Whether you’re a prequel fan, a The Mandalorian fan, or all the above since it’s all Star Wars, there was some recent news for everyone! For starters, Star Wars Insider will celebrate Attack of the Clones’ 20th Anniversary with 4 short stories, then the cover and a new interview dropped for the Obi-Wan-centric Padawan novel, and lastly Marvel jumps back into the adaptation game (after quietly cancelling The Rise of Skywalker’s) with… The Mandalorian’s first season?!? Head below for more details.
As someone who was 9 when The Phantom Menace came out, the prequels have always been “my” trilogy, so to think it’s now been 20 years since Attack of the Clones came out is pretty wild! The anniversary won’t be unmarked, as Star Wars Insider will have 4 short stories set around the film, starting in issue #209 out in March. These “Galactic Tales” have a good mixture of characters, some surprising, some not so, but either way it’s awesome to see some love for the weirder, unique middle chapter for the prequels. Here’s the list:
- S.T. Bende will write a Zam Wesell and Jango Fett team-up story.
- Richard Dinnick focuses on General Grievous going after a Jedi artifact.
- George Mann dives into the diner with Dexter Jettster helping a friend in peril!
- Rodney Barnes writes Mace Windu alongside clonetroopers on a mission.
Next, the previously announced Padawan, written by Kiersten White, received its final cover ahead of its July 26 release. There’s a new interview with the author, where she confirms no Satine appearances but does dive into Obi-Wan’s anxiety and how she crafted what she hopes will feel like an important moment in the well-known Jedi’s life. It’s one of a slew of Obi-Wan content out this year, from Mike Chen’s Brotherhood, the Obi-Wan comic miniseries, and of course the Obi-Wan Kenobi show! Here’s the updated blurb for Padawan:
BEING A TEENAGER IS HARD ENOUGH WITHOUT ALSO TRAINING TO BE A JEDI….
Obi-Wan Kenobi has not been apprenticed long to Qui-Gon Jinn, and he is chafing at Qui-Gon’s training style: all meditation, no action. Obi-Wan yearns to prove himself on a mission, but when he and Qui-Gon are finally set to leave on an assignment, Qui-Gon is nowhere to be found. Angered by his master’s abandonment, Obi-Wan sets out on the mission alone, determined to prove himself. On a mysterious planet he encounters a pack of feral, Force-wielding teens who seem to be the planet’s only inhabitants. As he experiences wild freedom with them and wonders if this isn’t the life he was meant for, Obi-Wan can’t escape the nagging sense that something is wrong with the Force there. Growing attachments, startling revelations, and a looming threat to both the planet and his new friends will bring Obi-Wan face-to-face with his worst fear: that maybe he was never supposed to be a Jedi at all. Can he connect with the living Force in time to save himself and everyone around him?It’s the star of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ limited series as you’ve never seen him before….
Lastly, and most surprisingly, Marvel returns to making adaptations with The Mandalorian, an episode-by-episode 8 issue adaptation of the first season of the show, and I presume will, if successful, continue to adapt more seasons. I’ve never really been a big adaptation fan, as while I enjoy some of the deleted scenes they can work into their panels, I’m always hoping for new content or new stories, not retreads of stories I’ve already enjoyed. But what’s even more glaring about this choice is that it’s now Marvel third new series announced and the third one with an all-male creative team, which shows they don’t even try when it comes to diversity anymore. The previous adaptation, The Rise of Skywalker, was to be written by Jody Houser, but has since been cancelled quietly into the ether, but they found a male team to bring the next project to life instead. At least Dark Horse will have Claudia Gray writing their upcoming Quest of the Jedi comic, so maybe they’ll take IDW’s place of leading the way in parity for comic creatives. Overall, this is a subject I’ve talked about in more length in my 2021 Star Wars comics year-in-review and will cover even more in an upcoming article.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
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