Here’s a little something you might’ve learned about me over the last few weeks, reader, if not the last few years. I am…quite fond of Star Wars. Yes, it’s true; I know, I know, you are shook to the core of your being, considering the title of this post. Bear with me as I gush about the newest Star Wars updates coming out of Lucasfilm!
Why am I this excited about a prequel series? “No matter what happens, we all know how it ends, right?” the more cynically inclined of you might think but to this I say: So what?! It’s the stories I care for; the notion of seeing Jedi philosophy at its absolute heyday, long before the Order grew complacent and eventuually . I love what the writing team is building; an age of heroism with the darkness of the sith far from sight. If done right, this event could revitalize the mythos of my favourite science-fantasy universe and really wash away some of the bad taste left from the unfortunate mess that was the sequel trilogy.
I have faith that this will go very well indeed, because I hold the work of Claudia Gray and Charles Soule in high regard. Both Gray’s “Master and Apprentice” and Soule’s “Darth Vader” run for Marvel Comics are some of my favourite Expanded Universe works in the post-Disney Star Wars canon, adding so much to beloved characters such as Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Vader himself.
Outside of these two novels and a third one aimed at middle-grade readers, The High Republic will also be explored over comic books, in an ongoing series by Marvel studio, which’ll bear (predictably) the High Republic title. Another Marvel ongoing, especially a flagship title for an event, likely means that the folks at Marvel editorial will get some heavy-hitters. I haven’t seen any artist names attached as of yet but the writer is Cavan Scott, of whom I know next to nothing – I think he did the Star Wars: Jedi Lost audiodrama, a Dooku-centric prequel. We only have a variant cover for the Marvel series:
The cover above features the new bad guys, the nihil, who have been described as “Space pirate vikings”. To this I can only say:
Yes, I went there.
There’s also going to be a comic series aimed at younger readers published by IDW, which I am somewhat confused by; for what it’s worth, it looks pretty sweet!
I suspect this Adventures series will revolve around Jedi of the Outer Rim which will be akin to sheriffs in the Wild West, but also explorers of new worlds in the Unknown Regions. This is where Star Wars excels – and I can’t wait to see what the writers have come up with!
Oh, and the cherry on top? Yoda’s going to have some part to play! He’s going to be a lean 700-year old Jedi machine! No one has come out and said so yet – but I will be damned if that little green friend of Palpatine’s isn’t going to be buzzing left and right with his tiny lightsaber, Jedi-ing like a crazy muppet.
Jokes out of the way, I am excited to see the Jedi draw from Arthurian legend; I want to see the Republic at its best; I believe this event has the potential to be fun and memorable and I hope it’ll bring plenty of new elements to the universe. And I love the aesthetics so frickin’ much, I cannot lie to you, there’s something about the brilliant light colours and the gammut of lightsaber colours that gets to me.
May the Force be with the architects of The High Republic! GIVE ME SOME BLOODY GOOD STAR WARS ALREADY.
The Grimoire Reliquary 