Nick Gazin's Comic Book Love-in #60

Every year there's one or two Star Wars books that seem like they are essential for your stupid Star Wars library. Some of them are and some of them aren't.

by Nick Gazin

May 29, 2012, 4:00am

Hello Comix Enthuziaztz,

Did you know that Frank Frazetta did illustrations for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and they only printed a thousand copies of each? Comics Alliance posted a bevy of images from the books. They look great even though I get the sense that Frank didn't really pour his heart into them. I can't blame him. He's Frank fucking Frazetta and he made multiple illustrations that only a thousand people got to see. There's still some awesome big-butted women, monsters, armor, and the most important Frazetta trademark, that dripping jungle moss.

Check out this design by Arne Jacobsen for a Texaco gas station in Copenhagen from 1936.

Mountain Dew Batman is sad. He will console himself by drinking all the Mountain Dews.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KENNEDY-ERA-SATIRE-1962-JFK-UNCOLORED-COLORING-BOOK-MORT-DRUCKER-MAD-MAGAZINE-/390420334652#ht_9283wt_883

Here are reviews of three Star Wars books I got mailed from people.

Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide
Ryder Windham
DK Books

There are a lot of good books about Star Wars out there and if you own more than one you're probably open to owning more. There are hundreds of Star Wars novels that are set within the mythologized world of Star Wars but I find those dull and they never feel like Star Wars to me. It's weird to have a book that describes what the characters are feeling or thinking because in the movies the characters never have any sort of hidden world. They say and do exactly what they're feeling without any subtlety. That's part of the charm of the movies. "Leia felt trepidatious as she cantered down the shimmering spaceship corridor and remembered her carefree days as a girl on Alderaan." Nobody wants to read that, or at least they shouldn't. Shadows of the Empire is cool though.

Every year there's one or two Star Wars books that seem like they are essential for your stupid Star Wars library. Some of them are and some of them aren't. Here are my ten essential Star Wars books for people whose concept of what is and isn't essential is so twisted that somehow Star Wars books can be considered essential:

1. From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives
2. The Making of Star Wars by J.W. Rinzler
3. The Making of the Empire Strikes Back by J.W. Rinzler
4. The Star Wars Vault by Stephen Sansweet and Peter Vilmur
5. The Star Wars Encyclopedia by Stephen Sansweet
6. Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive by Stephen Sansweet
7. Star Wars: Luke Skywalker: Last Hope for the Galaxy from Dark Horse
8. The Secret History of Star Wars by Michael Kaminski
9. Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays
10. The Star Wars Poster Book

ALSO GOOD: The books about the costuming and model-making in the films. Oh, who am I kidding? I want all the Star Was books! I want to be killed by an avalanche of Star Wars books falling on me and crushing me to death!

So the Star Wars Visual Guide is a fun book that's $25 and is a good gift for a grandkid or nephew who you heard is into Star Wars. It's not crazy expensive and gigantic like the three-volume Star Wars Encyclopedia. It's a nice little intro to the fake world of Star Wars.

Star Wars; Darth Vader And Son
Jeffrey Brown
Chronicle

Jeffrey Brown made a book of one-panel gag comics in which Darth Vader is spending fatherly time with a little boy Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader mostly speaks in quotes from the films that are now supposed to be funny in the context of talking to his young son. Sometimes they are pretty funny. Sometimes they feel a little stereotypical and based on sitcoms of what parenthood is about. It feels like it was made as something to give your Star Wars fan dad for Father's Day. If you hate Star Wars or your dad you will hate this. If you like Star Wars and your dad you still might hate it. Or you might like it! It's pretty cute. I like it. My dad won't though because he hates Star Wars and it always makes me feel bad that we can't share my passion for the Star Wars saga.

Star Wars: The Secret Life of Droids
Jason Fry
DK Books

This book is basically the Hollywood Babylon for Star Wars robots. All the seamy, steamy, droid stories you heard rumors about are now clarified in this book. Have you ever wondered why the Star Wars movies never show or mention characters going to the bathroom? Have you also noticed that we never see the battery-powered robots being recharged? There's a reason for that. The droids are all sentient toilets and they are fueled by human waste. Learn more in the Secret Life of Droids!

Actually, I only wish that were true. This book answers hypothetical and technical questions about fake technology. It's aimed at younger fans of Star Wars and those that are young at mind.