New Star Wars comics announced

[Brandon Rhea]

http://www.starwars.com/news/sdcc-2014-inside-marvels-new-star-wars-comics-exclusive

Marvel will be publishing three new Star Wars comic titles: Star Wars, an ongoing series; Star Wars: Darth Vader, an ongoing series; and Star Wars: Princess Leia, a five-issue mini-series. All three are canon, and all three are set after the events of Episode IV. The link above has an interview with all of the authors.

 

[GABA]

Jason Aaron and Cassaday writing Star Wars? Omfg.

*GABA strokes out*

 

[Kaeb]

I like the ideas they've posited, in particular Leia's one actually.

Mention of incorporating prequel elements alarms me, but it always does so that can't be helped.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Mention of incorporating prequel elements alarms me, but it always does so that can't be helped.

My wittle Kaeb is growing up.

 

[Kaeb]

Said that shit a thousand times already babygirl, this time just doesn't warrant a discussion because there are no actual elements to talk about apart from there being a possibility, despite no decisions having been made yet, about prequel things popping up.

I like that they're going back to Alderaan with Leia's arc.

I like that they're going back to Vader's status as a hunting dog for an arc.

And I like that they're hinging the general arc in Luke being thrown into an entirely new world, they can afford him the kind if progression he couldn't get in the short span of a movie.

 

[Liam]

I'll add em to my comic subscriptions

 

[Latte]

I'll give 'em a chance. Hopefully, since there's EU continuity regulation now, it won't turn into a cluster like the rest of Marvel's comics.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

I really like the enthusiasm that all of these people have, not just for the fact that they’re writing Star Wars but that they’re writing official stories. This is real canon, just as valid as the movies. They’re really the first comic writers who can say that, so they seem genuinely jazzed about the fact that they’re giving official answers to questions like “How did Vader find out that Luke was his son?”

I also really like the line where it says that Luke is chasing his father and running away from Vader. That's a cool line, considering we know the truth.

Speaking of which, I like the fact that we’ll see Vader find out about Luke. That was always interesting to me. So too was what might have happened between Vader and the Emperor after the destruction of the Death Star. Likely this story will show not only why Vader wants to get rid of the Emperor, but why the Emperor wants to get rid of Vader.

I agree with you Kaeb and like how Vader will still be like the hound dog in this story, and how we’ll see the transition from that to the more powerful figure in Episode V, now that Tarkin isn’t holding the leash anymore. I like the House of Cards reference as well, and how we’ll see the inner workings of the Empire and the politics of that. Plus what Vader’s role within the Empire is.

The line where it says that Vader was living a lie for 20 years is an interesting one. He thinks he killed Padmé. He thinks she died while still pregnant. Now he knows the Emperor lied to him. Now he’ll find out he has a son. In the transition to what he was like in Episode V, we could very well see a much more dangerous Vader than we’ve ever seen before. He not only has a mission now, but it’s personal.

I like that they’re dealing with the destruction of Alderaan, and focusing on how Leia deals with the fact that she’s the princess of nothing, and what responsibilities can still come from that.

I'll give 'em a chance. Hopefully, since there's EU continuity regulation now, it won't turn into a cluster like the rest of Marvel's comics.

Unlike most Marvel lines, the continuity of their Star Wars titles is handled by Lucasfilm, rather than Marvel. There's a Lucasfilm Story Group that is responsible for maintaing the canon, making sure everything works together, tying stories together, etc.

 

[jpchewy01]

This looks amazing. I love seeing X-Wings and the original gang and just the general OT aesthetic. It's so great to finally be back in the Galactic Civil War.

 

[Kaeb]

It's great to be getting back to Star Wars.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

It's so great to finally be back in the Galactic Civil War.

This is an interesting comment, and shows probably one of the reasons why Disney and Lucasfilm ended the EU. Namely, the marketing aspect.

You said it's great to be getting back to the Galactic Civil War. As any avid reader of the EU will tell you, there were plenty of ongoing novels and comics set in the Galactic Civil War. What's funny about the new ongoing series called Star Wars is that there's still currently an ongoing Dark Horse series called Star Wars that's not going to end for another two weeks or so. Marvel is literally doing the exact same concept (pick up right after Episode IV) that Dark Horse is doing, only the Marvel one is official and the Dark Horse one isn't.

So, to get to my point, the idea of official canon is turning a previously disinterested group into an interested one. I never read the books and comics, but I'm eagerly awaiting many of them. JP, I would imagine you're the same way. I think that's the power of calling it official. No longer are they second fiddle; if we want to know the full official Star Wars story, we have to read these things.

And that's kinda cool.

 

[Rune]

It's great to be getting back to Star Wars.

Yes!

I'm very excited for the comics, especially the Vader series. It's always a treat when we get to see more of him in his element.

 

[Liam]

So too was what might have happened between Vader and the Emperor after the destruction of the Death Star.

I think we all know EXACTLY what happened:
[video=youtube_share;3F1d3QWsyk0]http://youtu.be/3F1d3QWsyk0[/video]

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Well played.

 

[jpchewy01]

This is an interesting comment, and shows probably one of the reasons why Disney and Lucasfilm ended the EU. Namely, the marketing aspect.

You said it's great to be getting back to the Galactic Civil War. As any avid reader of the EU will tell you, there were plenty of ongoing novels and comics set in the Galactic Civil War. What's funny about the new ongoing series called Star Wars is that there's still currently an ongoing Dark Horse series called Star Wars that's not going to end for another two weeks or so. Marvel is literally doing the exact same concept (pick up right after Episode IV) that Dark Horse is doing, only the Marvel one is official and the Dark Horse one isn't.

So, to get to my point, the idea of official canon is turning a previously disinterested group into an interested one. I never read the books and comics, but I'm eagerly awaiting many of them. JP, I would imagine you're the same way. I think that's the power of calling it official. No longer are they second fiddle; if we want to know the full official Star Wars story, we have to read these things.

And that's kinda cool.

There is a lot of weight to be had with the "official" stamp from Lucasfilm. For the longest time, literally over a decade, every official release from Lucasfilm has had to do with the prequel era, Clone Wars shows, toys, video games, you name it. Everything has had Hayden Christensen's face slapped on it (hyperbole, I know). Now, finally, Lucasfilm is giving us official releases with Luke and Leia and Han, you know, the characters we grew up with as the real heroes of Star Wars. We get to see TIE fighters and stormtroopers and all the fun stuff that we've missed. When Disney World has Star Wars weekends, they don't say shit about the Clone Wars, it's always Rebels this and Empire that. That's Star Wars.

I find it interesting that we call the adventures of Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan the "prequel trilogy". It's like an unspoken concession that the real adventure gets started in Episode IV. So much of the prequel trilogy is devoted to building up towards the adventures of the crew of the Millenium Falcon that it never gets to stand alone as it's own great set of adventures and that's one of the many problems that I have with the prequel trilogy. Episode II was all, "Oooooh, look, the Geonosians are building a Death Star, that's gonna be so cool in two movies!" Episode III was all, "Ooooh look, the clone troopers look more like stormtroopers now! And Darth Vader is at the end!" It felt like the prequel trilogy was just a set of chores that had to be done in order for us to get to the good stuff at the end.

I'm just glad that we finally finished the chores and can enjoy the feast of nostalgia that we get to revel in as we transition into a new era and generation of adventures in a galaxy far, far away.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

There is a lot of weight to be had with the "official" stamp from Lucasfilm. For the longest time, literally over a decade, every official release from Lucasfilm has had to do with the prequel era, Clone Wars shows, toys, video games, you name it. Everything has had Hayden Christensen's face slapped on it (hyperbole, I know). Now, finally, Lucasfilm is giving us official releases with Luke and Leia and Han, you know, the characters we grew up with as the real heroes of Star Wars. We get to see TIE fighters and stormtroopers and all the fun stuff that we've missed.

Well, yes and no. All of the EU releases were also official. Those were official canon until April, and Lucasfilm always treated them as part of the official Star Wars story. There was just an inherent contradiction in there, where they tried to have it both ways, so they invented a cockamamy system that let George Lucas do what he wanted while still calling the EU canon. The April announcement changed the definition of canon, and really all they said was that there wouldn't be any story contradictions anymore, and that it is officially just as valid as the movies. That's what gives it its weight.

When Disney World has Star Wars weekends, they don't say shit about the Clone Wars, it's always Rebels this and Empire that. That's Star Wars.

Not really. The Clone Wars is still a big part of that, even this year while they were hyping Rebels. Especially Ashley Eckstein. The Clone Wars isn't going anyway anytime soon. I even wrote a column about that today, from a story perspective: http://starwarsfans.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Brandon_Rhea/The_Clone_Wars_is_Far_From_Over

I find it interesting that we call the adventures of Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan the "prequel trilogy". It's like an unspoken concession that the real adventure gets started in Episode IV. So much of the prequel trilogy is devoted to building up towards the adventures of the crew of the Millenium Falcon that it never gets to stand alone as it's own great set of adventures and that's one of the many problems that I have with the prequel trilogy. Episode II was all, "Oooooh, look, the Geonosians are building a Death Star, that's gonna be so cool in two movies!" Episode III was all, "Ooooh look, the clone troopers look more like stormtroopers now! And Darth Vader is at the end!" It felt like the prequel trilogy was just a set of chores that had to be done in order for us to get to the good stuff at the end.

You're right that it was a checklist of things that needed to be done, but you're reading way, way too much into the fact that we call it the prequel trilogy. That's not an unspoken concession. People were calling it the prequel trilogy long before they ever saw Episode I, just like the term sequel trilogy has been around for decades as well. You can't retroactively change the meaning to suit your point of view.

 

[jpchewy01]

You can't let me have anything can you?

 

[Shroud]

No, George Lucas said the EU is not canon. Here is a quote by Lucas himself:

"But there's no story past Episode VI, there's just no story. It's a certain story about Anakin Skywalker and once Anakin Skywalker dies, that's kind of the end of the story. There is no story about Luke Skywalker, I mean apart from the books. But there's three worlds: There's my world that I made up, there's the licensing world that's the books, the comics, all that kind of stuff, the games, which is their world, and then there's the fans' world, which is also very rich in imagination, but they don't always mesh. All I'm in charge of is my world. I can't be in charge of those other people's world, because I can't keep up with it."

Therefore, nothing in the EU is officially canon to the movies. He pretty much said right there that a book is just as cannon as a simple fan-fic. That's how I interpretted it at least.

Edit: I meant to show this quote as well, but posted before I put it down:

"I've left pretty explicit instructions for there not to be any more features. There will definitely be no Episodes VII-IX. That's because there isn't any story. I mean, I never thought of anything. And now there have been novels about the events after Episode VI, which isn't at all what I would have done with it. The Star Wars story is really the tragedy of Darth Vader. That is the story. Once Vader dies, he doesn't come back to life, the Emperor doesn't get cloned and Luke doesn't get married..."

 

[Brandon Rhea]

No, George Lucas said the EU is not canon. Here is a quote by Lucas himself:

"But there's no story past Episode VI, there's just no story. It's a certain story about Anakin Skywalker and once Anakin Skywalker dies, that's kind of the end of the story. There is no story about Luke Skywalker, I mean apart from the books. But there's three worlds: There's my world that I made up, there's the licensing world that's the books, the comics, all that kind of stuff, the games, which is their world, and then there's the fans' world, which is also very rich in imagination, but they don't always mesh. All I'm in charge of is my world. I can't be in charge of those other people's world, because I can't keep up with it."

Therefore, nothing in the EU is officially canon to the movies. He pretty much said right there that a book is just as cannon as a simple fan-fic. That's how I interpretted it at least.

Lucas said it's not canon to his vision. Lucasfilm always said it was canon. That's why they had the crazy tier system, where there were different levels of canon, but it was all canon.

 

[Shroud]

Oh, you meant it's canon to its own variation of canon, gotcha. I thought you meant they were all one specific canon, and you didn't include all of their own perspectives. I'm pretty bad in explaining what I thought you meant. My apologies good sir, and I think Disney kept the multiple canons, but they simply just made in their own way a movie canon. It's similar to the way Marvel and DC do their comics (Marvel with different universes and DC with multiple Earths I think).