Tag: infinities

Posted on

Tag and Bink are coming to an untitled Han Solo movie near you

Ron Howard’s first really big reveal! For the purposes of our old-ass EU fan blog, anyway.

Tag and Bink are in the Han Solo movie. They’re played by Jon Kasdan (left,) who confirms it, and assistant director Toby Hefferman.)

The pair originate in the 2001 Tag & Bink Are Dead comics which are, technically, part of Legends. (Though even there the comics were considered “Infinities,” which today makes them doubly non-canon.) How much makes it to screen (and canon..?) Well, probably not much. But that’s fitting.

Technicalities aside, the original Tag and Bink comics (by Star Wars Tales MVP Kevin Rubio) are among the highlights of Dark Horse’s run with the license. They’re totally worth a read, require nothing at all in knowledge of the vast Expanded Universe, and are really, really funny. I don’t think there’s been any physical reprints since the comics license changeover to Marvel, but the collection is available on Comixology.

Honestly, this is exactly the kind of EU appearance I expect in this film: Brief and irreverent.

More recent stuff from Howard under the cut. Continue reading “Tag and Bink are coming to an untitled Han Solo movie near you”

Posted on

Star Wars out this week: Some movie, I hear?

First and foremost, yes, we’re getting the first Star Wars movie in a decade this week – a lucky few (hundred? thousand?) tonight in Hollywood, and the rest of the world a few days later, depending on your location.

But for our purposes, let’s look at Wednesday first, which brings the Darth Vader Annual, Kanan #9, and the Legends Epic Collection: Infinities, because Marvel heard you’d like some alternate universe in your alternate universe.

Now Friday is when things get really interesting, as not only is there a movie, but a whole bunch of books as well. For fiction, there’s The Force Awakens novelization by Alan Dean Foster (eBook only – the hardcover isn’t out until January 5) and Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka. For reference, Pablo Hidalgo’s The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections from Kemp Remillard and Jason Fry, and of course, The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Posted on

Peter David’s Star Wars Infinities sounds way more interesting than any of the actual Infinities comics

Although I do love alternate universe stories, I was pretty disappointed in the three actual Infinities stories that Dark Horse put out back in the early ’00s: None of them really pinged me as being particularly interesting takes on the concept. Peter David’s, on the other hand…

Darth LeiaComic Book Resources has the skinny on the never-produced mini-series, which would have divulged from the movie timeline with the droids at Tatooine and ended with Leia ruling the galaxy – with Luke as her consort.

I gotta say, I was furious when Lucasfilm kicked it back. The whole reason I’d taken on the assignment was because I’d been told that Lucasfilm had effectively given us carte blanche. But then, after I drafted the outline, they turned around and said that the story had to end with Luke, Leia and Han triumphing over evil. In other words, it had to have the same exact ending as Star Wars. It’s a crying shame. The cover image to issue #2, with a close shot of Princess Leia in the Darth Maul face make-up glaring out at the reader, would’ve been killer.

CBR even got artist Nick Perks to mock up that cover, at right.

Explains a lot about why the resulting series’ ended up being so dull. What’s the point of an AU if you don’t go in the really weird directions? (As opposed to the downright laughable ones.) Fanfic, how you’ve spoiled us. (via)

Posted on

Out this week: Apocalypse paperback, Agent of the Empire, Infinities

Let’s put a lid on it: The final Fate of the Jedi book, Troy Denning’s Apocalypse, is out today in paperback. Goodbye to the (hopefully) last of the mega-series…

Also, I don’t generally cover merchandise in these posts, but apparently the Kotobukiya Jaina Solo figure also goes on sale today.

For comic fans, Wednesday will bring Agent of the Empire: Hard Targets #4 and an Infinities omnibus. It’s just the three ‘what-if’ comics, alas – I’m still waiting for Dark Horse to collect all the funny Tales/Tag and Bink stuff that also falls under the Infinities umbrella.

Our next upcoming novel is something brand new – The Last Jedi, also a paperback, is due February 26.

Posted on

Prequel infinities comics? Not so fast

Redeemed Vader? Sure. This? DO NOT WANTSomewhere in Star Wars Insider #114 there’s a mention of a prequel Infinities (alternate universe) series in the works. However, Randy Stradley said on the Dark Horse message boards yesterday that there are “no plans” for any such thing.

I am both relieved (the OT Infinities were… Not good) and saddened that my dream of a Kevin Rubio-scripted ‘What if Jar Jar became Boba Fett’ storyline is not to be. (Seriously, if this ever comes close to reality? Please skip the awkward part and go straight to comedy.)