Once Upon a Galaxy
Upcoming Books and Comics
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latest update:
Wednesday
July 23, 2008
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comic-pack Wave 1 (August 15, 2008)
comic-pack Wave 2 (September 20, 2008)
comic-pack Wave 2 (October 20, 2008)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Mad Libs (February 5,
2009)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Volume 2: Crash Course
(December 31, 2008)
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OUT NOW:
July 23, 2008
Star Wars: Action Figure Database Vol. 5 (2004 – 2005)
Japanese book (non-fiction)
softcover,
Hobby Japan Co. Ltd., ISBN 4-89425-738-6,
coverprice: Y 2.800
Star Wars: Action Figure Database Vol. 6 (2006 – 2008)
Japanese book (non-fiction)
softcover,
Hobby Japan Co. Ltd., ISBN 4-89425-739-4,
coverprice: Y 2.800
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic # 31 (Turnabout) (confirmed by the Diamond Shipping List)
US comic: written
by John Jackson Miller, art by Alan Robinson, cover by Michael Atiyeh
comic
(40 pages), Dark Horse Comics, coverprice $ 2.99
solicitation copy: Zayne Carrick, a fugitive Padawan accused of the
murder of his fellow students, is on his way to the authorities in hope of
clearing his name, shedding light on the Jedi Masters who framed him, and
revealing the covert order to which they belong. But reaching the right people
without facing off against his former masters is proving to be more difficult
than Zayne imagined! Success is going to require help from every true friend
Zayne has garnered in his long quest for justice.
The secret Jedi Covenant is on the brink of
exposure!
Star Wars: Legacy # 26 (confirmed by the Diamond Shipping List)
US comic: written by John Ostrander,
art by Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons, cover by Omar Francia
comic (40
pages), Dark Horse Comics, coverprice $ 2.99
solicitation copy: The Galaxy is in shreds from Darth Krayt's lesson in obedience. Cade
Skywalker has resolved that this Sith Emperor must be stopped, not only to free
himself and his friends from being hunted-but to save the Galaxy from further
punishment. And he can't do it alone!
Cade travels to a "secret" Jedi Temple to acquire help from
additional Jedi, but his arrival may bring other dangers that do not originate
with Darth Krayt...
This is the future of Star Wars, the continuation of the story that
started in the original trilogy, and none of it has been seen before.
July 22, 2008
Robot Chicken: Star Wars
US/Canada DVD
DVD,
Warner Home Video, retail price $ 14.97
description from tvshowsondvd.com: We’ve learned that Warner Home Video is planning a special DVD release
for Robot Chicken – Star Wars, due to arrive on May 20th. This
single-disc release will include the special itself – 30 minutes of sketches –
plus around an hour’s worth of special features.
Among the voice actor you’ll hear are Chris Green,
Peter MacFarlane, George Lucas (as himself), Ahmed Best (reprising his
theatrical role as “Jar Jar Binks”), Malcolm McDowell, Conan O’Brien, Donald
Faison, James van der Beek, Joey Fatone, Hulk Hogan and Mark Hamill as “Luke
Skywalker” (in some sketches; Bob Bergen voices Luke in most sketches).
extras:
-
Chicken Nuggets (sketch by sketch
video commentary)
-
animation meeting
-
on-air bumps
-
trailers
-
behind-the-scenes featurette
-
deleted scenes
-
alternate audio
-
time lapse sequences
-
photo gallery
-
Star Wars Celebration IV panel
presentation
-
Production design featurette
-
episode commentary (more than 2
hours)
starwars.com link /
amazon link / starwars.com Q&A
July 19 - 21, 2008
Star Wars: The Art of Ralph McQuarrie (Star Wars Celebration Japan exclusive)
US book (Japanese-languaged)
book (168
pages), Dreams and Visions Press (limited to 1,978 copies), price $ 50.00
from the Dreams and Visions Press blogspot: Dreams and Visions Press is pleased to announce their latest release,
a limited edition produced exclusively for Star Wars
Celebration Japan which will be held
at the Makuhari-Messe in Chiba, near Tokyo, July 19-21, 2008.
Star Wars: The Art of Ralph McQuarrie is a 168 page, full color oversize
paperback created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars in Japan.
Authors Stan Stice and John David Scoleri have compiled a book that contains
nearly all of Ralph's Star Wars art from their critically acclaimed The Art of
Ralph McQuarrie, along with dozens of newly discovered, never before published
production pieces from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the
Jedi.
The Art of Ralph McQuarrie made it's debut at Star Wars Celebration IV
in Los Angeles in May 2007. "We were thrilled at the reception the book
received. While we were happy to finally make so much of Ralph's artwork
available to his fans, certain limitations resulted in several of Ralph's most
famous and recognizable Star Wars paintings not making the final cut,"
Scoleri said. A veteran of all 5 previous Star Wars Celebrations, Stice noted,
"We saw the opportunity to do something special for Ralph's Japanese fans
while celebrating the 30th anniversary of Star Wars in Japan. By designing a
book that focused exclusively on Ralph's Star Wars art, we were able to not
only carry over the majority of the Star Wars art from the original volume, but
add in many of the pieces we didn't originally have the space for."
The Japanese book also provided an avenue for additional recently
uncovered Star Wars artwork. "Ralph's furnace went out and needed to be
replaced," said Stice. "In the process of clearing out the space for
the workmen to replace it, I came across a folder containing pages and pages of
never before seen drawings from the making of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes
Back. Our book had only been out a few months, and here we stumbled across a
treasure chest of illustrations that had been forgotten for nearly 30
years."
The inclusion of the new and previously omitted artwork expanded the
book by almost 30 pages, making this a must have for all fans of Ralph
McQuarrie and the art of Star Wars. The book was translated by Eimei Takeda,
allowing Japanese fans to read Ralph's personal commentary on his amazing body
of Star Wars artwork for the first time. This Star Wars Celebration Japan store
exclusive is limited to 1,978 copies and has a retail price of $50 US.
"This provided another opportunity to share another of Ralph's
pieces long thought to be lost to the ages," Scoleri said. "Many fans
are unaware that Ralph designed the original Star Wars Fan Club 'Bantha Tracks'
logo. We searched the Lucasfilm archives during the making of our original book,
and it was assumed the original art was lost before Lucasfilm moved to Northern
California. Pete Vilmur of Lucasfilm online and co-author of the Star Wars
Vault and Star Wars Poster Book, came to the rescue after he located Ralph's
original drawing." While it was too late to include within the book, Stice
took the opportunity to utilize the image as one of the show exclusive
bookmarks. "The size and orientation of the original drawing made it
perfect for a bookmark. We were so excited to finally have the piece, I decided
to make these bookmarks even larger than the previous versions to really
showcase the art."
dreams and visions link
/ starwarsblog link
RECENTLY
RELEASED:
Star Wars Insider # 78 (UK version of Star Wars Insider # 102)
UK magazine: edited by Brian J. Robb
magazine
(86 pages), Titan Magazines
contents (Creature Special):
-
Stuart Freeborn (Meet the now
93-year-old creature creator)
-
Cantina Mania! (How one Star Wars
fan developed an obsession with the cantina creatures)
-
Tippett Talks! (Continuing our
special effects series, we talk with stop motion guru Phil Tippett)
-
The Clone Wars! (Inside the
creation of the latest Star Wars movie, and the lowdown on the TV show)
-
25 Years of Jedi! (Celebrate the
anniversary of the final film of the original Star Wars trilogy)
-
plus all your new-look departments
and much, much more!
UPCOMING:
2008
July 24 - 27, 2008 (SAN DIEGO COMIC CON INTERNATIONAL
2008)
Hasbro Sketchbook Volume 1 - 2008 (Comic Con Exclusive)
US sketchbook
CLONE WARS
BOOK-PROGRAM
Information regarding the Clone Wars
publishing program by Carol Roeder, Lucasfilm’s Director of Publishing: The forthcoming Star Wars-based 3D-animated franchise Star Wars: The Clone
Wars will be
supported by a full line of licensed publishing for all ages. “This is the
first time we’re going out with a concerted effort for kids,” said Carol
Roeder, Lucasfilm’s director of publishing. She notes there will be significant
interest among adult fans, although the main target is ages 6-12.
Grosset & Dunlap will be the primary licensee for children’s formats
including junior novelizations, 8x8s, readers, movie photo books and activity
books, starting with movie tie-ins this summer—the on-sale date for all books
and merchandise is July 26—followed by TV-based titles in the fall. Other
juvenile licensees include DK for sticker books, Visual Guides and DK Readers
and Dalmatian for coloring and activity books. For older readers, Random
House’s Del Rey imprint will publish one movie and four TV novelizations, and
Dark Horse will release monthly comics and digest-size graphic novels. An “Art
Of” title is expected as well. (data from Publishersweekly.com, April 5, 2008)
Additional information from starwars.com (April 29, 2008): The Penguin Group will publish a series of books based on the upcoming
feature film and television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is in
production at Lucasfilm Animation. The books will debut this summer, in advance
of the August 15th theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The license between Lucasfilm Ltd. and The Penguin Group marks the first
global licensed publishing program based on the action-packed, CG-animated
Clone Wars. The program spans multiple imprints within Penguin Group (USA), DK
Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) and Penguin Group (UK).
Additional information from publishersweekly.com (May 1, 2008): This summer, Grosset & Dunlap will publish a reader, 8x8, picture book,
activity book, photo book and a movie novel (the last to be distributed in the
U.K. by Puffin as well). DK will release Clone Wars: The Visual Guide, Clone Wars: Ultimate Sticker
Book, two readers and, for U.K. only, a Funfax title,
while Ladybird in the U.K. plans two activity books, two storybooks and a Press
Out ‘n’ Build title.
The on-sale date for the first books is July 26 in the U.S. and August 7 in
the U.K.; the U.S. movie release will be on August 15, followed by the DVD
release and then a prime-time TV series on Cartoon Network and TNT in the fall.
All the books on the initial roster are movie-based, but the characters are the
same in the movie and series, and “those titles will naturally backlist,”
Dorfman believes. Grosset & Dunlap will release an additional five titles
in the fall in conjunction with the TV series launch.
Penguin’s U.K and U.S. divisions are working closely on developing the
books, reformatting some titles to fit each other’s markets and sharing files,
for example. One of Grosset & Dunlap’s fall titles, a model-making kit, is
a Penguin U.K. format that it first launched with Dr. Who. “I think Lucas was intrigued
that we were all able to work together to do a global deal,” Dorfman says.
“That doesn’t happen a lot.”
CLONE WARS
COMICS ANNOUNCED!!
In an interview Dark Horse editor Randy Stradley gave to Fan Force Portugal,
he revealed the following:
“The
plan is to tell an exciting story within the twelve issues of “Vector,” but to
also have the events that happen in each chapter directly affect the subsequent
events in that series. After issue #28, you’ll see how the events in “Vector”
almost immediately spur new action in Knights of the Old Republic. Zayne
Carrick will emerge from the “Vector” story a changed man, with a renewed
determination to carry his fight to clear his name to the Masters who framed
him.
We
have similar plans for all of the series, though something has come up which
will put some of the “new directions” temporarily on hold. See, we knew that the
new Clone Wars TV show was likely to debut in the Fall of this year. But we
didn’t know until quite recently that there was going to be a theatrical film
to launch the series, or that Clone Wars would receive quite the promotional
push that it is. This turn of events has required us to retool some of our
plans. Instead of continuing the Dark Times and Rebellion series immediately
following their “Vector” issues, those series are going on hiatus so that we
can roll out a new Clone Wars comics series
-- and a new Clone Wars digest-sized series (similar
to the Clone Wars Adventures books, but with full-length stories in each
volume).
Dark
Times and Rebellion will probably return early next year. In the meantime,
KotOR and Legacy will carry on the momentum generated by “Vector.”
Further
information from Randy Stradley at the Dark Horse forums reveals the following:
-
the new Clone Wars comics series will be a monthly
title (probably six issues, with the main story written by Henry Gilroy). The
back-up stories, written by other writers, will be ”stand alone stories, not
really connected to the lead story”
the new
Clone Wars Quarterly will be a digest with an open-ended run. The artwork of
this new digest will reflect the style of the new tv-series. These digest will
be in the same digest-size format as Dark Horse’s Clone Wars Adventures, but
will feature full-length stories rather than short stories.
July 26, 2008
Del Rey:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (The Clone Wars: Book
1) (movie novelization)
US book (fiction): written by Karen
Traviss
hardcover
(272 pages), Del Rey, ISBN 0- 345-50898-X, coverprice $ 20.00
information
from Lucasfilm’s Director of Publishing Carol Roeder: For older readers, Random House’s Del Rey imprint will publish one
movie and four TV novelizations. (data from Publishersweekly.com, April 5,
2008)
from Previews: A new era of Star Wars
begins in 2008 when Star Wars: The Clone Wars premieres as an all-new feature
film on August 15, followed by the television series debut! Young Jedi Knight Anakin
Skywalker, his new Padawan, Asohka, and his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, are on a
mission to rescue the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and the
Separatists also want to rescue the baby Hutt – because whoever succeeds in
returning Jabba’s son to him will gain the support of the Hutts in the war
between the Republic and the Separatists.
press-release: NEW YORK, NY – June 25, 2008 – LucasBooks and Del Rey, an imprint of
Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that Del
Rey will publish five novels to tie-in with the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film, premiering on August 15, and the animated TV series that
will air in fall of 2008 on Cartoon Network and TNT.
The first novel – Star Wars:
The Clone Wars – is written by
fan-favorite Star Wars author Karen Traviss, and will go on sale July 26, 2008. Popular
science-fiction/fantasy author Karen Miller will write the second novel, to be
published in December 2008. Both books will add depth, color and background to
the screen stories and characters, making them must-reads for every Star Wars fan.
The story follows the heroic Jedi Knights as they struggle to maintain
order and restore peace during the tumultuous Clone Wars. More and more systems
are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips
further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending
droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find
themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them
face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister
agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure
that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of
the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a
valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side.
Del Rey Editor Shelly Shapiro says, “It is a gift to all Star Wars fans
to see the franchise continue to grow and develop under the watchful and
ever-inventive eye of its creator, George Lucas. The Star Wars
galaxy is one of the richest fictional “worlds” ever invented, and it is
exciting to be able to explore this new area with novels, as we’ve done with so
much success–and so much fun–with the original six movies.”
from
karentraviss.com (July 9, 2008
(thanks to Zee Zee from www.starwarsbooks.co.uk): Yes, there is a NEW SERIES out this
month, and judging by the mail I'm getting, folks don't seem to realise what it
is. There's a NEW FIVE-BOOK
STAR WARS SERIES for adult readers based on the Clone Wars movie
and TV cartoon show, and I'm writing three of them. But because the movie and
the TV show are for the youngsters, and I write adult fiction, then you can
deduce that the novels will show you stuff you won't see on screen. (This is
separate from the young adult books that are also being published. )
CLONE WARS,
the hardcover based on the movie - loosely based, so no griping
that it's different, because that's the whole point - is out on July 26. Full of
the gritty, off-message, character-testing, question-raising, grey-area,
military-oriented stuff you've come to expect from me. And clones.
Plenty of clones. And familiar characters from the movies that you won't see
quite the same way ever again.
My good buddy Karen Miller is writing the other two
novels. She doesn't write predictable books either, so stand by for a
challenging series that will make you take another fresh look at the Clone
Wars.
I'll be pimping the books at Comic Con in San Diego, July 24 - 27, with a short book tour immediately
afterwards. I'll post cities and dates when they're all confirmed.
comment from Karen Traviss regarding continuity: I hate to cause
even more meltdown among the obsessives, but seeing as the first book is now on
its way to stores (even I have my box of freebies in distant Blighty) - Anakin
is no longer a Padawan and he has a Padawan of his own, as everyone surely knows
by now. It's not exactly classified. It's been out for months. And it's right
after Geonosis. Yes, it's not year three. It's year one - early in year one.
randomhouse link / amazon link / barnes & noble link
/ starwarsblog press-release
Grossett & Dunlap:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Movie Novel (digest
movie novelization)
US book (fiction): written by
Tracey West
softcover,
Grossett & Dunlap (160 pages), ISBN 0-448-44992-7,
coverprice: $ 6.99
from
starwars.com: Based on The Clone Wars theatrical release, this novel traces the
story of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a young new Padawan as they
battle against the evil Separatist army.
amazon link / Penguin PDF announcement / starwars.com link / starwars.com first look
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Battle at Teth Storybook (8x8
storybook)
US book (fiction): written by
Kirsten Mayer
softcover,
Grossett & Dunlap (32 pages), ISBN 0-448-44993-5,
coverprice: $ 3.99
from starwars.com: The war between the
Galactic Republic and the Separatist army rages on. On the planet of Teth, one
brave clone captain leads his troops into battle against an overwhelming droid
army. This is his story.
amazon link / Penguin PDF announcement / starwars.com link / starwars.com first look
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Battle Begins (picture
book)
US book (fiction): written by Rob
Valois
hardcover,
Grossett & Dunlap (32 pages), ISBN 0-448-44991-9,
coverprice: $ 16.99
from
starwars.com: This jacketed hardcover
picture book contains images from the new theatrical release and retells the adventures
of Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi as they battle against the
villainous Sith.
amazon link / Penguin PDF announcement
/ starwars.com link /
starwars.com first look
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Galactic Photobook (photobook)
US book (fiction): written by
Zachary Rau
paperback,
Grossett & Dunlap (32 pages), ISBN 0-448-44996-X, coverprice:
$ 6.99
from
starwars.com: This scrapbook is a great
companion piece to both the theatrical release and the television series. It
contains information on the characters, droids, ships, and settings of The
Clone Wars.
amazon link / Penguin PDF announcement / starwars.com link / starwars.com first look
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Intergalactic Adventure Activity
Book (activity book)
US book (non-fiction): written
by Rob Valois (editor)
softcover,
Grossett & Dunlap (32 pages), ISBN 0-448-44997-8,
coverprice: $ 4.99
from starwars.com: Fans of The Clone
Wars can have their own galactic adventure with this activity book full of puzzles,
word searches, games, and two sheets of stickers!
amazon link / Penguin PDF announcement / starwars.com link / starwars.com first look
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The New Padawan (6x9
reader)
US book (fiction): written by Eric
Stevens
softcover
(48 pages), Grossett & Dunlap (48 pages), ISBN 0-448-44994-3,
coverprice: $ 3.99
from starwars.com: Now a full-fledged
Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker's days of being a Padawan are behind him.
However, there is a new Padawan on the scene and she just might be more than
the Jedi can handle.
amazon link / Penguin PDF announcement / starwars.com link / starwars.com first look
DK Publishing:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Watch Out for Jabba the Hutt (DK Readers
Level 1)
US book (fiction)
softcover,
DK Publishing (32 pages), ISBN 0-7566-4083-0, coverprice: $ 3.99
Barnes & Noble link
/ starwars.com link /
amazon link / starwars.com first look
hardcover,
DK Publishing (32 pages), ISBN 0-7566-4084-9, coverprice: $ 14.99
Barnes & Noble link
/ starwars.com link /
amazon link / starwars.com first look
from amazon UK: Get your child hooked
on reading as they meet the characters from the new "Star Wars Clone
Wars" series. Designed to engage even the most reluctant reader, this
fun-packed "Clone Wars Reader" is a first introduction to the
characters from the new "Star Wars Clone Wars" animated film and TV
series. From Jabba the Hutt and his son 'Stinky' to R2-D2 and C-3PO, your child
will meet their favourite creatures, species, aliens, monsters and droids.
Packed with pictures from the "Clone Wars" series, it's an
out-of-this-world read. And don't forget, there's a galaxy-full of "DK
Star Wars" books to collect.
from Previews UK: In this exciting
book, readers get an introduction to the characters from the new Star Wars: The
Clone Wars animated film and television series. From Jabba the Hutt to R2-D2
and C-3PO, kids will meet their favourite creatures, species, aliens, monsters,
and droids.
from starwars.com (July 10, 2008): Jabba's big and tough, and Anakin is ready for action, facts that
youngsters just starting to read can find out in the first DK Readers tied into
the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.