Lucasfilm has been kind enough to give us two more clips form Friday’s new episode of The Clone Wars.

The last time we were on Mandalore, the results weren’t exactly the best, but it’s encouraging to see that Dave Filoni has stepped in to direct this episode himself and that we’re bringing in Katee Sackhoff to the cast as a female member of The Deathwatch.

Friday can’t come soon enough.

From the press release:

In the next all-new episode of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano is reunited with Lux Bonteri, the handsome young Separatist who opened her eyes to the fact that the war isn’t always black-and-white. When Lux suddenly barges into a peace conference between Separatists and Republic delegates, he involves Ahsoka in a dangerous search to find justice for his mother’s death.

This episode, directed by Dave Filoni, sees the return of Death Watch. Since their attempt to take over Mandalore in Season Two, they’ve gotten tougher, grittier, and far more dangerous. Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens) returns as warlord Pre Vizsla, and is joined by Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) as the armored warrior, Bo-Katan.

Disney have just announced that they are going to have a block of all Marvel comics programming on Disney XD starting on April 1st. The animation block, called “Marvel Universe,” will feature the Marvel animated shows. At this time they’ve only said that the upcoming “Ultimate Spider-Man” cartoon will be a part of it, but one can assume that the returning “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” will also be included. This now means that there will be full nights dedicated animation from the big two, DC announced their “DC Nation” block of programming for Cartoon Network late last year which will include Young Justice, the Green Lantern Animated Series, and a slew of short spotlighting other characters in the DC Universe. Below is the full press release from Marvel/Disney:

Disney XD will launch Marvel Universe, a dedicated Marvel programming block, with the new series “Ultimate Spider-Man” as its centerpiece, on SUNDAY, APRIL 1, it was announced today by Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, California. Marvel Universe on Disney XD will be the ultimate place for fans to find exclusive Marvel content, including new animated short-form series, live-action interstitials and the series return of “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”  The block will be home to Marvel’s biggest superstars, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America and many more to introduce dynamic stories of action, adventure and heroism to a whole new generation.

Marsh said, “Iconic Marvel heroes and villains and stories with core values of accomplishment, discovery and growth make Marvel Universe a perfect complement to Disney XD and a destination for parents and kids to experience together.”

“Marvel Universe block is an incredible animated ride filled with fantastic action and adventure,” said Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television. “The spectacular team of writers and animators capture stories with all the dynamic fun you can imagine. Disney XD is the perfect place for families and Marvel fans of all ages to come together every Sunday.”

Acting as the keystone of the Marvel Universe block, “Ultimate Spider-Man” features a teenage Peter Parker juggling the typical growing pains of high-school with the not-so-typical growing pains of being a Super Hero.  As the newest member of Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, Peter finds himself on a team with four other teenage Super Heroes.

Produced by Marvel Animation, the series’ award-winning creative team includes Joe Quesada (Marvel’s CCO), Paul Dini (“Batman: The Animated Series,” “Lost”), the creative powerhouse Man of Action Studios (creators of “Ben 10” and “Generator Rex”), comprised of lauded creators Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle; and Brian Michael Bendis (visionary behind Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man comic series).

The voice cast includes Drake Bell (“Superhero,” “Drake & Josh”) as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chi McBride (“Boston Public,” “Pushing Daisies”) as Nick Fury, JK Simmons (“Spider-Man”) as J. Jonah Jameson, Stan Lee (“Spider-Man”) as Stan the Janitor, Clark Gregg (“Iron Man”, “Thor,” “The Avengers”) as Agent Coulson and Steven Weber (“Wings”) as Norman Osborn.

Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for Kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. Disney XD branded content spans television, online, mobile and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and short-form, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches over 78 million households via its basic cable and satellite affiliates. For more information visit http://www.DisneyXD.com/

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.  For more information visit http://www.marvel.com/

I haven’t seen any footage myself from the Ultimate Spider-Man show, but I have heard that it looks like a very fun show. However the most important bit of news, to me, from the above press release is that Clark Gregg will be playing Agent Coleson in the animated universe. This makes me very excited!

Swashbuckling pirates, drug smugglers, bungling detectives, an intrepid reporter, and a loyal canine companion . . . The Adventures of Tintin Season One has it all!

I was not familiar with Tintin, based on Belgian artist Hergé’s classic comic books, until I learned that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson were working together to make a film based on the series.  And though the movie won’t be released in theaters until December 21, everyone can become acquainted with Tintin and his dog Snowy by watching the The Adventures of Tintin DVD set.  Tintin travels the globe as he uncovers secrets and solves mysteries,  accompanied by surly sea captain Captain Haddock and the bungling detective twins Thomson & Thompson.

This is a two-DVD set that contains seven episodes, including two that inspired the  upcoming feature film:  The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure. In addition to the new movie and the animated series, Tintin and his friends have appeared in a BBC radio series and stage plays.  The graphic novels have been translated in 80 languages and have been published in over 50 countries.  A quick glance at Amazon reveals that the graphic novels can be purchased online, including a collector’s set that combines 23 issues.

But the real question is, should you buy the DVD set?  Yes!  I heartily recommend it.  From the moment I saw the fast-paced opening title sequence, I knew I would love it.  You can view the “Adventure Montage” below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOSBHIwzpB4

I also think the voices are perfect for the characters, the animation is lovely, and the stories are captivating.  Often, animated series are directed at children, but Tintin most certainly is not.  While kids may enjoy it, I think it’s mostly for adults who can appreciate the well-written dialogue and suspenseful plots.  Tintin often gets involved in dangerous cases, and waiting to see how he’ll get out of the next scrape keeps you glued to your seat.

He reminds me a little bit of Nancy Drew in that he seems to naturally stumble into these mysteries and tends to put all of the pieces together before the so-called professionals even realize what has happened.  He’s also very friendly, genuine, and smart, which makes him a very easy character to like.

The supporting cast is equally great.  Captain Haddock isn’t quite as sharp as Tintin, but he’s very spirited and entertaining to watch.  And though the visual gags with the detective twins could likely get old after watching too many episodes, I love their accents.  A little reminiscent of Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins, perhaps.

This is easily one of the best animated series I’ve seen in a long time, and I’m now even more eager to see the film.

Talk about your Empire Strikes Back of Clone Wars episodes?

There’s really not a way to talk about this episode in my mind without spoilers, so, be warned.

This episode was nothing but the perfect middle part of a Star Wars trilogy. It had elements of so many Star Wars films, though, it’s hard to say where it drew most of its inspiration, though the plot bore little resemblance to any of the Star Wars movies.

After the events of the last episode, having lost an entire colony of Togruta to slavers, Anakin, Obi-wan, and Ahsoka decide to go undercover into the world of slavery in the Star Wars galaxy. Anakin and Obi-wan disguise themselves as slavers and Ahsoka as a slave. But, like all the best laid plans of mice and men, things go pretty much horribly awry.

Obi-wan is caught, then Anakin rescues him in classic Return of the Jedi style, then they get caught, then Ahsoka gets caught. Then Anakin is forced into the service of the slavers if he wants his friends to live.

And that’s pretty much where the episode ends.

There’s some very telling character moments in this episode that I love. Firstly, Anakin’s assumed name in this episode is Lars. That’s a pretty big tip of his hat to the man who rescued his mother from slavery and I doubt the use of the name was merely coincidental. And since he mentions it to no one, playing it off as though it’s just some assumed name, with this mission in particular it seems as though he’s quietly showing his gratitude.

Just that one little moment was so touching that it made me love the writing in this episode. But there were so many more.

First off, handing Artoo the lightsabers and pulling them out just like Luke on the skiff in Jedi gave me a chill. Doubling down on that, having Ahsoka and Obi-wan ignite their lightsabers as well in a fashion reminiscent of the Jedi in Attack of the Clones. And Obi-wan getting on the flying lizard creature that seemed so much like the one in Revenge of the Sith? I love watching this show made by people who love Star Wars as much as I do.

But this episode also had a lot of difficult concepts and moments that hit me right in the gut. Not in a bad way mind you, but this episode was just one big downer. Obi-wan gets shot in the back, a slave commits suicide after a failed assassination attempt, another slaver drops a dozen slaves out the bottom of a repulsor platform just to make Obi-wan realize who will be hurt if he’s insubordinate.

It was harsh.

Add to that the fact that Anakin is being forced to do things that are completely outside his will in an effort to save his friends. He’s in a difficult position and there are no easy ways out of it. Difficult choices are going to have to be made, and none of the choices are very Jedi like.

This whole enterprise is the insidious nature of Palpatine’s plan. But where is he? Like the rest of this season, there is so much coming back to The Phantom Menace, not just story and thematic elements, but the Phantom Menace himself. The Jedi are going to have to sell their souls to make it through the war, Anakin in particular. He relies more and more on his force choking as the war goes on, making his reaction in Revenge of the Sith to Padme all the more telling. But it’s not just Anakin here. Ahsoka almost kills that guard, knocking him off the building with the force. And Obi-wan is beaten in this episode, the entire galaxy is on his shoulders and he just wants to help, but there’s just nothing he can do.

This was an incredibly dark episode and I can’t stop turning it over in my head. It was challenging and worked so well and in all the right ways.

But none of this story could have been told without the stage it was told on. This show looks incredible, even more now that it ever has before. The lighting, the sets, even the sky and horizon, are all characters, each one a brilliant tool to tell such a heartbreaking story.

I really don’t understand how they keep topping themselves. Seriously, that last group of shots of the flying-lizard creatures flying through the sunset was absolutely gorgeous.

To the cast and crew of this episode of The Clone Wars, all I can say is this: Well done.

I really feel like this arc is building up to something that is going to blow us away.

The last episode had some great moments in it, I can’t wait to see what else this one has in store. Especially knowing now that there’s an echo of Return of the Jedi (with Artoo and the lightsaber) in this episode…

From the press release:

In an attempt to locate missing colonists, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka go undercover to infiltrate the slavers on Zygerria. Anakin struggles with his emotions as a wily Zygerrian queen forces him to take questionable actions in order to carry out his mission in “Slaves of the Republic,” a new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, December 2nd on Cartoon Network.

Kidnapped is the first episode in a long time that brings us back to the primary Jedi of the show, the main conflicts of The Clone Wars, and what the Sith are up to. And let’s be honest, the Sith are up to no good as usual, though this plan might be worse than their normal business during The Clone Wars. They’ve teamed up with the notorious Zygerrian Slavers to pretty much enslave an entire planet of peaceful Togruta so that they may sell them at a new slave auction.

Having been a slave himself, you can imagine how Anakin reacted to the realization. It’s just as personal for Ahsoka, who is herself a Togruta.

After the setup, the episode splits off into two distinct stories. The Zygerrian left on the planet calls Obi-Wan to negotiate surrender in a high tower overlooking the colony. Predictably, it’s a trap. He’s set explosives up across the colony and unless Obi-wan surrenders he’s going to blow everything sky high.

Anakin and Ahsoka spend the rest of the episode defusing bombs while Obi-wan challenges the Zygerrian into an honorable fist fight, distracting him to give Anakin enough time to complete his portion of the mission. This might have been the single funniest element I’ve seen in an episode of The Clone Wars in a long time. And after the Umbaran arc, I think we all needed a laugh. But basically, Obi-wan is letting the Zygerrian feel like he’s got a chance. Anakin (my son, not the character) didn’t get that Obi-wan was purposely throwing the fight and started shouting at the screen, “Use the Force, Obi-wan! Dad! Why isn’t he just using the Force?”

Hilarious.

This episode really shows how Anakin and Ahsoka have grown into a team with a rapport to rival the one that he had with Obi-wan during Episode II and the first half of Episode III.

Eventually, when Anakin and Ahsoka defuse the bombs and the Zygerrian makes his move to get away. Since he’s a slaver, that’s not something that sits well with Anakin and he pulls a James Bond level stunt to take the slaver down. Seriously, it was right out of The Living Daylights and I was thrilled by it. They took “>this scene from a seriously underrated James Bond film and turned it up a notch. In the Bond film, he’s fighting a bad guy on a cargo net dangling out of the back of a flying airplane. In this, Anakin is fighting a giant squid like monster and it had me on the edge of my seat.

The best part of the episode, though, wasn’t all the fantastic action or the really cool droids (sniper droids? awesome!), but the emotional issues driving Anakin further and further to the dark side. He’s not dealing with issues relating to his past well. It’s no wonder he did what he did to the sand people because of his mother and it’s no wonder he did what he did as far as Padme was concerned. He’s a firecracker, and his threats against the Zygerrian slaver went so far that he shocked even Ahsoka.

I’m really going to enjoy seeing the dark places the set up for this arc takes us. There’s a hell of a lot of Togrutas missing and Anakin and Ahsoka are both pretty upset by it. Anakin in an angry sense, Ahsoka in a compassionate sense. I can’t wait to see them dealing with that.

There were a couple of specific spots of lighting on Obi-wan I really loved this episode, too. The first is when he realizes Anakin has defused all the bombs and no longer needs the aid of the ruse. His use of the Force to crumple the commando droids in the tower looked and felt amazing, both visually and viscerally on a story level. The other moment of lighting that just wowed me was the moment Obi-wan was running down the runway after the Zygerrian. The light of his sabers blade coming up and around in time with his running just looked fantastic.

And those are spots that just jumped out at me as being particularly great in an episode where everything seemed to stand out.

They proved tonight, once again, that The Clone Wars is one of the best shows on the air.

As much as I’ve loved the Umbaran arc (it was nothing short of fantastic) my favorite thing on the show has always been Anakin’s struggle and his relationship with Ahsoka. It adds delicate undertones to the story told in the movies and every adventure I see him on in The Clone Wars makes Revenge of the Sith that much more heartbreaking.

This story, involving the slave trade, is sure to hit close to home to Anakin, and it will be fascinating to see how he deals with it.

From the press release:

The Jedi uncover that despicable slavers are behind the sudden disappearance of an entire colony of people on the planet Kiros. Obi-Wan must face the imposing Zygerrian leader in a knuckle-crunching fistfight, while Anakin and Ahsoka rush to defuse a series of bombs planted throughout the colony. It’s a race against time in “Kidnapped,” a new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 25th on Cartoon Network.

Here’s a second clip from the show:

“War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.” –Revenge of the Sith

I think that’s the most important thought to keep with you as you watch the Umbaran Arc of episodes, and this fourth installment is no exception. After three episodes of being completely mistreated by General Pong Krell, Captain Rex and his men finally uncover his plot to leave the Jedi order after completely decimating the Umbara campaign.

With Umbara left in the hands of the Seperatists because of Krell’s maneuvering, he assumed he’d be awarded with a place at Dooku’s side. And for those complaining that the Jedi would never leave any important command in the hands of someone so obviously teetering on the brink, remember that the dark side has clouded their visions, my friends.

Through the entire series I was wondering how close to the dark side Krell was skating, and all of the questions of logic I had about why he was so angry about the clones succeeding in their missions were answered completely. This episode delivered on every level of answering questions and, in classic Star Wars fashion, going back and revising my opinion of what I’d seen before. This episode held surprise after surprise for me (though the last few minutes were pretty predictable (but that doesn’t matter)). From Jesse and Fives being almost executed, to Krell’s betrayal, forcing the clones to kill themselves, it was all incredibly intense.

In fact, in a lot of places it had a lot of slow-burning tension like you’d see in a Hitchcock film. Even Krell’s speech about the Clones being inferior hearkened back to Brandon’s speech in Hitchcock’s Rope. (Do yourself a favor and see Rope.) Brandon Shaw isn’t the only film villain that Krell channels, he also has lines and mannerisms straight from Palpatine himself. It was downright scary at times.

And the realization that the clones were killing each other was downright haunting.

The culmination of the story in the last three episodes was fantastic, to be sure, but there was so much going on technically and I want to highlight it. Firstly, this episode, in a lot of ways, felt like a noir film. From narrow bands of light across character’s faces to smoke in the foreground, it had a lot of sensibilities from old black and white movies that knew how to paint with light. But there was also so much from a classic Star Wars perspective that just can’t be ignored. Everything with Krell and his lightsabers in the dark reminded me so much of the fight between Anakin and Dooku in Attack of the Clones that I was just giddy.

I really don’t need to tell you how incredible and dynamic the action in this episode was. Any time you get to see a Jedi and a pack of clones going at it full force is a grand time. And is it any wonder that the clones of the 501st so happily march on the Jedi temple with Master Skywalker? The Jedi had already betrayed them once, why not this time?

This might be my favorite episode of Season 4 so far. It had all the right elements, cast new light on prior episodes, and just kicked a lot of ass.

And I’ll be completely honest, it wasn’t as much Paths of Glory as I thought it would be which is partially the reason for a lot of the surprises in the episode, but overall, I think it was definitely an inspiration for the arc. I hope you check it out.

At the end of the day, though, it’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan.

Lucasfilm has been kind enough to once more give as a look at the new episode of The Clone Wars.

If the writers told me they’d never seen Paths of Glory, I’d call them damn liars. And if you told me you hadn’t seen it, I’d insist that you watch it as soon as possible. It’s great to see Rex put into the Kirk Douglas role. I can’t wait for this episode.

From the press release:

With two of his men facing execution for disobeying orders, Captain Rex is forced to confront his overly aggressive commander, General Krell in the conclusion to the action-packed battle for Umbara. Risking charges of mutiny, Rex must make a dark choice as the true face of the enemy emerges in “Carnage of Krell,” a new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 18^th on Cartoon Network.

We are giving away a copy of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Volume 3 and 4!

This is a fantastic show and since the first two volumes are available to watch on Netflix, this is the perfect way to get ahead on episodes. Trust me, this is maybe the best animated series Marvel has been ambitious enough to do and it’s not afraid to take its time and develop one character at a time before bringing them all together.

And they’re fun as hell.

The contest will be open until Monday, November 21. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 22.

To enter, all you need to do is shoot us an email at editor (at) bigshinyrobot.com. Make the subject “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” For an extra chance to win, post on your Facebook wall asking all of your friends to like our Facebook page. Or you can ask your followers on twitter to follow us @BigShinyRobot. Or both.

Just be sure to mention in your email that you’ve done it.

If you can’t wait, you can get it on Amazon now for $14.99 per volume.

Good luck.