Her Universe has been dropping a lot of pics lately, and I have, alas, been a little too tied up to do much – until today, with the double (triple?) punch of the X-wing A-line and Hot Topic dresses. It also looks like we’re getting an Artoo costume hoodie, but I’m not sure about the purple shirt the little girl is wearing… Anyone recognize it?
We think these will be available very soon (like, next week, probably) – stay tuned! And Doctor Who fans, ThinkGeek is selling new Her Universe Time Lord and Dalek shirts, though Ashley does warn they run small.
I swear I’m not taking This Is Madness particularly seriously – some things I am happy to leave to Hondo – but let’s admit it: It’s particularly disheartening to see neither of the female characters made it past the second round.
Hell, Leia, perhaps the most recognizable Star Wars lady, could only muster 33% of the vote against a droid. Now I love Artoo, but come on: He’s a droid. And having no particular attachment to either character, I’m not sure what to think of Chewbacca’s victory over Ahsoka. I can understand favoring Chewbacca – I mean, who hates Chewbacca? – but Ahsoka is certainly one of the most developed characters (not female, just characters) to come out of The Clone Wars, and she still only got 35%.
So much for the theory of a Clone Wars surge, huh? Should we chalk Obi-wan’s victory over Han to Ewan McGregor fans who didn’t stick around for the other votes? (No cookies for you, Wantons.)
Does it even really matter? Of course not. It’s a goofy March Madness takeoff, nothing more. (And given that I generally have little patience for most March Madness ripoffs, I’m a little ashamed at even falling for this in the first place.) But it’s still a damn shame, and a key reminder: No matter how many t-shirts we buy, we’re not done yet, ladies.
If you were wondering why The Clone Wars’ Ashley Eckstein was chatting on the Star Wars Books Facebook today, well here’s your answer: She announced that Her Universe has acquired the rights to make Expanded Universe products! (As you may recall, the Mara Jade shirt for Celebration VI was a one-off and limited availability due to not having the EU rights.) Here’s what Ashley had to say about what’s to come:
We are designing Several NEW Star Wars designs this year. Everything will be debuting in May. We are making shirts, dresses, jewelry…We have Rogue Sqaudron designs AND I am SO excited to announce that Lucasfilm has given us the rights to design shirts for the women in the EU, so expect more Mara Jade and Jaina Solo designs!
She later asked fans to be sure to speak up about what EU stuff you’d like to see.
Later, a (male) fan asked “Why do girls pretend to like Star Wars?” (Really people? Really?) Ashley handled that pretty well:
Girls definitely do not pretend to like Star Wars. It’s a fact that close to half of all Star Wars fans are girls. There may be some girls and boys that pretend to know more about Star Wars than they really do, but I would encourage you to talk about Star Wars with them and teach them more. Sometimes people may pretend to know more than they really do because they want to fit in. But even if there is a seed of interest in Star Wars, it’s our job as fans to welcome NEW fans into this Universe. Especially during this exciting time! We are about to get more movies!
Of course there was plenty asked about The Clone Wars:
I honestly don’t know Ahsoka’s eventual fate. I encourage you to watch the Season 5 finale on Saturday because there are some surprises. You will get some answers and then you will also probably have a lot more questions…You must tune in and bring some tissues…
In a new interview with About.com, Ashley Eckstein says that Her Universe hopes to expand beyond t-shirts. She namechecks “dresses, leggings, skirts, cardigans.” They already have one dress – the TARDIS, which remains a Hot Topic exclusive – but the idea of cardigans is getting a lot of love online.
For the more immediate future, Ashley mentions Her Universe branded items:
I am very excited because we are currently designing my first Her Universe branded collection. Up until this point we’ve only focused on licensed designs, but girls have been asking for Her Universe branded items as well. These designs will be very graphic and inspirational. We tell girls to “Dream Your World. Be Your World. Flaunt Your World.” and I want our branded designs to represent that whimsy, inspiration and power.
What would you like to see Her Universe tackle beyond the types of tops, pajamas, jewelry and tote bags that they’ve already produced?
Her Universe has revealed their Cyber Monday exclusives! Above, a set of Darth Vader pajamas featuring artwork from Her Universe favorite Katie Cook. “Everyone knows I love creating designs for Her Universe,” Cook said. “I jumped at the chance to combine two of my favorite things: Star Wars and pajamas.” Tops and bottoms will be sold separately – the tops aren’t on the site yet, but the bottoms go up to 3X.
The Star Wars shirt with Japanese symbols is a new Misses cut that is “is flattering to the female figure” – it’s the same cut as the plus-size Mara shirts from Celebration, and is available in sizes up to 2X. The BSG crew neck sweatshirt might also appeal to those looking for a looser cut – it’s available in sizes up to XL. There are also new Star Trek and two new DoctorWho tees!
Her Universe is producing their first Star Trek jewelery for the holiday – these earrings feature the Vulcan hand sign in the communicator seal. And this year’s holiday pin features Chewbacca and comes in a case signed by Ashley Eckstein. A thousand have been produced and will be going out free with every order while supplies last.
Also free this year? U.S. Ground shipping! All the new Cyber Monday products will go on sale November 26.
College Humor is not making many friends in the comics blogosphere, lately. The ad at right has appeared on the back page of several DC Comics books, and… Well. Take it away:
WonderAli: That Joke isn’t Funny Anymore. “College Humor, and DC by association, are perpetuating the message that comics simply cannot possibly be enjoyed by girls. They are for BOYS ONLY–mouth-breathing, women-hating boys at that. Sorry, intelligent woman who is enjoying the hell out of Wonder Woman, this book is not for you!”
The Mary Sue’s Susana Polo: So, The Back Cover Ad on Batman This Month Is a “Fake Geek Girl” Joke. “I just can’t decide which is more depressing to imagine: someone in marketing at College Humor (whose work I generally enjoy) pitching this specific example from their series of real life comic book “villains” to DC for an ad… or someone on DC’s marketing team saying “These ‘villains’ you came up with are all super funny, but you know… Some of our readers might feel targeted by the “guy who gets angry on forums” joke or the implications that they’re not good at personal interaction. And we probably shouldn’t use the one about executives… seeing as how we’re employed by them. So we’ll use the one that’s a girl. Girls don’t read comics anyway.””
iFanboy’s Jim Mroczkowski: Real Geeks Only, Ladies. “Funny how people who were bullied throughout their childhoods will become the most hateful bullies themselves at the first whiff of a victim. Hang on: when I typed “funny,” I misspelled “unimaginably depressing.” A round of applause for human nature, everybody.”
If you were wondering why The Clone Wars’ Ashley Eckstein was 
Her Universe and Ashley Eckstein today announced 
In a new interview with About.com, 
The Hollywood Reportor has named Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy as 
