Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
We may still be recovering from Celebration, but it’s a big week for comics with two brand-new issues, one trade, and a reprint. Head to your favorite comic outlet for Star Wars #21, Darth Vader #23, the Obi-Wan & Anakin trade and a reprint of Poe Dameron #3.
This Wednesday brings Star Wars #20 and Han Solo #1 (preview) to comic shops. The Han miniseries is written by Marjorie M. Liu (who spoke to CBR about it last month) with art by Mark Brooks.
Head to your favored comic book vendor this Wednesday for Star Wars #19, the second printing of Poe Dameron #1, and Obi-Wan and Anakin #5.
For the trade collectors, there’s a new hardcover collection of Dark Horse’s The Phantom Menace adaptation from 1999, plus the second collection of Kanan.
This Wednesday will bring Star Wars #18 to the comic shops.
Looking at what’s already on the shelves, our own James interviewed author Pablo Hidalgo about the updated Star Wars Character Encyclopedia on StarWars.com.
Next week’s big release is Claudia Gray’s Bloodline, a Leia-centric novel that answers a question or two raised by The Force Awakens. (You can get a look at the first three chapters by subscribing to a newsletter from Playcrafting.) Look for my review on the release date, May 3.
Bloodline may be locked, but there have been minor shifts in the release dates of our next significant ROTJ-TFA bridge novels. Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath: Life Debt moves up a week to July 12, while the third book in the trilogy, Empire’s End, goes back a week to January 24. Our release schedule has been updated.
You can pick up Obi-Wan & Anakin #4 and the Vader Down trade collection at your comic dealer of choice come Wednesday.
Meanwhile, we’re only a two weeks out from the release of our next Star Wars novel, Claudia Gray’s Bloodline, on May 3.
Head to the comic shop on Wednesday for Star Wars #17, Obi-Wan and Anakin #3, and volume 2 of Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic, which appears to be all X-wing material.
Also, missed last week, Star Wars Insider #164 is in stores now.
There’ll be one brand-new comic waiting this Wednesday, Star Wars #16, the beginning of the new ‘Rebel Jail’ storyline. Also on the shipping list are second printings of Darth Vader #13, #14, #15 and Star Wars #14.
Just over a year out from launch, IGN interviews Jordan D. White, who’s in charge of Star Wars at Marvel Comics, about the line – including why they all began in the same time period at first – and what’s coming up in the future.
On why they chose Poe Dameron for the line’s first The Force Awakens ongoing:
Ideally, a miniseries tells a very specific, self-contained story. “Here’s this event.” You know, “Here’s the time when Lando tried to steal the Emperor’s yacht.” “Here’s the story of how Princess Leia dealt with the destruction of Alderaan in conjunction with her place in the Rebellion.” And then once it’s finished, it’s finished. If we were to, as some people have suggested, talk about turning that into an ongoing, it would be, “Well, okay, now we need to come up with a totally different story and direction for it to go in, because that is done.” Whereas as ongoing series, again, you want to come up with something that can generate story after story.
When you look at the main characters of The Force Awakens — all of whom are super awesome, by the way — Poe is definitely the one whose previous stories are adventure stories.
He also teases upcoming miniseries, “some that are going to surprise people” and “some that people are not going to be expecting.”
His Jar Jar idea – which remains vague, just in case – isn’t going to happen “any time soon.” But there’s stuff in the pipeline for “fans of every era of Star Wars.”
The article also previews some interior art from Darth Vader #16.
On Tuesday, Paul S. Kemp’s Lords of the Sith will be out in paperback. Wednesday brings one brand-new comic, Kanan #10, as well as second printings of Star Wars #13 and Obi-wan and Anakin #1.
There’s one new comic this Wednesday, Star Wars #15, another installment of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s journal.
If you’re catching up in trade, there’s the Lando collection. And last week brought the second Star Wars trade, ‘Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon,’ collecting #7-12 of the ongoing.