Star Wars: Life Day Treasury - Holiday Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away by George Mann & Cavan Scott

George Mann and Cavan Scott present Star Wars stories set during the Wookiee holiday known as Life Day. Other than Boba Fett, Life Day has become the most enduring contribution to the Star Wars universe to come from the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. This treasury of tales show how different cultures and solar systems celebrate Life Day in regards to the winter solstice. As each populated planet has their winter solstice begin at different times, potentially you could celebrate the holidays every day. Coruscant, Tattioone, Alderaan, even the forest moon of Endor celebrate the beginning of winter and the New hope of warm, fertile days ahead.

I like that this book is set during different periods of time. The story on Coruscant occurs during the days of the Old Republic. My favorite story, 'The Song of Winter's Heart' takes place during the early days of the rebellion, showing how a pair of best friends can grow apart on different sides of the political spectrum, with one becoming a storm trooper and the other a rebel, and yet, the shared cultural heritage of the holidays can make even the worst of enemies brothers once more.

I also like that a majority of these stories star established characters. While my favorite tale had all-new characters, whom I hope to one day encounter again, other stories feature some of the most beloved characters across all 3 trilogies. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wicket and the rest of his tribe are amongst those who appear. You won't get Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. But as you could probably guess, Chewbacca and his family, including son Lumpy, star in the Life Day story set on Kashyyyk that closes out this collection. Yup! Han Solo is there too!

Some characters from before Episode I, who have been established in the pages of either Dark Horse or Marvel comics publications appear here too. One such character is Jedi Knight Stellan Gios, who appears on the cover. I only know that Stellan is an established character thanks to a Google search. I'm wondering if he was meant to be based on actor David Tennant. Because that's who he looks like in profile in the beautifully painted cover image by Grant Griffin. All of the artist's paintings were fantastic and added greatly to the intended theme of each story which range from humorous and heartfelt to suspenseful and scary. 

I wouldn't mind a second volume of Life Day stories. Maybe we could see what Life Day festivities are like on Cloud City or when observed by the Hutts. But I would also like to see some sequels. I really would like to know what happened to the opposing main characters of my favorite tale. Did both survive? Did they reconcile? I really want to know more about their story. If that's not reason to believe that is a great read, I don't know what is! And there are several characters, who are not Han or Chewie, in this book that I wanted to know more about.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars 

Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension Book One (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to Family Comic Friday. 

Every week, I review books that are fun for the whole family. Not every book I review is rated E for Everyone. But that doesn't mean that the books I review for FCF can't be enjoyed by all. 

Case in point is today's book selection: Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension, Book One. This book from Titan Comics is based on the long-running British television show of the same name. When Doctor Who debuted in 1963, it was intended as an educational kids show. The formula for the show varied every other story between historical tales and wild science fiction adventures. The historical episodes would teach children about Marco Polo, the Roman Empire, and other historical figures. The sci-fi episodes would have the Doctor fighting scary monsters with science, math, and technology. 

The monsters episodes proved to be more popular pretty quick. History would still play a factor since this was a show about time travel. Only now instead of visiting Winston Churchill to help defeat the Nazis, the Doctor would go back in time to 1944 to help save England from the Daleks. 

With all the monsters, over time, Doctor Who would garner a reputation of being scary. But that hasn't stopped the beloved series from being a weekly treat for family Saturday night viewings. As former Doctor Who show-runner Steven Moffat puts it, 'of course Doctor Who is a children's show but that doesn't mean that it's childish.' With testimony like that from one of the experts, I made my decision- this is a perfect read for a Family Comic Friday!

In this collected work from Titan Comics, when a mysterious ship crashes in London, the 12th Doctor rushes to the scene- only to come face to face with his daughter, Jenny! The Doctor's daughter has sought him out to warn him of a mysterious white hole of light that has swallowed up one of the Time Lord's former companions, Captain Jack Harkness. 

If appears that this mysterious energy source isn't just gobbling up former travelling buddies of the Doctor. It's also turning the Doctor's friends into monsters. From all of the Doctor's timelines, none of the Doctor's friends and enemies such as Madame Vastra, Rose, Bill, even the Cybermen are safe from this anomaly of space and time! But what if the Doctor falls victim to this strange force? If one of the 12th Doctor's former selves succumbs to this white hole, is that the end of him as well?

You don't have to be a long-time fan of Doctor Who to fully enjoy this volume. But it really helps. I am not as knowledgeable in the Titan Comics adaptations. So my familiarity with the comics only companions was pretty weak. I guess that balances out in the long run.

I've read a couple of Doctor Who crossovers in which he meets some if not all of his former selves. They're pretty good but they don't have the heart, humor, or fun as The Lost Dimension does. This first volume collects the first 6 chapters of The Lost Dimension was written by a trio of different writers. Nick Abadzis (Laika), George Mann (Warhammer 40,000), and Doctor Who journeyman, Cavan Scott each craft a pair of stories. Yet, I felt like each chapter was seamlessly crafted by just a single writing entity. That's a sign of a great story-writing team.

I felt the same way about the artwork of this book. Motherlands' Rachael Stott and Adriana Melo (Witchblade) trade off on the art duties and it was flawlessly good. 

There's a lot of questions that remain such as who is behind this time anomaly? Can the Doctor's friends be cured? And when does Book 2 come out?

I can only answer the last question. Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension Book 2 drops on March 20th, exactly one month after Book 1. So I don't have to wait very long to find on what happens next. All of the individual issues that make up volume 2 have already been released. I could get those, but I think that would be a little bit of a cheat. 

The comics that make up The Lost Dimension are not rated. However, in the spirit of the television series in which in is based, this book is for suitable for kids but it's not an immature book. The action, thrills, and humor can be enjoyed by all ages. Some of the science and physics might need an adult to help interrupt. As for the monsters, it's a tad scary but so are other family classics like Snow White and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension Book 1 debuts in stores on February 20th, 2018.

This volume reprints the following: 

Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension Alpha, The Ninth Doctor Special, The Tenth Doctor #3.9, The Eleventh Doctor #3.10 and Jenny, The Doctor’s Daughter Special #1 & #2.


Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.