TJW Podcast - Super Megafest 2013

The TJW Podcast was on the road again! This time we stop off at our favorite convention of the year, Super Megafest in Framingham, Massachusetts! We had a great time meeting a lot of fans, artists and actors. We were especially pleased to have met Star Wars actors Ray Park (Darth Maul), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) and the lovely Femi Taylor (Oola from Return of the Jedi). I was also thrilled to chat with a personal hero of mine, Supergirl artist Jamal Igle and Star Wars artists Rob Taylor and Kevin Liell. Check out our coverage on this episode of Traveling the Jundland Wastes Podcast!  Let the holiday season begin with a full dose of the TJW Podcast!

Super Megafest 2013 art print
by artist Kevin Liell 

TJW Podcast Host Mark Leibowitz and
Return of the Jedi actress Femi Taylor

Ray Park aka Darth Maul signed my
Legacy of the Sith print by artist Mark Mckenna

TJW Podcast Host Daniel Gil was attacked by
a pair of battlebots!

Jeremy Bulloch aka Boba Fett chatting with fans!

Boba Fett and the TJW Podcast...
a great combination!

Star Wars artist Rob Taylor
from www.herofiedart.com

My fabulous Tatooine print from Rob Taylor!

Comic book artist extraordinaire Jamal Igle! 

One of my favorite Supergirl covers
by the great Jamal Igle!

Let us know what you think of our coverage and the podcast! Email us at: jundlandwastespodcast@gmail.com!

Happy holidays from your friends at the TJW Podcast!

Mark and Dan

TJW Podcast - Rhode Island Comic Con 2013

Boba Fett and the Rancor

Hello TJW Podcast listeners! We hit the road last week traveling to the Rhode Island Comic Con 2013 show at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Dan and I had a great time walking the convention floor, meeting some great Star Wars and comic fans, attending a great panel discussion with many of the bounty hunters who starred in The Empire Strikes Back, had our photo taken with Lando Calrissian, saw a life size Rancor and Jabba the Hutt and caught up with some our favorite comic book artists.  In addition, chatted with our good friend Star Wars author and Honorary Traveler of the Jundland Wastes, Ryder Windham about his Death Star Owner's Technical Manual and The Bounty Hunter Code.

The TJW Podcast with Billy Dee Williams
Many thanks to www.shenanigansbooth.com for the
great digital download. Check them out!

Michael Wood of the 501st and Ryder Windham.

Star Wars Bounty Hunters Panel

Jabba the Hutt at the 501st Table

TJW Podcast Host Daniel Gil with artist Hannibal King

Patrick Shea with his BTTF Time Machine

Artist Craig Rousseau

We wanted to take it for a spin.

Comic signed by Spider-Man artist Alex Saviuk

TJW Podcast Host Mark Leibowitz and a Shadow Trooper

Stay tuned for coverage of Super Megafest coming at the end of November! Plus, the TJW Podcast has some big announcements on the horizon! Stay tuned and keep check back with the podcast and blog! 

We would love to hear from you! Let us know what you think of the podcast! Email us at: jundlanwastespodcast@gmail.com.

All the best,
Mark and Dan

TJW Podcast - Lucasarts and Star Wars Video Gaming

 
Hello TJW Podcast Listeners! When Lucasarts shut down a couple months ago, many of us in the Star Wars community were wondering about the future of Star Wars gaming. We thought Star Wars 1313 was in full production and going to be heading to the shelves sometime at the end of the year. Fans of The Force Unleashed series were holding their breath wondering if the Starkiller story line was going to have a conclusion. And we all heard rumors of another edition to the Battlefront series in the works but nothing official.  

Well, in addition to Episode 7 and the Star Wars rebels animated series, we have confirmation that a new Star Wars Battlefront game is on the way. Check out the trailer! It is a first person shooter perspective animated shot of what appears to be a snowtrooper rushing through the snowy terrain on Hoth with sounds of laser fire and classic battle sounds from the Star Wars universe! And with the announcement of the new next-gen gaming systems such as the PS4 and Xbox One, I have no doubt that this game will take our Battlefront gaming experience to the next level. 

A couple months ago after Lucasarts shut down, Dan and I recorded a retrospective look at some of our favorite Lucasarts games. This "lost" episode is trip down memory lane for any active gamer and will give anyone who is so into gaming an opportunity to get a small "audio" taste of our favorite Star Wars games that came out of Lucasarts.

Enjoy this episode of the podcast! And stay tuned for another great episode!

All the best,

Mark
Co-host of the TJW Podcast

Star Wars 1313! To Be or Not to Be! Let's Hope TO BE!

Hello TJW Podcast listeners! I want to thank all of you who have liked our facebook page!  We have a great time chatting about Star Wars in the studio and at our live shows. And we love to hear your feedback as well. Please ask your family, friends and fellow Star Wars fans to like our facebook page, listen to our past episodes and be sure to keep your emails coming!

We are looking to get at least 50 likes on our facebook page by Boston Comic Con in August and 100 likes by Rhode Island Comic Con in November.  Your support of the podcast is appreciated and we want you to join us on a podcast episode! If there is a topic you want to discuss or if you see us at one of our on-the-road shows, be sure to come over an introduce yourself. We would love to meet you and have you on the podcast.

My post yesterday discussed the up and coming Star Wars Rebels TV series set for a September 2014 release. In my list of characters and story-lines that I am hoping will come to fruition with this new series, I seemed to have left out one that needs to be included.

Star Wars 1313 - This video game which was suppose to be delivered this coming holiday season was one of those projects that was scraped with the closing of Lucasarts...or will it? The timeline of this video game is right on par with the time period Star Wars Rebels is taking place. The animated video segments that were releases at G4 this past year and on the Lucasarts website were impressive to say the least. The dark and gritty underworld of Coruscant level 1313 was a new and amazing segment of the Star Wars universe that was going to open a whole new series of Expanded Universe stories that would have starred bounty hunters, scoundrels and other forms of scum and villainy  Perhaps even cameo appearances of Darth Vader or even a Jedi in hiding from Order 66?  

Even though Lucasarts is no longer making Star Wars video games, we have been told that Disney is teaming up with EA Games to make the next set of Star Wars titles which will most certainly sync up with events in Star Wars Rebels and Episode 7. I really think Disney would be making a mistake if they did not reach out to the developers who were working on this game. From what I saw, story ideas were abundant  animated segments were in the works and the team was in place to make this game a reality.  Plus, if it is in the same time period that Star Wars Rebels is taking place it would open the storyline to new comics and novels as well.

Do you want to see the Star Wars 1313 project brought to light? Let us know your thoughts!  Email us at: jundlandwastespodcast@gmail.com

Keep checking our blog for new posts and podcasts! We can also be found at iTunes! 

All the best,

Mark
Co-host of the TJW Podcast

Star Wars Rebels Assemble in 2014! Rhode Island Comic Con!

Hello Jundland Wastes Travelers! I know it has been a while since you last heard from us here at the office and studio of the TJW Podcast. We were originally scheduled to go to Boston Comic Con in April but due to the tragedy at this years Boston marathon, the convention was postponed until August. And unfortunately we will not be at BCC in August. But, we will be attending the Rhode Island Comic Con in November this year. And there are a lot of great guests coming especially for Star Wars fans.

The one and only Billy Dee Williams will be attending. The TJW Podcast is hoping to get even a brief word with the man who made Star Wars cooler then drool with his portrayal of Lando Calrissian. Plus, an exclusive Empire Strikes Back bounty hunters get together! Cathy Monroe (Zuckuss), Chris Parsons (4-LOM) and Alan Harris (Bossk). And who can forget the guy that was too slow at the trigger against Han Solo... Paul Blake AKA Greedo!  And if that isn't enough for a Star Wars fan, we also get a opportunity to meet Bonnie Piese who played Beru in Episode 2, Barrie Holland who was the Imperial Officer in Episode 6 that said the famous quote to Han and his crew on Endor "You rebel scum!" and Tim Rose who played Admiral Ackbar! 

And we are also looking forward to meeting up again with comic book artist Mark Mckenna who has done work on Star Wars comics for Dark Horse and has made some gorgeous prints for Star Wars Celebrations in the past. Mark was also our guest during our coverage of Super Mega Fest this past November. Be sure to check out his art and website!

For the past few months I was a little sad about the Star Wars news coming out in the press and the internet. Lucasarts shutting down, layoffs all over Lucasfilm, the Clone Wars series being cancelled...it's been a little disappointing to say the least. And even within the Star Wars Expanded Universe, I have to say that I am also a little disappointed so far with Brian Wood's Star Wars comic. I plan to chat about this on the next podcast episode so stay tuned.

But this week was a breath of fresh air with the announcement of Star Wars Rebels! The new animated Star Wars series set to launch in the fall of 2014. We finally are getting some stories during a time period between Episode 3 and Episode 4! This era is just full of possibilities! It will be during the height of the Imperial grip on the universe with the Emperor in charge with his right hand man Darth Vader at his side. Jedi who survived Order 66 are on the run. Traitors, or I should say rebels, are working to man their forces and find a way of defeating the Empire and restoring the Republic. All of this news is especially important considering what we already know about this time period from previous books, comics and video games.  Here are a couple items that I think should be expanded upon in this series:

The Force Unleashed - I have said it before and I will say it always...The Force Unleashed is a great story that needs to be expanded upon or at least shown a conclusion from where the story left off in TFU 2. This series introduced strong characters, exciting stories and brought together so many story-lines between Episodes 3 and 4. I would love to see what happened to Darth Vader on his way to the rebel base on Dantooine. I want to know if this Starkiller we met in TFU 2 is a clone or the actual Starkiller himself. We need to know what happens with Starkiller and Juno Eclipse. Actor Sam Witwar has already played Darth Maul in The Clone Wars so it is not out of the realm of possibility that he would be asked to reprise his role from the video game in this new series as Starkiller. 

The Other Sons of Tatooine - This Star Wars comic Omnibus is a great collection of stories that highlight the tales of characters that did not get too much mention in the movies. The most prominent one is Biggs Darklighter. His story of growing up as a farm boy, becoming one of the hottest gully jumpers on Tatooine, making his way to the Imperial Academy and finding his way to the Rebellion is fascinating, exciting and adds so much to the saga. I would love to see more about Biggs and perhaps even expand upon his story on how he found his way to the Rebellion in this new TV series. We could also get some more background story on Wedge Antilles, Dak, Zev and Porkins.

Mara Jade - Everyone is very well aware of my affection for the character of Mara Jade. Her story in the expanded universe starts in Timothy Zahn's Allegiance but we have nothing about her upbringing and how she became to be under the guidance of the Emperor. I would really be interested in learning more about her background. Was she ever identified by the council prior to Order 66? Where does she come from? Mara Jade is such a deep character and this new TV series seems just the place to delve more into her story as well.

Luke, Leia, Han and the rest of our good guys - Wouldn't it be interesting to see any of these characters growing up on their respective worlds? Seeing a younger Luke and his relationship with Owen and Beru.  Or perhaps even seeing encounters of Luke with Obi Wan Kenobi? This is especially interesting as we also await John Jackson Miller's Kenobi novel this summer. I would really enjoy seeing more back-story on our classic trilogy characters and I think this TV series can do that.

What are your thoughts on Star Wars Rebels? Send us an email at: jundlandwastespodcast@gmail.com.

Stay tuned for our next exciting episode of the TJW Podcast!

All the best,

Mark
Co-host of the TJW Podcast

Star Wars - A Humanistic Vision in a Technological World

Hey there Travelers of the Jundland Wastes! Check out this link to a fantastic article by TJW Podcast co-host Dan. It is a new fresh look at The Empire Strikes Back and how this will tie hopefully into the success of Star Wars Episode 7!

Star Wars - A Humanistic Vision in a Technological World 

Stay tuned for a new episode of the TJW Podcast and look for us at this years Boston Comic Con on April 21, 2013! We will be walking the convention floor and doing some on-the-fly podcasting as can only be done by the podcast that is committed to exploring the issues, ideas and the imagination in the Star Wars Expanded Universe! If you see us, please say hello! We would love to chat with you.

All the best,

Mark

Co-host of the TJW Podcast

What is Going to Happen to Star Wars EU?

Hey there TJW Podcast listeners! I know it has been a long while since our live show at New England Comics in Norwood to celebrate the release of the original trilogy era Star Wars comic by Dark Horse. Needless to say Star Wars news has been coming in fast and furious over the last few months. And this past week was no different. Just on the heels of the announcement that The Clone Wars animated series was cancelled, we learn that Disney has shut down Lucasarts and layoffs are in the process not just for the video game company but also for Industrial Light and Magic.

Is it me or has Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm gone a little sour on the taste buds of Star Wars fans like me?  I have no doubt that forthcoming Episode 7 movie will be spectacular especially since it seems likely that the "big three" will be reprising their iconic roles. But it seems that ever since the acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney has been "cleaning house" and getting rid of several high profile Star Wars projects.

I am not going to get into the cancellation of The Clone Wars. Unless you have a very different way of looking at the Star Wars universe, I can safely say that the majority of Star Wars fans are very disappointed that the show will not be returning next fall and many questions still remain unanswered regarding some key story lines in the show.

But the bigger question for me is how this is going to affect the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I know there are many great Star Wars fans who prefer to keep the Star Wars universe contained to the six movies of the saga and the upcoming movies scheduled for future release. But for many Star Wars fans like myself, we take a lot of pleasure in the known Expanded Universe that has been developed over the last 30 plus years as well. 

So many great stories and characters have emerged from novels, graphic novels and the video games. And this past weeks announcement means that a great story and what appeared to be a great video game is no longer going to happen. Star Wars 1313 has been sadly scraped and will be nothing more than a bunch of great trailers left to fester on You Tube.

I am not sure if the closing of Lucasarts means the end of Star Wars gaming. It is hard for me to imagine that with an Episode 7 release that some form of video game will not be in the works. But what bothers me the most is that game titles and series such as Knights of the Old Republic/The Old Republic, Battlefront and The Force Unleashed will probably no longer be part of the larger Star Wars saga. These titles and series do not seem fit the into Disney vision of that galaxy far, far away.  And it's hard for me to believe that the novels and graphic novels that are currently in play will be spared from Disney's version of Order 66.

I suppose it's a little early in the game to spell out gloom and doom for the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Especially when we are still very early in the production of this new movie. But when I think back on the resurgence of Star Wars in popular books and video games that coincided with the prequels in the early 2000's, I can remember feeling elated about finding my way back into Star Wars fandom. 

So many great novels filled in the spaces before and after the movies. Seeing familiar characters from the original trilogy in the New Republic and the Legacy of the Force series. Discovering that stories existed from the Old Republic era and getting to know Jedi such as Bastila Shan and great Sith such as Darth Reven and Darth Malak. And possibly the best Expanded Universe story to hit in the last couple of years with The Force Unleashed saga. Starkiller, Vader, the Emperor, Juno Eclipse and others gave us a story line that, in my opinion, enhances the movies when it picks up in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

Star Wars is about as popular as any big fan franchise today. And I do think that the future of fandom is bright and is going to go on for as long as I can see. But it would be a sad day if the efforts put forth by previous authors, writers and artists are left to side of the road in a cloud of spacedust as we blast off into a new era with the upcoming movies. And it would be equally tragic for those fans who have invested the time, dollars and fandom into these stories to see them written off from the timeline.

Dan and I will speak more about this on our next podcast. But we are also going to recommit ourselves to spending some podcast time discussing some of our favorite Expanded Universe tales and delving into the those areas that make the Star Wars Expanded Universe a great place to explore and enjoy.

Stay tuned and let us know your thought. Email us at: jundlandwastespodcast@gmail.com.

All the best,
Mark

TJW Podcast - Star Wars Comic Launch Party and Podcast

TJW Podcast with the Rebel Legion

Hello Jundland Wastes Travelers! Listen to our fantastic Star Wars comic launch party and podcast from this past Wednesday at the New England Comics store in Norwood, Massachusetts! 

We had a great time discussing the new Star Wars comic and its possible impact on the Star Wars Expanded Universe and the movies. We hear from our fans, make special mention of Star Wars artist Mark Mckenna and his great Legacy of the Sith print, chat with members of Alderaan Base (the Rebel Legion of New England) and find out who our newest honorary travelers are in this special edition of the podcast!

TJW Podcast Host Mark Leibowitz

TJW Podcast Host Daniel Gil analyzes the impact and
importance of The Force Unleashed storyline

Phantom Squad Pilots Erik Larkin and Erich Shafer with
a couple Star Wars fans who come to the party

New England Comics Store Manager Allan Burns
hosted this launch party and podcast

Erich Shafer of the Rebel Legion gives us an update
on upcoming events for 2013

Rebel Legion member Erik Larkin

Erich Shafer was inducted as an Honorary Traveler
of the Jundland Wastes

Allan Burns of New England Comics was inducted as an
Honorary Traveler of the Jundland Wastes

Great deals on a plethora of Star Wars EU!

Allan Burns drawing winners of our raffle for a couple
Star Wars collectibles

We would love to hear from you! Email us at jundlandwastespodcast@gmail.com !

Stay tuned for our next episode!
All the best,

Mark 
Host of the TJW Podcast

LIVE PODCAST TOMORROW NIGHT!

TOMORROW NIGHT! COME TO OUR PODCAST-STAR WARS COMIC LAUNCH PARTY!

Hey there Jundland Wastes Travelers! It's official! The TJW Podcast is back on the road. We will be podcasting at the New England Comics store (732 Washington Street in Norwood, Massachusetts) on January 9, 2013 6:00PM - 7:45PM. We will be celebrating the launch of the new original trilogy era comic called Star Wars. In addition we will discuss how this new comic might have an impact on the new Star Wars Episode 7 movie. Plus, get some great deals on Star Wars comics and merchandise at the store! Check out the flyer and come by for a fun evening of Star Wars podcasting and partying.