Tag: releases

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Out this week: Fate of the Jedi #6

Today sees the release of the sixth Fate of the Jedi novel, Denning’s Vortex. People seem awfully excited that there’s a Kindle edition. I’m a book traditionalist (and too much of an Alton Brown fan to trust a unitasker, though yes, I know there’s an iPhone app) but in to their credit, it is only $6.29.

Meanwhile, because new releases only come in two speeds lately – feast or famine – comic fans have a few things to look for on Wednesday as well. There’s The Old Republic #6, The Clone Wars: Deadly Hands of Shon-Ju and a Quinlan Vos omnibus, Jedi in Darkness.

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Out this week: Clone Wars S2, TFUII, Invasion

It’s a good week for releases – or a very bad week for your wallet, depending on your foci.

With plenty of folks being bored with what we’ve seen of S3 so far, it’s a good time to pick up The Clone Wars Season 2 on DVD and Blu-Ray. (StarWars.com has a bonus feature and virtual trading cards.) If you’re looking for a less passive experience, there’s also The Force Unleashed II – the actual game – sailing into stores today.

As for books, Death Troopers is now out in paperback.

Comic fans won’t go home empty-handed on Wednesday, either. Both Blood Ties #3 and Invasion: Rescues #5 – as well as the latest Star Wars Insider – should be in comic shops.

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Out this week, maybe: Visions of Star Wars art

It’s time to start looking in earnest for the art book Star Wars: Visions. While it’s been listed online with a November release date, there have been several reports of it being in stores, which I take to mean that it’s not formally street dated. Preview some of the pieces at Underwire, and be sure to check out Paula’s review.

(Note: This post originally said that The Clone Wars S2 DVDS and TFUII were coming out today. That’s, uhh, next week. Sorry for any confusion.)

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Out this week: Making of ESB, Knight Errant

Two big releases this week! Coming up first, on Tuesday, is J.W. Rinzler’s eagerly anticipated The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the follow-up to 2007’s The Making of Star Wars. I was lucky enough to find a copy early this weekend, and while I haven’t had a chance to do a proper read, I can say one thing: It is huge.

I suspect we’ll see a good deal of press on this, but so the biggies are Vanity Fair’s interviews with Rinzler and Jeremy Bulloch (Irvin Kershner coming soon.) Meanwhile, io9 has some tidbits out of NYCC.

The other new release that’s been getting a lot of buzz in fandom is Knight Errant #1 by KOTOR’s John Jackson Miller. Look for it in your comic store on Wednesday.

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Why do books come out on Tuesdays? And comics on Wednesdays?

As witnessed on Twitter this evening, a lot of folks are only just now noticing that books (at least the ones with official street dates) always come out on Tuesdays. Here’s some speculation, thanks to @Blankitout. But regardless of the reasons, that’s just the way it is, unless you happen to be J.K. Rowling.

It’s not unknown for bookstores to put books out earlier, but it’s not encouraged by the industry or a something you can depend on happening. In the last couple years – since the Legacy of the Force series began – I have purchased books early… Twice. And by ‘early’ I mean more than one day. And one time I paid as much for quick shipping as I did for the paperback. It is really not worth the trouble.

Of course, not all books are street dated, as we’ve seen with most of the Star Wars stuff geared towards kids. But it’s pretty standard for hardcovers and genres/authors with big followings.

Comics are easier… Wednesday is the day that Diamond delivers to comic stores. (They’ll start delivering on Tuesdays next year, but the books will still be street-dated for Wednesdays.) For all intents and purposes they have a monopoly on the direct market (aka comic stores,) so I feel pretty secure in trusting their distribution list.

Note: This is all as regards domestic (U.S.) books and comics. I haven’t the slightest idea how things work elsewhere.