My Clone Wars Collection
April 2020
Dave
Dave
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Welcome back for the 2nd look at my Star Wars collection.
This is a very different type of collection to my previous article, which focussed on my vintage pieces. If you want to know more about that part of my collection click here. This article is showcasing my Genndy Tartakovsky Cartoon Network Clone Wars collection. I have loved this micro series of animated shorts released between 2003 and 2005 since I first saw them about 2008. They were superseded by The Clone Wars produced by Lucasfilm directly from 2008, and for many are an unknown part of the fandom. The cartoons focus on the three-year period between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, introducing us to some of the large scale battles fought during the Clone Wars. |
Click on the link here to view our video of Dave describing his Clone Wars collection passion
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So, why do I love these cartoons and why have they become a particular focus of my collection? Well, firstly, they are Star Wars so that gets them a big tick, secondly, at the time, they were the only part of the market that was focussed on the Clone Wars period, and thirdly, the style is very, very different to any other Star Wars product or range. This is due to the influence of Genndy Tartakovsky himself.
Genndy is a Russian-American animator, director, producer, screenwriter, storyboard artist, comic book writer and artist. He developed the show and drew the cartoons themselves, making the style of the show distinctly 'his'. As well as Clone Wars, Gennedy has also produced/created the animated shows Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Primal on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
Since their release, the series have received critical acclaim and won multiple awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. Its success led to spinoff half-hour CGI series The Clone Wars that many fans are aware of. After The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm and the rights to the Star Wars franchise in 2012, the 2003 animated series was declared to be non-canonical and became 'Star Wars Legends'.
My collection for these cartoons is split into three main categories, DVDs of the cartoons themselves, a number of small format graphic novels done in the same style as the cartoons and a number of figures released so compliment the TV show.
Genndy is a Russian-American animator, director, producer, screenwriter, storyboard artist, comic book writer and artist. He developed the show and drew the cartoons themselves, making the style of the show distinctly 'his'. As well as Clone Wars, Gennedy has also produced/created the animated shows Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Primal on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
Since their release, the series have received critical acclaim and won multiple awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. Its success led to spinoff half-hour CGI series The Clone Wars that many fans are aware of. After The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm and the rights to the Star Wars franchise in 2012, the 2003 animated series was declared to be non-canonical and became 'Star Wars Legends'.
My collection for these cartoons is split into three main categories, DVDs of the cartoons themselves, a number of small format graphic novels done in the same style as the cartoons and a number of figures released so compliment the TV show.
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DVDs
The series aired on Cartoon Network between 2003 to 2005 across three seasons that made up 25 episodes altogether. The first two seasons were released on DVD as "Volume One", and were produced in episodes ranging from two to three minutes, while the third season was five 15-minute episodes which were released on DVD as "Volume Two". The artwork from the TV shows have been carried across on both the exterior art of the DVD cases as well as on the discs themselves, making them very distinctive and allowing them to stand out from all of the other Star Wars discs. |
Whilst the discs were released fifteen years ago, it is still possible to pick them up relatively cheaply on the 2nd hand market. Ebay has a number of listings for the DVDs and they do pop up infrequently on the various Facebook Star Wars marketplaces.
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Comicbooks
The second part of my Clone Wars collection is a small selection of Clone Wars inspired small format graphic novels. Dark Horse Comics published this ten-volume comic series titled Clone Wars: Adventures. The comicbooks adopted the same style as the 2D animated series and provides a number of original stories set during the period of the cartons. Each volume is 96 pages, with three to four stories within each. As with the animated shows, the books are small on conversation between characters, relying more on a fast paced style of animation with large colour panels making them an ideal introduction to Star Wars for younger readers. |
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I have six of the ten books. In the UK they were published under licence by Titan Books and I have 4 UK editions as well as 2 US ones. Broadly speaking the books are the same (publisher aside) other than the UK volumes having a gloss cover, whilst the US editions have a matt finish.
As with the DVDs, the comicbooks can be easily picked up on the 2nd hand market - the final volume was published in 2007. As well as online, the books regularly turn up at comicon events if you are prepared to have a hunt for them. As there are only ten volumes they are not as common as other comic ranges.
As with the DVDs, the comicbooks can be easily picked up on the 2nd hand market - the final volume was published in 2007. As well as online, the books regularly turn up at comicon events if you are prepared to have a hunt for them. As there are only ten volumes they are not as common as other comic ranges.
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Figures
The final part of my collection is fourteen individual figures. The scale is approximately equivalent to the 3 3/4 inch size of the 'standard' Star Wars figures. There were fourteen individual figures released, and I have them all. But there were also four Walmart-exclusive "Commemorative DVD Collection" 3-packs (which did not include a DVD). These packs included some of the same figures found as individual cards as well as a small number of unique figures only available in the packs. Articulation is limited in the range - on a par with the vintage range of figures - and the very stylised design of the figures limits the play options available. |
However, from a collector's perspective, the layout of the figures on the card, and the bulbous nature of the bubble the figures are housed within, make them a wonderful addition for display 'on card'. As anyone who knows me and my collection will be aware, I am very much an 'open the box' collector - that is, one who delights in opening/uncarding my collection - however, the nature of these figures and their packaging means that I am happy to leave them on their card.
The figures were released at the same time as the DVDs and can still be picked up for anything between £10-£20 for a single figure still on the card. As such they are relatively good value. However the Walmart 3-packs are rarer, and accordingly, much more expensive. I am still on the hunt to find them reasonably priced and I am sure I will eventually track them down for a price I am willing to pay. However, as the figures were sold by Walmart, they are a US only item making them very unusual in the UK market.
I recently recorded a video of this part of my collection and you can follow this link here to view on YouTube.
Thanks for reading the article, hopefully it will inspire you to explore the Genndy Tartakovsky Cartoon Network Clone Wars. They really were an awesome animated TV show and worth a visit.
May the Force be with you
The figures were released at the same time as the DVDs and can still be picked up for anything between £10-£20 for a single figure still on the card. As such they are relatively good value. However the Walmart 3-packs are rarer, and accordingly, much more expensive. I am still on the hunt to find them reasonably priced and I am sure I will eventually track them down for a price I am willing to pay. However, as the figures were sold by Walmart, they are a US only item making them very unusual in the UK market.
I recently recorded a video of this part of my collection and you can follow this link here to view on YouTube.
Thanks for reading the article, hopefully it will inspire you to explore the Genndy Tartakovsky Cartoon Network Clone Wars. They really were an awesome animated TV show and worth a visit.
May the Force be with you