Marvel Star Wars Explorers

As Luke and Leia find themselves marooned on the mysterious planet of Mimban, Jenny Rudloff finds herself back on the podcast to talk with us about Star Wars shows she isn't watching, the alternate timeline in which this story was the basis for the second Star Wars film, what exactly a splinter of the mind's eye even is, and to hear about a cricket that got trapped in Brian's house.

As the Star Warriors burst from their two dimensional prisons into the glorious world of 3-D, Sean bursts his way back onto the podcast to hear about the latest craze in online auctions, to get heated with us about Ahsoka, and to explore the oft overlooked and somewhat baffling Star Wars comics of the eighties put out by Blackthorne Publishing.

Your two best star friends turn their eyes to the world of 70's and 80's film, as they pit four different Star Wars rip-offs against each other in a true battle beyond the Star Wars! We've watched and will discuss the high highs and lows lows of Message From Space, Starcrash, Battle Beyond the Stars, and The Man Who Saved the World (better known as Turkish Star Wars)! And who better to join us for a discussion of low budget sci-fi cinema of the past than our Canadian correspondent, Geoff Clarke? All that, plus we're giving our initial impressions of Ahsoka! May the Varda be with you!

As Thrawn strategically maneuvers his way upward through the Imperial ranks, we invite Derek Lavender back to the podcast to get hyped about Ahsoka, to examine the ways in which this comic succeeds and fails as an adaptation of a novel, and to gush about how much we love all versions of Thrawn, be they Legends or Canon.

As Artoo and Threepio search endlessly for a new master, we welcome Cam Siemer back to the podcast to discuss whether droids should be seeking masters at all, to board the Star Tours shuttle for a lightspeed trip to nostalgia, and to finally, truly close the book on exploring Marvel Star Wars published comics of the seventies and eighties.

As Wicket, Teebo, and Princess Kneesa fight repeatdly to save Bright Tree Village from harm, we fight for our right to welcome Eric Ambler back to the podcast to talk too much about Ahsoka, not enough (or probably too much) about the eighties, and then to celebrate and/or overanalyze the nature of fandom through the lens of some comics that were clearly written for children.

As General Luke Skywalker and his Padawan Annikin Starkiller defend Aquilae from the New Galactic Empire, we welcome Jake Beal back to the podcast to dive into our first episode of Phase 6 of Marvel Star Wars Explorers! We're kicking things off by talking about The Star Wars, a comic book adaptation of the first draft of Star Wars, and in the process trying to understand the enigmatic mind of George Lucas.

As Luke and Han answer an Alliance distress call, Sean and Eric answer our own distress call to discuss the final storyline of the Star Wars newspaper strip! We're also chatting about upcoming Star Wars television and video game releases, Darth Vader's friend group, and whether this is a fitting end to this run of comics, before picking our favorite characters and arcs, and teasing the future of Marvel Star Wars Explorers!

As the Star Warriors suddenly find themselves in the clutches of Bossk and Zuckass, we find ourselves in the company of Barm for a discussion of Andor's enduring rewatchability, the insane final installment of the Star trek newspaper strip, Bounty Hunters of the Star Wars universe, and the filmography of one Zack Snyder.

As Luke and Han confront an old rival bent on collecting Jabba's prize, we collect two Star Friends, Ryan Davis and Jack Stovold, for a conversation about recent Star Wars television releases, Admiral Kirk's retirement, the return of a newspaper Star Wars favorite(?), and Jack's drunken scribblings.

As Luke finds himself facing the fearsome power of a Mind-Witch, we find ourselves welcoming first-time Star Friend Jeff Eckman to the podcast to talk Jedi: Survivor and Visions, why exactly it is that we do or don't like Star Wars, and to talk about a Star Wars comic that might be even more Star Trekky than than the Star Trek comic we also read.

As the rebellion confronts the Imperial blockade during its evacuation of Yavin, we are once again confronted by Kev, who is here to talk with us about another strange live-action Disney film of the 80s, a horrific fireworks disaster, and the chilling deaths of high ranking members of both the Empire and the Alliance.

As General Dodonna's son grapples with his crumbling sense of self, we welcome first time star friend, and co-host of No One Can Know About This, to the show to chat with us about the three new not yet canceled Star Wars films that were just announced at Celebration, David Cronenberg and Final Fantasy, and a tragic, but enjoyable, new addition to our Star Wars canon.

As the Star Warriors attempt to rendezvous with a new ally of the rebellion, Sam and Brian rendezvous with their old so-and-so's Barm and Sean to discuss Dr. Pershing and Mandalorian culture, the unexpected presence of Star Wars in present day Ukraine, and the first appearance EVER of Admiral Ackbar, here in this very newspaper strip.

As Luke finds himself marooned on an ice world while evading Imperial pursuit, we find ourselves joined by new Star Friend Derek Buckley, for a discussion of the enduring magic of R5-D4, the introduction of Hoth within the newspaper strips, and some of our beloved childhood memories of Star Wars action figures.

As Luke Skywalker arrives in his X-Wing at Los Angeles to attend this year's Academy Awards, Sam and Brian welcome Kev back to the podcast for their annual examination and evaluation of the films of the previous year! Not only that, but they're also diving into the season premiere of The Mandalorian, the release of Quantumania, the gang's WORST new oldies, and Sam's current Marvel Snap deck.

As Han and Chewie venture to the outer rim in search of a legendary power gem, we are rejoined by the legendary John Parton to discuss Star Trek (a lot), movies about Mars, spacefaring cats, and just maybe to get to the heart of why it is that the Star Wars Universe is so damn cool. 

As Luke investigates the mysterious reappearance of one Ben Kenobi, we investigate the mysterious reappearance of David Robertson on this podcast, to hear his red-hot takes on modern Star Wars, his memories of reading Star Wars Sunday strips printed in the backs of magazines, and to weigh in on the rumors from 1993 that George Lucas might begin development on a trilogy of Star Wars prequels soon. 

As the Star Warriors struggle to fight off an awakened monster terrorizing the Massassi temple, we find ourselves joined by the Comics Curmudgeon himself, Josh Fruhlinger, for a conversation about a shady mustachioed man, the forbidden love between Luke and Leia, the forgotten joys of the syndicated Spider-Man newspaper strip, and the sad fate of a misunderstood guardian from Yavin's past. And be sure to check out Josh's daily blog about newspaper comic strips at https://joshreads.com/ 

As Han tries his best to out Leia's new alliance ally as an Imperial Spy, Richard Dunham makes his debut on the podcast for a very special episode in which we break some exciting Star News LIVE! We're also talking about Ewoks with gambling problems, frustratingly expensive comic collections, and, more than anyone else in 2023 is, the Swamp Thing movie.