NYCC Publishing Panel News

Now THAT was amazing, wasn’t it?!

This afternoon, New York Comic-Con blessed is us with a look into the future of Lucasfilm publishing, and I've got to say...we are in for quite a treat in 2020!

Here are a few of the incredible highlights that we heard about courtesy of our friend Brad Whipple at Friends of the Force! (@FriendsOfForce)

1. Project Luminous News Coming in January!

While we may not have received too much new information about the forthcoming Project Luminous, the panel did reveal a few new details.

* The project will be a collaborative effort between Disney Lucasfilm, Del Rey, IDW Publishing, and Marvel. This basically confirms that Luminous will feature adult novels, YA novels, and comics. 

* Specific information will all be revealed in January 2020.

* A new promo image features the phrases “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things...Until...PROJECT LUMINOUS” - We’ll be thinking about that until for months. 

2. The Rise of Skywalker novelization to be written by Rae Carson!

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We’ve been waiting for this author announcement for months and months, and finally, we received confirmation that the novelization of Episode IX will be written by Rae Carson! Carson has written a number of fantastic books including last year’s Most Wanted (one of my absolute favorites), and we can’t wait to see what she does with Skywalker when the book is released on March 3rd. 

3. Alphabet Squadron Continues in June with Shadow Fall!

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Alexander Freed’s first Alphabet Squadron took the Star Wars community by storm this summer, and it looks like we won’t have to wait long for the sequel! Alphabet Squadron: Shadow Fall will continue the story of Yrica Quell and her new squadron as they face a new foe and an old friend in June 2020.

4. Charles Soule to Relaunch Star Wars Comics with Star Wars #1 

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Marvel’s Star Wars run has been a massive hit since Jason Aaron started the book four years ago, and with the previous announcement that the series would be ending with issue 75, fans were unsure of the brand’s comic future. Now we know that Charles Soule will be relaunching the book on January 1st with artist Jesus Saiz!

The old series will end with issue 75 as well as a special issue titled Empire Ascendant #1 which will lead right into The Empire Strikes Back. Soule’s series will then pick up right after Empire with a new Darth Vader series from Greg Pak and Raffaele Lenoo following in February. 

Both series will run concurrently similar to the original Star Wars and Darth Vader comics back in 2015.

5. Star Wars: Dark Legends Announced!

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If you loved George Mann’s Myths & Fables as much as we did, then you’ll be beyond excited to hear that Mann is coming back with artist Grant Griffin for another collection of tales entitled Star Wars: Dark Legends. This book will contain a host of brand new “spooky legends” including story about the Grand Inquisitor in the spirit of Nosferatu. 

Dark Legends should be released around Halloween next year. 

6. Clone Wars Anthology Book Announced!

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Next August will bring us a brand new collection of short stories about the Clone Wars thanks to some of the best authors Star Wars has to offer. Writers include Lou Anders, Tom Angleberger, Preeti Chibber, Zoraida Córdova, Sarah Beth Durst, Jason Fry, Yoon Ha Lee, Rebecca Roanhorse, Anne Ursu, and Greg Van Eekhout. 

Details about the book are scarce, but it will be released on August 25th, and Córdova will be following up on her success with A Crash of Fate with a story about Ventress.

7. New Thrawn Trilogy Announced!

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Yup. You read that right. We’re getting another Thrawn trilogy!

Mere months after Thrawn: Treason concluded the first Thrawn trilogy in the Canon, Timothy Zahn is returning to the fan favorite character for the Ascendancy Trilogy. This new series promises to explore more of Thrawn’s origins before his time in the Empire, and the first book will be arriving on shelves in May 2020.

WOW! We’re excited, overwhelmed, euphoric, and exhausted all at once! Every single one of these projects sounds absolutely mind-blowing, and we can’t wait to bring you more coverage on all of them. 

Another HUGE shout out to Brad at Friends of the Force (@FriendsOfForce) for his coverage on the panel. 

Stay tuned to Youtini for more coverage and news about all things Star Wars publishing at NYCC!

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And don't forget to keep listening to The Living Force Podcast to hear Corey, Eric, and Charles discuss all the latest developments!