased after the Decepticons after a battle and Bluestreak went to bring him back, but instead joined Ironhide.  Despite their efforts of listing lazily to the right, Ironhide got shot down by the Decepticon Skywarp, landing in a lake, and Bluestreak went in to get him.  Jazz used his grappling hook to bring them both to shore and they lived happily ever after.  Also, Ironhide should have a cannon, that can double as a sword, but our cat Fiona knocked him off his shelf and I can't find it.

Up next are the original Autobot brothers; Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.  The neat thing about them is that except for their heads and paint schemes, they are exactly the same toy.  Hasbro designed them that way on purpose.  If you turn either one 180 degrees at the waist in robot mode, you'll see the chest of the other on the back.  Sideswipe is the eager, angry brother, bent on bending as many rules as possible to get the job done.  Sunstreaker, on the other hand, is vain and a little egotistical, spending his down time making sure he looks good.  I admit that I never really cared for either of these guys back in the day, but these modern versions are pretty darned cool.  The original toys, especially Sunstreaker's, were really crappy, even by 80's standards.  Shame it took the powers that be almost 25 years to do them justice.

Last weekend, I went to Wal-Mart for something.  I can't remember what my intention was other than to maybe just look around since I don't get to stop into stores during the week anymore.  I wasn't expecting to find anything, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the Wal-Mart exclusive Star Wars Legacy Collection A-Wing Fighter.  The basic mold is the same one used for the previous versions of the toy, though the electronics from the original are long since gutted.  This time around, the A-Wing has a newly-molded instrument panel, which is a nice improvement over the previous version.  Also included is Green Leader from Return of the Jedi, Arvel Crynyd.  This is the guy that flew his damaged A-Wing into the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer at the Battle of Endor that caused the Imperial vessel to crash into the second Death Star.  Arvel uses the same body as Tycho Celchu from the 30th Anniversary Collection, but sports a new head and helmet.  This is Arvel's second figure and while not completely accurate, it's a lot better than the last one, which was also a Wal-Mart exclusive.

Yesterday, I took the second assessment test at work for new recruits.  They gave us two hours and I used almost all of it too.  It was hard and I didn't leave with much confidence.  Sure, it's open book, open Intranet, but I couldn't find a lot of the answers - only half-answers that I hope led me to the correct option on the test.  Needless to say, the bus ride home was a somber one, depite it being Friday.

Which reminds me of Thursday after work.  My wife and I came out of the building a little later than usual and saw the bus at the stop across the street.  So, we started to run while in the crosswalk.  I don't know what happened, but the top half of my body was apparently going faster than the bottom half and I lost my balance.  I thought I could roll it off, but the crosswalk was at the top of a hill and therefore at an angle.  I hit the ground and hit it hard, landing on my left knee and upper arm and scraping the area in-between my left ring and middle fingers.  As I fell, I could hear my wife calling out to me.  I've never heard her sound more panicked.  I scrambled to get up and continue, waving at the bus.  But, he didn't see either of us and drove off.  So, we sat down and my wife apologized over and over for telling me to run.  I told her it wasn't her fault that her husband was clumsy.  When we got to the parking garage after the bus ride home, I hit my knee on the glove compartment, sending more pain through.  Let's just say that it's three days later and I'm still in pain, but no bruises.

To leave on a high note, we went to Target this afternoon after having lunch with my Mom at Panda Express.  We were originally going to meet at Black Angus, but they changed their hours and don't open until 3pm, which is way to late for lunch in our case.  It was an enjoyable meal, though it would have been nicer in a booth than at a small table.  But, it was the company that was important, not the location of the food.  Those were secondary.  Afterwards, we went to Barnes and Noble, where I saw way too many books I wanted and left with none.  Mom bought herself some romance novels, but she can't find a couple books that were supposed to be out at the beginning of the month.  It's weird.  Maybe next time though.

Anyway, while we were tooling around Target, we picked up the Incredible Hulk on DVD as well as Family Guy volume six.  Target's version of the Family Guy set includes a poster and script from the 100th episode.  Neat.  While the wife went looking at cat food, I perused the action figure aisle.  I was hoping to find Transformers Animated Ultra Magnus, but ne was absent.  I did, however, find a couple new Star Wars battle packs and after talking it over with the misses, came home with the B'Omarr Monastery Assault set.  It features Anakin Skywalker, a Battle Droid, and two STAPs (Single Trooper Aerial Platform).  This set is inspired by the scene in the Clone Wars movie where the Republic is climbing the cliff face on Teth to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son from his kidnappers.  The STAPs are redecoed from the Episode 1 toy and feature stands for display that double as "controls" for play.  There's a button underneath that, when pressed, raises the platform the figure stands on slightly and launches the "missiles" from the guns.

The Battle Droid looks to be a redecoed version of the carded version in stores now.  I don't have it, so i can't say for sure.  It definitely has a more animated vibe to it's look that the other versions of the Battle Droid I've owned in the past.  From the packaging, it appears as though you can disassemble it, but I didn't feel like prying it off it's perch to find out since he's held together with a bunch of those little clear rubber bands.  His backpack falls off easily and reveals a nice lightsaber scar on it's back.  Ouch!

 

 

 

 

 

The real prize of this set is Anakin.  While he shares the same mold as the single-carded version, he has superior articulation.  This Anakin has knees and ankles, which make positioning him on the STAP a lot easier and makes him more fun to play with.  His head looks to be a little different from the other version as well, though it may be the superior paint job on this version.  Anakin also sports cloth for his lower Jedi robes, another advantage over the other version.  It's funny.  Usually the pack-in figures are the ones that are lower in quality or lacking in articulation.  While this version of Anakin does lack the force blast launcher and "rope," it is the superior of the two.

The Super Battle Droid is an enhanced version of the almost-comical Battle Droid. It has enhanced armor, built-in weapon systems, and more aggressive programming, making it the battle droid of choice when surrounded by clones or pesky Jedi. The Clone Wars version is the best version of this "character" yet.

The SBD is colored in a metallic gray and stands on two scrawny legs, articulated only at the hips. It's massive upper body and arms give off a menacing appearance meant to to frighten the weaker of heart. Each arm sports ball-socket style articulation at the shoulders and the elbows swivel and bend, giving them a full range of motion. The torso is also on a ball-socket, giving the SBD the ability to look, up, down, and to the sides.

Each forearm features two built-in blasters and can house the included rocket launchers. Once inserted into the launcher, press the back of the missile towards the arm to launch it. They fly pretty far, but your results may vary as mine did depending on how I held the toy.

With superior articulation and good action features, the Super Battle Droid is a worthy addition to any Clone Wars collection. Make sure to buy a bunch though since the Separatist Army doesn't stand a chance with only one SBD in their ranks.

As Anakin Skywalker's Togruta Padawan, Ahsoka Tano makes he debut in the Star Wars series in the Clone Wars feature film. Unfortunately, she wasn't released as an action figure until the second wave and is currently hard to come by since the first wave still lingers heavily in some stores. Still, if you're lucky you might find this plucky little Jedi gal.

Ahsoka features an amazing amount of articulation for an action figure so slender. She has ball-socket joints at the neck, shoulders, knees, and ankles with swivel hips and waist. He elbows, unfortunately, are immovable, but are molded in a way that still makes for interesting posing and play time. He skirt if made of cloth, so she's able to sit well, a definite plus.

As for accessories, Ahsoka comes with a lightsaber (not pictured because my cat batted at her and lost it somewhere in the living room), a backpack, and Rotta the Huttlet, Stinky to her and Anakin. The backpack fits over her shoulders and the straps tab into the bottom with a little work.

The real surprise for me was with Rotta. I figured that Hasbro would have just molded him as one piece, since at that size you couldn't get any meaningful articulation or crawling action feature. Well, they made his arms articulated. Each can swivel to run the gamete of emotions from happy, arms raised, to sad, arms down.

If you liked the Clone Wars movie and the Ahsoka and Rotta characters, you should track this set down. They're amazing figures for their size and well worth the retail price. Just keep your cats away or you'll be without a lightsaber like me.

First seen in the Revenge of the Sith's opening battle sequence, Oddball makes his debut in plastic form as he appears in the Clone Wars movie and television series.

Now, if you have a Clone Trooper from the initial wave of Clone Wars figures, you won't get much new with Oddball. He comes with the same accessories; a blaster, rocket, and rocket launcher. Oddball also sports the same body as the regular trooper. The only difference is his helmet. In place of the fin is a yellow stripe and a readout box that hangs over his chest and is attached to the back of his helmet.

Since Oddball shares his body with the clone trooper, he features amazing articulation and can be posed in a variety of ways. Most importantly, he can sit. Being a pilot, the ability to sit is an important one. Especially with such cool ships like the V-19 Torrent Starfighter and AT-TE out there.

So, if you're looking to add a little flavor to your clone forces or need a pilot for one of the many ships out there, give Oddball a chance. You'll be glad you did.

Initially offered as a mail-away preview for the Clone Wars line, Captain Rex didn't get delivered to fans until the same week the rest of the line was due to be released, including another version of himself. The reason? The high demand and new factories being employed by Hasbro. Was he worth the wait? Yes.

Captain Rex leads the Torrent Squad of Lord Vader's... err... Anakin Skywalker's 501st Legion. He features the blue highlights that the 501st are known for and his helmet is decorated with Jaig eyes from early Boba Fett production art, a nice nod to his fellow, yet unaltered, clone. Rex features the same articulation as Commanders Cody and Fox, so I won't go over that for a third time. He comes equipped with two blaster pistols and a regular blaster along with a removable helmet. Underneath the helmet? Rex' ugly mug and unique, white, buzz cut hairstyle, a nice counter to Cody's black flat top. Like Commander Fox, Rex' kama gets in the way of him sitting well in vehicles. But, he seems more a man that likes to pound the ground than take the cushy way to a battle.



So, what's the difference between this version of Rex and the one in stores now? This version lacks the rifle with launcher and the two projectiles of the other. However, it features unique packaging that hasn't been seen in Star Wars for about 10 years. Cut along the dotted line along the back of the package and lower the flap down to reveal a Clone Wars diorama with paper battle droids coming through a doorway. The last time we saw this sort of thing was with the original Expanded Universe wave of figures from 1998 that saw such figures as Dark Forces Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn, just to name two.



Should you buy Captain Rex? Yeah, I think you should. He has that cool 501st color scheme, looks fantastic, and is easy to pose and play with. He also makes for a cool display piece with his diorama-style packaging. If you can't get this version, the in-store version is just as good and comes with more accessories, just no diorama.

Making his debut in the Clone Wars feature film, Commander Fox leads the Coruscant Guard and can be found exclusively at Target stores if you're lucky enough to find him.

Fox shares the same body as Captain Rex except for the head, which is a recolored version os the helmeted head that comes with Obi-Wan Kenobi. He also lacks a pauldron. He sports cool, crimson highlights throughout his uniform, including an awesome insignia oh his chest that I wish I knew what it represented. Perhaps it is the symbol of the Coruscant Guard. Regardless, it looks really cool in my opinion and sets him apart from the other clones. You can buy his Guard-mates online at the Star Wars shop, but I've yet to do so and am not sure I will due to the cost and shipping. But, I digress.

While not as well armed as the standard clone, Commander Fox comes equipped with two small blasters, that fit into his kama, and a blaster rifle. Like the the other clones, Fox is very well articulated with ball-socket joints all around except for the swivel joints for his hips. He can sit better than other clones, but his kama gets in the way, so he can't pilot vehicles unless they are open-air.



Commander Fox is a little pricey at $12.99 for an action figure that actually comes with less accessories than most of his contemporaries. Sure, he comes packaged inside a clear clam-shell case to make him seem more like a collectible than a toy, but that hardly seems to justify an additional $5. But, he has sold out in some markets (including mine), so if you want him, get him when you see him. Or hold out for the eventual clearance price. Whatever.

In the second wave of the Clone Wars action figures comes a familiar face from Revenge of the Sith; Commander Cody. Cody serves under Obi-Wan Kenobi as the leader of the 212th Attack Battalion of the Grand Army of the Republic. This time around he's sporting a sleeker, animated look as reflected in the Clone Wars movie and television show.

Cody is a mix of new parts and old. He shares the legs, right arm, and left arm (from the elbow down) with Captain Rex and Commander Fox while sporting an all-new torso, upper left arm, and head sculpt. Under the helmet, he looks similar to Captain Rex, but has a different hairstyle; a black flat-top. He's also extremely well articulated. Cody has ball-sockets for his ankles, knees, wrists, elbows, shoulders, torso, and neck with swivel hips.

Cody is no slouch on the accessory department either. He comes with a helmet, blaster, rifle with launcher, missile, and a missile with grappling line attachment. He doesn't hold any of the hand-held accessories well unless you have him hold them in a two-handed fashion. This is mainly due to the soft plastic that needs to be used for today's safety standards.



Clone Commander Cody is a great addition to the Clone Wars line and will soon have some of his own troops to command when the battle pack with Obi-Wan and four of his troops comes out soon. I think it's really cool they didn't just recolor Rex into Cody's colors. That they molded new, individual parts for this figure is pretty darn cool in my book.

The teen novelization of the latest Star Wars film, the Clone Wars, is a short but delightful read. Granted, I'm not in the target demographic for this book, but it took me only a couple hours to run through this book and I enjoyed every minute of it.

So as not to spoil anything for anyone, I'll quote the back of the book instead of rambling about the plot of the book: "Was has spread chaos across the galaxy, and the Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker find themselves leading a massive clone army into battle with Count Dooku and his Separatist Alliance. On the planet Tatooine, deep in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, crime lord Jabba the Hutt's son has been kidnapped. To gain the Hutt's allegiance, an advantage over Dooku, the Jedi have agreed to find and rescue Jabba's son."

Tracey West does a fine job at taking the reader through the events in the Clone Wars movie, almost scene by scene. Very little was added or omitted in this version of the story, unlike Karen Travis' novel which expanded on a great deal of scenes and characterization. But, that's an entirely different target audience.

West's book is easy to read and will no doubt be a delight for the young reader in your home. If your child is a Star Wars fan or if you're trying to convert them, get this book for them. Heck, you might like it too.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the novelization of the upcoming feature length animated film from Lucasarts. It takes place after Anakin Skywalker has been knighted during the years between "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith." The Clone Wars also serves as the beginning of the television series that will begin broadcast sometime later in the year.

Those familiar with the expanded universe of Star Wars novels will no doubt recognize the author from her work on the Republic Commando and Legacy series as well as a plethora of other science fiction work. She does a wonderful job translating the movie into print form Well, I haven't seen the movie yet, but she wrote the book very well and I had no problem visualizing every word, every action in my mind.

Karen has a firm grasp on characters from the live-action films, like Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Count Dooku, in addition to bringing to life newcomers like Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. The dialogue was well scripted, though i was surprised that some of the dialogue featured in the previews for the film aren't in the novel, but there could be a number of reasons for that.

As for the story, someone has kidnapped Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta. Both Republic and Separatist forces want to bring Rotta back alive to Jabba so that they will gain use of Hutt controlled space lanes. Anakin is given his own Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and leads the Torrent squad of his 501st Battalion, led by Captain Rex, to rescue Rotta from the planet Teth. Meanwhile, Asajj Ventress and her droid armies plan, plot, and later ambush the rescue attempt. Will Anakin succeed in his mission, despite his loathing of the Hutts? You have to read the book, or wait until this coming Friday to watch the movie, to find out.

The Clone Wars is a fast read and worth every minute of it. Karen Traviss does it again with another great Star Wars novel. If you don't see the movie, you owe it to yourself to read the book. If you do see the movie, well, read the book at your own risk or use it to compare against the film. I think you'll like it either way if you're a Star Wars fan.

Get excited about the next chapter in the Star Wars saga. Watch this.

Some Clone Wars related news came out of the official horses mouths yesterday.  The first from the official site about how the Y-Wing Starfighter's (a Rebel ship seen in the original Star Wars trilogy) predacessor will make it's appearance in the upcoming Clone Wars television series.  I'm not sure how I feel about the design.  I mean, I like that they're trying to tie things together, but this seems like it's trying too hard.  I'm sure it will grow on me like the Revenge of the Sith style Jedi Starfighters did.

The next bit of news comes from Hasbro, where they debut the first official images of the upcoming comic book 2-pack featuring Tol Skorr and Asajj Ventress.  If you don't know who they are, well, you're just not a big enough Star Wars fan and should be ashamed at your lack of Star Wars knowledge.  Nah, not really, but you could look them both up on Wookieepedia.  I provided links, after all.  I'm excited for this set since Asajj finally receives superior articulation to her previous releases.  That and I'm all about Sith chicks.