SWBC: 'Andor' premieres, and The High Republic returns in two weeks
SWBC: 'Andor' premieres, and The High Republic returns in two weeks
Plus: Reviews of "Andor" and "Hyperspace Stories #2" and a sneak peek at "The High Republic #1."
Happy Andor premiere day!
The first three episodes of Andor finally premiered earlier this morning on Disney Plus. The series is a prequel to Rogue One following fan-favorite character Cassian Andor, who at the end of the film died on the beach of Scariff alongside Jyn Erso after helping her get the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance.
But Andor is much more than a prequel show. The series is the first live-action project to fully showcase the political intrigue and corruption of the Imperial era as well as the dark, gritty, and desperate beginnings of the Rebel Alliance.
For this series, I’ll be reviewing episodes weekly for Winter Is Coming, the sister site to Dork Side of the Force.
Review: Hyperspace Stories #2
The next issue of Hyperspace Stories from Dark Horse follows Luke and Leia after the events of A New Hope and the destruction of the Death Star.
This issue drops us right into the action, as Luke and Leia scout out a mountainous world in the search for a new base for the Rebel Alliance. Unfortunately, the Empire got there first, and the duo is on the run from Stormtroopers.
To get to safety, the two have to trek through a hazardous landscape, uncovering a secret Imperial mining operation along the way. This second issue also features some touching moments between Luke and Leia in the early part of their relationship — these two don’t yet know they’re siblings, but it’s clear they’re connected beyond mere circumstances.
There’s also a sweet and heartwrenching moment where Leia remembers her childhood on Alderaan when she comes across a stuffed Wookiee doll in a shop.
Find Hyperspace Stories #2 through your local comic shop and on Kindle & Comixology
And read my review of Hyperspace Stories #1 here.
Countdown to The High Republic Phase 2
If you follow me on Instagram or TikTok, you’ll know that I finally received ARCs of Path of Deceit and Quest for the Hidden City from Disney Books.
I’m about 150 pages into Path of Deceit and I am LOVING the story and characters so far. Chiefly, we follow Padawan Kevmo Zink, who follows his master to investigate some missing Force artifacts on Dalna. There they meet Marda Ro and the Path of the Open Hand — a community of Force worshippers that’s basically a cult.
I’ll have plenty more thoughts on Path of Deceit on its release date, Oct. 4.
Preorder these books
Why you should read Mission to Disaster before Path of Deceit
The next phase of The High Republic takes us back about 150 years before the events of the first phase.
You don’t have to be completely caught up with the first phase of High Republic books, but I do highly recommend checking out the middle-grade book Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland.
Why you should read it before Path of Deceit: Beyond the obvious — the two books have the same author — Mission to Disaster and Path of Deceit take place largely on the same planet: Dalna. And in Mission to Disaster, it’s mentioned that the people of Dalna aren’t fond of the Jedi because of something that happened in the past.
Well, Path of Deceit is that past, and it’s likely the book will explore what happened to make the Jedi so untrustworthy to the people of Dalna.
Sneak peek at The High Republic #1
Meet Jedi Vildar Mac. He seems like the haunted, brooding type.
He’s a key figure in The High Republic #1 by Cavan Scott, the new ongoing Marvel comic series for Phase 2.
In a sneak peek at some of the pages from this issue, we learn that Vildar Mac suffers from nightmares of the trauma of his past. The issue shows him arriving on Jedha, a holy site for Jedi and those who worship the Force.
On Jedha, Vildar Mac meets Padawan Mathea “Matty” Cathley, who informs him they need to get started on a mission right away — a holy relic has been stolen from a shrine.
The High Republic #1 by Cavan Scott with art and a cover by Ario Anindito arrives on Oct. 12.
Marvel announces Attack of the Clones 20th anniversary variants covers
Can you believe Attack of the Clones turned 20 this year? I can’t, either. But Star Wars and Marvel Comics are celebrating with the release of a series of variant covers beginning in December.
The variant covers arrive with the December 2022 Star Wars titles and feature some of the film’s key characters, including Yoda, County Dooku, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even Zam Wesell.
Here are the comics that will have Attack of the Clones variant cover editions:
Yoda #2
Bounty Hunters #29
Doctor Aphra #27
Han Solo & Chewbacca #8
Star Wars #30 (January 2023)
Check out the rest of the variant covers at StarWars.com.
Star Wars books and comics out this week
September 20
Kenobi by John Jackson Miller: Exclusive Portuguese edition
September 21
Reasons to become a paid subscriber!
With the release of Andor and the upcoming start of The High Republic Phase 2, it’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan — and support your favorite creators and writers!
That includes me and the Space Wizards Book Club, which produces a weekly newsletter of Star Wars book news along with occasional subscriber-only posts and reading guides.
Here are all the posts you can access by becoming a paid subscriber:
Star Wars books and comics releasing this month: September 2022 (new list every month)
Reading guide: The unofficial Princess Leia trilogy of Star Wars books
And I have a ton more ideas already in the works. There are a lot of Star Wars projects coming out over the next few months, and I’m so excited to be a part of covering them.
As always, I appreciate your readership and support!
MTFBWY