Chaykin And Clones In Star Wars Mags

Two new press releases regarding Star Wars magazines below.

STAR WARS INSIDER ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE HOWARD CHAYKIN COVER AND POSTER!

To mark the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, Titan’s December edition of Star Wars Insider magazine includes an exclusive limited edition collector’s cover and large size pull-out poster drawn by original Star Wars comic book artist, Howard Chaykin!

Chaykin, who drew the first limited-edition Star Wars poster in 1976, has now created a special Empire Strikes Back image exclusively for Star Wars Insider, the official magazine of the Star Wars saga. This limited edition collector’s cover of Insider is only available through comic stores and the large size pull-out poster comes free with the regular Insider newsstand edition.

This issue of Insider explores the making of the original Star Wars comic book by Chaykin and writer Roy Thomas and includes a never before published transcript of a meeting between George Lucas and Chaykin regarding the adaptation of Star Wars for a Marvel comic series.

Chaykin on the Star Wars characters:
“I feel that kid who plays Luke is a little soft in the face so I’m going to harden him up a little bit. He’s got a great cleft and that’s fine, but he looks like he’s 16. It’ll make him more heroic in the picture. Han Solo is perfect. He looks like I drew him. He looks my cliché mercenary hero. He looks like [classic comic book hero] Cody Starbuck. Chewbacca will be no problem. Same thing is true of Darth Vader…. He looks like a comic book character—Doctor Doom.“

The magazine also features interviews with the team behind The Clone Wars series, remarks from the Mark Hamill panel at Star Wars Celebration V and an Endor location guide. Plus, there’s much more must-have material for all Star Wars fans.

Retailers can order this special Star Wars Insider with exclusive Howard Chaykin cover and large size pull-out poster from October’s Diamond Previews. See Star Wars Insider “Featured Item” listing within the Books & Magazines section in Previews for more information.

Star Wars Insider #122
On-sale December 14, 2010

To subscribe to Star Wars Insider click here:
http://bit.ly/9MJYpo

Star Wars Insider is also available to read in full on PC, Mac or iPad at Zinio.com, the world’s largest digital newsstand. To subscribe to the online version of Star Wars Insider click here:
http://bit.ly/bZYEDg

Readers can keep up to date with more news and announcements from Star Wars Insider at the official Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/StarWarsInsider

Star Wars : The Clone Wars  Magazine #1

Coming to newsstands and comic stores near you on October 5 is an all-new Star Wars: The Clone Wars Magazine bursting with action and adventure!

In the first awesome issue, find out all about your favorite characters and vehicles with in-depth profiles and re-visit some classic The Clone Wars moments with episode guides. There’s also a chance to win a bundle of fantastic Hasbro toys in the Issue 1 competition! Plus, if you’ve not had a chance to check out Sony Online Entertainment’s new Clone Wars Adventures virtual world, now’s the time as there’s a code for a one-month free trial in this issue! And the magazine is chock-full of games and puzzles that are all sure to entertain!

Each issue will also feature a mini The Clone Wars comic adventure, eight pages of pure action! Issue 1’s story is called The Droid Deception and finds Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi on a Geonosian shipyard in deep space. Will they succeed in denting Grievous’ ability to maintain his vast fleet, or are they walking into a Separatist trap? Find out only in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Magazine #1!

September 29, 2010
Categories: Comic Art, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

My Best Friend is a Wookiee: A Memoir

Below is the press release for what looks set to be an interesting and funny read, and a story that us geeks ca certainly relate to.

So begins the real-life hero’s journey of Jedi Knight wannabe Tony Pacitti. In this hilarious coming-of-age memoir, our hapless hero sees Star Wars for the first time at the age of seven–and is never the same again. The epic film saga becomes little Tony’s moral compass, mentor, even psychologist, helping him battle the Evil Empire wherever he finds it. He uses the Force to navigate the perils and pitfalls of childhood–from the bullies who badger him at the bus stop to the beautiful girl who mocks Obi-Wan and breaks Tony’s heart. Then George Lucas releases The Phantom Menace, and a disappointed Tony turns to the Dark Side of adolescence, falling in with stoners and Goths and nu-metalheads so lame even Jar Jar Binks would shun them. However, armed with the sense of humor of Han Solo, the will power of Luke Skywalker, and the wise attitude of (a much younger) Yoda, Tony grows into a man worthy of riding shotgun with a Wookiee.

Find out more right here.

September 10, 2010
Categories: News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Awesome Star Wars and Tron Game Trailers

After two successful games set thousands of years before the Star Wars films, the Knights of the Old Republic franchise, (KOTOR for those in the know) is getting a MMORPG. The SW games aren’t always the greatest, but they always have the best trailers, as this beauty unveiled at the recent E3 conference attests.

Tron Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 fan fave film, opens on December 17. The game looks set to be just as shiny with a minimalist veneer of cool. Tron Evolution is out sometime this year, and is proof that Disney can have a grand film series for adults too (Pirates of the Caribbean doesn’t count).

Also unveiled at E3 was this brutal barrage for the Metal Gear Solid line of games. Gotta love the Japanese.

June 19, 2010
Categories: Games . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Darth, Spidey and Wolvie

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed centred on Darth Vader’s secret apprentice and was not a bad game, but what tipped it over the edge into mass frustration was the infamous Force gripping a Star Destroyer scene. Hopefully the makers have learned their mistake for the sequel, which is due on October 26. Go here for the just released cinematic from the game, which is a MUST SEE.

Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions features 4 alternate universe versions of the Web-slinger, including the one we know and love, the Old-school Noir version, the just announced  and expected 2099 version from the ’90s comics and one more to be unveiled. It’s an interesting approach. The game is released on September 7.

Lastly, a new trailer for Marvel vs Capcom 3 shows some great footage such as Wolverine fighting Ryu and Chris Redfield facing off against Hulk, plus Iron Man, Deadpool and Dante. Fate of Two Worlds is released later in the year.

June 13, 2010
Categories: Games . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 2 Comments

The Empire Strikes Back With You

Yesterday was Star Wars Day, as those like me who received multiple May the 4th Be With You e-mails would know. In honour of that, and the 30th anniversary of one of the best films ever made, (or the best as voted by the hepcats at Empire magazine) the folks at JibJab have put together a rather amusing summary of The Empire Strikes Back. As with all JibJab’s fine short videos, you can put yourself and your mates in, as seen below. Nifty.

May 5, 2010
Categories: Movies, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Tom Taylor Goodness

The Melbourne based playwright/comics scribe (Star Wars: Invasion from Dark Horse, The Authority from DC/Wildstorm and Rombies from Gestalt) has more goodies coming out in the coming weeks. In the latest Previews catalogue the second issue of the new Invasion series is out, as is a Vader-related one-shot. Check out the info below. You might also want to listen to an interview with Taylor and his Rombies collaborator Skye Ogden as they discuss the genesis of the great concept, undead gazelles and political subtext.

STAR WARS: INVASION—RESCUES #2 (of 6)

Tom Taylor (W), Colin Wilson (A), Wes Dzioba (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)

On sale June 30
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Miniseries

New and vital knowledge sends Finn Galfridian with Jacen and Jaina Solo on a mission to the planet of Artorias. Though Finn does not know if his father, Caled, lives, if there is any chance, he must be warned of new dangers. It’s a hot and dangerous ride to Artorias, and the occupying Yuuzhan Vong are ready with a toothsome, ravaging welcome . . .

Meanwhile, Kaye and Nina, board their newly acquired Vong ship, embark on their own mission. It’s one they can’t refuse: rescuing captives held on a dead planet. There is no telling what peril will meet the rescue party . . .

STAR WARS ADVENTURES: THE WILL OF DARTH VADER

Tom Taylor (W), Brain Koschak (P), Dan Parsons (I), Michael Wiggam (C), and Sean McNally (Cover)

On sale Aug 11
FC, 80 pages
$7.99
TPB, 5 1/4″ x 7 1/2″

Darth Vader is on a mission for the Emperor!

When the Rebellion’s hit-and-run attacks on Imperial cargo ships become too audacious to be ignored, Darth Vader is sent in to find the Rebel base and destroy it. But the base, hidden in the center of a constantly shifting asteroid field, cannot be attacked directly.

To reach his target, Vader will have to team up with a recently captured smuggler named Zika—and dealing with an unwilling, wisecracking partner may be more of a trial for the Dark Lord than the actual mission!

March 24, 2010
Categories: Comic Art, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Star Wars: Knight Errant and New Invasion

Press release from Dark Horse below about a new Star Wars series from writer John Jackson Miller (Knights of the Old Republic), and under that – solicitation info regarding Tom Taylor’s and Colin Wilson’s continuing Invasion series which kicks off in May. Yay!

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES ALL-NEW STAR WARS™ SERIES, KNIGHT ERRANT!

AS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC DRAWS TO A CLOSE, WRITER JOHN JACKSON MILLER MOVES TO AN UNCHARTED CORNER OF THE GALAXY!

Coming off the heels of penning the breakout hit Mass Effect: Redemption and the gripping finale of Knights of the Old Republic, writer John Jackson Miller introduces us to Kerra Holt, a young Jedi who’s about to realize that her role in the galaxy is far more important, and vastly different, than she could have ever imagined.

Set one thousand years before Episode I, in a time referred to as the “Dark Age of the Republic,” this story takes place in an era when the Sith were legion and the Republic was strained to the breaking point, leaving large swaths of the galaxy with no one to turn to. This pivotal time in the history of Star Wars has been largely unexplored, until now.

Additionally, for the first time ever, the writer of this new comics series will also be authoring a novel for Del Rey Books, set in the same era and involving the same cast of characters in an all-new adventure. It’s going to be a unique event for Star Wars, and one that will give fans a whole new perspective on the galaxy.

“There’s such wonderful chaos going on in the galaxy in this period,” said writer John Jackson Miller. “More than a generation before Darth Bane introduced the Rule of Two, Sith Lords are colliding not just with the Republic, but with each other. Kerra’s going to find that good intentions just may not be enough in a galaxy gone mad! This is a wide-open area to explore, and I’m thrilled that Dark Horse and Del Rey have given me this opportunity to do so.”

“With John writing both the comics and the novel, Knight Errant will be a Star Wars story on a scale we’ve never undertaken before,” said comic-series editor Dave Marshall. “This will be a first-of-its-kind opportunity to introduce the Expanded Universe of the Dark Horse comics to the fans of the Del Rey novels and vice versa!”

With more news in the coming months, look for Star Wars: Knight Errant to arrive on shelves later this fall!

STAR WARS: INVASION—RESCUES #1 (of 6)
Tom Taylor (W), Colin Wilson (A), Wes Dzioba (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)
On sale May 26
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

The Yuuzhan Vong invasion spreads death and destruction across the galaxy, leaving behind ravaged worlds with little hope of survival . . . Artorias, the homeworld of the Galfridian family lay in the path of the Yuuzhan Vong armada—and now, though separated, Finn, Kaye, Nina, and Caled work to fight the invaders with the hope that one day they will again be together on their peaceful planet.
Finn studies at the Jedi temple with Luke Skywalker and the grown Jedi children of Han Solo and Princess Leia! Kaye and Nina use a Yuuzhan Vong slave ship to attack their former captors! Caled raises forces on Artorias—not knowing the danger from one of his trusted allies!
• A new era in Star Wars comics!
Luke Skywalker’s galaxy under siege!

February 11, 2010
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Star Wars Shoes

George Lucas has given the thumbs up for use of sound effects from his timeless films, most notable for Family Guy parodies, but this trumps them all. Check out the Adidas ad below with classy Star Wars references. I feel cooler for having seen it. To view more of the collection, including shoes and clothes, go here.

January 24, 2010
Categories: News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Trailer

The Force Unleashed, with it’s secret Darth Vader apprentice, was an OK game with some serious issues. Hopefully the sequel will be far superior. The game will be released sometime this year.

January 1, 2010
Categories: Games . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Star Wars DJs

Thanks to Geek Chic Daily for the heads up on this one. You can get some funky t-shirts combining Star Wars characters and funky music right here. Awesome.

December 23, 2009
Categories: New To Comics? . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Star Wars: Invasion TPB

Thanks to writer Tom Taylor’s site, the cover of the collection of the excellent Star Wars: Invasion series from Dark Horse is now up. You may recognise Jo Chen’s great cover from the first issue of the series, but also from the cover of our Arcana mag, in which we have an insightful and amusing interview with Taylor. The official solicitation info of the TPB is below. Congrats must also go to Taylor, as not only is his Rombies one-shot now out from Gestalt (get it now, it’s cheap!) but he’s also working on something special for DC/Wildstorm.

STAR WARS: INVASION VOLUME 1—REFUGEES
Tom Taylor (W), Colin Wilson (A), Wes Dzioba (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)
On sale May 12
FC, 144 pages
$18.99
TPB, 7″ x 10″

Twenty-five years after the Battle of Yavin, Luke Skywalker and the galaxy are facing their first real threat since the Sith were defeated: an invasion of hostile warriors from another galaxy—the Yuuzhan Vong!

The peaceful planet of Artorias is in the path of the alien armada. Finn Galfridian, his spunky sister Kaye, and their parents find themselves separated and fighting for their lives when the surprise invasion occurs. But their ordeal is just beginning . . .

• Collects Star Wars: Invasion #1–#5 and #0.

• This new series ties in to—and fits between—the nineteen novels of Del Rey’s New Jedi Order series.

• Features some of the first visual representations of this turbulent era of the Star Wars saga, including Han and Leia’s Jedi children!

December 17, 2009
Categories: New To Comics? . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Last Week’s Winners

Star Wars: Invasion #5 CvrStar Wars: Invasion #5 by writer Tom Taylor and artist Colin Wilson. You’d think Dark Horse would be running out of steam with the Star Wars franchise by now, with series detailing all manner of eras and characters. Taylor and Wilson proved with this series that there’s still life left in it yet. By focusing on the new Galfrdian family and the larger assault by the vile, yet popular, Yuuzhang Vong race the pair have managed to knit new and intriguing elements into Lucas’ favourite playground. This last issue (for now, as the series will begin again early next year) has been a satisfying conclusion (of sorts) to this arc. Taylor has handled the older SW characters such as Luke, Leia and Han wisely, but not with kid gloves. It never feels like they’re on the page just to appear to traditional SW fans. However, with Finn and co. on board Taylor and Wilson show that the SW world is a varied beast that still has room for new concepts and characters that could very well live as long as their famous screen counterparts.

Psylocke #1 by Chris Yost and Harvey Talibao. Back in the day (ie, the mid ’90s) pretty much every X-character had their own mini-series without any real reason (apart from the obvious cynical one – $) and I thought this would be the same. It was, but I still enjoyed it. I’ve always had a mild fanboy crush for Psylocke. She is a hot Eurasian ninja after all. This first issue of four, is a great intro, or re-intro, to the character. It begins with a fight on the island of Utopia, before a flight to Japan with Wolverine, which leads to a run-in with the local authorities, a splendid bout with a few Hand ninja in a cemetery and a declaration of vengeance. Pyslocke’s narration offers the odd quip about souls and identities, which is fitting enough with an origin as complex as Betsy’s, and also included is the first part of a back-up series focusing on Cable and the young Hope. This is pencilled by Steve Dillon, which would be great in anything but a superhero book. It just doesn’t seem the same when he’s out of the more “realistic” worlds of Punisher and Preacher.

Pope Hats #1 CvrPope Hats #1 by Ethan Rilly. Every month when I do my ordering from Previews, I make sure to support at least one indie title. That was the reasoning behind this purchase. They’re not always nice surprises, but you got to try. There was a slight feeling that I was missing something here, like beginning with Season 2 of a TV series, but overall it was enjoyable and funny. Centering on a young woman named Frances, her drink-loving friend Vickie and an odd ghost that only Frances can see who offers random statements (“Sometimes I go into the woods and carry  a bear on my back.”) it makes for a light, and amusing tale. Essentially filled with scenes of conversation with dialogue that Kevin Smith would be proud of the black and white approach to the art is just as simple as the narrative, but it all hangs together well and seems like the kind of witty and off-beat story that you’d find in the arty section of your local Blockbuster.

November 14, 2009
Categories: Reviews . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Star Wars On iPhone

Sure, you can turn your iPhone into a lightsabre and impress your friends, but now you can go one better and read a slew of Star Wars comics on it too.  Check out a preview of Legacy Volume 1, right here.

STAR WARS™ COMICS ARRIVE ON iTUNES!

LUCASFLIM, THQ WIRELESS AND DARK HORSE COMICS PARTNER TO BRING STAR WARS™ TO THE iPHONE

Star Wars Legacy Vol. 1In a partnership that will echo through the cosmos, Lucasfilm, THQ Wireless, and Dark Horse Comics will release Star Wars™ comics to the iPhone mobile platform for the first time ever!

The selection of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Vol. 1 – Shipyards of Doom, Star Wars: Empire Vol. 1 – Betrayal and Star Wars: Legacy Vol. 1 – Broken represents three of the most important time periods in the history of the Star Wars galaxy. The three collections will span the time between the Clone Wars era, the Classic era and the distant future.

Star Wars: Empire Vol. 1 – Betrayal is set just weeks before the events of the original film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and follows a faction of disgruntled Imperial Officers attempting to overthrow Emperor Palpatine. But the plot is complicated by the emergence of the bounty hunter Boba Fett and by the loyalty of Darth Vader to his dark master. Betrayal will be released in four chapters, written by Scott Allie and drawn by Brian Horton.

Star Wars: Legacy Vol. 1 – Broken takes place more than a century after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and focuses on a fifth-generation Skywalker named Cade, a rogue Jedi and bounty hunter who travels the galaxy living by his own code. Broken will be released in two parts, written by John Ostrander and drawn by Jan Duursema.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Vol. 1 – Shipyard of Doom is based on the wildly popular animated series from Lucasfilm Animation and highlights events from the epic time period when Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padawan Ahsoka Tano struggled to maintain order and peace in a war-torn galaxy. Shipyards of Doom will be release in its entirety, written by Henry Gilroy, and drawn by the Fillbach Brothers.

Working together with Lucasfilm and THQ Wireless, Dark Horse Senior Editor Randy Stradley and Senior Web Designer Mike Denning carefully reformatted each panel and page to maximize the visual grandeur while staying true to the original comic books. All parties involved ensured that the material would transition to the new medium in the best format possible, delicately considering every word balloon and background image.

Dark Horse President Mike Richardson is delighted with the new program, stating, “Lucasfilm has been a proud and longstanding partner of ours, and I’m equally excited to be working with the wonderful people at THQ Wireless on this program. The stories of The Clone Wars, Legacy, and Empire embody some of the best comics in the Star Wars universe that Dark Horse has ever released. I think it’s wonderful that these key tales will be available to fans everywhere in a new and accessible way.”

Adam Comiskey, Vice President THQ Wireless commented, “Bringing a selection of some of the finest comic books to the iPhone mobile platform is an exciting chapter in our relationship with Lucasfilm. Our partnership with Dark Horse means that for the first time, Star Wars Fans will be able to use their iPhone to view a fantastic line up of comics.”

August 28, 2009
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Star Wars Death Troopers Fan Film Contest

Death Troopers NovelDuring Comic-Con last month, there were a lot of costumes, but there were more Rorschach and Storm Troopers than I’ve ever seen in one place. One particular posse of Troopers looked like they came from a zombie film. They were covered in blood and looked rather grisly, and cool. It turns out they were promoting the new Death Troopers novel by Joe Scrieber, which hits shelves on October 13. To promote the novel, Del Rey are giving fans the chance to show their film-making wares and win some special goodies at the same time.

All you need to do is create a 30 second to 2 minute trailer for the book and upload it to YouTube before September 18. Further details can be found here.

This is the official description of the novel:

When the Imperial prison barge Purge–temporary home to five hundred of the galaxy’s most ruthless killers, rebels, scoundrels, and thieves–breaks down in a distant, uninhabited part of space, its only hope appears to lie with a Star Destroyer found drifting, derelict, and seemingly abandoned. But when a boarding party from the Purge is sent to scavenge for parts, only half of them come back–bringing with them a horrific disease so lethal that within hours nearly all aboard the Purge die in ways too hideous to imagine.

And death is only the beginning.

The Purge’s half-dozen survivors–two teenage brothers, a sadistic captain of the guards, a couple of rogue smugglers, and the chief medical officer, the lone woman on board–will do whatever it takes to stay alive. But nothing can prepare them for what lies waiting aboard the Star Destroyer amid its vast creaking emptiness that isn’t really empty at all. For the dead are rising: soulless, unstoppable, and unspeakably hungry.

August 25, 2009
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

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