As any Star Wars enthusiast who is paying attention knows, we’re currently in something of a Renaissance when it comes to stories told in A Galaxy Far, Far Away. Between movies, live-action television series, theme parks, animation, and video games, there has truly never been a better time to be into this franchise. But nowhere is Star Wars media more prolific than in print: Lucasfilm Publishing is cranking out books at a rate it’s difficult to keep up with, and fans wouldn’t want it any other way.
At a Lucasfilm Publishing panel over the weekend during Star Wars Celebration 2019 in Chicago, the company welcomed a number of its most celebrated authors to discuss their work and to tease some upcoming content readers can anticipate from this beloved property.
Writers, editors, and illustrators Jeffrey Brown, Zoraida Córdova, Justina Ireland, Delilah S. Dawson, Christian Blauvelt, Timothy Zahn, Claudia Gray, Alexander Freed, Michael Siglain, and Jennifer Heddle took the Twin Suns Stage to detail the most exciting Star Wars publications hitting store shelves this year.
But perhaps the biggest news to come out of the Lucasfilm Publishing presentation was the announcement of a “Journey to Episode IX” series similar to the books that have preceded Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. While no titles were revealed, it’s intriguing to know we’ll have relevant material to read as we wait for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to hit theaters this December.
Disney Parks’ highly anticipated new lands Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are getting their own series of books including A Crash of Fate (pictured above) by Córdova (August 6), Black Spire by Dawson which features the return of Cardinal from Phasma (August 27), Star Wars Myths & Fables by George Mann (August 6), and a limited run of comic books from Marvel (the first issue of which comes out April 24).
Also by Dawson, The Skywalker Saga (September 3) is “a story of a family meant to be read by families” which retells the entire saga by focusing exclusively on the Skywalker clan.
Blauvelt wants you to Be More Leia or Be More Lando (both coming in October) in the continuation of his Star Wars series on mindfulness and business practices.
Also announced was Caitlin Kennedy and Brian Kesinger’s Star Wars: C-3PO Does Not Like Sand (June 4), which follows through on the franchise’s long history of anti-sand propaganda, this time through the eyes of three of our favorite droids.
The Lucasfilm Story Group’s Pablo Hidalgo is pitting the many bizarre beings of Star Wars against each other in Creatures vs. Aliens (April 23), a tongue-in-cheek battle royal book featuring real sounds from the movies for fun-loving fans of all ages. Other upcoming family titles include Creatures Big & Small (October 1) by Calliope Glass and Katie Cook and R2-D2 is Lost (unknown release date), also by Kennedy and Kesinger.
Jeffrey Brown is the author of the popular Darth Vader and Son series, and his new kids’ book Rey and Pals (August 20) will be his first time working with the Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy characters.
From Marvel Comics we’ll be getting a special one-off issue #108 that continues the original Star Wars comic book series from the 1970s and 80s for just one installment, along with some other exciting upcoming titles and covers.
Alexander Freed’s Alphabet Squadron (June 11) stars Star Wars Rebels pilot and Rebel Alliance General Hera Syndulla, who “helps hold together a team of rag-tag New Republic pilots after the Battle of Endor.”
Finally, Zahn’s trilogy-ending Star Wars: Thrawn – Treason (July 23) will see the return of the much-missed character Eli Vanto, not to mention Director Orson Krennic, Grand Moff Tarkin, Emperor Palpatine, and of course Grand Admiral Thrawn himself.
Also discussed were the already-released novels Queen’s Shadow by Johnston and Master and Apprentice by Gray, both of which were hot-selling items on the Star Wars Celebration exhibit hall floor. And Justina Ireland (Lando’s Luck) apparently has another book coming out featuring Stormtroopers and the Millennium Falcon, though further details were not uncovered.
It’s sure going to be very difficult finding the time to consume all these Star Wars books in-between seeing the movies, watching the TV shows, playing the games, and visiting Galaxy’s Edge, but we’re going to take a stab at it! For more coverage from Star Wars Celebration and reviews of many of these upcoming publications, check back here at LaughingPlace.com.