Out this week: The Star Wars #7, Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows #5

The Star Wars #7Head to the comic shop this week to pick up The Star Wars #7, Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows #5 and the second Brian Wood Star Wars trade collection, From the Ruins of Alderaan.

In stores now, because I am a ding-a-ling and haven’t done a releases post in a couple weeks, is Star Wars #16 and the paperback of Tim Lebbon’s Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, a novel based on the Dawn of the Jedi comics. I liked it, even going in with no background on the era, and gave it a B+ when it came out in hardcover last year.

We still don’t have too much in the way of upcoming releases, but there is J.W. Rinzler’s Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy (May 13) and William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher, plus the paperback of Troy Denning’s Crucible (both July 1.)

Out this week: Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back

empirestrikethback500Out this week is the sequel to one of the few Star Wars books your non-Star Wars obsessive friends (assuming they’re drama/English geeks or drama/English geek-adjacent) have read. Yes, William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back will be in stores today.

For those who like their Star Wars a little less literary, or their Shakespeare a little less Star Wars, there are comics. Dawn of the Jedi: Force War #5 and Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows #4

Our next novel is the paperback release of Tim Lebbon’s Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void on April 1, with J.W. Rinzler’s Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy on May 13. And the drama/English geeks will get William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return on July 1. The cover was recently revealed on Cnet.

EUbits: New Rebellion-era miniseries coming from Dark Horse

Rebel HeistNews. Dark Horse revealed a new miniseries by Mind MGMT’s Matt Kindt, Rebel Heist, on Comic Book Resources last week. The four-issue series starts with a Han Solo issue in April and will feature art by Marco Castiello (Purge.)

Excerpt. There’s a bunch of Maul: Lockdown available at Random House’s catalog.

Interviews. John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema are also on Comic Book Resources, talking Dawn of the Jedi, while Ostrander talks to Eleven-ThirtyEight.

Notes. John Jackson Miller has added production notes for Kenobi to his site.

The blogside. Abel G. Peña and Daniel Wallace continue their look at the Imperial Warlords at the official blog, while Mike Cooper at Eleven-ThirtyEight asks fandom to stop trying to quantify everything.

EUbits: Razor’s Edge moves up to September release

Empire and Rebellion: Razor's EdgeStreet date shuffle The release of Martha Wells’ Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge has moved up a week again, this time to September 24, Del Rey tweeted yesterday. Meanwhile, the paperback for Timothy Zahn’s Scoundrels is set for November 26. As always, the dates hang out on our schedule page.

Elsewheres… Time Traveled Tales, a book of short stories that features Aaron Allston, Mike Stackpole and Timothy Zahn among others (like CJers Janine K. Spendlove and Bryan Young) may have passed its original Kickstarter goal of $7,500, but with 17 days to go you can back it now to help add second stories from Stackpole, Allston and Zahn. Meanwhile, a $5 donation guarantees you an eBook version of the anthology.

Toys. We already knew that a Mara Jade Skywalker figure was in the queue, but these inventory lists found by Jedi Temple Archives list a Darth Plagueis as well!

Reviews. Great dialogue and fun characters highlight James’ enjoyment of Legacy #3, he’s impressed with Jan Duursema’s action art in Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan #5, was caught off guard by Dark Times: Fire Carrier #5 and wonders if a boom is too big for Star Wars #6.

EUbits: Well’s Leia novel moves up, Essential Characters moves back

Empire and Rebellion: Razor's EdgeStreet dates. We got the cover and now Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge – the Leia novel by Martha Wells – has moved up from October 15 to October 1.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about The Essential Characters, but it’s popped up in Random House’s Edelweiss catalog with a brand new far-off date of October 7, 2014. Will it stick? Probably not! (We’ll see.) Pencil it in.

Out now. Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void came out almost a week ago, and author Tim Lebbon has been making the interview rounds with Suvudu, Jedi News, Star Wars Action News and Roqoo Depot. Meanwhile, there are reviews at Tosche Station, Fangirl, Jedi News, Knights Archive (x2) and Roqoo Depot.

The blogside. Tor’s Emily Asher-Perrin has a list of what Episode VII could lift from the Expanded Universe. I haven’t covered a ton of these sorts of posts, but hey, it’s Tor and she made Mara #1, so. And speaking of… Bria has reached Legacy of the Force.

Audiobooks. Timothy Zahn’s Allegiance and the Hand of Thrawn duology (Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future) are coming as unabridged audiobooks.

Comic reviews.James reviews The Assassination of Darth Vader, Brian Wood’s Free Comic Book Day story, as well as Fire Carrier #4 and Star Wars #5.

Review: Tim Lebbon’s Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void

Dawn of the Jedi: Into the VoidDawn of the Jedi: Into the Void is not really my kind of Star Wars book. It’s very much not my era and while I’ve bought some of the Dawn of the Jedi comics, I haven’t actually read any of them yet. But you know? I tried it, and despite my long tendency to not get more than a chapter or two into most Star Wars books set before Return of the Jedi, I kept reading. And I actually enjoyed it.

The Dawn of the Jedi period – introduced in a a comic from John Ostrander and Jan Duursema – is set about 36,000 years before A New Hope, in the earliest days of the Jedi (here called Je’daii) before the Old Republic. Into the Void is actually my first encounter with it, and while some questions are certainly raised, I think it’s safe to say that one doesn’t to know anything about the comics to enjoy the book.

Some spoilers beneath the cut, but nothing major.

Continue reading “Review: Tim Lebbon’s Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void”

Out this week: Into the Void, Star Wars #5

Int the Void (crop)It’s finally a novel week! Coming out tomorrow in hardcover is Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon. Look for my review in the morning. (Spoiler: I actually kinda liked it.)

Meanwhile, Brian Wood fans can look forward to Wednesday and the release of Star Wars #5.

Back to novel land, our next upcoming releases are the paperback reprint of Aaron Allston’s X-Wing: Mercy Kill on June 25, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher on July 2 and Troy Denning’s Crucible on July 9.