Category: books and comics

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Star Wars 1313 – Why, it is a video game!

Brace yourselves, people. You not only have me reporting your Star Wars news instead of Dunc, but it’s video game news. So you’re kinda doomed. But let’s see what we can piece together, because it sounds kinda interesting. (And 13 is my favorite number.)

So, as suspected in an earlier round-up of postulation, Star Wars 1313 is, indeed, a video game. It was announced on SpikeTV to coincide with the big Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka E3). It will take place on Level 1313 of Coruscant where you get to be a “lethal bounty hunter” (as opposed to a bounty hunter who, say, hands out marshmallows?) who hunts down marks using “exotic weaponry.” So no powers or lightsabers, here.

Rud was kind enough to explain to us on Twitter that it’s an “over-the-shoulder third person shooter” type of game, as opposed to a first-person shooter. And per other comments on Twitter (nothing but crack reporting here), it looks similar in style to Arkham City.

According to TheForce.Net (who actually watched the whole announcement), we’ll get to see game play on Monday night on SpikeTV.

I kinda like the idea of a shoot-em-up game for Star Wars. I have no skills with lightsabers in video games. It’s kinda pathetic.

So what does everyone think? Are you anticipating awesome with this?

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Zahn, Stackpole and Allston Talk SWEU at Origins

Dunc is enjoying a well-earned break at Origins hanging around with a nice chunk of Club Jaders getting up to some mischief or other.

So I’m going to link you guys over to our friends from Tosche Station who wrote an awesome summary of what happens when you get Timothy Zahn, Aaron Allston and Michael Stackpole in a room egged on by Club Jaders. (Although I’m sure others helped.)

Is anyone else depressed they’re not at Origins this weekend?

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Luminous beings are we: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets

The franchise is officially 35, Spike marathoned the original trilogy, there was some (some) EUish stuff, and snark. Well, lots of snark. You know how it goes. Continue reading “Luminous beings are we: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets”

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EUbits: The Old Republic gets in the Annihilation mood

The Old Republic. The cover of Annihilation has been revealed on the game’s official site, along with a brief Q&A with author Drew Karpyshyn.

Meanwhile, Bioware has laid off some of the Austin staff responsible for the game. They’re not giving numbers, but this seems to be a fairly standard thing in the gaming industry.

Essential something-or-other. Del Rey posted three new sketches for The Essential Reader’s Companion: Luke Skywalker fighting Teneniel Djo in a scene from Courtship of Princess Leia, Thrawn in Fett gear from the Timothy Zahn/Mike Stackpole short story ‘Side Trip,’ and something from The Old Republic: Deceived. There’s also a “behind the scenes tidbit” regarding Scourge.

Interview. John Ostrander talks Dawn of the Jedi with Yahoo.

Endnotes. Jason Fry has even more for The Essential Guide to Warfare.

Namesake corner. Tosche Station has extended the deadline for their Mara Jade outfit contest to be more in accord with con season.

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The pinnacle of nerd: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets

Cindal goes soap?

Spike was showing the prequels this weekend, so naturally Twitter chatter followed. Head beneath the cut, my padawans… Continue reading “The pinnacle of nerd: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets”

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EUC interviews LucasBooks’ Jennifer Heddle

EUCantina talked to LucasBooks Senior Editor Jennifer Heddle about her job and what’s coming up in the Expanded Universe. She gives some details on Karpyshyn’s The Old Republic: Annihilation, a return for Matt Stover (“a distinct possibility,) the chances of more X-Wing books and a Leia or Padme novel:

There are a couple different plans in the works to focus a bit more on Leia (in both the novels and the comic books). There’s nothing planned for Padme at this time, but never say never.

She also says we’ll get an announcement of what’s coming for post-Fate of the Jedi at San Diego Comic Con. Hopefully that means we’ll be getting further details at Celebration?

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Out this week: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison

Lo, there is a comic coming out on Wednesday. Keep an eye out for Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #1 in your local comic shop.

We’re in a dry period for Star Wars books, with nothing but reprints for the next couple months, but certain Jaders may be interested to hear that the third and final book of Mira Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy, Blackout, is out today. Despite being fairly adverse to zombies, I recommended the first book, Feed, way back in 2010.

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EUbits: Can Del Rey take a hint from Legend of Korra?

The blogside. We’re still seeing bits of fallout from last week’s highly impassioned discussion on gender and the EU. This week, Brian at Tosche Station takes a look at the success of Nickelodeon’s Legend of Korra and what Star Wars could learn from it.

Another thing that might be worth checking out, for anyone out there who was a little confused by all the fuss, is John Scalzi’s recent post Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is. He also wrote a follow-up piece today, addressing some of the common questions and concerns.

Meanwhile… Drew Karpyshyn shares some details on The Old Republic: Annihilation, including IDing the book’s protagonist.

Reference. Yes, there are still more endnotes to The Essential Guide to Warfare. How many of these are there going to be?

Nonfiction. Master Optician at Knights Archive found a listing for the book Star Wars and History by Nancy Reagin and Janice Liedl. It follows similar books by Reagin on Twilight and Harry Potter. Random House’s own Glittering Images: A Journey Through Art from Egypt to Star Wars, by Camille Paglia, has gained a cover and a blurb which reveals that Paglia calls George Lucas “the world’s greatest living artist.”

Reviews. James takes a look at Knights of the Old Republic: War #5 and the Star Wars/Serenity Free Comic Book Day book.

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Everybody loves @Bonniegrrl: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets

When the news broke Monday that Lucasfilm has laid off Bonnie Burton, the denizens of Twitter had plenty to say… And I’m only scratching the surface here.

More Bonnie love – plus all that other stuff we usually do – below the cut. Continue reading “Everybody loves @Bonniegrrl: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets”