From the Editor
Aaron Colter, Marketing Coordinator
In Defense of the Clone Wars
This week’s Star Wars Friday is a little different, and it’s titled ‘Shut Up, The Clone Wars Cartoon Is Kick-Ass’.
Let me start out by admitting that I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan. Don’t get me wrong, I like Star Wars. In fact, the only movie I’ve seen more than the original trilogy is probably Mallrats. I’m a geek. Shocking, considering I work for a comic book publisher, I know. But, if I had the option to watch Empire - the best of the franchise, or 2046 - the worst of Wong Kar-wai’s films, I’d happily stumbled through the past/future of a Hong Kong writer longing for a woman he may or may not have known before I’d watch Luke cry about not getting to make out with his sister again. Just sayin’.
So, my view of Star Wars is much more objective than someone who’s workspace looks like this:
(Sorry, Tim, but this is what happens when you take Fridays off.)
Why does this matter? Because I’m tired of hearing from friends and fans that Cartoon Network’s The Clone Wars sucks. The Clone Wars doesn’t suck, it kicks ass!
First, the characters are solid. From heroes like Ahsoka Tano to villains like Cad Bane, The Clone Wars has some interesting characters that are never developed in the films. I don’t want to get too political, but let me just say that having a strong, young female protagonist like Ahsoka for little girls to model is of paramount importance in the Sci-Fi & Fantasy realm. Plus, have you seen Cad Bane? It’s like the creators watched Cowboy Bebop and Firefly all day before falling asleep and dreaming of the badass bounty hunter.
Second, people die, like, all the damn time. On a kid’s show! Seriously. Do you remember watching cartoons as a kid where people died? In nearly every episode? No, you don’t, because it didn’t happen. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was awesome, we can all agree on that, but you never saw legions of people die when battle broke out between Leonardo and Shredder. Yet this happens through out The Clone Wars, often times it’s implied, but other times someone takes a blaster straight to the face. Now, as a parent, you have to explain the underlying opposition between good and evil in the universe on top of answering the question, “Where did Spot go when he fell asleep forever?” Heavy stuff for an eight-year-old.
Third, Boba #@$%*&^! Fett. Don’t deny it, Boba Fett is your favorite character. And in The Clone Wars, you get to see him being corrupted as a child. Sometimes you even get to see him fight Stormtroopers, which is super interesting when you think about it -- fighting a grown up clone of your father, when you yourself are a clone. Mind = Blown.
Fourth, it’s more Star Wars. More Star Wars is a good thing. Unless you want the franchise to become stale and unappealing to the new generation, you need to keep creating content for a younger audience to enjoy. Nothing will ever live up to the glory of the original films, because they are the genesis of this incredible, unparallel universe that has been expanding for over 20 years. It’s like saying, “That Saturn, it’s no Sun.” Well of course it’s no Sun, but that doesn’t mean Saturn isn’t rad, because Saturn is, in fact, totally rad.
I’m not going to go into the whole continuity argument or speculate on George Lucas’s master plan. I’m just a dude who loves cartoons. If Heaven exists, it’s a comfy couch, soft PJs, a bowl of sugary cereal, and a righteous cartoon on TV. And there’s a fine lady with me too, and also some good friends show up, maybe they bring over some different cereals, magic cereals that give us super powers, then we all team up with God to fight the Devil…
I’m getting off track, the point is, I know cartoons, and The Clone Wars is a great animated series. Maybe not on the level of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it’s really good. Quit complaining and enjoy it.