Gift Guide: Santa Maul thinks of the Wantons

Santa Maul's Holiday Gift GuideSanta Maul invites his many lady friends (and perhaps a few of his man friends as well) to feast their eyes on Sideshow’s new Attack of the Clones Obi-Wan figure. These 12 inches of bearded Obi-Wan can be preordered on Friday for those who qualify. Santa Maul is not familiar enough with Sideshow’s arcane practices to guess what that means, or when the figures will be shipping, but he does believe that many a fan would appreciate the gesture even if it does come down to an empty box on the day in question.

Santa Maul also recommends io9’s Gift Ideas for the Ten Major Species of Science Fiction Fan, though overall he finds their choices rather obvious.

StarWars.com reveals long-lost Galaxy artwork

Kevin Nowlan’s Obi-WanHere’s more reason to get excited about Topps’ fourth Galaxy series: They’re pulling some of the art that never made the first three sets! One of these pieces – John Rheaume’s levitating Yoda – has become rather infamous over the years, but others (like Kevin Nowlan’s Obi-Wan at right) will be new to many of us:

As expected, the original artists were delighted by this belated recognition of their efforts. “How great to have my Star Wars artwork finally see the light of day!” beamed Chris Moeller, one of a handful of illustrators showcased in SWG4’s special chase set entitled “The Lost Galaxy.” His unique rendering dared to show what the stormtroopers look like beneath their helmets – a full decade before George Lucas decided that all of these ubiquitous Imperial soldiers were actually clones of Jango Fett. Indeed, Boba’s enterprising father didn’t even exist as part of the Star Wars mythology back in the ’90s.

Intriging! The six ‘Lost Galaxy’ cards will also include pieces by Joe Ciardiello, John Pound, and Tim Burgard.