By George Bate and Cale William
A whole host of new Star Wars projects were announced during the ComicCon@Home livestream event Friday afternoon. A panel hosted by Lucasfilm Publishing’s senior editor Robert Simpson included a range of special guests, including Justina Ireland, George Mann, Rebecca Roanhorse, Preeti Chhibber, Timothy Zahn, Greg Pak, Alyssa Wong, Tom Angleberger, and Alex Segura. The discussion led to a number of reveals regarding new Star Wars books and comics. Check out below to see the 5 projects discussed at the event that we’re more looking forward to!
5. The Lightsaber Collection
While not introducing readers to a new narrative or characters, The Lightsaber Collection seems like it will be a must own for any hardcore Star Wars fan. Showcasing the iconic lightsabers of the Star Wars saga, this book will include high quality, unique images of the weapons, including never before seen portraits of different wielders.
4. Poe Dameron: Free Fall
The Rise of Skywalker added a unique side to Poe Dameron, including his past as a spice runner alongside Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik. Alex Segura’s new novel will delve into this period in Poe’s life and has been billed as a “crime novel in space,” with heist elements.
3. Thrawn: Ascendency – Chaos Rising
Timothy Zahn’s contribution to Star Wars lore is truly commendable, spanning decades chronicling Thrawn. Zahn promises that his new trilogy will expand upon Chiss culture, while highlighting Thrawn in a different era.
2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark
Fresh off the critically acclaimed final season of The Clone Wars, this anthology project looks to add to the era in some interesting ways and is definitely one of the most exciting projects revealed at the event. The anthology book includes contributions from a range of authors and will showcase more stories and characters in the beloved Clone Wars era, including Maul and Obi-Wan.
1. Darth Vader
Greg Pak’s new Darth Vader comics highlight the infamous Sith lord during the time between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Pak discussed the trauma inflicted upon Vader following Luke’s rejection on Bespin, “We tend to think of that from Luke’s point of view. But when you dig into that, you realize Vader himself is as traumatized as Luke is in that moment. And that moment is echoed purposefully multiple times throughout the series.” Interestingly, Pak revealed that his Vader comic will not only include references to the prequels, but also tie into The Rise of Skywalker in a unique way.
More projects were touched upon during the event, but these are just 5 of those discussed that we’re most looking forward. Despite the recent announcement that we’ll have to wait an additional year until the next Star Wars film, it’s great to see that there is a whole host of additions to canon we can enjoy in the meantime.
Images courtesy of Lucasfilm, Lucasfilm Publishing, Disney, Disney+, and Marvel