Cosplay Monday: Wakanda

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Welcome back to another edition of Cosplay Monday where we try to help your week get off to a great start with some awesome costumes.  This week, we’re featuring another costume group from Megacon this year and it comes to us via Albotas (and Tumblr).  Behold, the best group of Black Panther and Wakanda related characters that you will ever see.  Not only do they all look AMAZING but it’s a very unique group.  Personally, I wish I could’ve seen them in person.  Wow, folks.  My metaphorical hat is off to you.

Wakanda

Full Guest List for Star Wars Weekends

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With less than two weeks to go, it’s finally out – the full guest list for Star Wars Weekends! Along with hosts James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein, the celebrities appearing are as follows:

MAY 17-19

Ray Park (Darth Maul)
Jeremy Bullock (Boba Fett)
Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Clones – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

MAY 24-26
Ray Park (Darth Maul )
Warwick Davis (Wicket)
Jim Cummings (voice of Hondo Ohnaka – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

MAY 31 – JUNE 2
Warwick Davis ( Wicket)
Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar – Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)
Sam Witwer (Voice of Darth Maul – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

JUNE 7-9
Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian)
Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
Tom Kane (Voice of Yoda – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

 

Celebrate Jacen Solo Day with the SWEU

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What better way to celebrate a day of terrible puns than with the Star Wars Expanded Universe, home of the best punster in the GFFA, Jacen Solo?

(Yes, it’s May the 4th. Yes, I’m grumbly about it. But hey, more Star Wars!)

If you can’t wait for Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, coming out Tuesday, Suvudu released 50 pages of the book in their 50 Page Fridays feature.

Excited for Troy Denning’s Crucible? Suvudu has also released the first chapter.

Finally, the kind folks at Del Rey are offering deep discounts on four ebook titles: Heir to the Empire, Tatooine Ghost, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, and Darth Plagueis. If you are building up your ebook collection, or have just been waiting for an excuse to get copies of these books, go buy them today! (Barnes and Noble) (Amazon)

Happy Jacen Solo Day, everyone! Don’t turn into a Sith Lord!

Free Comic Book Day

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The first weekend in May is usually a busy one in the geek world and this year is no different.  Not only do we have the premiere of Iron Man 3 on Friday and then May the 4th but the first Saturday in May is always Free Comic Book Day!

Maybe you’re not really a comic book person though.  Maybe you’re not sure that you really want to go check this out.  Well, to quote NPR:

Yes, Free Comic Book Day is about you, O person who hasn’t set foot in a comics shop in years, or ever. It’s the industry’s attempt to change that state of affairs: Walk into a participating shop this Saturday, and they will hand you a bunch of free comics. Or maybe just one free comic. Or maybe they’ll let you pick from a table heaped with piles of free comics.

The point is: Free comics! Woo!

For most comic stores, this is a day about more than just handing out the freebies provided.  It’s much more of a celebration of the comic book world.  Many stores will have local artists and writers on hand (or big names in the comic world if they were lucky enough to get them to agree to appear) and even more will have costumers.  Just in case you thought this was only a superhero related thing, don’t worry because Star Wars always has a presence!  Dark Horse’s contribution to the day this year involves a comic with Vader and Fett and it’s not unheard of for 501st and Rebel Legion members to appear at stores.  In other words, it’s a great and fun way to dip your toe in the comic book waters.  Who knows?  You might find some new books to love!

You can check out all of the titles that will be a part of the promotion and find a local comic book store near you over on the Free Comic Book Day site.  Now go get some free comics!

Her Universe Gears Up for May the Fourth

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We’re not super big fans of May the 4th here at Tosche Station–we prefer to call it Jacen Solo Day, in honor of stupid puns–but we always accept any “excuse” to celebrate the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Her Universe is getting in the spirit by announcing new pieces available exclusively at Hot Topic starting May 4 at 1 am. The new pieces include two Star Wars dresses, a Empire Strikes Back t-shirt, and a Han Solo shirt.

The first 500 online orders will receive a free cinch sack, so act quickly!

EU Retrospective: Dark Nest

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I thought that the book I was most dreading was The Crystal Star.  I was wrong.  It was actually the Dark Nest Trilogy.  At least Waru is so awful and ridiculous that you can laugh at it once you finish that one book and get over the trauma.  On the other hand, I had to deal with the Jedi Bug Sex for three books.  THREE.  I’d like to thank everyone who sympathized with my reading plight on Twitter.  These are some of the only Star Wars books that I haven’t read more than once.  I’m now recalling exactly why and exactly how bad they were that my 15-year-old self made that excellent call.  I’m also going to apologize right now for what will be by far the most negative post I will make for this project.  There was no livestream for these books (because I learned my lesson with Waru) but instead, you do get a lot of ridiculous facial expressions.  Enjoy?

The Joiner King
“Bugs!” Han groaned and shook his head. “Why did it have to be bugs?”
That basically sums up my feelings about this entire trilogy.  I got all of 103 pages into the book and was already cringing and wanting to run away.

I made it another 119 pages before I had to pour myself a very tall and very stiff drink.  Thank goodness for good tequila otherwise this experience could’ve gone very poorly.

These books are bad, guys.  They are really really bad.  As usual, Han seems to be the only one who gets what’s going on and just wants to get the heck out of there.  I wouldn’t even mind much of the book if the characterization train hadn’t gone so far off the rails that it was in a ravine.  The idea of the Myrkr missions still affecting them this severely so they can’t make connections with others is just ridiculous.  Jaina thinking about how that mind meld is what made her drift away from Jag is ridiculous and a disservice to her character.  When she and Jag parted way at the end of The Unifying Force, it was because she wanted to live her life a bit more before settling down not because they couldn’t connect properly or whatever stupid reason the book claimed.

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EU News: Making of RotJ, Into the Void, and Kenobi

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Making of ROTJYesterday Entertainment Weekly revealed the cover for The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by J.W. Rinzler. The book’s release date is scheduled for October 1, and it will join the previous “Making Of” books on my bookshelf.

intothevoid

 

 

Hollywood.com posted an excerpt and delved into the cover art process for Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon. Into the Void comes out in hardcover May 7. Be sure to check out the blog next week for a review from Bria.

 

 

 
Finally, Random House has posted a new synopsis for Kenobi by John Jackson Miller.

The Republic has fallen.
Sith Lords rule the galaxy.
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has lost everything . . . 
Everything but hope.

Tatooine—a harsh desert world where farmers toil in the heat of two suns while trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from the marauding Tusken Raiders. A backwater planet on the edge of civilized space. And an unlikely place to find a Jedi Master in hiding, or an orphaned infant boy on whose tiny shoulders rests the future of a galaxy.

Known to locals only as “Ben,” the bearded and robed offworlder is an enigmatic stranger who keeps to himself, shares nothing of his past, and goes to great pains to remain an outsider. But as tensions escalate between the farmers and a tribe of Sand People led by a ruthless war chief, Ben finds himself drawn into the fight, endangering the very mission that brought him to Tatooine.

Ben—Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars, traitor to the Empire, and protector of the galaxy’s last hope—can no more turn his back on evil than he can reject his Jedi training. And when blood is unjustly spilled, innocent lives threatened, and a ruthless opponent unmasked, Ben has no choice but to call on the wisdom of the Jedi—and the formidable power of the Force—in his never-ending fight for justice.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I think this book sounds amazing.

Kenobi comes out in hardcover on August 27. Look for a cover release shortly.

Abrams expects Williams to score Episode VII

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The folks over at CinemaBlend tracked down a Star Trek Into Darkness press conference video where director J.J. Abrams was (naturally) asked a question about the other Star franchise he’s working on. Specifically, whether or not John Williams would be back to score Episode VII. Skip to 8:14 to get right to the question.

The relevant quote:  “For Star Wars it’s very early days … but I believe that … John Williams will be doing that film, because apparently he was there long before I was.”

Remember, though. This isn’t official confirmation and it won’t be until you hear it from Disney or Lucasfilm.

Via TFN

Awesome Con Costume Round Up

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One of the best things about conventions is undoubtedly the variety of costumes you see throughout the weekend.  Last weekend’s Awesome Con was no different.  Downtown Washington DC was quickly filled with costumers representing a variety of fandoms, undoubtedly leaving many a metro rider very confused as to why these people in catsuits and Jedi robes were sitting beside them.  (Superheroes are people too!)

Even though this was Awesome Con’s first year, the costumers definitely brought their a-game.  It was also wonderful to see how many children (and sometimes even their parents) decided to embrace their (for many) first convention experience and throw themselves into it headfirst and come in costume.  Everywhere I looked, I saw yet another person looking great in costume and definitely looking like they were having the time of their life.  I only wish that this Round Up post could highlight all of them.

As always, we’ll start off with the Star Wars costumes.  There’s nothing better nor more adorable than costuming children check out this tiny Ashoka and Captain Rex, this pair of Jawas, and a tiny Boba Fett with a more experienced Mandalorian warrior alongside.

Clone Wars Jawas Mandalorians

Mandalorian Warriors were the most popular Star Wars costumes spotted that weekend followed closely by Jedi Knights.  There was, however, a Princess Leia too!  (Look out, Leia!  That’s Boba Fett behind you!)

Leia Star Wars
Star Wars 2 Jedi1

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