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

Depends how much of the story you're willing to go with - the main adult novels are where the lynchpin events happen, which the Junior + YA books run parallel with and sometimes a little past. They do try to summarise stuff but it still felt abrupt in The Rising Storm, as that referenced comics not yet collected.

Separate to the adult novels, the Drenrir plot pretty much starts in a YA book and concludes in comics.

If you're OK with people turning up with a story you don't know but find the info the book gives you, probably be fine. If you want to pursue those pieces to get the full story then probably not.

 

For UK posters, Panini listings are now active for:

Hyperspace Stories Volume 1 - July

The Nameless - August

No sign yet of the Phase II High Republic Adventures.

Also, there's going to be a Panini edition of High Republic Adventures Phase I Omnibus.

 

https://www.starwars.com/news/swce-2023-star-wars-the-high-republic-panel

We’re nearing Phase III of the Star Wars: The High Republic initiative, but the multi-platform storytelling shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Today, Krystina Arielle, host of Star Wars: The High Republic Show, moderated an exciting panel at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 devoted to all things The High Republic. Joined by luminous authors Claudia Gray, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule, as well as Lucasfilm’s James Waugh, vice president of the franchise story team, and Michael Siglain, publishing creative director, it was an hour of surprise special guests including Leslye Headland, a glimpse at how The Acolyte will connect to a Jedi who readers have already met, and plenty of reveals in books and comics. Here are 10 things we learned.






1. We’re about to meet Vernestra Rwoh in the flesh.

In Phase I of the books and comics, Vern was a precocious young Jedi Knight who once apprenticed to Stellan Gios. But in a huge surprise at the panel, it was announced that Rebecca Henderson will bring the character to life in the live-action The Acolyte, coming 2024 to Disney+. That bodes well for Vernestra’s chances of survival as we get ready for Phase III.












2. A new author is joining the era!

Fans of Marvel’s Doctor Aphra series know writer Alyssa Wong well, and they’re the latest addition to the growing family of authors entrusted with collaborating on the Star Wars: The High Republic books and comics. With a story appearing in the YA anthology Tales of Light and Life, Wong will fully dive in during Phase III of the initiative. The panel also debuted an enticing teaser poster for Phase III in the era, dubbed Trials of the Jedi.






3. George Mann will kick off Phase III with the first adult novel.

Titled The Eye of Darkness, the story will bring us back to the Nihil in a tale set about a year after the fall of Starlight Beacon. The novel arrives in November 2023, and will be followed by two other adult novels to round out the trilogy: Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton coming in summer 2024 and the final novel of Phase III, Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule in spring of 2025.






4. Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland are teaming up again!

The co-authors of Phase II’s Path of Deceit with reunite for the first YA in Phase III, Defy the Storm, out in March of 2024. The trilogy of young adult books in Phase III will be completed by Tears of the Nameless by George Mann coming in the fall of 2024 and Into the Light by Claudia Gray, arriving in spring 2025.






5. Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong will co-write the first middle grade book in Phase III.

Coming in January 2024, Older and Wong will co-write the first middle grade entry in Phase III, Escape from Valo. To complete the trio, Zoraida Córdova will write the sequel, Beware the Nameless, arriving in summer 2024, and the third middle grade book, A Valiant Vow, will be penned by Justina Ireland and arrive in spring 2025.






6. Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic will continue.

As many fans have hoped and guessed, the flagship High Republic comic will carry on through Phase III, once again written by Cavan Scott. The first issue arrives in December 2023.






7. Short fiction will once again be found in the pages of Star Wars Insider.

This time, author Lydia Kang will pen the serialized fiction with short stories that begin this October in Chronicles from the Occlusion Zone.






8. But before Phase III begins, there are still new stories coming to end Phase II, which will culminate in the Night of Sorrow.

A teaser poster for the epic finale of Phase II shows a Jedi, Oliviah Zeveron, and the Mother, leader of the Path of the Open Hand, each reflected in the eyes of a fearsome creature.















9. And we got out first look at interior spreads from the Viz manga, Star Wars: The High Republic: Edge of Balance: Precedent.

The pages introduce Ravna and her connection to Arkoff, and give us our first look at the Battle of Dalna.

 

When Rebecca Henderson mentioned yesterday on the live show that she was playing a Mirialan with green skin I immediately thought "Vern?" then I dismissed the thought because I didn't think the timeline made sense. Either Mirialans are another especially long lived people, or the timeline is shorter than I am thinking.

 

It's supposed to take place about a hundred years after the novels. After hearing the news of Vern I looked up info about their lifespans and it said while regular Mirialin's have shorter lifespans than humans those that are keenly tuned into the force can live up to 200. So I am sure that is why they chose Vern as the character they wanted to bring over). She would be around 115 in the show. It kind of depends on how elderly the show depicts her as being

 

Starting to sound like it might very well be Vern, which would be very cool.... if they do it right.

Imagine a kid reading the books with Vern then, next year, seeing her older, on-screen in Acolyte. How cool would that be?

 

Really makes me want to see another season of TOTJ with High Republic content.

 

Spoiler

Vern

 

Sorry for triple posting.

Watching the High Republic panel. Nice to hear they are spacing out Phase 3 more.

 

Where did you find the High Republic panel at? Was it streamed on the official Star Wars channel?

 

It was the last feature in the livestream. They'll probably post it separately later today or tomorrow.

 

Ok I'll have to watch it later.

 

Given that the Mirialan mercenary general from phase 2 is supposed to be important in Phase 3 150 years later, it does seem likely that Mirialans will join the long lived club.

 

Three adult novels, up to Summer 2025!

Sounds like the For Light & Life YA anthology will be a Phase 1-2 bridge to Phase 3.

Edit - talking of, for UK posters:
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/p...Gray-Justina-Ireland-Lydia-Kang/9781368093798

 

So @Jedi Ben will the extended schedule for Phase 3 (will spread their releases out over about 15 to 18 months instead of just 11'months like they did for Phase 1) help the people out who like to wait for trades? Should the trades be out by the point that the final novels arrive?

 

Really hard to say at this point as I doubt they've revealed all the comics. Also, depending on where you are in the world it can be complicated.

For me, UK-based, the IDW trades were covered by Panini to a different release schedule. It took ages to get Monster of Temple Peak for instance, although in that example at least there was one! That pattern looks to continue with DHC too.

On the Marvel front, them doing a Season One Omnibus adds to complexity. Omnibus editions are not guaranteed but probably a safe bet, but if there are S2 and S3 they will come out much later. So wait or double dip?

Then there'll probably be the third manga volume to weave in.

All good stuff but as to the when? Very hazy.

 

So this turned out to be not true lol

 

Why is it not true? Was the release date of the book moved?

 

At the High Republic panel at Celebration last weekend they announced a new release for Phase 2 called The Night of Sorrow which they implied was the end

 

I think the Night of Sorrow is not a release but simply the event on Dalna as seen in Cataclysm and presumably in Path of Vengeance as well. Also I presume that the Nameless Terror comic mini might be leading there as well. So the Night of Sorrow seems to be more the event being portrayed in all the forthcoming publications remaining in Phase II but I'd also be quite happy if I was wrong and there is actually another surprise publication in Phase II.

 

yeah its just an event seen in the last few phase ii releases

 

That makes more sense, we'll see.

 

I’m about halfway through Cataclysm and trying to avoid spoilers - I may try to push through the rest tomorrow. Really enjoying it so far, more so than Convergence, which I also liked.

I am disappointed that phase 2 isn’t getting three waves like phase one, but apparently phase 3 is going to make up for that.

 

Nope, nowhere near.

There'll be more comics announced, manga, probably an audio production in there too.