I think I’m starting to see why Filoni and crew keep saying, “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” after the Darth Maul arc. This arc starring Ahsoka in the midst of a terrorist plot is shaping up to be one of the series’ best.

After the events of last week and the bombing of the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka is the only one the terrorist will talk to. Much like in the Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much, Ahsoka is given a vital piece of information and is witness to a murder. It takes it a step-further, though, and casts her as Cary Grant in North by Northwest, with photos of her committing the murder and everything. As part of the plot of a force-user, Ahsoka must escape to clear her name and save the Republic from this plot.

Who could the mysterious force user be?

Could it be Maul, who Sidious had “plans” for? Could it be Ventress back to play her part in the galaxy? Could it be another disgruntled Jedi (like Pong Krell) all together?

We’ll find out next week.

The visuals in this episode were nothing short of stunning. It truly felt like any epic film you can think of, but designed by Alfred Hitchcock in the style of The Clone Wars. There was so much Fritz Lang in the exteriors of the military prison, evoking images of the flag-filled courtyards of Nazi Germany with the Imperial cog standing in for the Swastika. The inside, though, was one hundred percent Star Wars. So much so, that I almost thought they’d accelerated construction of the Death Star, the interior architecture was so Star Wars.

Once Ahsoka made it out of the prison, though, things became an incredible action showcase. I could have watched her bat away stun bolts shot by Clones all day long. This portion of the episode was very much an homage to the Harrison Ford/Tommy Lee Jones film The Fugitive, from the spotlights and circling gunships, to the chase through the waterways and fateful jump off the dam.

Ahsoka takes the spotlight in this episode, sure, but not enough can be said about Anakin’s place in the episode. Matt Lanter’s performance is edging us closer and closer to Revenge of the Sith and its nuance is haunting. Casting him as the man responsible for catching Ahsoka but also having to trust her enough to let her go is a fascinating choice and one I’m glad that was made.

The other thing I loved about this episode was the reaction of the Clones to the revelation that three had been killed by a lightsaber. They don’t want to believe a Jedi could do it, but the evidence assembled against Ahsoka seems clear.

But the layers of story, lighting, weather, animation, and voice work are only most of the tapestry here. In this episode, the music took center stage as much as anything else. It provided a Star Wars flavor to a Bernard Herman like score and I felt like it was a masterful take on what things would sound like if one of the greatest film composers who has ever lived had taken on an episode of The Clone Wars.

Top marks for this episode. And we’re only moving up from here.

Latino-Review announced on the latino imprint of Fox News that they have exclusive information that Harrison Ford is back to be Han Solo.

Here’s the video, and a transcript of the scoop:

El Mayimbe: Back in November, Harrison Ford said he was open to the idea of returning as Han Solo. Well, it’s official. Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Han Solo in the new Star Wars movies.

Fox Anchor: Which is a big deal…

El Mayimbe: That is huge.

El Mayimbe said that he double and triple checked his confirmations from legitimate sources. He then implied the deal is done, formalities are all that’s left, then an announcement.

I’ll be honest, I generally trust reports from Latino-Review, they have a good track record. What I’m not comfortable with are reports based solely on “unnamed sources.” Especially when Star Wars is so big and so many outlets report so much bad information because they can’t consider the source or seem to tell fact from fiction.

If Harrison Ford is back though, I’m very happy about this. I know I’ve been a big proponent of the idea that Han should have died in Return of the Jedi, but that’s not what happened. These movies are what’s happening.

I can already hear devotees of the Expanded Universe seeing a movie with Han Solo and screaming about how he’d do things differently in the books, but the books are moot at this point.

We’ll see how this develops. If an announcement happens, we’ll be there.

Here are two new clips of Saturday’s new episode of The Clone Wars. As we near the end of this arc and this season, I can’t imagine where Season 6 could possibly take us that would take my breath away more. That’s what I love about Filoni and his team: they always find a way.

Here’s the official synopsis of the episode:

As the Republic military takes over the Temple bombing case, Ahsoka finds herself at odds with Admiral Tarkin in “The Jedi Who Knew Too Much,” Saturday, February 16th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

And why do I think that Ahsoka is going to be framed for Letta’s murder and on the run? I’m just guessing, but it sounds likely, especially given this clip:

Welcome to another edition of The Gamemaster. If you’re a fan of gamemastering RPGs, be sure to check out our previous installments of the column. For those who are just catching up: a few months ago I started GMing a Pathfinder campaign (two actually). It’s my first experience roleplaying in 15 years and I’m finding I quite like it. I’m taking readers through my processes and journey toward being a better GM (or Dungeon Master, if you prefer).

This week, I’d love to talk about reading.

There is a lot of reading that needs to be done for a roleplaying game. And to be honest, I’ve been going a little nuts with the books I’ve been buying to read, both as inspiration and as supplements so I can learn the rules better and better flesh out the world in which my players reside.

Since the world is one of my own creation, it’s important to know what to think about, which is why I’ve found Pathfinder’s GameMastery Guide. The book is incredibly well written and really forces you to think about the choices you’re making as a game referee. It talks about things in the abstract, and more often than not just reminds you to think about things rather than tell you how they absolutely have to be. Chapters about world-creation, city structures, and even GMing techniques have been incredibly helpful and easily adapted into my game. I found it much more useful than the Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guides for 3.5 that I’ve read, which tend to air much more on rules and tend to be a little more focused on the pedantics of that specific world. The Pathfinder book seemed more interested in helping me adapt what was best for my game.

At a convention recently, I picked up a copy of the Gary Gygax written Advanced Dungeons and Dragon’s DM Guide and found that it had some tasty food for thought that I’m definitely incorporating into my campaigns, but it’s fascinating how each writer of these guides has a different take on the art of GMing. The Pathfinder model seems the most interested in helping me tell a collaborative story for the most amount of fun. Gygax seemed more interested in forcing me to count every single day of the year, mark every moment of the seasons, and weigh every ounce of equipment my character might be carrying. It functions, and carries many fantastic ideas, but it wasn’t as compatible with what I’m learning to be is “my style.”

Another great book I’ve spent a lot of time with is the Pathfinder NPC Codex. It’s saved me a lot of time in creating stat blocks for important NPCs, but peppered throughout the stats of each character are helpful hints and ideas from the writers about how characters could be used. Though I haven’t used any specific idea from these, reading the book has sparked untold embers in my storytelling imagination to discover what path I’m leading my characters down. It’s a very excellent book and I highly recommend it.

Perhaps the book I’ve spent the most time with is one written by a friend of mine, who seemed at least slightly embarrassed that I asked him to sign it at the convention we were both guests at over the weekend. Aaron Allston’s Dungeon Master’s Design Kit contains a story generator that I’d never use the way it was intended, but have combed through meticulously for its brilliance. The kit contains three books and the third is by far the best. It is a booklet that randomly allows you to generate circumstances and plot twists for your games and assemble an entire campaign with the roll of dice. But reading through each possibility a story turn can take that Aaron has so cleverly concocted. Aaron is a master storyteller and there is probably no better place to find inspiration to take your game. And don’t limit yourself to his RPG supplements. He’s just come out with a digital eBook on plotting stories and reading through it is pure creative fodder for writers, doing double-duty for those of us percolating campaign scenarios as well. Look for it on his website.

Which brings me to my next point: you’re going to be able to find inspiration for your game everywhere. It might completely take over your brain, but that’s half the joy, right? Go back and constantly re-read the books you have. Go through the Bestiaries and Monster Manuals constantly, between every session, and think of ways to spice up your campaigns in a logical fashion that makes sense for the story. Go through fantasy books and movies and think to yourself about how you can make your game just as exciting. Think about how you can invest your player characters into the story. You might think that once you’ve been through those books you don’t need to again, but your characters are constantly changing and evolving as they gain experience and something on one reading pass that seems like it wouldn’t fit might be exactly the right thing you’re looking for the next time.

I suppose the whole point of this column, other than direct you to some of the books that have provided me with the most creative nourishment to remains excited about my campaign’s story, is to tell you to keep revisiting the material in between sessions. If you keep reading and reading and reading and reading, you’ll unlock new ideas. Just be sure to write them all down. Even if you can’t use an idea soon, building up to it will make it all the more satisfying when it comes about.

I’ve laid the seeds for so many future adventures, I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have some of them pay off. And the only reason I’ve gotten this far is familiarizing myself with the material and then refamiliarizing myself with it. And the books above have been the most helpful, to me at least.

So, until next week, be sure to check out other columns in the Gamemaster series!

Leading up to the release of Game of Thrones Season 2 on DVD/Blu-Ray there has been a lot of videos making their way onto the web. Along with those HBO has released yet another teaser for Season 3. I imagine that we will get more and more of those as we get close to 3/31/13.

First off we have Ygritte giving us a story of the Night’s King of the Night’s Watch.

Secondly we have the new teaser from HBO called Chaos.

And lastly we have an exclusive from Hero Complex, they have access to a special feature from the Season 2 release that has a discussion from the actors about who the rightful heir to the Iron Throne really is.

Sabotage is the beginning of the final arc of The Clone Wars – Season 5, and proves just how malleable this show and the Star Wars universe as a whole can be as a backdrop for different kinds of stories.

After a thrilling Jedi Starfighter chase and buzz droid fight, Anakin and Ahsoka are called back to Coruscant to investigate a bombing at the Jedi temple. The episode plays out like a police procedural show as they search for the culprit.

It’s a very straightforward episode and is the exact opposite point of view of the story where the film gets its name. In Alfred Hitchcock’s film (which you can watch here and read my analysis of), a dissident passes off a bomb to his young brother-in-law, who delays the delivery of the bomb and ends up blowing up an entire bus full of people. Not much of the film has to do with the aftermath, and it’s told almost exclusively from the viewpoint of the family. This turns that around and shows us what it’s like trying to unravel a crime like that from the perspective of those trying to apprehend the bad guys. And it’s also similar in that an unsuspecting loved one is used to deliver the bomb to that target.

This episode was reasonably dry, but there was plenty to be excited about.

For one, this episode opens with that fantastic starfighter sequence over Cato Nemoidia, but we’re instantly shown an Ahsoka who is more grown up than we’ve ever seen her. Her voice is more adult, she speaks with more confidence, even the way she carries herself is more mature. She’s a young woman now, no longer a kid befitting the name “Snips.”

This is what I loved most about the episode, to be honest. Watching children grow up might be one of the most bittersweet things one can do, and Ahsoka has been forced to grow up during such a terrible time. And the impression I get is that this is just going to be the calm before the storm. Whatever Ahsoka’s eventual fate may be, my guess is that it will be unfair to her and devastating to us. To be honest, watching her struggle here in this episode caused a bout of melancholy in me.

The visuals of this episode, as all the episodes, are incredible. The Coruscant cityscapes are something that ought to be utilized more, especially since they’ve been developed so well on the show as time has gone on. And the holographic cameras that played back the actual explosion created an incredibly interesting visual location for key conversations.

As someone who doesn’t watch CSI – Miami, I don’t have much to comment on the droid patterned after David Caruso, but I could see it being a fun wink and nod to people who watch that show.

This was a solid set-up episode, but I’m ready for the meat of the story. I’d tentatively rate this 3.5 out of 5, with more points coming if the arc pans out as well as I hope it does.

It was announced via my piece at The Huffington Post that Gail Simone would be working on a new title for DC’s New 52 called The Movement, taking on the political 99% in the world of DC Superheroes.

I got to talk to her about the book briefly. I’ll be honest, I know very little about this project so far, literally everything I know is in the interview and solicitation below. The book doesn’t come out until May and it has me decidedly intrigued and excited.

Bryan Young: What attracted you to a title that sounds so politically charged? Can you tell me a little bit about what we’re getting into?

Gail Simone: The Movement is an idea I’ve had for some time. It’s a book about power–who owns it, who uses it, who suffers from its abuse. As we increasingly move to an age where information is currency, you get these situations where a single viral video can cost a previously unassailable corporation billions, or can upset the power balance of entire governments.

And because the sources of that information are so dispersed and nameless, it’s nearly impossible to
shut it all down. I’ve been in countries where the internet is heavily censored, but they can’t possibly keep up with millions of users from every corner of the world.

The previous generations of superheroes were not created to address this, it’s a legitimately new frontier, both for the real world and for storytellers.

The thing I find fascinating and a little bit worrisome is, what happens when a hacktivist group whose politics you find completely repulsive has this same kind of power and influence…what if a racist or homophobic group rises up and organizes in the same manner?

It makes you wonder where the next battlefield will be.

BY: Is this going to be a more serious book? Or are we going to be getting plenty of funny, too?

GS: It’s both, I think the themes are pretty meaningful and compelling as drama, but even firefighters and soldiers have that gallows humor. There’s some darkly funny stuff, certainly.

It’s an adventure story, but it really isn’t about mad scientists and jewel heists, it’s more about
the injustices that can affect real people’s lives, just tarted up in costumes and superpowers.

Many of the best revolutions had a pretty decent wit to them, to be fair.

BY: What makes you proud of this title so far?

GS: I like that there hasn’t been a book quite like it before. The designs of the characters, by the wonderfully talented Freddie Williams, make me very happy. They don’t look like the Avengers or the Justice League.

It just feels like a very new kind of superhero book. Even the ‘hero’ part gets a little
shaky, at times.

BY: What is it you hope comics readers come away from the book with?

GS: On the one hand, I hope they enjoy it for the modern fantasy. We’re not trying to preach
platitudes at people. I happen to love superhero comics, especially the crazy glamor and thrills they contain.

But on the other, I think the backdrop is a slice of reality that we’re unlikely to see in most superhero books. And I find that tremendously exciting.

I love to be surprised.

And here’s the official retailer solicitation of the book:

THE MOVEMENT #1
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Cover by AMANDA CONNER
1:25 Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale MAY 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
We are faceless. We are limitless. We see all. And we do not forgive.
Who defends the powerless against the GREEDY and the CORRUPT? Who protects the homeless and poverty-stricken from those who would PREY upon them in the DARK OF NIGHT?
When those who are sworn to protect us abuse their power, when toxic government calls down super-human lackeys to force order upon the populace…finally, there is a force, a citizen’s army, to push order BACK. Let those who abuse the system know this as well: We have our OWN super humans now. They are not afraid of your badges or Leagues. And they will not be SILENCED.
We are your neighbors. We are your co-workers. And we are your children.

Don’t forget to check out our interview with Art Baltazar and Franco.

And follow Gail Simone on Twitter. You won’t regret it. #Bonerses

It was announced via my piece at The Huffington Post that Art Baltazar and Franco would be writing their first book in the New 52. The Green Team is a book about the wealthy and wonders what would happen in the DC Universe if you had limitless financial resources, could you buy power? Could you buy superpowers?

The book doesn’t come out until May and the details I know are literally contained completely in the interview and solicitation for the book below:

Bryan Young: On the surface, this book sounds silly based on the solicits, but it seems like it has a pretty important grounding. What brought you to want to do this book, and I’m assuming it’s retaining your sense of humour?

FRANCO:DC knew we were the right team for the job. They knew our sense of humor would be an important element of the book but they also knew we could bring the story that would make this something people would want to read. Intrigue, young love, money and even these superpowers beings that inhabit the world.

ART: Who are they again?

FRANCO: You know, Superman, Wonder Woman, those guys.

ART: I looked at the original designs and concepts of these characters and was looking forward to giving them a major update. This gives us the chance of making older, obsolete characters relevant …and awesome in the new DC universe. We also had certain pop culture and social media references and questions that we wanted to bring up.

FRANCO: Yeah, when we started to talk about what these characters looked and acted like if they were around today what would that be and the answers and stories wrote themselves, it was our job to type them up in script form and send them in.

BY: It sounds like this book is going to have some socially redeeming qualities, can you tell me more about that?

FRANCO: What comes to mind is: Can money make you happy?

ART: The real question is: Can money buy you anything in the DC universe? Would it make you powerful? Can it make you a hero? Can money make you…Super?

FRANCO: If you had unlimited wealth, could you use that to make the lives of people better? Would you help your fellow man? Would you buy powers? You need to read this and find out.

BY: What makes you proud of this title so far?

FRANCO:The honor to work along side the talents or Ig Guara and Amanda Conner!

ART: And this is officially our first story in the New 52, which you cannot deny, is pretty cool!

BY: What is it you hope comics readers come away from the book with?

ART:I want the readers to want the next issue so bad that they can’t wait a month to find out what happens to these characters.

FRANCO: I was going to say something different but what he says sounded really good. I want to write the book with this guy.

And here’s the official retailer solicitation of the book:

THE GREEN TEAM #1
Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art by IG GUARA
Cover by AMANDA CONNER
1:25 Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale MAY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

This issue will ship with two covers.
INVENTORS! EXPLORERS! ADVENTURERS! Do you need money to finance an important project? Then you should set up a meeting with THE GREEN TEAM!
• Nature of world-changing idea:
• Amount requested:
• Does your project have the potential to:
Fracture space-time?
Replace the combustion engine?
Attract extraterrestrial attention?
Prove/disprove existence of deities?
Piss off The Justice League?
Render the human body obsolete?
If any of the above are checked, please fill out liability release form GT2013-05. Send any 82 drawings, plans, models, or photos with request.

Be sure to check out our interview with Gail Simone as well!

It’s been no secret that the next four episodes of The Clone Wars all have titles linked to Alfred Hitchcock films. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest storyteller’s of any generation of filmmakers, and it’s obvious The Clone Wars crew looks up to them.

And if you know me (and you know about my column on StarWars.Com), you’ll know that I love cinema history and I love connecting it to Star Wars. So this is a dream come true for me, especially since Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favorite filmmakers of all time.

I thought it would be a lot of fun to watch each of these movies in advance of the episode airing. The next episode of The Clone Wars is called Sabotage, which is the title of the 1936 Alfred Hitchcock film (with an animated sequence organized by Walt Disney!). The second episode in the arc references The Man Who Knew Too Much (which Hitchcock made twice, once in 1934 featuring Peter Lorre and again in 1956 with James Stewart and Doris Day). The third is the thrilling Cary Grant, Grace Kelly film To Catch a Thief (1955). The fourth is Hitchcock’s heartbreaking film, The Wrong Man (1955), starring Henry Fonda.

Sabotage is a famous film and controversial. It centers around a cinema owner named Verloc who’s also secretly a provocateur, working for a group of anarchists and an enemy nation. Verloc doesn’t want to be a bad guy, or contribute to the loss of life, but is forced into acts of violent terrorism due to circumstances beyond his control.

In the films most famous and most nerve-wracking sequence, Verloc employs his underage brother-in-law to unknowingly deliver a bomb in a film canister set for delivery to the London Underground.

But the boy ends up delayed and distracted during his delivery, and finds himself on a crowded bus when the time-bomb goes off, killing everyone.

Verloc’s wife comes to suspect her husband of the crime and the film plays out tensely, further and further, until the guilty parties get their comeuppance and Mrs. Verloc gets her revenge.

More than anything, this film revolutionized the timing of pacing in a tense sequence. It might not be Hitchcock’s finest film, but it has so many compelling shades of gray in the view of the crime and motives of the characters. Some characters are driven to murder, but you sympathise with them.

And this is a film for film-lovers, what with all of the scenes that take place in and around movie theatres and the trappings of cinema at the time. It wouldn’t surprise me to find that Quentin Tarentino had used this film as an inspiration for Inglorious Basterds.

It will be fascinating to see what level of inspiration this film will bring to the next episode of The Clone Wars. Will it be a direct adaptation (like Senate Spy, based on Hitchcock’s Notorious)? Or will it be more of a loose inspiration, like The Man With No Name Trilogy had on characters like Boba Fett and Cad Bane?

Since this is the “Ahsoka Arc,” and all of these films involve crime, terrorists, and people wrongfully accused of crimes, are we going to get episodes about those things? Since Ahsoka is the star, will she be on the run from everyone, accused of crimes she didn’t commit? It seems so.

I highly recommend you check the movie out, which is streaming in full from the Internet Archive in the box above, before this week’s episode of The Clone Wars. Though if you’re worried about potential spoilers from a movie that’s predates even Batman and Superman, you should come back and watch it after the episode airs.

And be sure to listen to the Full of Sith podcast for the latest Star Wars talk…

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Martin has inked a new deal with HBO to work on projects outside of Game Of Thrones. He will continue to be the co-executive producer on the show but will also work on new series. Martin is no stranger to TV, he writes an episode of Game Of Thrones each season and has written for other shows in the past before he started on his books.

Season 3 of Game Of Thrones premieres 3/31/13.

Source