Marvel Star Wars Explorers

As Han and Chewie find themselves becoming involved with a prison break in the Corporate Sector, Eric Ambler returns to the podcast to talk about Hot Mon Mothma and bacon, before diving into the differences and similarities between the novel and newspaper strip adaptation of this storyline, and admiring Brian Daley's command of plotting and Han Solo's character.

As Darth Vader enslaves the citizens of Kadril with the newest Imperial weapon, Pacifog, we welcome Rich Handley back to the podcast to chat about what makes Cassian an excitingly fresh presence in the Star Wars universe, to delight in the magic of Tulb in the Star Trek newspaper strip, and to discuss new lows, as we Star Wars Explore a truly baffling storyline about Kunda Stones and turtles.

As Luke and Boba Fett go snowboarding together on the frozen world of Ota, Sean Davis joins us for a super-sized episode in which we catch up on two months worth of Star News (including the first three episodes of Andor!), talk a bit about some of the comics we've been reading and investing in between recordings, and share our She-Hulk feelings, before diving into all the reasons we just can't get enough of our old friend Regular Jefferson.

As Luke argues with some businessmen at a trade show, we're excited to welcome new Star Friend John Parton to the show for a free-wheeling conversation that ranges from the contrasting philosophical viewpoints of the Star Wars and Star Trek properties, to the differing ways in which Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Rise of Skywalker fail their respective franchises, to the acting prowess of Tom Cruise! Along the way, we even fit in some conversation about this here newspaper strip, and its bizarre antagonist.

As Berd and Luke plan a daring rescue of the captured schoolchildren being held by Major Rahz, we welcome Ryan Davis to the podcast to hear about his (at the time of recording) recent trips to Nepal and Comic-Con, his thoughts on mutation in the MCU, and his feelings on the quaint and charming adventures of the Star Warriors in a very young version of the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

As Han, Luke, and Mira push the Falcon to its limits to save the citizens of Kessel (and set a new Kessel Run record), Jack returns to the podcast to chat with us about ducks within the Star Wars universe, the various Star Trek-adjacent concepts present in this storyline, and Luke's love life (or lack thereof). 

As Leia tries to escape a mining facility controlled by Grand Moff Tarkin's widow, Jake Beal makes his triumphant return to the podcast to chat with us at length about the MCU, to learn more about the mysterious Buddy Helm, to dive into some science fiction classics of 1979, and to praise the strong characterization of everyone's favorite princess from a galaxy far, far away.

As Luke Skywalker reluctantly returns to his home planet of Tatooine on orders from the Alliance, we're thrilled to welcome author, editor, and Star Wars contributor, Rich Handley onto the podcast for a deep dive discussion on everything that makes these newspaper strips special! In addition to our discussion of Tatooine Sojourn, Rich also talks about the behind the scenes work that went into collecting these strips to be reprinted for IDW, some of his favorite personal additions to the Expanded Universe, his thoughts on the classic Marvel comics and much more!  Be sure to check out Rich's work at https://richhandley.com/

As Han and Chewie venture into the depths of Kazhyyyk on a mission to save Life Day, House Petro's very own Lauren Petronaci ventures onto the podcast to give us her thoughts on Obi-Wan, to join us for a discussion of iconic 1979 film, to shout out women in STEM in the Star Wars universe, and to gush with us over the artwork of Russ Manning. This episode is sponsored by Letterboxd

As the Star Warriors work together to return Gamine to her home planet of Constancia, Andrew McNally returns to the podcast for our big journey into the Sunday strips and the second half of Obi-Wan Kenobi! We're also talking about the artistry of Calvin and Hobbes, some of the inherent pros and cons of the newspaper format, and a whole host of Wookieepedia-sourced oddities from the old Expanded Universe.

At last! Beyond the Marvel comics! Beyond the galaxy! As Blackhole and his men race to capture Luke and Leia before they can make contact with a potential ally on Vorzyd V, Geoff Clarke returns to the podcast to make contact with us for our inaugural journey into new planets, new perils, and newspaper strips! Before that, we're talking about part three of Obi-Wan Kenobi and a classic album that Geoff grabbed out of his Geoukebox, then digging into the highs and lows of Russ Manning's first foray into the Star Wars universe! May the luck be with you!

Before diving into the next phase of Marvel Star Wars Explorers, Sam and Brian are taking a break to reflect on their recent journey to Star Wars Celebration! And joining them is fellow Celebration attendee and Star Friend, Melissa Thiede! Together, they're unpacking all the latest Star News announcements, weighing in on the first two episodes of Obi-Wan, and talking about some of their favorite moments, sights, and cosplayers from Celebration! 

As a car accident sends Lazarus Jones into a coma, out of our known reality, and into an intergalactic war in the dimension of Urumm, Brian and Sam finds themselves outside their familiar reality of Star Wars and instead discussing the limited run comic series, The Light and Darkness War! Along the way, they're also talking about Disney Gallery and some of their favorite pop culture items from 1988 and 1989, before diving into the comic that landed Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy their job of reintroducing Star Wars comics to the world with Dark Empire. Menteps! Teslas! NA! This one has it all!

As the Emperor's agents infiltrate New Alderaan in search of Leia's Jedi twins, Sean Davis infiltrates the podcast, and our hearts, as we wrap up our coverage of Dark Empire II! He's here to tell us about how much he wanted to see Forget Paris as a child, plus we're discussing what a Star Wars video game in the style of the Uncharted series might look like, heaping enormous praise on the work of Cam Kennedy, and pondering the many unknowable questions raised by Dark Empire II.

As Lando's soldiers and their Viper Automadons face off against the Emperor's deadly Chrysalis Beasts, our Canadian Correspondent Geoff Clarke returns to the podcast to talk sausage, hockey and 90s action flicks, while Brian gives his review of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and we all fawn over what may just be the nicest cover we ever did cover.

As the revived Emperor tours his new Galaxy Gun above the Throneworld, Cam returns to the podcast to tour Dark Empire II and weigh in on the superweapons, reused plot points and steampunk civilizations it contains, PLUS we remember the joys of Tommy Boy, ponder the mysterious death of a politician, and get excited about Christopher Lloyd. Also, more Batman.

As Two-Face unleashes a wave of crime upon Gotham City, your two best Batman Forever friends welcome Cam Siemer to the podcast to record an audio commentary track for everyone's favorite(?) Batman film of the nineties! That's right, it's finally here! Join our three intrepid caped crusaders as they marvel at the highs and lows of Joel Schumacher's take on Batman, share a litany of Batman Forever trivia facts, fawn over Chase Meridian, and generally shoot the shit while watching a very strange movie together. Queue up your copy of the movie and we'll tell you where to sync up so you can watch along too!

As Luke and Kam explore an ancient Jedi planet, Josh Lee rejoins the podcast to talk about his recent exploration of Batuu, while Sam explores Earth Mysteries, Brian explores Galactic Starcruiser videos, they all explore the new Obi-Wan trailer, and finally weigh in on the direction of Dark Empire II as they reach its halfway point. Plus, a special announcement about what's next for the podcast!

In a time honored tradition, your two best Star Friends are taking a break between issues 2 and 3 of a Dark Empire comic to heap praise upon their favorite films of the previous year! That's right, listeners. It's time for the 3rd Annual Golden Hoojibs Awards! Kevin Young joins, as we discuss at length our favorite recent comic book movies and TV shows, our biggest disappointments, our favorite old movies we saw for the first time, and our top 10 films of the year. Was 2021 the greatest year in MCU history? Will the subject of Star Wars come up at all during the conversation? How many different ways can we say that Spider-Man was cool? Tune in, for the answers to all these questions and more!

As Han and Leia find themselves on the run from a familiar bounty hunter, we find ourselves once again in the presence of David Robertson, who joins us to talk about Wedge's cousin, a one-of-a-kind piece of Dark Empire II memorabilia that he owns, and to compare and contrast The Book of Boba Fett with this comic book of Boba Fett.