Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
I briefly mentioned Del Rey’s new Essential Legends Collection – trade paperback reprints of the greatest hits – back in May, when Heir to the Empire turned 30. Of course Heir was part of the first wave, but today, Del Rey has announced that the remainder of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy is coming to the format this fall.
Continue reading “Mara Jade finally appears on a reprint cover”
Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars novel Heir to the Empire was first released in hardcover on May 1, 1991. It was the first Star Wars novel to be released since L. Neil Smith’s Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka dropped in November 1983, and the first Star Wars novel to actually take place after Return of the Jedi. It was a lot of firsts, actually.
Continue reading “Heir to the Empire is 30 years old”
It’s movie week! The Rise of Skywalker will have the official premiere tonight in Hollywood, and debut throughout the rest of the world Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
But first up, let’s look at the comics that are dropping here in the U.S. on Wednesday, December 18. There’s The Rise of Kylo Ren #1 and Empire Ascendent from Marvel, plus Star Wars Adventures #29 from IDW.
Then in addition to the movie, Friday, December 20 brings Pablo Hidalgo’s The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary. We usually get the art book here as well, but The Art of Rise of Skywalker has been pushed back to spring.
The first issue of The Rise of Kylo Ren is out next week – and we got that preview Wednesday – but Marvel is already giving a look at the second issue. In this one, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, Lor San Tekka, and young Ben Solo encounter the Knights of Ren.
Continue reading “Ben Solo’s first encounter with the Knights of Ren in Rise of Kylo Ren #2”
The planet mentioned during the Galaxy’s Edge’s new Rise of the Resistance ride isn’t Bakura after all: It’s an all-new planet, Pacara, Lucasfilm Story Group’s Matt Martin said on Twitter.
Continue reading “No, that Legends planet isn’t part of Rise of the Resistance”
Writer Charles Soule and artist Will Sliney are discussing The Rise of Kylo Ren comic at StarWars.com. Plenty of interesting things here – and since #1 will be out next week, we can probably expect a preview to drop on Wednesday. In the meantime, Soule dropped one of Sliney’s early sketches.
Continue reading “Kylo prequel comic hints and more Rise of Skywalker news”
Two brand new comics and a trade collection are dropping on Wednesday, December 11. The big one here is Doctor Aphra #40, closing out Marvel’s first original character Star Wars series. (Don’t worry, she’ll be back in April with an all-new creative team.) There’s also Target: Vader #6. You can preview both issues at StarWars.com.
If you’re a trade reader, Aphra Volume 6 collects the ‘Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon’ arc.
We can expect at least two more comics before The Rise of Skywalker drops – the Star Wars: Empire Ascendant wrap-up issue, and The Rise of Kylo Ren #1. Both are on the shipping list for next week.
As for future releases, we’re not seeing many books until The Rise of Skywalker comes out – but there is a fairly solid rumor making the rounds that The Art of Rise of Skywalker has been pushed back to spring. Personally, I don’t mind – I hate that the earliest releases have to dance around movie spoilers so things don’t leak – but I also really enjoy the art books so adding a few more months is a bit irritating. It’s still being listed as coming out the 20th at the moment, but I don’t find this terribly implausible so we’ll see how things fall in the next few days.
Things are a bit dire for new releases this Wednesday, December 4 as we hunker down and wait for The Rise of Skywalker. This week, our sole new release is Jedi Fallen Order: Dark Temple #5, concluding… Whatever that is. Then Marvel is offering a reprint version of their original 1977 Star Wars #1 and then Star Wars Saga #1, which appears to be a recap of their 2015-2019 series.
Ahsoka and Queen’s Shadow author E.K. Johnston will have a third Star Wars novel out next year. Queen’s Peril is a prequel to both Queen’s Shadow and The Phantom Menace, set in Padme’s early days as queen.
The covers are yet again by Tara Phillips. Queen’s Peril is due out in hardcover and eBook on May 5, 2020 from Disney-Lucasfilm Press.
Del Rey has revealed the title and cover for the first book of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, Chaos Rising.
Continue reading “Zahn’s Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy begins with Chaos Rising”