Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
Big Shiny Robot caught up with Seth Green and Matt Senreich at The Clone Wars premiere and got a few hints at their upcoming Star Wars comedy show, from “Star Wars without the wars” to “Jon Stewart on steroids mixed with Dave Chapelle.” And then George Lucas shows up.
I am particularly pleased to hear that the new show won’t be taking design cues from The Clone Wars, though.
This Harrison Ford interview – recorded in 1977 for a Dallas-Fort Worth news channel – offers a look at the actor before his Star Wars curmudgeon era. (via)
Quinlan Vos making the jump to TV? Yakface spotted a Clone Wars action figure of the character, who was originally slated to appear (but didn’t) in the S1 episode ‘Bombad Jedi.’ Signs are good that Master Vos will finally get his day in the sun… Also curious? The character resembles Dave Filoni. Maybe we’ll see Vos play buddy cop with Plo Koon?
Speaking of comics… Techland has a two-part interview with Star Wars comic editors Randy Stradley and Dave Marshall. Part I covers Marvel and the early years of Dark Horse’s involvement with the franchise and what’s coming up; Part II goes into more detail with the process and challenges.
Upcoming. Dan Wallace and The Jedi Path are getting some buzz: He did a video tour of the book with EU and an interview with Techland.
Giveaway. Win Star Wars ABC and Millennium Falcon: A 3-D Owner’s Guide from The Detroit News’ Geek Watch blog.
James and I were able to grab a quick interview on with Ashley Eckstein at the con! It would be hard not to be impressed by the strides that the company has made in so short a time. They had a great product that was literally all over the con, from all the t-shirts that were near-ubiquitous on female attendees to the limited edition Empire Strikes Back necklace, even down to the (reusable!) shopping bags. As I said in the video, it’s something we’ve been wanting for years, and I won’t lie: I got a little choked up. I can’t wait to see what’s coming: Thank you so much, Ashley!
Ashley Eckstein is getting some ink for Her Universe in the most unlikely of places: ESPN! I don’t doubt being married to an MLB player helps widen the field of interest, but let’s not forget we’re the only fandom with a noteworthy gender disparity. (Sports-loving ladies can see the Alyssa Milano line that Ashley mentions as an inspiration at Fandalia.)
Not the lawsuit you’re looking for… Lucasfilm has backed down from their legal threat against Wicked Lasers, which makes a (you have to admit) very lightsaber-looking laser. But elsewhere in the world, the march continues…
Horrors of the audition tapes. Sylvester Stallone auditioned for Han Solo? Sounds like he didn’t get far enough for tapes, but that’s probably a good thing.
Presented without commentary. Are Jedi Knights Libertarian or Socialist?
io9 caught up with Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, and got a few todbits on both their Star Wars comedy show and the third Robot Chicken: Star Wars special. Here’s a little more on the timeline:
“It’ll be sketches all over the canon, but there will be a more linear canon… actually from before the first prequel to Return Of The Jedi,” says Green.
Video and more at io9.
Our own intrepid JawaJames is at the con, and he caught up with author Sean Williams, whose The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance has just been released. They talk about the NJO, continuity (pay attention, Wookieepedians) characters, The Force Unleashed and blogging!
(You can check out James’ SDCC photos, too!)
First look. The Jedi Path comes in a vault. What? Yeah. Or: “Passed down from Master to Padawan, the pages of this venerable text have been annotated by those who have held it, studied it, and lived its secrets.” Since we’re living in the real world, I like Dan Wallace’s explanation: ” It’s supposed to look like an in-universe artifact that fell through a rabbit hole from the galaxy far, far away.” It is an interesting concept, but mostly I just fear what the Jedi Church will make of it.
Hey hey hey, goodbye. Yes, it’s official: There will be no Imperial Commando 2. (It was probably a lose-lose sans Traviss anyway.)
Namesake corner. Sideshow is teasing about a Mara Jade figure again. They like the Adam Hughes painting! (Sigh.) At least she’s not doing laundry?
Comics! Preview the October solicitations, including Knight Errant #1. Which just so happens to be on the cover of August’s Previews.
Interview. Paul Kemp (Crosscurrent) on Fictional Frontiers
Legacy. Comic Book Resources interviews John Ostrander and Jan Duursema about the series as it winds down to the final issue.
Fate of the Jedi. Allies has made #8 on the New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists.
Kemp is a busy dude. Crosscurrent author Paul S. Kemp is interviewed at EU Cantina and reveals the dramatis personae for his Old Republic novel, Deceived.
Sorry, no photoshop today. Pablo Hidalgo has another book coming: a Scholastic guide to Lightsabers.
Gaming annex. The box art for The Force Unleashed II. Starkiller is pissed that Vader is invading his senior portrait!
…What? The Insider has an advertising campaign. Try not to giggle.
We’ve already covered a bunch of Empire Strikes Back anniversary stuff, but today is the actual day. Here’s more stuff to check out:
The sequel begins. Leigh Brackett’s first draft of the film surfaced on the internet last week, giving us an intriguing glimpse into the could-have-beens, including a “tender love scene” between Luke and Leia, Lando being a clone, and Darth Vader’s pet gargoyles. (If you just want the highlights, Geeks of Doom has a nice rundown.)
Visuals. Lucasfilm gave Maxim magazine some rare photos, and to save us classy broads from buying Maxim (err, sorry guys) they’re also on StarWars.com.
Disturbance. They also have a look back at the Emperor’s first appearance – including some seriously whacked-out concept art. Baron Harkonnen is totally jealous.
In other news…
See any more unique tributes to ESB today? Post them in the comments or tell me on Twitter (@clubjade) and I’ll get them in.