Books

Published on July 16th, 2017 | by James Wright

Star Wars Heroes of the Force Review

Star Wars Heroes of the Force Review James Wright
Score

Summary: Star Wars Heroes of the Force is a celebration of all things ‘the force’ and beyond!

4.8

Celebration


Ever since Star Wars the Force Awakens (2015) and Rogue One A Star Wars Story (2016), the amazing universe created by George Lucas has found itself in the limelight again with Star Wars the Last Jedi to be released in December this year, so it’s truly an awesome time to be a fan.

Star Wars Heroes of the Force from Titan Books is a celebration of this franchise and features some of the best articles from the official Star Wars Inside magazine over the many years of covering this wondrous sci-fi universe. This includes interviews with key cast members such as Mark Hamill, Ashley Eckstein and Samuel L. Jackson, behind the scenes information, never before seen images and lots of other Star Wars lore to get your fix.

So as soon as I opened this book, I was in Star Wars heaven and I must admit that the cover featuring Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) from Return of the Jedi just draws you in. Even though it is a paperwork book, it’s a well-produced and published book with excellent paper stock that makes the images just jump out of the page.

With that said, some of the images in the book are quite stunning and even though some of the pictures will be familiar to the reader, there’s plenty of unpublished from photos. Another interesting element about this book is that it covers other elements of the Star Wars Universe like the hit comic series Dark Empire which is now part of the Legends universe, the cartoon series The Clone Wars and even the franchise in MAD Magazine which put a comedic twist on all your favourite characters.

This book is split into the following sections;

  1. Mark Hamill
    The Star Wars hero talks about life and Luke Skywalker
  2. Footprints in the Sand
    Rey’s journey from Jakku scavenger to being at one with the Forc
  3. Ewan McGregor
    The actor reflects on stepping into the shoes of Alex Guinness
  4. Midi-Chlorians
    Exploring the mysterious creatures that connect all life to the Force
  5. A Knights Tale
    How Obi-Wan Kenobi went from Padawan to Luke’s protector
  6. Cloud City
    Storyboarding the finale of Empire Strikes BNack
  7. Lightsabre Battles
    The greatest Jedi versus Sith lightsabre duels
  8. Samuel L. Jackson
    The movie legend on playing Jedi Master Mace Windu
  9. Unexpected Journeys
    Dave Filoni reflects on the last days of The Clone Wars
  10. Voice of the Force
    Actor Tom Kane on giving voice to Yoda
  11. Taylor Made
    James Arnold Taylor on playing The Clone Wars’ Obi-Wan
  12. Ashley Eckstein
    The Actress behind Ahsoka Tano speaks out
  13. Use the Farce
    How MAD magazine tapped into the funny side of the force
  14. Taylor Gray
    The actor behind Star Wars Rebels’ Ezra Bridger on finding the Force
  15. Guardians of the Whills
    Rogue One’s Chirrut Imew and Baze Malbus profiled
  16. Dark Empire
    The story behind Star Wars trilogy’s comic-book sequel
  17. Kevin J. Anderson
    The Legends author on expanding the Jedi mythology

What really stood out for me in Star Wars Heroes of the Force were the insightful interviews of the cast who not only explore their characters but also what Star Wars means to them, including their amazing experience. Although no longer part of the official canon of the Star Wars universe, I also found the section on Dark Empire which was a ‘sequel’ to Return of the Jedi very interesting as it helped put the pieces together, including the growth of all the characters post the films.

Then you have the very amusing section on use of the farce which of course is MAD Magazine and these guys are crazy. I mean Mr. T as Darth Vader? Who would  have thought? It’s interesting how this article explains that George Lucas was actually part of the Mad Magazine generation. Another highlight were the storyboards from Empire Strikes Back and that very powerful scene between Luke and Vader which really takes you behind the scenes of how the filmmakers made this happen. All in all, Star Wars Heroes of the Force is definitely a must read for all Star Wars fans which is filled with amazing content and beautiful images.

Final Thoughts?

Star Wars Heroes of the Force is a celebration of all things ‘the force’ and beyond as the reader is taken behind the scenes of one of the most popular sci-fi franchises of all time. It’s filled with interesting, entertaining and at times detailed information as you’re given a different glimpse into this Galaxy Far Far Away.

Recommended!

Book Details

Format: Paperback
Release Date: Jul 2017
Publisher: Titan Comics
Distributor: New South Books
ISBN: 9781785851926
Price: AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99


About the Author

james@impulsegamer.com'



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