Roqoo Depot

Podcasts in Review

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Assembly of Geeks: “Star Wars Day” is a special Star Wars themed episode complete with Star Wars jokes, coverage of the Star Wars Rebels trailer, the new EU announcements, Star Wars Weekends guests, an update on Disney Park’s Star Wars expansion, the Alan Ladd Jr. documentary, new Star Wars merchandise and much more. Perfect episode that all Star Wars fans can enjoy.

“Superman: Friend of Foe” covers Star Wars Day and what the hosts did to celebrate, DC’s announcement of Batman Day, the news about a female superhero named Silk in the Spiderman franchise, and a critical discussion of Superman. They talk about what they didn’t like about Man of Steel, some of Zack Snyder’s shortcomings, the legacy of Christopher Reeve’s Superman, and the work toward a Justice League movie. Toward the end of the show, Bobby Blakey shows up to talk about The Amazing Spiderman 2 which he gives a very positive review. Good episode for superhero fans especially considering the range of franchises covered in this show.

Bombad Radio: Episode 144 features Jeremiah, Ket and Kaela as they discuss the Star Wars Episode VII casting news with a wide range of topics and opinions. From “what if they suck” to “this is totally awesome” and deeper questions concerning the fate of Han Solo, the ability of fans to accept the age of the original trilogy actors, and whether J.J. can deliver some surprises with casting we’ve yet to see. They cover the diversity issue, the inclusion of only one new female actor and more. Plus there’s some awesome interviews in this episode all recorded at Salt Lake Fan Experience. First up is Daniel Logan who talks about wanting to have kids, the Boba Fett material beyond season five of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the variety of jobs he’s held. That’s followed by the original Boba Fett, Jeremy Bulloch. Then there’s an interview with the Green Power Ranger who I did not know was an MMA fighter. Later on, they speak with the creators of Cyanide and Happiness. The audio quality is a little rough in some of the interviews and generally smooths out some after the start of each one. With so much packed into this show, it’s one you won’t want to miss.

May Free-for-All Episode includes Jeremiah, Jason and Jon as they talk about the recent Star Wars news. For instance, Jeremiah likes the new direction of the EU while Jon doesn’t like the fact that all the stories have become non-canon. Jeremiah also brought up a good point that the new move allows for uncertainty. We don’t know what will happen and to who. They give their thoughts on the new Star Wars books and then cover some fan feedback. Pretty good show all in all and a good one for EU fans to check out.

Jedi Journals: May 2014 Episode briefly covers what Jay and Chris were up to on Star Wars Day and Free Comic Book Day before diving into the new EU announcements. They talk about the new fate of the EU, about all future stories being considered canon, and their thoughts on the newly announced Star Wars novels coming later this year. As always, a good show for Star Wars book, comic and magazine fans that always makes sure to include a collector focus toward those items.

RebelForce Radio: Episode 5.2.2014 jumps into the casting news with discussion from Jimmy and Jason. Then Jimmy interviews Del Rey’s Erich Schoeneweiss and Joe Scalora at C2E2 as they talk about Star Wars books. Jimmy also interviews Ashley Eckstein to talk TCW, Disney and Star Wars Weekends. Last but not least, they have interview with Vanessa Marshall as they talk about Star Wars Rebels and Hera Syndulla.

Skywalking through Neverland: Episode 29 is their May the 4th/Revenge of the 5th show. They discuss the Star Wars casting news along with guests Robert Bapst (The Bald Solo Podcast), Scott Murray (Assembly of Geeks) and Don­ald Wicks (Skywalking through Neverland FB admin). Afterwards, they have a discussion with Chris Alexan­der (Star Wars Origami), Michael Kogge (The Despot­ica) and Tri­cia Barr (FANgirl Blog, Fan­girls Going Rogue) about their first initial opinions in between the original trilogy films. For instance, what did they think the clone wars that Obi-Wan mentioned were? And how did they envision Vader and Obi-Wan’s battle involving a volcano? Both discussions are really interesting and engaging. But on top of that, they also squeeze in some audio from one of the first Star Wars conventions featuring a Q&A done by George Lucas. Pretty cool stuff.

Star Wars Beyond the Films: Episode #122 tackles the news regarding the Star Wars Expanded universe, the new canon and the four new Star Wars novels. For EU fans, this episode is worth checking out as Mark and Nathan explore the possibilities and what the announcements may mean for fans. One very interesting thing they brought up is that Leland Chee is no longer able to answer continuity questions from fans anymore unless he goes through the public relations department.

Star Wars Bookworms: Episode #23 includes special guest Megan (Blog Full of Words, Den of Geek) as they talk a little about the Star Wars Episode VII casting news and then head on into the EU news and new books. As a fellow fan of the books and the show, I enjoyed the is episode and liked hearing what they had to say about both the cast and the new lit news. They weighed in on their anticipation for each of the newly announced books, author Timothy Zahn’s thoughts on what is now Star Wars Legends, and whether they think the new canon will really stand the test of time.

Star Wars Collectors Cast: Disney Store VIP Episode covers Dan’s trip to Disneyland and all the cool stuff he got to see on his VIP tour including new Star Wars items. They also catch up with Steve Sansweet and what he’s up to at Rancho Obi-Wan. Plus they talk a little about James’ appearance on Collectaholics. This is a good follow up episode to Radio 1138 Episode 7 which also features Teresa’s viewpoint of the Disney trip, and Star Wars Action News Episode 423 which talks about some of the upcoming Disney merchandise, much of which Dan is able to share more details on.

Star Wars Oxygen: Episode 6 focuses on the music of The Empire Strikes Back. It’s a fun discussion with lots of audio clips. David Collins once again breaks out some stats to reveal that the Imperial March motif shows up no less than 42 times in the movie. They also pour over Yoda’s theme and the variants of it, a musical element in the film similar to the Superman Fortress of Solitude piece John Williams also did, the use of synthesizer in ESB, and the droids’ theme. It’s an excellent musical discussion that all fans of the movies should check out.

Star Wars Report: Episode #128 covers the casting news and Star Wars Legends and the new canon. Hosted by Riley, Bethany and Mark, they surprisingly discuss quite a bit about the EU aspect of the news. What will it mean for fans? How do they feel about the announcements? Afterwards, they delve into the casting news. Overall a very nice, engaging discussion. They have some excellent viewpoints on the new fate of the EU and the cast that differs from what I’ve heard on other podcasts, making it fresh and worth checking out even if you’ve heard the news discussed elsewhere already.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.