Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
James, that scoundrel, sent in four videos from the panel yesterday, as well as new photos (starting here.) At this panel, they announced two new books and talked about several new comics, including Brian Woods’ Star Wars. Part 1, above, is the introductions and Dark Horse announcements
Then, Del Rey…
Their announcements…
And the longest bit, the question and answer session:
We got not one but two Expanded Universe announcements from Del Rey in San Diego today, and Fangirl has the details. You might also want to check out Bryan Young’s writeup of the panel, or the live tweets from it.
UPDATE: You’ll also want to check out Pablo Hidalgo’s blog post on his panels today, which covers the full laundry list of releases they talked about (including the comics, which I have, uhh, kind of neglected. Whoops.)
The one I know you’re hanging on your seats for is the first novel to follow the Fate of the Jedi series. Crucible by Troy Denning (of course) is a hardcover standalone with the Big 3 – that is, Luke, Han, and Leia.
They’ve earned the right to rest on their laurels and let the younger generation shoulder the burden–but fate has another adventure in store for our heroes, a quest only they can tackle and hope to survive…
It’s due out in the spring and features a Cliff Nielsen cover.
The big surprise, though, is that Del Rey is going into Dark Horse territory with a Dawn of the Jedi novel, Into the Void. It’s a paperback by new-to-the-EU author Tim Lebbon and is also due in the spring.
The also revealed the cover and a brief blurb for the fourth Coruscant Nights book, The Last Jedi. It’s also (still) a paperback.
Earlier in the day, Pablo shared a few tidbits from the Quirky Point of View panel. Something that’s sure to thrill a lot of Jaders: Jeffrey Brown will be doing a companion book to Darth Vader and Son, Vader’s Little Princess. And Matthew Reinhart (Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-Up Adventure) is working on a prequel trilogy pop-up book.
Oh, and fear not:
.@infinata says there will be bigger announcements at #SWCVI. #SWEU #SDCC2012
— Bryan Young (@swankmotron) July 13, 2012
We’ll be there!
Live, from the con floor, thanks to a few enterprising fans, under the cut! Note, if you’d just like the news, head here: Post-Fate of the Jedi novel from Denning, Dawn of the Jedi novel from new author coming.
Continue reading “LIVE: Star Wars Expanded Universe panel at SDCC”
Namesake corner. Reports out of SDCC are saying that Kotobukiya’s next Star Wars Bishoujo statue will be none other than Mara Jade. (NOT the figure at right; see below.) Here’s hoping they show the same restraint they did with their Jaina Solo, though I’m guessing the catsuit will be anything but optional.
UPDATE #1: Here’s the Mara slide from Kotobukiya’s presentation… It features art from the cover of Sacrifice, not an original sketch. Maybe at CVI? Meanwhile, Hasbro has listed their Jedi Mara figure for Wave 2 of the Droid Factory line.
Meanwhile, the official Celebration store will have a Mara mini state one day at Celebration VI. I wonder if it will be the never-produced Mara statue that Star Wars Shop was showing off at Celebration V?
UPDATE #2 (7/15:) Rebelscum has pictures from the Collector’s Panel, and it looks like I was right on the Mara mini-figure being the one (above) from CV! As well as Darth Bane (see comments,) plus a Quinlan Vos.
@clubjade @rebelscumnews I can confirm that. All of the CVI statues are the ones originally on display at CV for StarWarsShop.
— Matt Martin (@missingwords) July 16, 2012
@clubjade @rebelscumnews Also, the “someone” selling them will be the official CVI store… Oh and they’re super awesome.
— Matt Martin (@missingwords) July 16, 2012
Events. Lucasfilm and its publishers have announced a a national Star Wars Reads Day for October 6. Bookstores and libraries who participate will get a free event kit, plus I suspect the 501st and Rebel Legion will be all over this.
The blogside. Tricia Barr and the late Racheal Ambrose discuss the Hapans; Topless Robot picks the best and worst of Marvel Star Wars
Interviews. Star Wars Book Report talks to Mike Stackpole, while Mark at Jedi News has a chat with John Jackson Miller.
Summer for Children’s Literacy. EUC is offering free bookmarks for the summer reading program.
Reed has announced that Mark Hamill will be coming back to Orlando for Celebration VI. Enterprising Jaders are hunting for furry pillows as I type, no doubt.
UPDATE: Entertainment Weekly has a new interview with Hamill for the occasion.
James sent in several videos from San Diego, including this tour of Her Universe’s new offerings from Ashley Eckstein, including our first look at the new Her Universe logo tee! And Ashley mentions that they have lanyards, which have been pretty thin on the ground at cons lately… I hope they bring them to Celebration!
James also talked to Katie Fleming about the Random House Audio Fan Fiction contest. He also confirmed for us that they will be bringing the fan fiction recording to Celebration VI.
Other videos: The ‘As You Wish’ Boba Fett helmet art project, artist Jeff Carlisle, and the Well of Souls. James also took a ton more pictures – they start here, if you’ve already seen Wednesday’s.
Reaction to the new Star Wars comic has been, in a word, mixed. There’s been the expected asides about canon and continuity from the usual quarters, of course. (I’ve already said all I need to say on that.) But today, the headline news from this has been, unquestionably, this from Wood on Tumblr: “Oh yeah, Leia’s an X-Wing pilot.”
In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Wood elaborated:
Leia is not going to be sitting around in a gown attending a lot of meetings — she has her blaster and an X-wing and is out there with Luke and Wedge working on building the Alliance back up after losing so much. I really wanted to put Leia into the mix, holding her own in battle.
On the one one hand, of course I would like to see Leia get more of a role. On the other hand, we already know Leia’s a badass and a better shot than most of the dudes: Does putting her in an X-Wing really show a new dimension to her character?
Yes, this again. Here’s the thing: We are constantly told Leia is a brilliant politician, but how often do we actually see that aspect of her – her actual career? Every once and a while in the books, right before things go sour and the blasters (or, more recently, the lightsabers) come out?
I’m not against putting Leia in an X-wing. This is not really specific to Star Wars, the Comic. (And a comic book is almost certainly not the place for that sort of Senator Organa anyway.) I just wish when we got more Leia, it would be less about the size of the lasers she’s shooting and more about adding some dimension to an aspect of her character that’s been shamefully neglected.
And hell, maybe Wood will go there between battle scenes. Obviously, I have no idea. I just wish we could click off a box other than Action Girl every once and a while.
The first trailer (high-res) for Sam Raimi’s Wizard of Oz prequel, starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. It’s… I don’t know? But then again, I’m pretty sure Wicked overexposure – and that awful SyFy miniseries a few years back – has pretty much burned me out on Oz all-together. On the other hand, the cast is more or less a Successful Alumni of 90’s Teen TV reunion, which amuses me to no end. Your thoughts?
Knights Archive spotted that Random House has posted a full blurb for Timothy Zahn’s Scoundrels in their online catalog:
To make his biggest score, Han’s ready to take even bigger risks. But even he can’t do this job solo.
Han Solo should be basking in his moment of glory. After all, the cocky smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon just played a key role in the daring raid that destroyed the Death Star and landed the first serious blow to the Empire in its war against the Rebel Alliance. But after losing the reward his heroics earned him, Han’s got nothing to celebrate. Especially since he’s deep in debt to the ruthless crime lord Jabba the Hutt. There’s a bounty on Han’s head—and if he can’t cough up the credits, he’ll surely pay with his hide. The only thing that can save him is a king’s ransom. Or maybe a gangster’s fortune? That’s what a mysterious stranger is offering in exchange for Han’s less-than-legal help with a riskier-than-usual caper. The payoff will be more than enough for Han to settle up with Jabba—and ensure he never has to haggle with the Hutts again.
All he has to do is infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy’s most notoriously impregnable safe. It sounds like a job for miracle workers . . . or madmen. So Han assembles a gallery of rogues who are a little of both—including his indispensable sidekick Chewbacca and the cunning Lando Calrissian. If anyone can dodge, deceive, and defeat heavily armed thugs, killer droids, and Imperial agents alike—and pull off the heist of the century—it’s Solo’s scoundrels. But will their crime really pay, or will it cost them the ultimate price?
Scoundrels is due out in hardcover on December 26.
James is knee-deep in SDCC, but he did manage to upload pictures from Preview Night. (With a little help from Bryan Young on shooting duty.) Above, Dark Horse’s Star Wars section. Below the cut, Winter!
