Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
At StarWars.com, Justina Ireland talks about Spark of the Resistance, her YA novel that’s helping to launch the Journey to the Rise of Skywalker on Force Friday, and we get a look inside at some new Phil Noto art.
Spark of the Resistance is out in hardcover and eBook tomorrow, alongside a few other items.
It’s the week of Force Friday, which means that in addition to the usual Tuesday (five books!) and Wednesday (three comics!) releases, we also have two novels coming later than usual.
Our headliners, out Friday, October 4, are our first Journey to The Rise of Skywalker titles: Justina Ireland’s Spark of the Resistance and Cavan Scott and Elsa Charretier’s Choose Your Destiny: A Finn & Poe Adventure, plus all the usual sticker books and the like. And toys. So many toys, not just for TROS, but The Mandalorian as well.
But first up on, Tuesday, October 1, is the hardcover script of Cavan Scott’s Dooku: Jedi Lost, the audio drama that originally came out back in April. Then there’s illustrated storybook The Skywalker Saga by Delilah S. Dawson and Brian Rood. And it’s also time to nab Christian Blauvelt’s Be More Leia and Be More Lando and the charming Creatures Big & Small from Caitlin Kennedy, Calliope Glass and Katie Cook.
Then, on Wednesday, October 1, it’s time for Return to Vader’s Castle #1, Star Wars #72 and Doctor Aphra #37.
And that’s pretty much out book allotment for the month of October, but expect more comics, particularly the rest of Return to Vader’s Castle. This also gives us plenty of time to finish up Spark, since Del Rey’s JTROS offering, Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse, isn’t coming until November 5.
Our first – and maybe only? – bit of The Rise of Skywalker news out of San Diego Comic-Con has arrived, as Lucasfilm introduces the Sith trooper. Armor from the movie will be on display in Lucasfilm’s pavilion at the con, along with many of its trooper predecessors: Imperial stormtrooper, TIE pilot, death trooper, shoretrooper, biker scout, First Order stormtrooper, First Order TIE pilot and Captain Phasma. Various Sith trooper products will also be on sale at the con.
More about SDCC on this week’s Star Wars Show, which also includes an interview with Lando’s Luck and Spark of the Resistance author Justina Ireland:
For May 4, StarWars.com has revealed the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker publishing slate. And this time, with a gap between films, we actually get several novels focusing on sequel trilogy characters.
From Del Rey, that means a new-to-Star Wars author, Rebecca Roanhorse, taking on Resistance Reborn, and Justina Ireland (Lando’s Luck) with the middle-grade Spark of the Resistance. Cavan Scott and Elsa Charretier also return with Choose Your Destiny: A Finn & Poe Adventure. From Marvel, there’s Allegiance, a miniseries involving Leia and the Mon Calamari. (Go into the galleries for more detail.)
It’s not in the gap, though: Kevin Shinick, another new-to-Star Wars author, has Force Collector, starring a “restless teenager” on Jakku prior to The Force Awakens.
Spark of the Resistance and A Finn & Poe Adventure are first out on October 4; The four-issue Allegiance begins October 9 and drops weekly through the 30th; Resistance Reborn is out November 12 and Force Collector on November 19.
For our nonfiction and reference offerings, we’ve got the same basic template we’ve seen since TFA. Phil Szostak’s The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Pablo Hidalgo’s The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary are both due out the same day as the film: December 20.
A movie novelization isn’t expected until spring. There’s more of the usual kid stuff and sticker books at StarWars.com.
There was… Sort of? A reveal at the Lucasfilm Publishing: Writer’s Roundtable panel Monday morning at Celebration: Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, Charles Soule and Cavan Scott are all working on something called “Project Luminous” for 2020.
We know it’s inspired by the quote “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things.”
Other than that, they won’t tell us anything. Not even a format. We do know the writers all went to Skywalker Ranch and watched A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. They’re having fun. That’s it! That’s literally it.
The live-tweets are here, knock yourself out with the speculation.
Meanwhile, IDW announced that Tales From Vader’s Castle will be back for this coming October with new stories. With the other book panels short on major news, looks like we’ll have to wait for SDCC or even (sigh) NYCC for The Rise of Skywalker tie-ins.
The author lineup for Celebration Chicago is growing, adding E.K. Johnston, Justina Ireland and Zoraida Córdova. They join an already impressive list which includes Timothy Zahn, Delilah Dawson, and Claudia Gray.
Gray and Johnston both have new Star Wars books coming out in the spring: Johnston’s Padme YA novel Queen’s Shadow is out March 5, while Gray’s Master and Apprentice is due April 16, just after the con, so we can likely expect a convention exclusive version.
Celebration Chicago is being held April 11-15, 2019 at McCormick Place.
One book for young readers, two comics and an Insider are on the offer this week.
Continue reading “Star Wars out this week: Lando’s Luck, Tales from Vader’s Castle”
The extended gap between movies sees Star Wars publishing reaching back to the prequel era for their most high profile SDCC announcements. Coming from Del Rey we have Master and Apprentice, a Qui-gon and Obi-wan novel from Claudia Gray (Bloodline, Princess of Alderaan). And from Disney-Lucasfilm press there’s the long-rumored Padme novel, Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston (Ahsoka).
The Padme cover is by Tara Phillips, who editor Jen Heddle says she “found on Deviant Art.” Both books will be out in early 2019 and up for pre-order soon: Master and Apprentice in February, and Queen’s Shadow in March.
Continue reading “Upcoming Star Wars fiction leans into the prequel era”
A new middle-grade series based around the Millennium Falcon is coming, just in time for October’s Star Wars Reads day. The Flight of the Falcon series will begin with Lando’s Luck, a middle grade novel written by Justina Ireland with illustrations by Annie Wu. Further installments will feature Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and James’ boy Hondo Ohnaka.
Landing at a docking bay or bookseller near you in time for Star Wars Reads in October, the series of books and comics about the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy will help connect different eras of Star Wars storytelling through the adventures aboard the beloved ship. Each fiction title will include a map to trace the literal flight path and help readers understand the time and place where each story is set.
Bazine Natel, the spy seen on Takodana in The Force Awakens, is on the hunt for the Falcon, and her intel leads her across the galaxy to Batuu, a remote outpost on the galaxy’s edge. In order to find the Falcon, Bazine must learn all she can about the infamous YT-1300 freighter—the ship that countless bounty hunters and Imperials have almost caught over the years.
“These tales take us from a time just before Solo: A Star Wars Story, when Lando and L3 had the Falcon, through the original trilogy, and into the new trilogy, ending on the incredible world of Batuu,” says Michael Siglain, Creative Director, Lucasfilm Publishing.
The series will continue with the choose-you-own-adventure A Luke and Leia Adventure, written by Cavan Scott with art by Elsa Charretier and Pirate’s Price, written by Lou Anders with art by Annie Wu, starring Han Solo, Chewbacca and Hondo Ohnaka.