Customer Reviews

Star Wars: Tag & Bink Were Here (Part 1)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, I thought it was funny at least. While it may go for the easy gag, the bad pun, or the totally absurd... it still made me laugh.

The easiest description would be "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" meets Star Wars. It's the adventure of two dimwitted (and previously unnamed) background characters from the Star Wars saga, and their adventures that accidentally steer the course of the trilogy.

The original two-issue mini series was an absolute classic. The follow-up from about a year ago was a bit forced, and not quite as funny. But still funny. Not sure about the other contents of this trade, but I think there's a story or two that I haven't read.

Writer Kevin Rubio was responsible for "TROOPS" the parody video that mashed up stormtroopers with "COPS." If you like that kind of humor, you'll enjoy this.

Side note: I saw this trade in a comics shop, and it had a different cover than pictured. Not sure if there are variants, or if the Amazon art is not current, but what I saw was nicer than what's pictured.

There are several must read Star Wars graphic novels, stories that add texture and depth to the ever-expanding Star Wars universe--and then there is "Tag & Bink Were Here" which adds a healthy helping of humor and a lot of silly fun.

Star Wars fans--at least those who don't take life too seriously---are sure to enjoy all the in jokes as Tag and Bink wander through the events of all six movies, leaving chaos in their wake.

A funny and clever read, a must have for any and all Star Wars fans. Cleverly placed into real time of the Star Wars movies are the misadventures of the two main characters, Tag and Blink. You have to look closely for some of the hidden treasures and side gags inserted into the story by the writer Kevin Rubio and the great art of Lucas Marangon. The writing is clever, funny and entertaining and the art is perfect especially for this type of book so pick up a copy, sit back and take your time finding all of the extras if you can. It may take a second or third reading and a closer look at the art to find them but well worth the time. Lets not forget, it's a comic book. Enjoy!

Abbot and Costello.
Laurel and Hardy.
Tag & Bink.

Comedy comes to a galaxy far, far away in this humorous collection from Dark Horse Comics.

Spanning both trilogies, Tag & Bink blunder through the Universe, not quite saving the day, running like chickens & lying like the dickens to save their skins.

Note that these adventures have been branded as "non-canon" by Lucas, & never officially took place in the Star Wars Universe.

Then again, I'd want to deny any responsibility for these two myself!

Funny graphic novel collection. Nice art.

On a related note, you *might* want the Hardcover Edition, as it has a fun, wraparound cover design! Star Wars: Tag & Bink The HC edition contains the entire Tag & Bink series published to date (01/04/2012).

The Hipster gives it a big Thumbs Up!

I loved this book, a collection of all the Tag and Bink stories save for one that was published in Star Wars tales. Here we see two goofy Rebel troopers who escape Princess Leia's blockade runner by dressing as Storm Troopers end up in the background of almost every scene from episodes 4-6, and even a bit of 1 and 3!

The writers manage to find ways to fit these two into iconic situations and even have them CAUSE some of the things. Who were the troopers on duty when Obi Wan crept in to turn off the tractor beam? Why didn't the red clad Imperial Guard intervene in the final battle between Luke and Darth Vader and the Emperor?

A great read for Star Wars fans with a sense of humor!

This is a compilation of the various "Tag and Bink" stories. This somewhat inept duo bumbles their way, mostly unseen, throughout much of the Star Wars saga... often having a major impact on events that viewers have seen in the films. It is cleverly interwoven with the movies' plots, and creates some great and hilarious moments when you realize where they appear in the films... and they show up onscreen often, you just never knew it until now. Highly recommended for the avid Star Wars fan. The better you know the films, the more you should enjoy Tag and Bink.

Really funny!

If you're a Star Wars fan (or even if you're not)...this book is for you. Both the stories and artwor are top notch.

There's a lot here to like in this Star Wars parody, from a clever story, to expressive art, to more Star Wars and science-fiction trivia than you can shake a lightsaber at. Unfortunately, it's not very funny.

The story begins as A New Hope begins, with Vader and the Imperial forces boarding the Tantive 4 in search of Leia Organa and the purloined plans to the Death Star. Rather than go down fighting, a pair of rank and file rebels, Tag and Bink, ditch their uniforms for Stormtrooper armor and begin a trip across the galaxy, a journey of mistaken identity that takes them through all the major events of the original trilogy, as well as a few of the prequels.

While it might seem easy - the author has little more to do than follow Lucas' scripts - Kevin Rubio finds clever ways of shoehorning in the Beavis and Butthead of the Star Wars universe. When Ben Kenobi, for example, has to shut down the Death Star's tractor beam, he puts a little Jedi mind trick on a couple of Stormtroopers, who as you might guess are none other than Tag and Bink. Upbraided for their failure, the pair decides to escape in a couple of stolen TIE fighters, the very pair Vader commands to accompany him hunt down Luke Skywalker above the Death Star. And so it goes for 100 pages.

Most of the "humor" here seems to consist of making reference to Star Wars trivia, such as Chewie's missing medal (we never see him get one at the end of A New Hope), Life Day (from the 1977 television Christmas special), and the many Bothans who died to retrieve the plans of the Death Star (Manny Both-Hanz in Tag and Bink), or in visually referencing science-fiction icons such as Battlestar Galactic Cylons, the Monolith from 2001, and Science Fiction Theater 3000's Tom Servo, or by giving cameo appearances to Dark Horse editors, writers and artists. In itself this spot-the-reference game is amusing; what it's not, though, is funny. In fact there are few real jokes in this book, and the gags are mostly physical, such as poorly designed Stormtrooper helmets resulting in spills and bumps, as well as a raff of accidental shootings (Boba shoots Tag, Bink shoots Luke, Jango shoots up Dek's diner, Tag hits Bink with a lightsaber). About the only gag that demonstrated any inventiveness was Tag and Bink as Palpatine's Royal Guard, who, when ordered to leave, walk around the back of the elevator shaft (as you've seen in Return of the Jedi) only to find - no rear exit.

Special mention should go to the art/color team of Lucas Marangon and Dan Jackson, who have created some beautifully expressive work. The illustration is cartoonish enough to convey a comedic air without drawing attention to itself. The coloring especially in the later issues is exceptionally vivid. The pair has worked together previously on another Star Wars project (not yet reprinted in trade paperback, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express) and have specifically for this volume produced a new cover; the original has purportedly been purchased by George Lucas himself.

Author Kevin Rubio is familiar to Star Wars fans as the writer/director/producer of Troops, an award-winning fan-film parodying television police documentaries. The film gained notoriety not only for its production values, but also for being one of the first to be distributed over the internet back in 1997. Rubio has worked for Fox television and has also apparently developed numerous television properties, all of them either unproduced or canceled following short runs.

Tag & Bink is certainly not the worst way to waste half an hour or fifteen dollars. It might even make you smile. But it probably won't make you laugh.