You’ll never believe what’s on the comic shipping list for Wednesday… It’s the much-delayed C-3PO special, which tells the story behind his red arm in The Force Awakens. Less surprisingly, Darth Vader #19.
Also now available is the free eBook sampler from Del Rey, which contains an excerpt of Claudia Gray’s May 3 novel Bloodline and several short stories.
First given out as a paperback at C2E2, Del Rey’s Star Wars 2016 Sampler will be available for the rest of us as an eBook on April 11. It can be preordered now from a variety of vendors.
The only new Star Wars excerpt contained within is Claudia Gray’s Bloodline (out May 3,) but it also features the complete short stories “Bait” by Alan Dean Foster, “Inbrief” by Janine K. Spendlove, and “Blade Squadron” and “Blade Squadron: Zero Hour” by David J. Williams and Mark S. Williams.
Announced this morning via an exclusive with Nerdist is a new novel, Ahsoka, from Disney Lucasfilm Press. Written by E.K. Johnston, the novel will follow Ahsoka Tano after the events of Order 66. Here’s how they describe it:
Ahsoka Tano, fan favorite character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, will be the star of her own young adult novel from Disney Lucasfilm Press this October 11, 2016! Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars, and before she re-appeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance….
Out in paperback on Tuesday is Aftermath by Chuck Wendig, the first of the new canon novels to take place after Return of the Jedi. I gave it a B+ back when it first came out, and the sequel is out in July.
On Wednesday, comic fans will be able to get their hands on Darth Vader #18.
We’ve got a new episode of Unboxing Star Wars! Yowie, Baby Jawa and I review the Star Wars Rebels episodes ‘The Forgotten Droid’ and ‘The Mystery of Chopper Base’ and then I give my take on: The Force Awakens: Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens Volume I by Landry Q. Walker, from Disney-Lucasfilm Press. Meanwhile, Baby Jawa does baby things and we also look at some R2-D2 socks, a Millennium Falcon pocket watch from Japan, and the really nifty Vote Leia posters promoting the upcoming Claudia Gray novel, Bloodline.
Quick reviews
→ The Force Awakens: Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens Volume I (release date: April 5, 2016) – Thumbs up! Six short stories about some minor TFA characters give us a variety of genres, all from one author, and all very enjoyable! Fun stuff!
→ ‘The Forgotten Droid’ – Loved it! Chopper has his own adventure and does the impossible: makes a friend. Great work by Stephen Stanton as AP-5!
→ ‘The Mystery of Chopper Base’ – Decent. We get some bug hunting action with the spiders, and some tension as the Ghost crew prepares to bid farewell to Kanan and Ezra.
The novelization will include two short stories: Foster’s ‘Bait’ from the Star Wars Insider, and Delilah S. Dawson’s ‘The Perfect Weapon,’ which has thus far only been available as an eBook. These dates are fairly far off, so there may be some slight adjustments over time. Our book release schedule has been updated.
When the Rebellion defeated the Empire in the skies above Endor, Leia Organa believed it was the beginning to a lasting peace. But after decades of vicious infighting and partisan gridlock in the New Republic Senate, that hope seems like a distant memory.
Now a respected senator, Leia must grapple with the dangers that threaten to cripple the fledgling democracy—from both within and without. Underworld kingpins, treacherous politicians, and Imperial loyalists are sowing chaos in the galaxy. Desperate to take action, senators are calling for the election of a First Senator. It is their hope that this influential post will bring strong leadership to a divided galaxy.
As the daughter of Darth Vader, Leia faces with distrust the prospect of any one person holding such a powerful position—even when supporters suggest Leia herself for the job. But a new enemy may make this path Leia’s only option. For at the edges of the galaxy, a mysterious threat is growing. . . .
Bloodline will be out in hardcover and eBook on May 3.
Entertainment Weekly has our first look at an excerpt from Chuck Wendig’s upcoming Aftermath: Life Debt. The book, first of two sequels to last year’s Aftermath, adds Han Solo, Chewbacca and Kashyyyk to the mix. 
The actual blurb for Claudia Gray’s Bloodline is now up the