Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
The special New York Comic Con panel about the Star Wars 40th Anniversary anthology features several of the book’s 40-something writers, including moderator Pablo Hidalgo, Claudia Gray, Delilah Dawson, Jason Fry, E.K. Johnston and more.
The general publishing panel video is also out, and added to the original news post.
Del Rey has revealed the final cover and complete author lineup for From a Certain Point of View, the 40th anniversary short story collection coming in October. The final additions are Kieron Gillen, Greg Rucka, Elizabeth Wein and Jeffrey Brown.
→ Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larocca will take over Marvel’s flagship Star Wars title with #38 – and most intrigingly, their first arc will take us to “the post-apocalyptic hell that remains of Jedha after the Death Star punched a hole through its mantle.” Gillen will continue to write Doctor Aphra.
→ Christie Golden talks Inferno Squad with the Verge.
As announced Wednesday, Kieron Gillen’s successor series to Darth Vader will be Doctor Aphra. Aphra, introduced in Darth Vader #3, was Marvel’s first original canon character and has developed something of a following throughout the series. (And yes, “she’d be cast as an Asian actress,” Gillen says.) There’s a great deal of storytelling freedom to be had with an original character in the original trilogy era, and plenty to do with the concept of archaeology in a setting like the GFFA. (For instance… Jedha?)
StarWars.com has an interview with Gillen, while Marvel introduces series artist Kev Walker. Doctor Aphra #1 is expected to land on December 7.
We’ve already covered the news out of Friday’s Star Wars writers roundtable at NYCC, but there was a decent lineup of current writers: Novelists Timothy Zahn, Chuck Wendig, James Luceno, E.K. Johnston, comic writers Kieron Gillen, Charles Soule, plus Lucasfilm editor Jennifer Heddle. Tor.com has a nice roundup of their comments.
Zahn reassured fans that the Thrawn on Rebels is not too far removed from the Thrawn of Legends. Johnston revealed that Ahsoka begins “about ten minutes—slight exaggeration—after Order 66 comes down.” And Wendig had some wise words about what makes Star Wars so appealing. (He also joked about Jar Jar being in Empire’s End, of course. But is it really that far-fetched? Really?)
Here’s the panel video:
Kieron Gillen’s Darth Vader ongoing may be ending with #25, but he’s on board for the replacement – which has been solicited as simply Star Wars: Classified. He’ll be joined by artist Kev Walker, who’s not quite new to Star Wars – he did a cover for Dark Horse’s Republic #55 back in 2003. The new comic, which will also be an ongoing title, will be launched with a number of variant covers in December.
Meanwhile, the flagship Star Wars comic will feature a Yoda story (via Obi-Wan’s journal) in issue #26. Writer Jason Aaron discusses it with StarWars.com’s Dan Brooks.
→ Ashley Eckstein is narrating the audiobook for E.K. Johnston’s Ahsoka, which is out next month. (via)
→ The Force Awakens novelization in paperback will contain two short stories: Alan Dean Foster’s ‘Bait’ (from Star Wars Insider #162) and Delilah Dawson’s ‘The Perfect Weapon,’ which was released as an eBook.
→ Tosche Station’s Thrawncast has officially begun with the discussion of Heir to the Empire’s first four chapters.