Dark Horse is among the Gold Sponsors for next year’s Free Comic Book Day, and their offering will feature “the greatest heroes of The Clone Wars,” inside and on one of the comic’s two covers. It’s not a dedicated Star Wars issue, but this is the first time since 2006 that the franchise has had a spotlight. 2009’s Free Comic Book Day is set for Saturday, May 2.
EUbits: Jedi Quest audio, interviews, comics
Surprise audiobooks! A couple days ago, Zee Zee spotted audiobook listings on the Random House catalog for the first four Jedi Quest books: Way of the Apprentice, The Trail of the Jedi, The Dangerous Games and The Master of Disguise. All four are listed as $9.99 unabridged digital downloads with spring release dates.
Audiobooks years after the fact? Plus, the original books were published by Scholastic, which isn’t a Random House imprint, though the audio versions are listed under Random House’s Imagination Studios. (Del Rey’s Star Wars audiobooks are Random House Audio.) Lucasbooks is clearly trying something new here, but we’re still awaiting some kind of confirmation…
- Interviews, upcoming: NJOE wants your questions for Abel G. Peña, while Immortal Darkness is taking questions for Matt Stover and Kevin J. Anderson.
- Comics: Preview Legacy #31, aka the Vector conclusion.
The Complete Encyclopedia is nigh; March comics
StarWars.com features The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, including several sample pages that the more keen-eyed among us might actually even be able to read. The book, written by Steve Sansweet, Pablo Hidalgo and Dan Wallace, Bob Vitas, Chris Cassidy, Mary Franklin and Josh Kushins, will be in stores next week. (Santa Maul would no doubt encourage you to consider it for your holiday lists.)
Also on the official site tonight are the March 2009 comics, including upcoming issues of Legacy and Knights of the Old Republic, along with a new Clone Wars digest, The Wind Raiders of Taloraan.
EUbits: Ostrander, Miller, Wallace and Hasbro
- Interviews: John Ostrander talks up Vector and Legacy at Comic Book Resources, while The Clone Wars’ Karen Miller headlines SWbooks.
- Upcoming: Dan Wallace has a blog entry on The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. It’ll be out in a little over a week (Dec. 9) but at least one of the Amazons is already shipping it…
- Toys: Up close and personal with some of the new comic packs: Wedge Antilles, Borsk Fey’lya, Luke Skywalker, Deena Shan, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Sharad Hett.
Out this week: Knights of the Old Republic
Slim pickings for Star Wars fans at the comic shop this week, but at least there’s a reason to go in on Wednesday: Knights of the Old Republic #35, finale of the ‘Vindication’ storyline.
EUbits: February comics, Mad Wars, Sean Williams
Dark Horse’s February/April solicitations, includes our first look at Star Wars: Adventures Volume 1: Han Solo and the Hollow Moon of Khorya (the April part of the equation,) as well as Legacy #33, Knights of the Old Republic #38, The Clone Wars #4 and an Emissaries and Assassins omnibus.
- Bonnie interviews Jonathan Bresman, Senior Editor of MAD Kids, about their upcoming Clone Wars cover. Alas, doesn’t address my burning question of how a kid’s version of Mad magazine is not epically redundant.
- Radio: Sean Williams will be on ABC Radio National’s The Book Show next Tuesday. That’s Australian ABC, but a podcast version will be posted for the rest of the world.
EUish news: The Old Republic, Insider, comics
The Old Republic: EUC spotted a video of last week’s reveal. No trailers or gameplay footage though – there’s some sort of exclusive deal with “a US broadcaster.” (Spike? Cartoon Network?) Meanwhile, io9 talked to lead designer Jeff Dobson.
- Insider: Issue #105 looks err… umm… Yeah. On newstands next Tuesday.
- Comics: Preview Knights of the Old Republic #35.
Out this week: Nothing but The Clone Wars
Those of you not already sick of it can pick up The Clone Wars #2 at your comic shop on Wednesday. But never fear, my fellow Clone apathists – next week finally brings us Millennium Falcon!
Oh, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comes out on DVD. Duh.
Expanded Universe newsbits: Sue hints, January comics, Sean Williams, sibling rivalry
Lots of tidbits: Sue Rostoni has continued posting bits and pieces about the new contract on StarWars.com boards and blogs, including the timing of Fate of the Jedi and Blood Oath (apparently Seeley’s cover art has Zekk “in a very manly pose, looking ruggedly handsome.”) Meanwhile, the first FOTJ cover will feature Luke, although no artist names yet, and the manuscript for Shadows of Mindor is 419 pages. And she’s updated her book schedule entry with a few new dates (already reflected in our schedule) and the news that the Reaves/Bonhoff ‘holostar’ novel is set two years before the Battle of Yavin. And today we swing right back to Fate of the Jedi: It “will continue to be a mix of characters.”
- Comics: StarWars.com has Dark Horse’s January 2009 solicitations, but it looks pretty slim: Just Knights of the Old Republic and the beginning of Legacy’s first post-Vector arc.
- The Force Unleashed: Sean Williams shares his piece from the Adelaide Advertiser on writing Star Wars.
- LOTF: io9 features Jacen and Jaina as one of Science Fiction’s Fiercest Sibling Rivalries.
Out this week: Early Victories omnibus
Exciting week in releases… Not. All we have is the thrilling Early Victories omnibus, including such 90’s Dark Horse gems such as their Splinter of the Mind’s Eye adaption, River of Chaos and Vader’s Quest.