A star-studded panel featuring the architects behind the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative kicked things off at this year’s virtual New York Comic Con x MCM Metaverse!
Like every other event this year, New York Comic Con felt the sting of the pandemic and made the correct decision to go virtual this year, and thus, the NYCC x MCM Metaverse was born!
Being in New York, the publishing capital of the world, the annual event draws the best and brightest from the publishing world. So, even though the event is entirely online this year, that didn’t stop big franchises like Star Wars from showcasing their ever-growing list of talent. And first up was a panel featuring the authors behind phase one of the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative…
Join the story architects of Star Wars: The High Republic as they introduce the heroes of a brand new saga, set centuries before the Skywalker saga, and reveal details of the central event that forever changes the galaxy far, far, away. Moderated by Polygon’s comics editor, Susana Polo, the panel features writers Claudia Gray, Charles Soule, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, and Cavan Scott, along with Lucasfilm Publishing Creative Director Michael Siglain.
Claudia Gray (The High Republic: Into the Dark), Justina Ireland (The High Republic: A Test of Courage), Daniel José Older (The High Republic Adventures #1), Cavan Scott (The High Republic #1), and Charles Soule (The High Republic: Light of the Jedi) each took a turn telling us all about The High Republic and how their specific title fits into the scheme.
The panelists spent a lot of time talking about the individual characters that populate their worlds as opposed to story or plot specific details. We know there’s a huge cataclysmic incident that kicks things off, and then from there its all about how each of them deal with the fallout from that. As far as their relation to the Force is concerned, each Jedi has a unique relationship to it, as Charles Soule said, “Every Jedi has their own connection to the Force, and they each experience it in their own way.”
As for worldbuilding in an already very familiar galaxy, Justina Ireland spoke how the difficult part isn’t manufacturing irreverence for Star Wars, it’s about finding that balance between the EU and the current canon of Star Wars. Part of that process was the opportunity to design their character’s lightsabers, which are all unique to their characteristics. And speaking of lightsabers, Daniel José Older spoke about how excited he was getting to write action scenes involving Yoda in his The High Republic Adventures comic series, something we don’t get to see often.
The entire panel is great and is based around one simple question as Michael Siglain says, “What do we love about Star Wars?” And before they wrapped up Siglain revealed that in the next phase, Cavan Scott will be writing an adult novel, Justina Ireland will be taking on a Young Adult book, Daniel a Middle Grade, and that serialized fiction is coming back to Titan Insider Magazine, the first entries being written by Charles Soule.
Here’s the just released scroll for The High Republic and check out the full panel below followed by the covers from the first five releases!
The galaxy is at peace, ruled by the glorious REPUBLIC and protected by the noble and wise JEDI KNIGHTS.
As a symbol of all that is good, the Republic is about to launch STARLIGHT BEACON into the far reaches of the Outer Rim. This new space station will serve as a ray of hope for all to see.
But just as a magnificent renaissance spreads throughout the Republic, so does a frightening new adversary. Now the guardians of peace and justice must face a threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the Force itself….
