First preview pages for Marvel’s Allegiance, which bridges the Rise of Skywalker gap

Get a first look inside Marvel’s upcoming Allegiance miniseries – their first entry in the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker – from Jedi Bibliothek. The pages – featuring Rey, Leia, Rose and Finn – are from the latest issue of Diamond’s Previews catalog and lack text.

We’ll likely get a more extensive preview closer to the issue’s release. Allegiance #1 is out October 9, followed by #2 on October 16, #3 on October 23 and #4 on October 30. The trade collection is expected in December.

PREVIOUSLY: Kylo and the Knights of Ren are getting an origin comic and more SDCC book news.

On another hotly anticipated The Rise of Skywalker tie-in note, during an impromptu Twitter Q&A last week, writer Charles Soule said that only the first issue of The Rise of Kylo Ren will be out before the film – which could mean Wednesday, December 18, if they come out weekly ala Allegiance. (Which isn’t a guarantee.) That would put the first issue on shelves the same week as the movie, and just in time to be sold alongside the artbook and Visual Dictionary, which are out with the film on the 20th. But that’s just a guess – we’ll have to wait for the December solicitations before we know for sure.

However, be aware that release dates for comics this far out have been known to change – not as frequently as they did back in the Dark Horse days, but it’s not unknown. (That’s one reason I don’t note them on the upcoming releases page, and only do release posts off Diamond’s shipping list.)

Star Wars out this week: Holdo, Maz headline Age of Resistance

Wednesday, July 31 brings two new Star Wars comics. Age of Resistance: Special offers stories featuring a young Amilyn Holdo, Maz Kanata with Han and Chewie, and BB-8. Also spanning different eras is Galaxy’s Edge #4, with a drop in from Doctor Aphra.

Head under the cut for the preview pages for Age of Resistance.

Continue reading “Star Wars out this week: Holdo, Maz headline Age of Resistance”

Leia and Rey try to get the Mon Calamari on board in Allegiance

The Marvel solicitations for October are out, and that means we get a blurb for The Rise of Skywalker tie-in comic Allegiance. Here it it, thanks to TheForce.Net:

Hounded by the FIRST ORDER across the galaxy, the RESISTANCE is in dire need of ships, weapons and recruits to make a final stand against KYLO REN’S forces. Desperation drives a delegation led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA and REY to entreat the Rebel veteran’s one-time allies, THE MON CALAMARI, to join the fight — but decades after Imperial occupation enslaved their planet, there are those willing to stop at nothing to prevent another war from bloodying the waters of Mon Cala. A system away, POE DAMERON and FINN have their own mission: to hunt down a weapons cache on the remote moon of Avedot, unaware that they are being hunted by the most notorious criminal gang in the galaxy.

The four issue miniseries is written by Ethan Sacks with art by Luke Ross. Other Rise of Skywalker comic tie-ins include IDW with the Wookiees, and Marvel’s second mini is The Rise of Kylo Ren, aka the long-awaited Knights of Ren origin.

The First Order comes to Kashyyyk in October’s Star Wars Adventures

The Lucasfilm publishing panel – our best hope for fresh Star Wars news – is Friday afternoon at SDCC, but there’s already one publishing announcement related to The Rise of Skywalker. IDW will begin a three-part post-The Last Jedi Chewbacca storyline beginning in October’s Star Wars Adventures #27.

The storyline, written by John Barber with art from Derek Charm, has Chewbacca and his fellow Wookiees fighting the First Order on Kashyyyk. The backup take, from writer Michael Moreci and artist Tony Fleecs, has Threepio, Artoo and BB-8 recruiting for the Resistance.

As for what’s coming, all we know is that the Lucasfilm Publishing panel features Lou Anders (Pirate’s Price), Katie Cook (Creatures Big & Small), Zorida Córdova (A Crash of Fate), Delilah Dawson (Black Spire), E. K. Johnston (Queen’s Shadow), George Mann (Myths & Fables), Brian Rood (The Skywalker Saga), Cavan Scott (Dooku: Jedi Lost), Kevin Shinick (Force Collector), Charles Soule (Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith), Timothy Zahn (Thrawn: Treason), and Rebecca Roanhorse (Resistance Reborn), plus Lucasfilm’s Michael Siglain and Jennifer Heddle.

It seems likely we might get some additional information on the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker program, the bulk of which was announced in May. There’s also the movie novelization author – Jason Fry (The Last Jedi) was announced at SDCC in 2017 and that he wasn’t actually there, which means the list of possible contenders isn’t restricted to the panelists.

Star Wars out this week: Aphra, TIE Fighter and Thrawn at SDCC

Two new Star Wars comics are coming on Wednesday, July 17. Head to your preferred venue to nab Doctor Aphra #34 and TIE Fighter #4.

Also happening this week (Thursday-Sunday) is San Diego Comic Con, where attendees have the chance to get a special edition of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn: Treason. The standard edition goes on sale next Tuesday.

We’re also hoping for some book news out of the con’s Lucasfilm Publishing panel Friday evening.

Rise of Skywalker’s Sith Trooper to debut at SDCC

Our first – and maybe only? – bit of The Rise of Skywalker news out of San Diego Comic-Con has arrived, as Lucasfilm introduces the Sith trooper. Armor from the movie will be on display in Lucasfilm’s pavilion at the con, along with many of its trooper predecessors: Imperial stormtrooper, TIE pilot, death trooper, shoretrooper, biker scout, First Order stormtrooper, First Order TIE pilot and Captain Phasma. Various Sith trooper products will also be on sale at the con.

More about SDCC on this week’s Star Wars Show, which also includes an interview with Lando’s Luck and Spark of the Resistance author Justina Ireland: