EUbits: Clone Wars coming to Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day. It’s not until May, but we learned today that The Clone Wars will be among the offerings. (Dark Horse will also have an Avatar: The Last Airbender comic.)

Fiction returns to Insider. Paul S. Kemp has turned in a short story destined for the magazine. It stars Darth Malgus of his upcoming Old Republic novel, Deceived, so I expect we’ll be seeing it early in the new year.

Chattage. Del Rey will be holding a Vortex chat with author Troy Denning on their Star Wars Books Facebook next Wednesday.

Interview. Geeks are Sexy interviews Daniel Wallace about The Jedi Path.

Podcasts. The ForceCast has launched a new EU-focused show, Jedi Journals, with RebelScum staffers Chris Wyman and “Jovial” Jay Shepard. I have yet to listen, but am assured that they know their stuff!

Out this week: Fate of the Jedi #6

Today sees the release of the sixth Fate of the Jedi novel, Denning’s Vortex. People seem awfully excited that there’s a Kindle edition. I’m a book traditionalist (and too much of an Alton Brown fan to trust a unitasker, though yes, I know there’s an iPhone app) but in to their credit, it is only $6.29.

Meanwhile, because new releases only come in two speeds lately – feast or famine – comic fans have a few things to look for on Wednesday as well. There’s The Old Republic #6, The Clone Wars: Deadly Hands of Shon-Ju and a Quinlan Vos omnibus, Jedi in Darkness.

EUbits: Zombies and other overexposed undead

Zombies? Zombies! StarWars.com has posted the first chapter of Joe Shreiber’s Red Harvest as a PDF. Hopefully that will hold you zombie fans off until the tail end of December.

Let it go. There was much discussion late last week on Twitter over the appearance of a character in a Clone Wars preview clip who had been previously killed off in some minor video game several years ago. Y’all might have a case with the Mando stuff (though I still can’t bring myself to care, because Mandos) but this? This is why the phrase ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ exists.

Interviews. Going back a bit, EUC has summarized some notable bits from an interview that the Fictional Frontiers podcast did with Del Rey’s Shelly Shapiro. She talks about Fate of the Jedi and links to Legacy. Also, Daniel Wallace talks The Jedi Path with StarWars.com.

Street date shuffle. I made a few tweaks to our book release schedule this weekend… Nothing particularly noteworthy, just a few minor adjustments in mid-2011.

EUbits: FOTJ except, Sue updates, Knight Errant story

Hey, remember Fate of the Jedi? The site StarWarsBookExtras.com is offering an excerpt from Try Denning’s Vortex – Chapter 5, to be exact. The catch? You need to redeem a code. Or, just click this direct link to the PDF. (Thanks, EUC!) The cards with the code were available at C5 or in the Hyperspace member kit.

Details, details. We got a couple of updates from Sue Rostoni on the StarWars.com forums last week. I had asked if there was a chance or others joining Zahn to do annotations for the Heir to the Empire anniversary edition, and she wasn’t sure — but did say that Del Rey was looking into it. She did have a solid answer on the ETA for the next Lost Tribe of the Sith story: October 25th, aka next Monday. (Hopefully it’ll contain a different Vortex excerpt.)

Short story. Speaking of John Jackson Miller, StarWars.com has an original Knight Errant short story, ‘Influx.’

Shadow Games. Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff reveals the main cast for the novel-formerly-known-as-Holostar.

Really? The Star Wars Books page on Facebook is starting a Reader’s Club. Not a bad idea, in theory… But starting with The Bounty Hunter Wars? Really? Uh… Good luck.

EUbits: Tenel Ka’s lightsaber, Riptide peek, Legacy cover, John Jackson Miller and more

Fanmade. Check out this version of Tenel Ka’s rancor tooth lightsaber by Heather (@hexterah) who dressed up as the character at DragonCon.)

Riptide. Paul S. Kemp broke out another brief excerpt from his Crosscurrent sequel on Friday.

Comics. Dark Horse has revealed the cover to Legacy: War #2; Writer John Jackson Miller talks Knight Errant at The Sci-Fi Block.

Further reading. EU Cantina has a new column by Chris (@VileZero) and so far he’s addressed the Darth Plagueis novel and upcoming comics as well as some gaming/Clone Wars stuff. Check it out.

Street date shuffle. It was a slow news week, so Random House moving Denning’s Fate of the Jedi: Vortex up a week got a lot of ink. Still months away, but I did update our book schedule.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@clubjade) for updates and discussion.

Fate of the Jedi: Kenth Hamner and full Vortex blurb revealed

We got our first look at the back of Denning’s Fate of the Jedi: Vortex this afternoon, a while new look at Luke’s (temporary) replacement as leader of the Jedi, Kenth Hamner. (A previous version of Kenth resembled William Shatner; Paul Kemp thinks this one looks like Mr. Roeper.) Also along for the ride is a new, extended blurb (highlight to read the spoilery bits:

In a stunning turn of events, Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben, joined forces with members of the Sith armada sent to kill them — and turned their combined might against the monstrous being Abeloth, whose power was causing young Jedi Knights to go seemingly insane. But with Abeloth gone and the Knights sane again, the Sith reverted to form, making a treacherous attempt on Luke’s life.

Luke and Ben have no time for retaliation. A new and even more insidious threat is rising, one that endangers not only the Jedi but the entire Galactic Alliance. Unless the Skywalkers survive to sound the alarm — and to pass along the secrets they have learned about Abeloth and the Sith — the galaxy will suffer as it has never suffered before. But the reinforcements they need remain grounded on Coruscant, where the political battle of wills between the Jedi Council and Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala has reached a boiling point.

Now Luke and Ben must go on the run, taking along the inscrutable — and dangerous — Sith apprentice Vestara Khai. With a host of Sith warriors in hot pursuit, the Skywalkers soon find themselves trapped on the moon Pydyr, caught between their former allies and a mob of angry Fallanassi. A new truce may be their only hope. But can a Sith ever be trusted?

With the Jedi’s most famous father-and-son team outnumbered and outgunned, the countdown to galactic disaster has begun — and time is running out!

Vortex is due out in hardcover December 7.

Celebration V book and comic news: Wraith Squadron, Fate of the Jedi, Crimson Empire 3 and more

Del Rey brought plenty to the table for Celebration, but the biggest EU news is without a doubt the reveal that Aaron Allston will be writing a brand-new Wraith Squadron novel. It’s too early for details, but expect a spring/summer 2012 release date.

We also learned that Thrawn will appear in Zahn’s Hand of Judgment, Drew Karpyshyn will be writing a third Old Republic novel, Jeff Grubb’s 2012 paperback will feature Hutts, and Han Solo will appear in the Dash Rendar/Holostar novel. And TFN reports that something is in the works for the 20th anniversary of Heir to the Empire, to which I say: Damn straight.

As for Fate of the Jedi, we learned that the final book will be titled Apocalypse. Cheery! Also addressed was the heightening of drama, Vestara’s role, and (sigh) the whole Jacen/Tahiri thing. Except, not really. (I do love the Mando quote, of course.)

Meanwhile, the comic fans got a surprise of their own: Crimson Empire III is a go, for real this time. The 6-issue series will begin in March with Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley scripting and Dave Dorman on covers.

Knight Errant got a big push, complete with a costumed representation, but if the EUC report is anything to go by it’s too soon for much of a reveal.

As for Legacy, there are currently no plans for anything after the War mini – Ostrander and Duursema will “will be working on something entirely different.”

The rest of the news rehashes much we’ve already heard, but a hardcover edition of Dark Empire will commemorate the comic’s twentieth anniversary. And the return of Dark Horse Presents may yield some Tales-like stories.

Also getting some love at the con (but not enough for their own entry) was The Force Unleashed (Yoda? Really? That Muppet needs a better agent.) and The Old Republic.

Celebration V: EU news – Fate of the Jedi #9 has a name, Knight Errant and season 3 of The Clone Wars

While Dunc is off at fashion shows or handing out orange Death Star fans, I got a chance to attend a couple panels today, and here’s the top information:

  • Apocalypse was announced as the title of the ninth book in the Fate of the Jedi series.
  • Pablo Hidalgo is going to be writing an Essential Reader’s Companion, helping not only to sum up all the existing novels, but also provide some behind-the-scenes, and showcasing connections between stories. It will be illustrated, and Cal Omas will be pictured at last (and not hiding behind a potted plant)
  • After Fate of the Jedi, Del Rey will be staying away from long series for a while, with just one-offs and duo/trilogies.
  • Wedge Antilles is apparently the only SW character allowed to retire. He’s working on his memoirs, but Aaron Allston says not to count him out yet.
  • Knight Errant: comics will be released in October, novel in January, and while you don’t need one to understand the other, hopefully the new storyline will pull you in with a young female Jedi, Kerra Holt, on her own in Sith warlord space a generation before Darth Bane. This is the first time that Dark Horse and Del Rey are working together on a SW project, with a single writer: John Jackson Miller.
  • The Clone Wars – Season 3: going to rock! Dooku gets mad at Asajj, and gets a new Sith villain, raised by the Dathomir nightsisters: A Steelers-colored Maul kinsman. Invisible nightsisters attack Dooku in his pajamas! Shaak Ti is coming! Kamino is under attack (with cool water, smoke and explosion effects). Asajj’s background is revealed! Jawajames explodes from awesomeness of the trailer! Dave Filoni has trouble giving evasive answers to little kids!