Star Wars News Round-Up: Marvel Comics Tease & Oscar Isaac on Episode VII

Bits and pieces of Star Warsnews spread around the internet today. In the next few months, we'll get new comics from Marvel, a new animated series, and our first look at Episode VII (hopefully). And things seem to be shaping up nicely on all fronts. Here's a round-up:

Marvel Comics unveiled its new line of Star Wars comics at SDCC 2014. The decision to set all three series between Episodes IVand V came as a shock to some fans who were so used to Dark Horse's explorative approach to Star Wars history. The new Marvel line might seem a little contained, a bit less ambitious than their predecessors.

Jordan B. White, the series' editor, told the Coffee With Kenobi podcast that it seemed like the right choice: 

It’s all the iconic characters at their peaks. Luke is a new hero still finding his way. Han has just turned from scoundreldom to the rebellion. Leia has just lost her planet and is coming into her own. Vader is the biggest bad guy out there and on their trail. There is something that seemed right to kick things off where it all began. It seemed like the best place to launch.

That's not to say that other eras of Star Wars lore will be ignored. While everything that Dark Horse developed with the license is now part of the non-canon line called Legends, Marvel could explore the days of the Knights of the Old Republicor go far into the future with a new Legacy book. White teased us a little:

That is one of the great parts about Star Wars, there are so many terrific points in their history we can explore. With these first series, we wanted to stick all in the same era in order to create the sort of inter-connected universe feel we get between Marvel books, but I am certain we’re going to be turning to those other eras in future series. Heck — I know for a fact we’re working on at least one of those… but we’re not ready to announce it just yet.

What could that mean? Disney's been playing it very safe with canon now that a new major installment is in production. My guess is that we'll be getting a prequel series -- perhaps something to do with the days before Episode IV, but after the Clone Wars. I hope it's a Han Solo book. We expect to hear a lot more about these new series at NYCC in October.

The first new series, simply titled Star Wars, arrives in January 2015.

In other news, Oscar Isaac, while promoting his new film, The Two Faces of January, talked to EW.com about EpisodeVII. Here's a bit of that interview:

Have you had much interactions with the original trio of Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill on or off-screen?Yeah, I have. Both. They’re such funny people. Carrie is hilarious and doing such cool work. Harrison is back. He went on hiatus for a little while, but he’s 150 percent back. It’s pretty amazing to see him bounce back. He looks incredible. Everyone’s having a really good time. J.J. sets that tone. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and it’s being done with a lot of heart. There’s nothing cynical about the way we’re doing this. Even in the way he’s shooting it—he’s shooting on film and actually building the sets, so you’ve got hundreds of Stormtroopers or whatever, and hundreds of extras and all the ships. You actually see it. It’s all real. Everyone can interact with the world.

The original Star Wars, of which you’ve said you’re a big fan, are filled with cheesy lines and dialogue which the actors have not shied away from criticizing over the years. How does this compare?Yeah. [Laughs] I’m constantly looking for a cheesy line to say to harken back to the old ones. No, what they’re trying to do and what’s really great is J.J.’s been loosening it up a little bit and trying to make it alive and energized. It’s not formal. They’re messy, energized people. We’ve all intentionally tried to do that. Just make it a little more fiery and messy.

So all is well as far as Isaac is concerned? Good to hear. Welcome back, Harrison Ford. Goodbye, CGI!

Episode VIIlands on December 18, 2015.

Finally, in preparation for the premiere of Rebels, the new animated series that will bridge the gap between Episodes IIIand IV -- a lot of gap-bridging these days, right? -- Disney has launched a new promotional website dedicated to the HoloNet News, which fans will recognize as the 24-hour news service watched across the galaxy far, far away. The site, in large part, sets the scene for the new series. It's a bit of fun if you have a couple of minutes to spare!

For so much more Star Wars, visit our coverage hub.

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