Lit Books Comics The High Republic (aka "Project Luminous")

No, that's not how it'll work.

Volume 1 covers all of Phase I. Therefore, yes there will be another volume, probably late next year, but Volume 2 for Phase II. Repeat for Volume 3 for Phase III.

 

And I will still just wait until they put the whole thing together in one book instead of having to buy three separate ones.

 

Not happening! Volume 1 on its own is a big book.

If the other two are similar sizes, no way are you getting an omnibus 600+ page hardback, while retaining the page size and other production values, without an absurdly high +£100 price.

It'd also make for a heavy, unwieldy, hard to read volume too.

I get the cynicism, but Volume 1 is 230 big pages, it's not small.

 

That's fine. I'm not a big sourcebook guy anyways and I'm not big on having to buy three separate sourcebooks just to get one complete story.

 

If it's story you're after, it's not the book for you. These are for behind-the-scenes, how-was-this-made info. You've already got the Phase I story.

There is the upcoming Starlight Stories hardback, which'll be the Insider short stories.

 

If I get an Amazon UK GC for Christmas I might pick it up.

 

Art books are bit different than a sourcebook though, aren't they? Isn't this more of a kind of making of, concept art and such like?

 

Just to add to the art book conversation, I think it's a good book if you're a fan of the material. Particularly liked the full page character images (which are very reminiscent of animation design sheets you may see). I concede I also picked it up on sale so might influence my view, but I think it compares favourably to other art books I've seen. Maybe a little less text than usual.

A couple of quibbles; lack of Edge of Balance material which I thought had really nice character designs. Also ,did not really need the real estate being taken up by some of the comic pages reproduced. I mean, they are nice enough but I have the comics so would have much preferred more rarely seen art. Given the choice, maybe instead have the limited edition novel covers or even variant comic covers (rather than interiors) which not as many fans may not have (or at least are harder for those outside the US to get their hands on)

 

I feel like there were a few things throughout Phase 1 that seemed like they were drawn from the Clone Wars micro series: high altitude Jedi drops, effortless Force blasts, Yoda moving huge ships, and a Jedi riding on the exterior of a starfighter in a air battle. I'd love to see a Tartakovsky High Republic micro series doing short vignettes depicting key scenes from Phase 1 and maybe adding some content... Like maybe more stuff with the Drengir.

 

Anyone else find it strange that the Drengir were introduced and then that whole storyline just kinda got resolved pretty quickly? I get the impression we won’t be seeing them again, though I guess we don’t know that for certain. It just makes me wonder if they had something else planned and then they changed their mind. Maybe the Drengir were going to fulfill a similar purpose in the story as the Nameless?

 

Well see them in phase III the progenitor was on starlight beacon when it was destroyed . The Progenitor probably survived that .

 

So am I reading the room wrong, or in general is there less buzz about Phase II?

The places where I usually go for Star Wars discussion (including here) were rife with Phase I speculation and talk. It also seemed like there was more promotional material and references in other media at the time to build up the era.

We’re two novels into Phase II, and it seems like the era isn’t getting the same setup that the first era did, nor are people as enthusiastic about it. Why?

 

its banging on twitter ? the hype is there

 

In contrast to Phase I, Phase II hasn't the explosive start of LotJ. It has also had the books come out in the order of YA, Junior then adult book.

It's certainly a quieter opening and the stories work differently, but it is boosted by knowing its final destination in general terms. That does point to why they've ordered it this way.

Due to being more compact, with two main waves, it will continue to feel different to Phase I but that's not a bad thing.

 

What happened to Phase 1? Just stop at the destruction of Starlight (The Fallen Star) and Yoda showing up with some anonymous being (Midnight Horizon) with Marchion Ro pretty much telling the whole Galaxy, Republic and Jedi to kick rocks?

 

Phase 3.

 

I feel this too. I think Phase 1 had a BIG opening, this one doesn't. It also doesn't have any push from Phase 1, so it is a new start, with nothing BIG going for it.

 

Agreed, no events like the scale of the "Great Disaster" and the conflict against the Nihil/Drengir.

I sense that Phase 2 is actually going to be more "Peaceful", less conflict then Phase 1 and the later Phase 3 (which will have the Nihil wiped out probably and nameless defeated for good). Focus more on it being a Golden Age of the Jedi/Republic then Phase 1, which was itself like an interruption to the normal proceedings of the era/Jedi.

Im ok with being a given an era with less conflict, but I can see why it would be less enticing for others.

After all, there is a good reason why the 3 year Clone Wars has the most stories/popularity for the Prequel era. Sure there are other gaps of time pre-clone wars that can (and currently not much has been) be explored, but not as exciting as that huge conflict.

 

The interesting thing about Phase II is there's no shortage of horror in it and it zeroes in to show that a local conflict is no less destructive. Both of those are important as SW can't be stuck on huge, galactic conflicts.

The idea that the Eiram-E'ronoh conflict starts off between them but grows to disrupt worlds beyond them. Phase II would have been planned before it, but it is a neat partial reflection of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

 

I really wish they did the High Republic in chronological order. Go back to the earliest time period and move forward from there.

 

Might get that after this long form epic, if it sells.

 

Yeah I am not (yet) getting the point of going back in time for the middle part.

 

IMO, Phase II's setting already seems much more interesting and promising in terms of possible storylines than Phase I's one, with multiple Force-cults being active and interacting with each other and armed conflicts being rather common, inluding the one on Mon Cala. But Phase II's story is clearly very tightly focused on several key locations and the Nihil's origin.