The Complete Encyclopedia is nigh; March comics

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia 2.0StarWars.com features The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, including several sample pages that the more keen-eyed among us might actually even be able to read. The book, written by Steve Sansweet, Pablo Hidalgo and Dan Wallace, Bob Vitas, Chris Cassidy, Mary Franklin and Josh Kushins, will be in stores next week. (Santa Maul would no doubt encourage you to consider it for your holiday lists.)

Also on the official site tonight are the March 2009 comics, including upcoming issues of Legacy and Knights of the Old Republic, along with a new Clone Wars digest, The Wind Raiders of Taloraan.

EUbits: Watson’s National Book Award, Karen Miller interviewed, KOTOR preview, Jacen Solo

Awards: Judy Blundell, better known to Star Wars fans as Jude Watson, author of the Jedi Apprentice, Jedi Quest, and Last of the Jedi series’ for Scholastic, has won the National Book Award for her novel What I Saw and How I Lied.

UPDATE: GalleyCat now has a video interview with Blundell.

The Old Republic: Yes fandom, it’s a KOTOR MMO

As expected, LucasArts and Bioware today announced The Old Republic, a MMO set in the era of the popular Knights of the Old Republic franchise within a franchise.

Press: Both 1up and Joystiq liveblogged the reveal; GameSpot has a lengthy article an exclusive video, while IGN has already checked out the game at Bioware’s Austin studio.

EUC has gathered all the relevant data into several giant lists with heaps of links for those craving more.

Expanded Universe newsbits: Sue hints, January comics, Sean Williams, sibling rivalry

Lots of tidbits: Sue Rostoni has continued posting bits and pieces about the new contract on StarWars.com boards and blogs, including the timing of Fate of the Jedi and Blood Oath (apparently Seeley’s cover art has Zekk “in a very manly pose, looking ruggedly handsome.”) Meanwhile, the first FOTJ cover will feature Luke, although no artist names yet, and the manuscript for Shadows of Mindor is 419 pages. And she’s updated her book schedule entry with a few new dates (already reflected in our schedule) and the news that the Reaves/Bonhoff ‘holostar’ novel is set two years before the Battle of Yavin. And today we swing right back to Fate of the Jedi: It “will continue to be a mix of characters.”