It’s been quiet on the new novel and comic fronts for quite some time, especially once it was revealed 3 comics would be ending in September and the only known novels were Thrawn: Alliances and the Solo adaptation. But SDCC 2018’s publishing panel was a Hutt’s feast of new announcements, from a LONG overdue Padmé novel, Queen’s Shadow, a Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon novel from lauded author Claudia Gray, while Marvel has a new maxiseries focusing on heroes and villains from across the saga, IDW brings the scares for October with Tales from Vader’s Castle, and more! Head below for all the exciting details!
NOVELS
While this month’s Thrawn: Alliances will feature Padmé, one of the prequel’s main characters and mother of both Luke and Leia has yet to star in her very own novel…until now! By author E.K. Johnston, with stunning cover art from Tara Phillips, comes Queen’s Shadow, a novel about Padmé’s transition from Queen to Senator. Here’s the current blurb:
“Padmé Amidala served Naboo well as its queen, but now she is ready to begin a new chapter in her life. Then the newly-elected queen asks Padmé to serve Naboo in a new capacity–as its senator. With the help of her devoted handmaidens, Padmé must figure out how to navigate the treacherous waters of politics and forge a new identity beyond the queen’s shadow.”
Johnston previously wrote “By Whatever Sun,” in From a Certain Point of View and Ahsoka, a YA novel which revealed the early days of Ahsoka’s survival after Order 66, including how she joined the Rebellion as Fulcrum, got her white sabers, teased bits of a storyline coming in the return of The Clone Wars, and more. I really enjoyed Johnston’s writing style and ability to capture many different POVs, so I’m very excited for her to be writing Queen’s Shadow. It’s great to have Padmé finally get her due in a novel and exploring part of her story in a timeframe we know little about provides Johnston plenty of opportunities to surprise, while I’m curious to see what it’ll uncover about the handmaidens as well. Go out and get this book when it hit shelves March 5, 2019! UPDATE: Review is in and Queen’s Shadow was a damn keeper!
The next big announcement was the reveal of Claudia Gray, easily my favorite author writing Star Wars prose at the moment, writing Master & Apprentice, a novel about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon set before The Phantom Menace! That’s the extent of details at the moment, heck it doesn’t even have a cover yet, but this won’t be the first time the story of Qui-Gon’s training of Obi-Wan has been explored. Back in Legends, there was the Jedi Apprentice series of books, which had Obi-Wan not being picked at first, leaving the Order briefly as he gets romantically involved on a mission, Qui-Gon’s other apprentice, Xanatos, falling to the dark side, and so much more. I really enjoyed those books when I was younger, so I’m very curious to see what M&A might borrow from there/hint at in the canon version, if anything. However, my best bet for what Gray might cover is the mission where Obi-Wan meets Satine Kryze and nearly leaves the Order for her, adding more heartbreak to the tragic death of Satine in the Clone Wars. I could very well be wrong and I totally fine with that, as it’s Claudia Gray and I trust her with my life at this point. She’s previously wrote “Master And Apprentice” for From a Certain Point of View, which had Qui-Gon visiting Obi-Wan as a Force Ghost, so Gray has already written these characters and understands them pretty well from that short story, which happens to be one of my top five from that collection. I wonder if that story is what got her the job or she wrote it while already having started work on M&A. Gray’s other works include the excellent Bloodline, Leia: Princess of Alderaan, and Lost Stars. We’ll share more about the book as we learn it, but make sure to check it out February 26, 2019! UPDATE: Master & Apprentice lived up to my expectations on nearly every level!
Next off is the previously announced Women of the Galaxy, written by Amy Ratcliffe, with, “…more than 100 all-new illustrations by a dynamic range of female and non-binary artists,” out October 30, 2018! (UPDATE: Here’s my review!) This looks to be an excellent endeavor and I can’t wait to see who Ratcliffe all picked for the 75 women the book will focus on, as I sure hope Doctor Aphra gets a section, as well as some cool new art too! They revealed some artwork from the book at the panel, including pictures of Rey, Ahsoka, Padmé, and Rae Sloane, while Ratcliffe did her best not to freak out about how Kathleen Kennedy is writing a foreword! Artists include: Alice X. Zhang, Amy Beth Christenson, Annie Stoll, Annie Wu, Christina Chung, Cryssy Cheung, Eli Baumgartner, Elsa Charretier, Geneva Bowers, Jennifer Aberin Johnson, Jen Bartel, Jenny Parks, Karen Hallion, Little Corvus, Sara Alfageeh, Sara Kipin, Sarah Wilkinson, and Viv Tanner
Covers were revealed for the upcoming “Flight of the Falcon” middle-grade series of books and comics, covering multiple eras of the saga, which are connected by spy Bazine Netal’s search for the Millennium Falcon. The stories include: Lando’s Luck, by author Justina Ireland with art by Annie Wu, which is new L3-37 and Lando adventure; Choose Your Destiny (Book 2): A Luke & Leia Adventure, by author Cavan Scott with art by Elsa Charretier, which has the titular duo stealing the Falcon to go on a secret mission; A 3D owner’s guide to the Falcon; and Pirate’s Price, written by Lou Anders with art by Annie Wu, a book about Han and Chewie’s first meeting with pirate extraordinaire, Hondo Ohnaka! Check these out when they begin releasing in October.
Lastly, Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s novelization got a cover as well, including some new details on how it’ll expand the story of the film, just like The Last Jedi novelization. It’ll include, “…scenes from alternate versions of the script and additional content, giving deeper insights into Han’s years in the Imperial Navy, Qi’ra’s past, and the beginnings of the Rebellion.” Written by Mur Lafferty, coming September 4, meaning it’ll be out a few weeks before Solo is released on home video!
COMICS
For Marvel, they’ve announced the “Age Of” maxi-series, which begins with Age of Republic, goes onto Age of Rebellion, and ends with Age of Resistance. Each “Age” covers 4 heroes and 4 villains from the era, and they’ll release 2 a month for 4 months, with each month having one hero and one villain issue, for a total of 30 issues. Age of Republic will be written by Jody Houser, who’s previously written comic adaptations of Rogue One and the Thrawn novel, and I’m excited she’ll get her hands on some original work. The series begins in December with Age of Republic: Qui-Gon #1 and Age of Republic: Darth Maul #1, with the following months to be released in this order: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jango Fett; Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku; and Padmé Amidala and General Grievous. Luke Ross will be on art duties for at least the Maul issue. Age of Rebellion will be written by Greg Pak and Age of Resistance will be written by Tom Taylor. If each “Age” picks up the month following the previous one’s end, the Resistance-themed “Age” should end one month before Episode IX, so maybe it could have some tie-ins or reveals for the final installment of the sequel trilogy. As for the first “Age,” I’m damn happy to have new Qui-Gon content in the year of our lord, 2018, and a novel starring him only a few months later! This is an exciting new comic series and a great way to shake up how Marvel’s been producing content, jumping across eras instead of staying mostly focused on the original trilogy or series based on a single character, though I hope more female characters will be part of the last two “Ages.” I’ll be updating the site with new details as they come in, and of course expect reviews shortly after each issue releases, with “Age” reviews to follow, and a giant “Age Of…” maxi-series review once it all wraps up. I’m really hoping this is as fun as it already looks!
The Solo: A Star Wars Story comic adaptation was also revealed, written by Robbie Thompson, interior art by Will Sliney, with covers from Phil Noto and Leonard Kirk. Much like the novelization and previous comic adaptations of the films, it will feature new scenes not seen in the film, probably overlapping a bit with the novelization’s additions. Creative Director at Lucasfilm Publishing, Michael Siglan, teased: “Read this one closely, because you don’t know where this one is going to head to and connect to in the future.” Maybe he’s referring to a sequel to the film coming in a different medium, like novels or comics? Either way, I switched to reviewing adaptations once they are completed, so expect a review for this one next year, as the 5-issue series starts this October.
Charles Soule was at the panel discuss the ending of the Poe Dameron series, as well as tease the upcoming “Fortress Vader” arc for Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith, saying it’s 7-issues, the biggest arc for any series to date! Soule said: “It’s all been building to this. From the very beginning of the series, this was always going to be the big huge arc we were building to, which is where does he get that castle?”
Speaking of that Castle, IDW is offering some fun looking scares this October with their Tales from Vader’s Castle comics (UPDATE: Miniseries review), a weekly 5-issue miniseries written by Cavan Scott, with art by Derek Charm. The set-up is a group of rebels crash-land a ship on Mustafar, and in the shadow of the Vader’s castle, they tell each other stories to raise one another’s spirits as they fight to survive. This honestly sounds like a ton of fun, as it includes tales about, “Hera, Kanan, and Chopper; Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku; Han Solo and Chewbacca; and, amazingly, even Ewoks,” with a horror twist. The official site has an in-depth interview with Scott And Charm, where they discuss a Dooku vampire story to honor Sir Christopher Lee’s horror-background and how the whole project came about. Extra spooky variant covers, as you can see in the gallery above, are from artist Francesco Francavilla, while the main covers will be by artists Chris Fenoglio, Kelley Jones, Corin Howell, Robert Hack, and Charles Paul Wilson III. That Ewok one is giving me all sorts of chills. I’m ready for some fun, scary Star Wars stories and am really looking forward this miniseries!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.