Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
It’s that time again, the time we all gather together and mock something ridiculous about Star Wars. Yes, we have Sheev jokes. So many Sheev jokes. And also some other stuff, like pumpkins and license plates and kids saying funny stuff. But, c’mon: Sheev.
We don’t usually cover comic solicitations anymore, but Marvel released theirs for January today, and that means an unwatermarked look at the Alex Ross cover for the new Star Wars #1 that’s a homage to Howard Chaykin’s from back in 1977. (Among several other variants.)
There are no real surprises in the copy, but there is a letter from Marvel editor Axel Alonso, which you can see below the cut.
Alex Ross does a Howard Chaykin homage for Marvel’s new Star Wars #1. Another variant cover for the January comic.
UPDATE: Del Rey is shooting this down. Maybe the listing is actually Golden’s Ventress book? (But how the hell did Stover get on there?) New edition of his Revenge of the Sith novelization, maybe?
Now, the last time we heard anything at all about Stover and Star Wars it was 2012, and it was a rumor that he was going to continue/finish the Imperial Commando series. Nothing was ever confirmed, and just over a month later Episode VII and the sale to Disney were announced, putting much of the Expanded Universe in a holding pattern.
We never had any official confirmation that Stover was or had been working on another Star Wars book after 2008’s Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. But if he had been under contract or working on something with Lucasfilm, it’s entirely possible that he may have been set to write something else in the new line of canon novels, just like Paul S. Kemp, Christie Golden and Kevin Hearne.
The publisher, Century, rereleases the Del Rey Star Wars books in the U.K. (They even seem to be keeping close to the U.S. release dates now – Tarkin is out only two later.) Of course, it is an Amazon listing, but the hardcover status makes it hard to write this off as a reprint of one of his older books. (And it seems unlikely the rumored Comando book would have been hardcover, if it somehow made it into the database regardless.) A June release date makes it unlikely this is the Episode VII novelization, alas, but who knows?
Well, I’m curious… And I hope this doesn’t turn out to be some sort of mistake, or some sort of special edition of his Revenge of the Sith novelization. (Admittedly, it’s excellent, just not new.) Fingers crossed!
Dark Horse offers up Star Wars comics in a Humble Bundle. Pay what you want, get $190 worth of digital comics, and help the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund as well.
Yowie and I got our hands on a copy of Imperial Handbook: A Commander’s Guide and we share the awesomeness of opening up the deluxe version, with its electronic protective case and accessories. The look and feel of this book is top-notch, with annotations by the various Rebels written in the margins, and some luxurious artwork. The Imperial Handbook, like its predecessors, The Jedi Path, Book of Sith, and The Bounty Hunter Code, is full of great detail on the organization of the Empire’s military. With sections about the army, navy, and stormtrooper corps as well as chapters on Imperial doctrine, there’s plenty of stuff for a fan of the Empire to learn, and some good comments from various Rebels about the Empire (including some snark from Han Solo). Fans of the Empire should enjoy this one, even if it is considered Legends.
Imperial Handbook is written with great detail and some awesome illustrations and schematics. There’s some propaganda style artwork as well as detailed drawings of Imperial war machines. If you’ve ever wondered what the rank badges are in the Imperial Navy, about the different training academies for stormtroopers, what General Madine recalled from his days as an Imperial, or how the Emperor inspired his command staff, this book is for you!
Grade: 
+
An advance copy of this book was provided by Becker & Mayer! for review.
John Jackson Miller answers fan questions. Suvudu has a Q&A with the author of A New Dawn.
The big fiction announcement at NYCC this weekend was… A Kanan ongoing series from Marvel. It’s being written by Greg Weisman (which may or may not explain his absence from the second season of Rebels) and begins with ‘The Last Padawan,’ in yet another prequel to the cartoon, this one going back to show how Kanan survived Order 66. Apparently if this does well, more Rebels focused comics may be on the horizon. But at the very least, it adds a different era to Marvel’s Star Wars lineup.
Amy Ratcliffe has a nice interview with Weisman on CBR.
There wasn’t a novel announcement at Del Rey’s panel, but we did learn that Palpatine’s first name (from George Lucas) is revealed in James Luceno’s Tarkin.
Random House has updated their blurb for Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi, the third of the new canon novels. It looks like we can count on there being at least two new female characters being vital to the plot. No, neither of them sounds like someone who will secretly end up to be Mara Jade.
Luke Skywalker’s game-changing destruction of the Death Star has made him not only a hero of the Rebel Alliance but a valuable asset in the ongoing battle against the Empire. Though he’s a long way from mastering the power of the Force, there’s no denying his phenomenal skills as a pilot—and in the eyes of Rebel leaders Princess Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar, there’s no one better qualified to carry out a daring rescue mission crucial to the Alliance cause.
A brilliant alien cryptographer renowned for her ability to breach even the most advanced communications systems is being detained by Imperial agents determined to exploit her exceptional talents for the Empire’s purposes. But the prospective spy’s sympathies lie with the Rebels, and she’s willing to join their effort in exchange for being reunited with her family. It’s an opportunity to gain a critical edge against the Empire that’s too precious to pass up. It’s also a job that demands the element of surprise. So Luke and the ever-resourceful droid R2-D2 swap their trusty X-wing fighter for a sleek space yacht piloted by brash recruit Nakari Kelen, daughter of a biotech mogul, who’s got a score of her own to settle with the Empire.
Challenged by ruthless Imperial bodyguards, death-dealing enemy battleships, merciless bounty hunters, and monstrous brain-eating parasites, Luke plunges head-on into a high-stakes espionage operation that will push his abilities as a Rebel fighter and would-be Jedi to the limit. If ever he needed the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi to shepherd him through danger, it’s now. But Luke will have to rely on himself, his friends, and his own burgeoning relationship with the Force to survive.
Heir to the Jedi is scheduled for a February 17 release. (via)
Looking forward to Dan Wallace’s Imperial Handbook? We’ve got an inside preview at one of the pages from the upcoming book from Becker & Mayer. As you can tell from the image, we’ve got a section by Baron Fel on the various experimental TIE fighters, with notes from Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles, and Crix Madine.
The deluxe edition of the Imperial Handbook: A Commander’s Guide comes in mechanized protective case with inserts including an Imperial Order of Glory medal. The 160-page book goes on sale next week on October 14, and as previously announced, is considered Legends.