Club Jade

Diamond’s site was down all day, but the usually trustworthy Midtown Comics isn’t showing any Star Wars releases this week.

Instead, gaze into the future of May and July 2010 comics. Highlights include a very Palpy-looking Luke, Cade continuing his ride in the plot hamster wheel and Poser.

Really, io9? Really? Is there so little actual news in the entire world of science fiction and fantasy today that you had to dig up some news from December and try to spin it to be about the live-action series? Really? Here’s a hint: It isn’t.

On the other hand, thanks for the laugh. I needed that.

The official site brings us our first look at the cover for Troy Denning’s Vortex, the sixth Fate of the Jedi novel.

NJOE was the first to notice that Random House has posted the summary for Christie Golden’s Allies, the fifth Fate of the Jedi novel. Check it out below the cut. (more…)

Wednesday brings the latest Star Wars Adventures digest, Tom Taylor’s Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes, which he’s teasing over at TFN.

Over at the Dark Horse message boards, editor Randy Stradley responded to a fan idea with a hint at what’s coming up in the future…

…I am so NOT opposed to the idea that I might mention that we have at least a couple new things in the works which focus specifically on a single main character — one of whom you may even have heard of before.

You may begin speculating . . . now.

Jar Jar, right? (via)

Sue Rostoni was out on the boards today, and though she didn’t say much, she did say that Zekk, left adrift after the cancellation of the standalone Blood Oath, will make an appearance in Fate of the Jedi. She also clarified that the lack of an epic series post-FOTJ will not mean any less books.

Meanwhile, in the fan realm, TFN has a source that claims we’ll find out the fate of a familiar face in book five, Golden’s Allies. I don’t find this particularly worrying, mainly because Backlash is an Allston book. Sorry, I misread this originally, and honestly now I’m a lot more doubtful of this ’spoiler.’ Not because of Golden, but because it seems too early for Allies ARCs, the most likely source for something like this.

In any case, this news is going to be blown totally out of proportion by the fandom. Thanks, Paul. :P

In what I’m sure is not a shock to any and all active gamers, Wizards of the Coast will not be renewing their Star Wars license.

They picked up the RPG license back in 2001, redoing the game twice, and some say they never quite captured the spirit of the original West End Games line that was an important launching point for the modern EU, and many writers still working with the franchise today.

I don’t think we’ve seen the end of a Star Wars RPG: StarWars.com’s line about “announcements regarding future products” almost guarantees it – so here’s hoping that Lucasfilm can find a company with the enthusiasm they – and the fans – need.

Gambit: Siege. The official site has brewed up the summary for Karen Miller’s final Clone Wars novel. Beware of spoilers: The book is a direct sequel to next month’s Gambit: Stealth.

And in other previews… Teasing the next installment of John Jackson Miller’s Lost Tribe of the Sith, coming February 10th.

Gaming, sort of. Artist Terese Nielsen talks to StarWars.com about her character portraits for WOTC’s latest miniature line.

Interview. Jason Fry talks Atlas with Gelf Magazine.

Namesake corner. Neat Mara Jade drawing.

Sue Rostoni, when asked about future plans for the Expanded Universe, said this today:

Honestly, we’re not presently looking at another long series — more stand-alones, duologies, and trilogies. At least that’s where we’re headed today.

After Legacy of the Force’s Mando-derailing and a (sorry) lackluster start to Fate of the Jedi, I’m all for something on a smaller scale, at least for a while.