My Flag Grew Stars: World War II Refugees' Journey to America Review

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(More customer reviews)My Flag Grew Stars: World War II Refugees Journey to America is a compelling narrative of danger and fear of two young people, Olga and Tibor, who flee their homeland Hungary from the advancing Red Army in 1945 as it pushed the occupying Nazi forces west. As the story tells: "They had to act quickly or be in the hands of the advancing Russian soldiers, soldiers known to brutalize and rape fleeing Hungarians."
Overcoming many obstacles and hunger they succeeded to reach the territory under the control of the Allies.
It is the story of millions of displaced persons at the end of the World War II in Europe, yet it is unique, of Olga and Tibor, who's enduring human spirit prevails against all odds and they built their new fulfilling and productive lives in the country sought by millions, America. It is a book that the new generations of Americans should read in order not to forget what displaced persons endured during the war that swept Europe in not so distant past.

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Homeland destroyed, teenagers Olga Wagner and Tibor Zoltai independently flee Hungary near the end of World War II, carrying only rucksacks. Olga's family escapes minutes ahead of advancing Russian troops. Tibor, conscripted by the Germans, almost dies as an American prisoner of war. Their experiences as citizens on the losing side provide a unique perspective of war, the actions of Americans, and the daily fight of refugees to survive. My Flag Grew Stars follows Tibor and Olga's search for a new land to call home. Escaping war-torn Europe, they work as indentured agricultural servants in Canada, then embark together on a cultural journey to become Americans. Excited and perplexed by their new world, Tibor and Olga must decide which old ways to abandon and which are core to who they are. Through perseverance and creativity, they learn how to thrive, Tibor as a world-renowned professor and Olga counseling refugees, earning the title of 'area immigrants' patron saint."

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Star Wars: The Last Command Review

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(More customer reviews)The comic adaptations of 'Heir to the Empire' and 'Dark Force Rising' tackled the problem of adapting a 400-page novel into a 160-page comic quite well, and 'The Last Command' does it better than even those two. While the adaptations does run into inevitale problems (like in explaining Delta Source) Baron has done a truly admirable job.
First off, the art. The late Eddie Buikovic's second and last art job in the world of SW comics is even better than his one with 'The Phantom Affair'. The detail is incredibly, with gorgeous views of Coruscant, Mount Tantiss, and even Hijarna. The characters are all done very well, also. The movie cast looks just like they did on the screen and original characters like Pellaeon, Mara, Karrde, Ferrier, and so forth are done better here than in the other two adaptations. The one qualm I have with the art is that the coloring switched halfway through. Pamela Rambo's watercolor-type style worked better in the 'Dark Force Rising' adaptation, but its just doesn't fit well with Buikovic's style. Thankfully, the second half is done by Dan Brown, whose style resembles 'The Phantom Affair's masterful colorist, Dave Nestelle.
My one qualm with the art is that it's not always faithful to the 'real' SW universe. Craft like Chariot LAVs, the Golan IIIs at Bilbringi, and Ferrier's DP20 gunship don't look a thing like they 'actually' do. I'm willing to overlook it, still, because Buikovic's art made the adaptation of 'The Last Command'
That said, its a very well done adaptation that retains the spirit of the novel itself and created a gorgeous, almost cinematic, feel to it as well. Highly reccomended.

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Luke Skywalker and his companions fight an evil army of Clones and a kidnapping plot against Han and Leia's newborn twins.

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Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (Dark Horse Collection) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although there are a few very trivial flaws in "Heir to the Empire" they are easily overlooked and do not take away from any of the enjoyment contained within. I can say with all honesty and not a little relief that Timothy Zahn did a far better job than any of the low-brow attempts at a worthwhile novel about our beloved Star Wars heroes than such amateurs such as Kevin J. Anderson and Steve Perry. Basically, it takes place five years after "Return of the Jedi" and Luke is just starting to feel comfortable in his role as the galaxy's only known Jedi. Han and Leia are married and expecting twins while struggling to build a new Republic in their home in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. The Empire is considerably weakened and withering away, but it still holds some surprises for our blossoming New Republic. Strutting upon the stage is a new antagonist almost worthy of being Darth Vader's equal. A blue skinned red eyed member of the Chiss species named Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last of the Empire's Grand Admirals, has taken the Empire into his own hands in an attempt to revive the Empire and bring it back into its former power. He is a brilliant military strategist and super-genius, able to glean merely from a culture's art its military strategies and psychological traits. Although, Zahn never bothers to explain exactly how he does this, I feel that this would certainly qualify one to be an extraordinary genius among geniuses. Okay, Thrawn is quite honestly a much better "bad guy" than the ludicrously ridiculous Hutt (a Hutt that would fit much better in an episode of Looney Tunes) that Kevin J. Anderson dreamed up in "Dark Saber" however, Zahn doesn't quite make him as fascinating as Darth Vader, but after Vader anyone would seem fairly anticlimatic. And an insane dark Jedi by the name of C'baoth is bent on capturing Luke and Leia (with her unborn twins) for his own corrupt reasons. A great plot with all our favorite characters, as well as an interesting trip to Kashyyyk with Chewbacca, even though his child and wife is disappointingly never mentioned, all combine to make a great read replete with space fights, political intrigue, and new characters.

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Star Wars: Dark Force Rising TPB Review

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(More customer reviews)For starters, I read the novel version of this Star Wars story prior to the graphic novel when I was still in college. Fortunately, it's safe to say that I wasn't disappointed in any way. SW: Dark Force Rising was one of my favorite books in the SW mythos and it still is up to now. It features the classic SW characters fans have loved throughout the years of their existence. The book also features some of the really cunning newcomers, which rival that of Darth Vader's infamous exploits. Although I'm sure right now there are better books out there (i.e., Shadows of the Empire, Episode I: Phantom Menace, etc.) Dark Force Rising is an exceptional read and serves as the best intermediary book in Timothy Zahn's Star Wars trilogy.
I admit the Dark Horse Comics adaptation have some faults in them that tends to 'lessen' the depth and impact of the characters as well as put to vagueness the tactical intelligence of the villains originally depicted in the novels, but we can't squarely put the blame on the creative team's shoulders. I know they did their best to cram 400-plus pages of written material into a 144-page graphic album format. In fact they did quite an impressive job despite certain art flaws and story sequence gaps. Dark Horse has managed to give itself some of the much needed credit by telling a very good story for readers (average and avid alike) to be permanently hooked to the Star Wars mythos.
A cool graphic novel to collect if you're the 'completist' type. Though the graphic novel is a real eye candy, I only give it four stars for the little details the creative team failed to put in. Otherwise the book is a good read and well worth your hard-earned cash. But, if you have a better alternative, look for other Star Wars graphic novels instead.

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