Club Jade

Street date shuffle: NJOE notes that The Making of The Empire Strikes Back release date has been moved up to March 23. That’s what Amazon says, anyway.

Interviews: EUC talks a bit of Darth Bane with Drew Karpyshyn.

The blogside: Paul S. Kemp has a brief Crosscurrent update, while Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff explores sci-fi story weaving and hardware.

What Fixer comic? Since I know you’re all dying to hear about that Fixer comic, the artist, Kevin Liell, has posted at TFN clarifying some things from NYCC. I’d still file this one under ‘long shot.’

The contract renewal we’ve all been expecting has finally been announced, (45 books: 35 novels!) along with the Fate of the Jedi series which has been burning up all the rumor mills. Aaron Allston, Troy Denning, and SW newcomer Christie Golden will be handling author duties on the post-LOTF series, but perhaps the biggest surprise here is that it will be entirely in hardcover. The first book, Allston’s Outcast, will be out in April.

Also name-dropped is The Making of The Empire Strikes Back coming in 2010, though whether it’s a reprint or reworking of previous material we’ve yet to learn.

There’s no mention of several other projects we’re awaiting official word on, like Cunningham’s Blood Oath or Traviss’ Fett standalone, but further Essential Guides are mentioned.