Faraway Looks: The Blog of John Jackson Miller

Mass Effect: Invasion concludes! Issue #4 hits shelves Wednesday!

2012-01-17T20:19:00.000-06:00

And Wednesday finds the final chapter of Mass Effect: Invasion on your comics retailer's shelf! It's a pretty big moment in the Mass Effect universe, determining the future of the Omega space station and setting up events for Mass Effect 3.

Issue #4 has two variant covers, one from Massimo Carnevale and the other from Paul Renaud.

I'm dreadfully behind in posting production notes on the Mass Effect titles, but I hope to get to them some time in the near future. Also note that preorders are already being taken for the collected edition of Invasion, set to release in April. But no need to wait — you can get the full story now!

Star Wars: Knight Errant Deluge #4-5 notes now online

2012-01-14T21:46:00.000-06:00

Catch-up work is continuing on the site. In the wake of the posting of the production notes for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War #1 the other day, I now have posted the notes for the final two issues of another series: Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge #4 and Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge #5. I don't normally get a full month behind on Star Wars comics posts, so I'm glad to have that taken care of. The holidays did a number on my posting schedule!

Also, prose fans, pages have now been started on the site for Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith - The Collected Edition and for "Secrets," the eighth story in the series. There are also preorder links there for the book for Amazon, for Kindle, and for Barnes & Noble. Oh, did I just give the links again? Funny, that!

Slowly but surely getting caught up. Don't forget, Mass Effect: Invasion #4, the finale of that series, releases on Wednesday!

Knights of the Old Republic - War #1 notes online

2012-01-12T22:21:00.003-06:00

I am hopelessly behind in posting production notes for recent issues — I have to get to two Knight Errant issues and a stack of Mass Effect issues, not to mention some Lost Tribe of the Sith stories. But while it is fresh in my mind, I have posted the production notes and trivia for Knights of the Old Republic - War #1. Click the link to find them.

My usual caution applies — I try to write spoiler-free, but still you should read them after you've read the issue. Readers will find on the site a page for every product I've ever been associated with (except, again, a handful that I haven't gotten to yet). I do these to sort of bring the reader along on my journey through writing. You can find the notes pages for all the comics I've written here.

Also, several have asked where they can purchase the variant cover for #1. It is produced in smaller numbers than the main cover, I believe, and you can request it of your retailer by asking for the Dave Wilkins cover. But you can find it here at Things From Another World. (The main Benjamin Carre cover is here.)

And don't miss the other news of the day — the Lost Tribe of the Sith Collected Edition has a cover!

Lost Tribe of the Sith Collected Edition and "Secrets" revealed!

2012-01-12T13:12:00.003-06:00

Houston — we have a cover! Or two! The official Star Wars blog has released information about my upcoming Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories, which is coming out July 31 from Del Rey. They've also posted the cover and description for "Secrets," the eighth digital download in the series. Click here to see the blog post, which has the larger cover reveals!

As previously announced, the collected edition has, among other surprises, a big new novella from me, "Pandemonium." As to when it's set and what it's about — the Secrets story will have a lot to say.

Secrets follows aged Varner Hilts as he seeks some way to keep the Lost Tribe from collapsing further into chaos. The free eBook will be available on March 5 and features an excerpt from Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse, the final installment in the epic Fate of the Jedi series.

It's going to be a mammoth of a paperback — 432 pages, bigger than Knight Errant! There will be a digital version as well, for purchase; the package will have quite a lot that is new. Pandemonium is larger than the size of four of the Lost Tribe ebooks combined— so a full third or more is new material. And there may be some other goodies.

Lost Tribe: The Collected Stories is available for preorder now from Amazon! There's also the Kindle edition.

And don't forget the Knights of the Old Republic: War series — issue #1 is on sale now. I'll have notes online about it soon.

A quick KOTOR comics primer

2012-01-10T11:55:00.002-06:00

With the #KOTORWarChat about to start at 2 EST today on Twitter and the first issue of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War coming out tomorrow, I thought I would work up a quick primer on the series for new readers. The title is new-reader-friendly already, but here are the quick points:

When's it set? It's 3,962 years before Star Wars Episode IV. This is a period where the Republic has, until recently, been robust and unchallenged; the Sith aren't on the scene. But the Mandalorians, the armor-wearing nomads who established the Boba Fett tradition, are on the move, and have now taken on the Republic itself.

Who's Zayne Carrick? Zayne is nineteen years old, and was once a Jedi student. He wasn't talented in the traditional ways and would have had trouble making the grade — but then a long series of events resulted in his breaking out on his own, helping the helpless along the way. He made a lot of friends and a few enemies: you can read more about them on my individual pages for the issues — and of course in the books themselves. Follow the links from my shop to find copies, all nine volumes are still available.

What's happened to him now? He's been drafted by his homeworld to fight the Mandalorians — which is rough, because Zayne doesn't believe in killing. That becomes a major element of Knights of the Old Republic - War.

What happened to Zayne's friends from the original series? The draft board only wanted Zayne! Seriously, we'll find out as we go along.

What's it got to do with the video game and online RPG? The comics are set several years before the first Bioware video game, and a couple hundred years before The Old Republic. But it's all part of the same history, and there are connections here and there.

Why have I seen two covers for the first issue? Because there are two! The more common cover is the Benjamin Carré one with the fire on the cover (an actual scene from the issue). The other one is also available from your retailer, and from Things from Another World — follow the image link at the bottom of their menu page.

Where do I find the series? At your local comics shop — find it here — or from Things From Another World. Enjoy!

See you in the shop tomorrow — and on Twitter.

Live Twitter Chat and a slew of interviews (UPDATED)

2012-01-08T22:34:00.003-06:00

With Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War #1 going on sale on Wednesday — cover for #3 is at right — I have done a whole lot of interviews and podcasts in recent days — and for Tuesday, Dark Horse has slated a Live Twitter Conversation for me, using the hashtag #KOTORWarChat. Prizes available: Dark Horse is giving away digital copies of the issue itself to five lucky winners who post. Details here, and remember you can always find me on Twitter here.

Now, to those interviews. Here is a non-comprehensive list of links that have appeared so far:

PODCASTS
• It's All It's All Up To You
• Mos Eisley Radio
• ReviewFix
• Fictional Frontiers (posting soon)

TEXT INTERVIEWS
• Angry Koala Gear
• Big Shiny Robot
• Comic Book Therapy
• Geek Crash Course
• MTV
• Nerd World News
• Robot 6 (New!)

There was some variety in the questions, so there's variety in the answers. More to come, believe it or not!

There's a page on the site now for Knights of the Old Republic - War #3; the cover is above. The solicitation for #4 is just out too, I think.

Also, this is pretty long overdue, but I finally have a page online here for Star Wars Omnibus: At War With the Empire Vol. 2, which collects a whole bunch of comics including my very first Star Wars work, "Model Officer" from 2005's Star Wars: Empire #35. You can get the book from Amazon, Things From Another World, or your local bookseller.

KOTOR interview on MTV site

2011-12-30T12:35:00.000-06:00

Like the headline says -- there's a new Knights of the Old Republic - War interview with me up at MTV's website. First of many to come.

Among them, a podcast with ReviewFix, which has the teaser bit online now.

KOTOR: War #1 ships on January 11!

Exclusive preview for KOTOR: War #1 now online!

2011-12-22T22:56:00.002-06:00

An early Christmas present: Comic Book Resources has a sizable preview online for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War #1!

There are a whole bunch of interviews coming up, so I won't say too much more beyond what's here -- except to note that we have a great jumping-on point here for readers, as Zayne Carrick is thrown into the Mandalorian Wars as a draftee.

Fans of our past KOTOR comics may also recognize our first familiar face here from Zayne Carrick's past, someone I've been crafting for this exact role for a long time not just in the regular series, but in three other canonical venues. (Five points if you can name them all without checking Wookieepedia!)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War #1 ships January 11. Order it now from your local retailer or TFAW!

Knight Errant Deluge finale and Mass Effect Invasion #3 now on sale!

2011-12-20T22:48:00.000-06:00

On a holiday shopping run tomorrow? It's another double comic day for me — with the final issue of the latest Kerra Holt adventure, Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge #5, hitting stands, alongside Mass Effect: Invasion #3!

I've had a pretty busy day (check out my latest post on my comics research blog, which is pretty interesting — to me, anyway!), so for a change I'll turn things over to the catalog copy. Take it away, catalog:

"In Knight Errant - Deluge #5, caught between a Sith and a Hutt, Jedi Knight Kerra Holt must battle both to save the billions on the planet Darkknell from being drowned by a fleet of ships with the power to flood the planet! Her plan is full-steam-ahead brute force--but her enemies are more cunning than she expected. Is this the end of Kerra Holt, the lone Jedi?

"In Mass Effect: Invasion #3, the Omega space station has fallen and Aria, Omega's pirate queen, is on the run from an enemy greater than anything she's ever faced before. Learning that the battle is merely the first skirmish in a war that will reshape the galaxy, Aria must retake Omega and lead a new charge to save her empire!"

With two variant covers — one by Paul Renaud, and the other by Massimo Carnevale!

Thanks, catalog! Hopefully the holidays will give me a chance to get caught up on some production notes for the site. In the meantime, have a comic Christmas!

KOTOR War interview on Newsarama

2011-12-06T20:34:00.000-06:00

Just as the headline says: There's a meaty interview about next month's new Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War series up today over at Newsarama. Check it out!

Armored anthology line-up set

2011-12-01T18:32:00.002-06:00

Editor John Joseph Adams has just posted the line-up for Baen Books' Armored anthology that I've got a story in — it's due out March 27. In addition to familiar names like Jack Campbell, Dan Abnett, and Alastair Reynolds, the mass-market paperback has stories from some fellow Star Wars authors, Michael Stackpole and Sean Williams. I've just posted a page on the site for the book here.

Armored is a collection of stories about futuristic armor-wearing characters. It's familiar territory after my past Crimson Dynamo, Iron Man, and Mandalorian work — and my own story, "Human Error," represents my first original fiction in a long while, including a brand new SF milieu. You can preorder Armored from Amazon here.

Mike, whose column I edited for years at Comics & Games Retailer, will be the author guest of honor at one of my annual haunts, Midsouthcon in Memphis March 23-25. Hopefully we'll be able to get copies in time for the show.

In the meantime, I've also added some more updated pages to the site, including a page for the Mass Effect: Invasion collection, which is due out in April and can also be preordered now from Amazon. Also, Dark Horse has gone same-day for download purchases of digital comics: read about it here.

Autographed comics and books again available

2011-11-30T21:05:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I've been able to offer autographed copies of my books and comics through the site — I've been so busy there hasn't been much time to handle orders or keep up with what I had on hand. But with requests coming in in advance of the holidays, I've set up a new inventory list on the Shop page, where you'll also find instructions for ordering.

I have copies of the Knight Errant novel and most of the Star Wars and Mass Effect trade paperbacks I've written on hand (though not all — the early KOTOR books go out pretty fast), and all are offered at cover price plus USPS shipping. All payments go through Paypal.

I also have small quantities of many of the individual comic books on hand — write to the address at above right to request availability and pricing on specific issues. (Sorry, but I don't have the KOTOR Campaign Guide in stock any more. No one seems to!)

Second, for those looking for unsigned copies at good prices, I've updated the links to Things From Another World on the Shop page — and there are also Amazon image links down the left-hand side of each page here on the site. TFAW actually has the Mass Effect: Invasion trade paperback for preorder already. And don't forget your local comics shop and bookstore, which have access to just about everything!

Update: Yes, I do ship internationally -- though beware that postage can often cost more than the books being shipped. I usually provide whatever range of options the U.S. Postal Service provides.

Carrick Station? Say, that sounds familiar...

2011-11-28T12:46:00.001-06:00

The Old Republic MMORPG is on the launchpad — and as players of the beta are now able to report, there is at least one familiar name to be found: Carrick Station, an important hub. The game's site is here; Google a bit, and you'll get a look at the location itself.

I've been asked a few times already about whether there's a direct in-universe connection between that naming and the Carrick from the Knights of the Old Republic comics. It's not my project to speak to (though I have spoken with the fine folks behind it), so all I can really do here is state what everyone already knows. There are many years between the settings, and a lot of Carricks in the galaxy — including in Zayne's family alone! — so there may be a connection, or maybe not. Time will, of course, tell — time, and the stories in between!

Which is a good reason to get your order in for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic — War #1 at your local comics retailer. Zayne as we knew him wasn't a very popular person with the Republic — nobody was going to be naming anything after him. But his life is about to change again, drastically. Could he finally be in line for the acclaim his actions deserve — or will things go from bad to worse? With Zayne's luck, you never know!

There are several fun callback nuggets in the TOR game, or so I've been told — including even in the server names, I'm told. (Update: Look in the comments here for a whole bunch of them, from Dreypa's Oubliette to Rohlan Dyre.) Enjoy the game — less than a month now until it goes live for everyone!

Mass Effect Invasion #2, Knight Errant Deluge #4 now on sale!

2011-11-15T22:40:00.000-06:00

Another double-release Wednesday, with Star Wars: Knight Errant — Deluge #4 and Mass Effect: Invasion #2 on sale in shops across North America. More creepy comics goodness with Hutts and Reapers!

The Stormdrivers have come to Aquilaris, and Kerra's all alone in trying to save her former home. Can Kerra save her friends from the literal flood? This issue's Joe Quinones cover, you may recall, was the exclusive print from San Diego.

Meanwhile, a different plague has struck over in Mass Effect: Reaper Adjutants! Plus, what does Cerberus have in store for Omega? Check it out in this issue — with a regular cover by Massimo Carnevale and a variant cover by Paul Renaud!

A quick note — I have been alerted that retailers serviced by Diamond's "New Memphis" warehouse may not receive Deluge #4 and some other items until next week because of a shipping problem. Ask your retailer if you don't see it on sale.

Knight Errant: Deluge #3 production notes online

2011-10-27T21:27:00.000-05:00

A bit belatedly, the production notes for Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge #3 are now online — thought the notes for Mass Effect: Invasion #1, which came out on the same day, remain on my to-do list, along with some of the Evolution issues.

(That said, Newsarama's Lucas Siegel tweeted that Invasion #1 was the best Mass Effect comic book to date, and I tend to agree with him. Pick it up!)

I have been incredibly busy lately, with work progressing on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War and Star Wars: Knight Errant - Escape. I'm also into the proofreading stages on the new novella for the Lost Tribe of the Sith print collection, so it's been a regular commute lately to the galaxy far, far away. Fortunately, there aren't many toll booths to deal with — except for in the Hutt neighborhoods. ("Leave the blaster, take the cannoli...")

New KOTOR: War Art -- and the making of a ship class

2011-10-21T12:28:00.001-05:00

On the heels of the last couple of announcements about January's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: War series, Dark Horse for its Star Wars Friday has released art including page one of the series, with dialogue. Of interest to many will be the new version of Republic frigate which appears in the first panel by artist Andrea Mutti.

I won't name the ship or class which appears — that'll give a bit away — but for a peek behind the curtain, you can see my (really rough) concept which I provided the artist here. The Republic Hammerhead cruisers are mainstays of the era, but they're also somewhat impractical for landings, as we saw in Knights of the Old Republic #14. For the troop-toting frigate I needed for the series, I imagined an offshoot to the design — slightly smaller (thus the frigate name) but flipping the forward section over 90 degrees. My mock-up simply drew from the Bioware design for the cruiser. (Of course, as with any of my notes — or Lego designs — none of it is canonical. Only what appears in the books, of course!)

As we see in Andrea's drawing on the Dark Horse site — which is canonical — there are actually two "assault decks," above the central axis of the ship for aerial vehicles, and below, where we see one of the doors opening.

We'll learn more about the specific ship we see on panel — which, KOTOR buffs, already exists in the series history — when the issue comes out. Be sure to order Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War #1 from your retailer when it appears in the November catalog!

KOTOR WAR, Knight Errant, Mass Effect release news!

2011-10-18T17:53:00.000-05:00

Comic Book Resources has the January 2012 Dark Horse solicitations, so you can see the spiffy variant cover that Dave Wilkins has done for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: War #1!

As noted last week, art is by Andrea Mutti, Gigi Baldassini, and Michael Atiyeh, with covers by Wilkins and Benjamin Carré. It's on sale Jan. 11 — and as the solicitation announces, it is in the same miniseries format as most of the other recent Dark Horse Star Wars titles. As the solicitation says, "If you’ve ever heard of the Knights of the Old Republic video games and comics but didn’t know where to start—this is it!"

And Wednesday is a double-comics day for me. Mass Effect: Invasion, which I both coplotted and scripted, launches with #1 and two variant covers; and Star Wars: Knight Errant: Deluge sees its third issue go on sale. Be sure to check them out!

Knight Errant: Escape starts in June 2012!

2011-10-14T16:50:00.000-05:00

Amid that slew of news yesterday including Knights of the Old Republic: War, Dark Horse announced that my third Knight Errant comics series would appear in 2012. Today, some more details about it, as Dark Horse posts on its blog:


Knight Errant: Deluge #3

"Star Wars: Knight Errant – Escape will launch in June 2012 for a 5-issue arc. Fan favorite John Jackson Miller is writing the series, with artwork from penciller, Marco Castiello, inking by Vincenzo Acunzo, colors by Michael Atiyeh and lettering by Michael Heisler..."

A little early for art or many details yet, but this is, by far, Kerra Holt's most intensely personal, dangerous assignment yet, taking her into the heart of darkness. What, you already thought Sith space was the heart of darkness? Let's just say it has a heart of hearts...

Don't forget, Knight Errant — Deluge #3 goes on sale on Wednesday. That's also when Mass Effect: Invasion #1 launches as well. Double JJM Wednesdays return!

Zayne Carrick returns in Knights of the Old Republic - War!

2011-10-13T11:44:00.009-05:00

At Dark Horse's retailer breakfast this morning at New York Comic Con, the publisher announced the next installment in the life of Knights of the Old Republic hero, young Zayne Carrick. Written by yours truly, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: War begins in January!

The Jan. 11, 2012 release date is almost six years after the publication of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #1 — but it's set not long after the end of Knights of the Old Republic #50, and Zayne's peace and quiet following that series is short-lived. He's not a Jedi and the Mandalorians are invading — and with his homeworld of Phaeda under threat, Zayne's luck holds true. He gets drafted!

Troubles ahead for our peace-loving hero — and surprises galore in this story, including the return of some familiar faces. With cover art by KOTOR favorite Benjamin Carré and a variant cover by Dave Wilkins, Knights of the Old Republic—War "doesn’t just mark the return of one of the most popular eras in Star Wars video games and comics," Dark Horse says, "it is an entry point for any reader interested in Star Wars!"

It really is a true jumping-on point. If you haven't read any KOTOR comics at all — or if you're a regular who's read everything — you'll find a lot to like. (Don't forget, there are nine KOTOR trade collections still in print — and many are available from Dark Horse digitally.) Art is from Italian artist Andrea Mutti, who drew Rage for Dark Horse. Much of the rest of the team returns, including editor Dave Marshall, colorist Michael Atiyeh, and letterer Michael Heisler.

I continue working in Kerra Holt's time frame — Knight Errant Deluge #3 releases next week, and there's more to come — Dark Horse also announced the next round of Knight Errant comics for 2012! I'll let you know when I can share more details about that story — it's a blockbuster!

But I am thrilled to return to Zayne Carrick's adventures. War is the story I always had in mind for Zayne's continuing adventures — and what I've seen of the art and the covers looks awesome. (And a tip of the series-naming hat to John Ostrander and Star Wars: Legacy, whose own War title inspired the name — John's new Dawn of the Jedi series was announced at the breakfast, opening up a brand new era of continuity.)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: War #1 is in the retail catalog in November for January shipping— order it at your local comics shop!

Whee!

Star Wars: Knight Errant Deluge #2 notes online

2011-09-27T20:29:00.000-05:00

The notes for Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge #2 are now online here -- and a lot of clean-up work has been done to the site.

The search engine should now be working on all pages, and I've even begin to whittle away at some of the works that didn't yet have production notes, like Mass Effect: Evolution #1 and the game module Star Wars: Dawn of Defiance #9: Sword of the Empire, which I delayed doing so long that the license changed hands, and the game is no longer online. But at least the notes are there, finally!

Knight Errant Deluge #2 and Mass Effect Evolution collection now on sale!

2011-09-20T23:02:00.001-05:00

Another double-on-sale day: The collected edition of Mass Effect: Evolution is now on sale, as is the second issue of Star Wars: Knight Errant — Deluge!

Evolution is available in two editions in the United States, but only one of them, the trade paperback, is in wide release. There is also a hardcover edition produced in limited numbers for the Science Fiction Book Club and other vendors.

But all editions also include a preview of Mass Effect: Invasion, as well as "Incursion" and "Inquisition," two stories by Mac Walters that were previously web-only.

Pages have been set up on the site here for all the latest issues coming out, including for this fall's Mass Effect Invasion; two spiffy covers for each issue.

Meanwhile, Kerra Holt goes on offense in Deluge #2, with the help of her new allies in Devil Squadron. But when Hutts are around, things are never quite what they seem...

Notes coming here later for that issue; in the meantime, pages are online here for the Evolution trade and, at last, for the Aflame collection.

Knight Errant Deluge #1 notes online

2011-08-25T23:03:00.002-05:00

Had just enough time to get the notes online for Knight Errant Deluge #1 — and you can actually now find the pages, because I got the links right. Enjoy...

Knight Errant: The deluge begins!

2011-08-16T23:37:00.000-05:00

Followers of Kerra Holt -- the next chapter has arrived! The first issue of Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge is now on sale from Dark Horse and your local comics retailer!

The events of the new comics storyline follow the events of Star Wars: Knight Errant - Aflame and the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel, both on sale now -- but you don't have to have read them to follow the new series. In fact, this series begins where Kerra started out -- Aquilaris, the planet that Vannar Treece rescued her from years ago.

Now, Kerra has finally returned as a Jedi, intent on freeing the place. But she doesn't find the enemy she expects to see here, nor the same friends...

The issue includes our first look at a new villain and some interesting fighter designs -- as well as glimpses of characters only seen heretofore in the novel. There are two variant covers, so ask for them!

Still in heavy deadline-world, but I hope to have some notes on the issue here soon. Enjoy!

JJM suits up for Armored, 2012 anthology from Baen

2011-08-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

Fans of my work on Iron Man and with the Mandalorians in Star Wars, here's something up your alley: I have an original short story coming up in Armored, an anthology coming from Baen Books as a mass-market paperback in April 2012. The book is available for preorder now.

One of a series of themed anthologies from editor John Joseph Adams, the announced line-up for the volume also includes works from Alastair Reynolds, Dan Abnett, Jack Campbell, Jack McDevitt, Simon R Green, Sean Williams, and Genevieve Valentine. It's all on the power-armor theme — "an armor-plated clip of hard-hitting tales featuring exoskeleton adventure with fascinating takes on possible future armors ranging from the style of personal power suits seen in Starship Troopers and Halo to the servo-controlled bipedal beast-mech style encountered in Mechwarrior and Battletech."

My own story, "Human Error," was a lot of fun to write — more about it later. Original, non-licensed fiction is a rarity from me, but hopefully you'll be seeing more in the future. Just have to make time to write it!

Lost Tribe #7 now available on Amazon!

2011-07-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

Just back from Comic-Con International: San Diego — believe me, the trip back was an adventure in and of itself, but I had a great time at the show. We had a good Star Wars panel and signing and a really massive turnout for the Mass Effect signing and panel. It was good to meet a lot of fans there — and I also got to meet collaborator Mac Walters for the first time, as well as KOTOR game designer Drew Karypshyn and fellow comics writer Tom Taylor.

Still playing catch-up, but I can also report that Lost Tribe of the Sith #7: Pantheon is now available for free download from Amazon, as well as from Suvudu, as reported earlier.

Lost Tribe of the Sith Part 7: Pantheon now available!

2011-07-18T22:01:00.000-05:00

The seventh episode of the Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith series, Pantheon, is now available for download as a PDF from Random House's Suvudu site. I expect there will be a main posting at the Star Wars site and postings at Amazon and the other services; keep checking!

Pantheon takes place a full 2000 years after the crash of Omen on Kesh, and again we have a different cast -- including a very unusual protagonist -- and a much different situation for the Lost Tribe. Basically, everything you might expect to happen with a bunch of Sith trapped on a planet has happened, and happened, and happened again. You can imagine what's left over. (Well, you won't have to imagine. Download -- and enjoy!)

See everyone at San Diego!

JJM's San Diego signing and panel schedule

2011-07-15T00:51:00.002-05:00

OK, a ridiculous amount going on in the next few days, just getting to Comic-Con International: San Diego. And once there, plenty more going on. So let's launch into my schedule, shall we?

THURSDAY, JULY 21
2:00-3:00 p.m. -- Star Wars: Knight Errant novel signing at the Del Rey booth in the Star Wars Pavilion. Free copies of the novel for attendees while they last!

FRIDAY, JULY 22
"Star Wars Day" at Comic-Con
1:00-2:00 p.m. -- Dark Horse Star Wars 20th Anniversary panel, Room 7AB. As described here, attendees receive an exclusive Knight Errant print! I'll be there with editor Randy Stradley, editor Dave Marshall, writers Scott Allie (Jedi: The Dark Side), Tom Taylor (Invasion), Dave Filoni (director of The Clone Wars TV show), artists the Fillbach brothers (The Clone Wars comics), Leland Y. Chee (Lucasfilm’s “Keeper of the Holocron”), author Timothy Zahn (Choices of One), Shelly Shapiro (editor at large, Del Rey), and more. Plus, there will be a chance to win a custom stormtrooper helmet illustrated by Chris Scalf (Blood Ties)! Plus there'll be news on the future of Star Wars digital comics . . .

3:30-4:30 p.m. -- Star Wars: Knight Errant comics signing at the Dark Horse booth.

SATURDAY, JULY 23
Mass Effect Day
10-11 a.m. -- Mass Effect comics signing at the Dark Horse booth.

4-5 p.m. -- Dark Horse/Bioware panel, Room 23ABC (I believe that's the location, but check your programs in all cases here). With Mac Walters of Bioware, we'll be talking about, among other things, Mass Effect Invasion, our new series just announced!

I'll be in the convention center at other times; I'm probably most easily found at the Dark Horse booth, but I may also be seen rifling through old boxes of back issues, looking for the elusive copy of Disney's The Black Hole #4. (No, seriously. They kept them all!) Hope to see you there!

Mass Effect: Invasion announced for October!

2011-07-13T17:01:00.000-05:00

The San Diego news blitz is on! Dark Horse and Bioware today announced Mass Effect: Invasion, the third comics storyline based on the hit video game series. Find the official announcement here.

This time we're focusing on Aria T'Loak, the self-styled "pirate queen" of the Omega space station. We met Aria in Mass Effect: Redemption. The team remains the same — plotter Mac Walters and artist Omar Francia — and for the first time, I'm co-plotting as well as scripting. The story is a lot of fun, and folks will find out more about it at the panel we're having at San Diego on Saturday at 4.

I'll have my full convention schedule online for the convention shortly.

Entire Star Wars library available in e-book form!

2011-06-27T22:57:00.000-05:00

As noted here earlier, Random House/Del Rey and Lucasfilm recently reached an agreement to put the entire Star Wars fiction backlist into e-book form — and now you can order my Star Wars: Knight Errant novel in e-book form, as well as all the others! You can preorder it from Amazon for Kindle, and also from Barnes & Noble for Nook.

Here's the link for all the Star Wars ebooksthat are in Amazon's Star Wars e-book section. Sort by publication date and you'll see the books that have been added to the catalog. (You'll also see my Lost Tribe of the Sith short stories. Download away — those ones are free!)

My American Library Association Conference signing schedule

2011-06-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

I'll be in New Orleans, not too far from my LSU alma mater, this weekend, appearing at the annual American Library Association Conference on behalf of both Dark Horse and Del Rey. The schedule:

Friday, 3 p.m.: Dark Horse signing, Diamond Comics Booth
Saturday, 11 a.m.: Dark Horse signing, Diamond Comics Booth
Sunday, 9 a.m.: Random House/Del Rey signing, Brodart Graphic Novel Pavilion

See you there!

Signing and talk at Appleton Public Library on Saturday

2011-06-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

I'll be talking about my Star Wars work and signing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Appleton Public Library in Wisconsin. Del Rey has sent along a nice prize for a drawing, as well. The library is at 225 N. Oneida Street, Appleton, WI 54911.

Saturday is already Star Wars day in Appleton, with the Brewers' single-A club, the Timber Rattlers, having their annual Star Wars Night later in the evening, complete with the 501st. I went last year and it was a lot of fun. If you're in town Saturday, you can make it a whole day of Star Wars!

Sword & Sarcasm Complete Series available from DriveThruComics

2011-05-27T10:46:00.000-05:00

For a few years I collaborated with Looney Tunes artist Chuck Fiala on the webcomic Sword & Sarcasm, a full-color fantasy humor strip. While the strips are still online, I'm pleased to report that you can read them all in one convenient download now, thanks to DriveThruComics!

Sword & Sarcasm: The Complete Series download features 170 full-color pages, including a map of where the characters' adventures take them.

Herbert is a mercenary minotaur with heart — and a curse, forcing him to serve the most annoying person in the world, Duke Benedict! Follow their misadventures as they meet conniving aristocrats, calculating werewolves, and the slinky cat-girl sorceress, Casmerelda!

Sword & Sarcasm was a fun project — glad to see we're getting it back out there. Our plan is to eventually get a print version as well, but we know webcomics readers like e-books!

Star Wars: Knight Errant available on Kindle June 28!

2011-05-19T21:42:00.000-05:00

Random House/Del Rey and Lucasfilm recently reached an agreement to put the entire Star Wars fiction backlist into e-book form — and now you can preorder my Star Wars: Knight Errant novel which releases in e-book form on June 28! You can preorder it from Amazon for Kindle, and also from Barnes & Noble for Nook.

You can also preorder all the other Star Wars ebooksthat are soon to be available from the retailers; click the link above to visit Amazon's Star Wars e-book section. Sort by publication date and you'll see the books that have been added to the catalog. You'll also see my Lost Tribe of the Sith short stories. Download away — they're free!

Free Comic Book Day signing at Chimera Hobby, Appleton. Wis.

2011-05-06T00:52:00.000-05:00

Free Comic Book Day is on Saturday, and I'm signing at a new venue this year:

Chimera Hobby Shop
808 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Appleton, Wis.
11:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Lots of free comics and a special Heroclix figure are on offer this year: you can find the full list of titles here. Signing schedules can also be found on their website. If your local comic shop is not listed, give them a call for a complete list of events and signings. See you in Appleton!

Mass Effect Evolution: The Finale!

2011-04-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

And hitting stands this week is Mass Effect: Evolution #4, the final issue in the origin story of the elusive, illustrious Illusive Man! You can find a preview here, and the comic itself on shelves starting Wednesday. There are two variant covers for this issue, as with the others of the series; one by Joe Quinones, another by Massimo Carnevale.

We also have something unique here in the form of a video trailer for the entire Mass Effect: Evolution series. Something I haven't seen done before for a comic book series -- be sure to check it out.

I very much enjoyed Odyssey Con this past weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. I'd never been to the show before, and it was great meeting everyone there. Greatly enjoyed hanging out with John Kovalic again, and I finally got to meet gaming guest of honor Robin D. Laws, whose run on Iron Man preceded mine. I haven't done much work for the gaming industry lately, but I think we had a pretty good panel on the state of the market with Robin, Bill Bodden, Matt Forbeck and myself.

I'm off the convention trail now for a stretch -- the next big one is San Diego, later in the summer. In the meantime, back to work!

Oddcon panel schedule, podcasts, and more

2011-04-07T23:30:00.000-05:00

Very busy few days here. Two podcasts to share, starting with my C2E2 interview with Force-Cast's Jedi Journals. And I just now recorded the first of what may be more than one interview with DragonTalk Radio; click to listen.

I am off to Madison for OdysseyCon this weekend. Here is my schedule:

Friday, April 8
2:30 p.m. — The Future of Comics — Mooschenko room
4:00 p.m. — Superheroes! — Oakbrook I & II

Saturday, April 9
10:00 a.m. — Star Wars: Knight Errant — Mooschenko
11:30 a.m. — State of Hobby Gaming — Oakbrook III

Sunday, April 10
11:30 a.m. — Ins and Outs of Tie In Fiction — Oakbrook I & II

I'm also pleased to report there is a release date for the Knight Errant: Aflame trade paperback: August 3. You can find the preorder page for Amazon behind the link; you can begin ordering it at your local comics shop in June. More details and a page for the volume here on the site soon.

Knight Errant #5 notes -- and Midsouthcon highlights

2011-04-04T14:18:00.001-05:00

Been a little slow to get back online after the Chicago/Memphis trip, but I am pleased to say that I finally have the production notes for Knight Errant: Aflame #5 online here at the site. This is pretty darn late and if I were the publisher of this website, I would fire me. (Errr... wait. Never mind.) No, I admit I've had enough real deadlines to keep this winter that some of my usual postings here have slowed down, but that's a good problem to have. I do hope to have the Mass Effect Evolution notes and something for the latest Lost Tribe of the Sith chapters up in the near (ahem) future.

With Nicki Howe and Kurt Busiek at a Saturday panel.

That near future contains Odyssey Con in Madison, this weekend, where I'm speaking on panels Friday and Saturday. It's my first Oddcon, despite having lived in the state for many years, so it should be a fun experience. I'll have the panel schedule online here later in the week.

And speaking of fun experiences, Midsouthcon was great, as always. I haven't missed one since 2003, and this one was memorable as usual. Kurt Busiek was the comics guest of honor, and it was great getting to know author Mary Robinette Kowal, game guru Monte Cook, and scientist Les Johnson. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the Memphis Fanforce, as usual, and my thanks to them for the use of their table. Thanks also to loyal minion Cathe and to Lin Workman for the photos.

With Nicki and Traci Howe from the Memphis Fanforce.

Thankfully I was feeling a lot better than I did at C2E2 — and I really liked the new venue. Despite having driven past the Hilton in Memphis for years — previously, it was the Omni and before that, it was the Hyatt — I don't think I had been in the place except once for a one-day comics show in 1992 or so. The function spaces were nice and parking wasn't a nightmare for a change (although we seem to get struck with the worst weather, lately). Apart from the intervention (unwarranted, to this observer in the room) of security closing down the Libertycon party, I have no complaints — the hotel even shipped me the power cord for my computer which I forgot!

Spring is just maybe possibly here in Wisconsin — hopefully the warmer weather will get me in gear to post more updates here on the site. And — teaser warning — I've just signed a deal for a project I think a lot of readers here will find veerrrrry interesting. (No, it isn't Hogan's Heroes. But that is absolutely all I can say about that!)

Midsouthcon schedule -- and C2E2 in review

2011-03-24T11:27:00.000-05:00

Immediate business first: I just finished a spot on Good Morning Memphis on the local Fox station for Midsouthcon, which runs this weekend at the Hilton at Poplar and I-240; I now have my programming schedule, as well:

Friday, Mar. 25, 5 p.m.:
Web Comics panel with me, Chris Haley, Curt Franklin, Rhonda Platania, and Rob Balder (Promenade)

Saturday, Mar. 26, 11 a.m.:
Worlds of Adventure panel with me, Kurt Busiek, and Nicki Howe (TN Ballroom C)

Saturday, Mar. 26, 7 p.m.:
Star Wars Knight Errant panel with me, Lin Workman, Martheus Wade, and Traci Brown (Promenade)

Erich Schoenweiss, Paul S. Kemp, and me
at C2E2's Star Wars fiction panel

I will also be signing at various times. I know of one collective signing time at 5 p.m. Saturday, but there may be others.

It has been a busy week. Wednesday I spoke to several assemblies at St. Benedict's at Auburndale, the successor school to my old high school; that was a lot of fun. And then before that was C2E2, where I participated on several panels and signings for Dark Horse and Del Rey — and tried hard on Friday not to keel over, as I was probably sicker than I've ever been at a convention. (Something I ate, I think -- all better now!) At C2E2 I also ran into a friend from the Auburndale days -- Chris Hardwick, now of Nerdist.com and TV fame. Hadn't seen him in years -- goot to catch up with him again!

A day recuperating in Oak Park on Saturday helped get me back to full power for Sunday, where we had the panel for the Dark Horse Star Wars comics. We discussed Deluge, the next storyline for Star Wars: Knight Errant there -- and you can read more about it here.

Hope to see everyone this weekend at Midsouthcon!

My C2E2 Panel and Signing Schedule

2011-03-16T00:22:00.000-05:00

Here's my schedule for the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo:

FRIDAY
11:30-12:30: Signing at the Del Rey booth with Paul S. Kemp, author of Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived
3:00-4:00: Del Rey panel with Paul and Erich Schoenweiss
6:00-7:00: Video Games and Comics panel with Mass Effect editor David Marshall

SATURDAY
4:00-5:00: Signing at the Del Rey booth
5:00-6:00: Signing at the Dark Horse booth

SUNDAY
11:30-12:30: Star Wars Comics panel
2:00-3:00: Signing at the Dark Horse booth

See you there!

Congrats to Pat Rothfuss!

2011-03-13T20:05:00.000-05:00

The Wise Man's Fear, the second book in the Kingkiller Chronicles by Pat Rothfuss, debuted at #1 this week on The New York Times hardcover bestseller list. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy — who I met, of all places, a few years ago at the comics shop we both frequent here in Wisconsin.

It's one of those unlikely stories you remember for a long time: I was doing my Free Comic Book Day appearance at the comics shop we both frequent, when Pat stopped in during the final hour and bought some comics. Talking with him about writing, I learned he had just published a novel — and outside, he handed me a first printing of The Name of the Wind from the trunk of his car. (Now I wish I'd given him the comics for free!)

Pat stopped by the Krause Picnic-con later that year, and by that time, it was clear that his novel was a Really Big Deal. I've appreciated his advice on the business of writing, and encourage everyone to check out the newest release!

Knight Errant novel answers, Part II

2011-03-11T23:23:00.000-06:00

Here's the rest of the responses to reader questions on the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel. As before, I can't get into anything specific that's coming up in the upcoming comics — and I caution readers who have not read the novel not to go further without considering a Spoiler Warning attached, although these should be pretty safe.

Todd Selby asks: Is there an individual who considers him/herself absolute Dark Lord of the Sith or are the Sith too disjointed at this time?

I think it's clear in the stories that they all think they're the one that should have that title; we just haven't seen anyone who actually says the term. And Daiman and Odion aspire to titles even more grandiose!

Keith "Nar" Kappel asks: In creating all these different Sith Empire cultures for the various enclaves, and the eccentric Sith Lord personalities that rule them, how much was influenced by research into other real-world empires, such as the Roman Empire, Alexander the Great's Greek Empire, Napoleon's French Empire, or other researched areas, and how much of it was just created from your own interest in things to see in the Star Wars Galaxy?

There's a strong Alexander element with Daiman; my initial thinking for the look of the realm was a lot of Greco-Roman themes. Daiman thinks he's living his own myth. In initial conception, Odion had more of a techno-barbarian feel, which made for a nice contrast with the Daimanate. Arkadia clearly drew on more Nordic themes -- an Asgardian Athena, for want of a better term -- with the idea of a structured, command economy built on top of it. So, yes, I'm always mashing up tidbits from here and there, and then fusing them with story opportunities that could only exist in Star Wars.

Loren Bickford asks: "Did any individual, real or fictional, influence the creation of Kerra Holt? Thank you for your time"

Well, Dark Horse editor Randy Stradley came up with the idea of a "lone female Jedi!" But I guess you mean a model for her character. There isn't a single influence. I did some reading on Joan of Arc -- as well as on spies and partisans who worked underground. Some of that obviously also influenced Narsk -- in a sense, they're in the same business of trying not to be seen doing what they're doing.

Robert "Bob" Messing asks: "How on Earth did you come up with such a delightfully bizarre character as Vilia Calimondra?"

I get into a bit of that in the notes for the novel. Suffice it to say that this was a character that I had in mind from very early on -- everything is built on the foundation she created.

Hirogen Hunter asks: "Not exactly Knight Errant but I have to ask. Were the Moomo Brothers inspired by the Venithon twins?"

Since there's an incredibly tangential connection to the novel -- see the notes -- it fits here. No, they were created completely independently; I hadn't read the guide with the Venithons. Someone first mentioned that connection a few years ago, I think. Just a weird coincidence!

Jim Haley asks: "When Narsk is looking back and forth between Arkadia and Kerra (around their first meeting), I was wondering if he was seeing some family resemblance? With all the Sith blood running around this part of the galaxy and Kerra having hailed from here, was there any thought to her being related to Vilia as well?"

No -- it's a pretty big sector. And if you think about it in light of what we learn in the novel, I think you'd agree that that would be overkill!

Nehemoth asks: "Of course there are years between Knight Errant and the rise of Kaan but will we see some of the characters featured in Bane: Path of destruction, such as Qordis or Kopecz? Same for Kerra : is she alive in Bane area? Hundreds, even thousands of sith lords filled up the galaxy : what happened to them in the following years : we only see about twenty sith lords aligned with Kaan. Will we see more of the other Sith Lords such as Lioko and Malakite in "Deluge"?

These are all great questions, but as I noted at the start, I can't speak to anything beyond what's already appeared. There will be more news about the next comics series, Deluge, soon -- watch for it.

OK, there are a few questions left that relate to the end of "Aflame," so I'll address those when I post the notes for #5. Hopefully very soon!

Again, thanks to everyone for their questions, and all the great feedback on the novel. Be sure to spread the word on the bookstore sites where you got the novel!

Novel copies are now on sale at all booksellers and at the following links:

Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Borders • Things From Another World

Knight Errant novel answers, Part I -- and Comics Series II!

2011-03-03T20:50:00.002-06:00

I have here the first set of responses to reader questions on the Knight Errant novel, but first, there's news in Star Wars Insider #124 on the next Knight Errant comics series. You'll have to pick it up to find out more, but as the name is in circulation, I can say you'll be hearing more about Deluge in the near future.

Now, following the posting of the Knight Errant novel notes earlier this week — and preparatory to my getting notes online for the final "Aflame" issue and some other things — I have the first batch of answers to reader questions below. As it turns out, I am not able to hide text under a jump on my current blog template, so I caution readers who have not read the novel not to go further without considering a Spoiler Warning attached. (Even so, in a couple of places I have reworded questions to protect the names of the guilty Sith.)

Todd Selby asks: "Hey John, I loved the book and am enjoying the comics, as well as your eBook series. One question I have is whether or not Kerra will travel beyond the Grumani sector? There's a lot of story potential in the outer rim where tons of Sith roam unchecked."

There's a lot of potential stories built into the sector map already — but I can say that we will get a sense of what's going on elsewhere in the comics ahead.

Keith "Nar" Kappel asks: "Is there any chance we'll get an Essential Atlas-style update for Sith Space with the various Sith Lord sectors for the Knight Errant era? With all the different Sith Lords and planets you are creating, each with their own territory, it'd be nice to help follow the action."

Anything's possible, The trick with this is that, as readers have already found with the "starter map" mentioned above, the territories keep changing. The map of what things really looked like at the start of the novel differs from what they look like at the end of the novel — and if that pattern continues in the upcoming comics, we'd need more than one update!

Joshua Wilson asks: "Is the title 'Darth' not used during this era? I haven't read the Darth Bane books in a while, but obviously Bane uses it. Was he the one to bring that into exclusive use along with the Rule of Two? If not, did some Sith lords use it while others did not, for some reason?"

I can only say that I have not used it, at least so far; this does not speak to whether it is or isn't in use elsewhere in this time.

As a practical matter, while some of the names (like Daiman and Odion) do have a nice ring with the title, we had a pretty large slate of Sith to deal with, and if some Lords were using aliases for Darths and others, not, things could get complicated pretty quickly. Again, that doesn't say that's the in-universe reason the characters aren't using it, or that we won't see someone who does. I just had plenty of names to juggle as it was!

Basilews asks: "Kerra says that since Chelloa she brought 63,000 refugees to the frontier. Did she mean those Chelloan miners? Or some other people, which means the novel isn't a direct continuation of the first comic arc? If so, what was Kerra doing between these stories?"

She's including the Chelloans in her accounting — she really means "since leaving Chelloa," so they would be a part of that. We also know she was in action on Nilash, although there may have been more stops we haven't seen. The novel is a continuation of the story from the comics, but there are some weeks in there that she describes, during which she was making her way to Darkknell.

Karl asks: "My question is about the Dyarchy. How long was Quillan controlling Dromika for? Did she once have a distinct personality, or was it Quillan using her as a vessel, so to speak?

The novel suggests that he had been using her as his connection to the outside universe for a very long time: the simple request for food indicates that very early on, this was how they were getting their basic needs met. The nanny droids take care of a lot, but when they need something else, that requires the manipulation of an organic mind — and only she could do that. I won't speculate on whether that stretched all the way back to the nursery, but it had been going on for a long time, and as you might expect, there would have been a severe impact on Dromika's psychological development.

Hirogen Hunter asked: "Where does the idea of a crystalline flagship comes from? Are all Arkadianate ships like that? Do these ships have shields or class designations?"

Arkadia's vessels, including the New Crucible, were imagined to tie in thematically to her overall ice-kingdom visual. We've seen crystalline structures in ships from other milieus, but I would expect that, while a different configuration, they'd still have a look that felt like Star Wars ships. We haven't seen her ships depicted by an artist yet, of course.

Jim Haley asked: "While reading about the Sith twins in the Dyarchy, I was curious if the thought came to you that perhaps this is what could have happened to Luke and Leia if they had been found by Sidious — it seemed a very interesting/different take on what the power of Force-wielding twins could mean."

I don't know that I thought of Luke and Leia specifically, but clearly, I was very interested in the idea of a caretaker exploiting the Force talents of his charges. I was also pretty sure that was a situation that could go very wrong for the caretaker as well — resulting in what we see happening to Calician.

Bly asked: "Question about the ranks in Rusher's Brigade: is Brigadier its own standalone rank like in the modern-day British Army, or short for Brigadier General? Likewise Master: short for something, like Master Gunner, or likewise its own standalone rank?"

I brought this question into my notes for the issue. Rusher said that he had adopted his force's ranks from an ancient time — and here, he was referring specifically to the Mandalorian Wars-era ranks outlined in the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide. Brigadiers led brigades, which were defined as four to nine battalions plus a headquarters unit — overall force ranging in size from 1,000 to 5,000 beings; majors led the battalions.

"Master" in Dackett's case was a shortening of the Shipmaster term from that era, being the highest-ranking naval non-commissioned officer aboard a vessel. This underlines the degree to which Rusher was just making things up on the fly, as Kerra said, mixing his services in arriving at his ranks — but it's safe to say that Dackett was the #2 ranked person in Diligence.

Robert Messing asks: "Who's your favorite character to write in Knight Errant? It's just such a huge cast of memorable characters... I imagine it's probably hard to pick one favorite!"

Jarrow Rusher was probably the most fun to write in the novel — he has his moods, but generally, it was easy to climb into his thoughts and his world. And then, generally, Daiman and Odion are a blast to write — they can be so over-the-top it's fun to show how that plays out in the world around them.

Loren Bickford asks: "Have you read many of the Star Wars novels, and if so, did any in particular inspire you to create the never-before-seen era of Knight Errant?"

I go all the way back to Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Loren — I have most of the novels in one of the bookcases here in my office. (I have the comics, games, and other sourcebooks in the other.) As to specific inspirations, I did study up on the Bane novels and, obviously, Jedi Vs. Sith, in figuring out what the future looked like; I worked backward from there.

Darth Cronos asks: "Are there any other Sith lords out there that have the rank and power that [the mystery figure] has, or is she the only one really pulling all the strings?"

We've only seen who we've seen. Arkadia tells us that the people involved aren't a majority of the Sith Lords in the area by any stretch, so there could well be alternate power bases we don't know about.

That's it for this batch, folks — more to come later. While the contest that's mentioned is done, you can still post questions over on the question thread.

Novel copies are now on sale at all booksellers and at the following links:

Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Borders • Things From Another World

Knight Errant: The novel notes

2011-03-01T21:26:00.002-06:00

A few weeks have passed since the release of the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel, and I am pleased to publish the production notes for the novel. Read up on the making of the story, including the challenges of getting into the head of a character that doesn't want to let anyone near. Dig ye the novel's odd and arduous connections to everything from Barbarians at the Gate to I, Claudius — plus the origin of Kerra's name! This is a first pass; there are trivial bits I'm sure I'll remember later on as I'm asked about them. You can find the notes here.

I plan to answer the questions for the Ask-Me-Anything in a series of posts here over the next few days (I still have to get the notes for #5 online, too) — but as promised, I did the drawing for the signed copies of both the novel and Aflame #1-5. The winners are Robert "Bob" Messing and Loren Bickford! As I'm familiar with both your names from TFN and Facebook, I'll message you directly for mailing information. So keep checking back for those answers — I'd have had them today, but the notes page was pretty sizable.

Meanwhile, there are not one, but two podcasts out tonight in which I discuss various things including Star Wars. First on Star Wars Action News, we get into Star Wars collecting; then on the Functional Nerds podcast, we really range all over, getting into comics history and my own useless super-power, being able to recite all the cover-price changes in comics history. And also Knight Errant and Lost Tribe, of course.

My panel schedule for C2E2 in Chicago and Midsouthcon in Memphis is taking shape; I hope to have updates for you soon on those. Stay tuned...

Lost Tribe of the Sith #6: Sentinel now online!

2011-02-21T15:55:00.003-06:00

The latest chapter of Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith is now available for free download! Lost Tribe of the Sith #6: Sentinel picks up immediately where the previous chapter, Purgatory, left off — a first for this series. The one person on Kesh who knows who the Sith are and what danger they represent has just been discovered — by someone he thought he could trust!

You can find the PDF at StarWars.com, and here is the link for earlier chapters.

At Amazon, the Kindle download is now available; as in a previous occasion, they seem to have accidentally put a 99-cent price on it — I've let the folks in charge know, so that should soon be fixed. Meanwhile, here are the (free!) links for Barnes & Noble and the Sony eReader.

I'll try to do the production notes for #5 and #6 simultaneously — although it should be pretty obvious that I'm behind on a lot of website stuff. They're on the list!

Westfield Comics Knight Errant signing pix

2011-02-19T21:18:00.000-06:00

Wonderful weather for a signing — and a great afternoon at Westfield Comics in Madison, Wis. today! (Thanks to Scott Lynch for the above photo.)

My thanks to everyone who came out — as well as to the store staff and the members of the 501st Wisconsin Garrison and Rebel Legion: Thomas "Crix" Turner, Philip Zeman, Zach Wagner, and Sara Zeman!

Knight Errant Ask-Me-Anything -- and a contest!

2011-02-18T17:04:00.003-06:00

Lots going on! First, I wanted to alert readers in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois to my signing on Saturday (Feb. 19th) at Westfield Comics in Madison, Wis. Stormtroopers from the 501st will be present. Take a break from the craziness at the State Capital and come visit! The signing is from 1-4 at the Westside store, 7475 Mineral Point Rd., Suite 22., in High Point Center.

Second, I've been doing a slew of podcasts — one of which is now online. Click to hear me on the latest Fictional Frontiers.

Next, I'll be appearing at C2E2 in Chicago in March — and I've learned I'll be on a Del Rey panel with Paul S. Kemp on Friday afternoon. I'm also signing for Del Rey on Saturday — and will have hours for Dark Horse as well. More details as I have them.

Finally, in advance of getting my production notes for the novel together — and with the final issue of "Aflame" out — I hereby launch the "Ask Me Anything" for the novel and the first comics series. The rules are the same as the pre-release one; I can only speak to what's happened in the novel and comics so far, and won't spoil anything coming up. Please look at the three pre-release answer posts to see if your question's already been answered. You might also see what's been discussed already in the Facebook chat transcript. I'm really looking for some original questions we haven't hit before -- surprise me!

Now, to the contest part — I'll be sending signed copies of both the novel and Aflame #1-5 to two questioners chosen at random. Posting more than one question doesn't increase your chances — and, again, original questions are always appreciated. Please use your name or a distinct username with your post, and check back here on March 1 when I'll announce the winners. Then the winners will need to get in touch with me with their addresses and any personalization instructions.

This covers the novel and the comics, so consider a Spoiler Warning as you read others' questions. You may want to skip to the bottom for the comment pane if you've only read one of them. Onward!

Novel copies are now on sale at all booksellers and at the following links:

Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Borders • Things From Another World

Double the fun! Knight Errant #5 and Mass Effect Evolution #2 hit stands!

2011-02-15T23:36:00.000-06:00

I'm sure this has happened to me at least once before, but it's a rarity -- I have two issues that go on sale today.

First off, there's Star Wars: Knight Errant #5, the concluding issue of "Aflame." This is the missing piece, the last bit of story to come before the novel, already available. I'll have some notes on that issue available soon -- probably before I get to the notes for the novel.

Second, there's Mass Effect: Evolution #2, which comes in two different covers, one by Joe Quinones and the other by Massimo Carnevale.

Incredibly busy, but there's more to announce here in the next few days -- Lost Tribe of the Sith #6 goes online next week, and I have a signing at Westfield in Madison this Saturday -- complete with the 501st!

And you can find copies of the Knight Errant novel, now on sale at all booksellers and at the following links:

Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Things From Another World

Facebook chat on Del Rey's page

2011-02-02T13:57:00.004-06:00

Updated: Thanks to everyone who posted in my chat on Del Rey's StarWarsBooks Facebook page. Sorry I couldn't get to every question -- I must have hit some kind of response buffer for threads or something, because I was a-writing and it wasn't a-posting. In any event, they'll post the final version tomorrow, and I'll try to respond to the ones I missed.

In the meantime, I was the guest for the Jedi Journals podcast for Forcecast, now online. Topic: Knight Errant, what else?

Oh, here's something. We have a release date and a cover for Lost Tribe of the Sith #6. Busy day! The release dates for #7 and #8 also appeared today: "Pantheon" has moved to July 19, and "Secrets" has shifted to March 8, 2012, to adjust to the Fate of the Jedi release schedule.

News and previews! Knight Errant #5, Mass Effect Evolution #2, and more...

2011-02-01T16:50:00.000-06:00

Lots of stuff going on today. First off, we have the preview of Star Wars: Knight Errant— Aflame #5, the final issue of the storyline and the missing link between the comics and the novel. It's a blockbuster of a preview; destruction soon to ensue!

Next off, IGN has a preview of Mass Effect: Evolution #2. Both that issue and Aflame #5 release on the same day, February 16 — just in time for my signing at Westfield Comics in Madison, Wis., that Saturday. I still need to get production notes online for the first issue, now on sale — but it's been pretty busy!

I was also alerted today that Star Wars: Knight Errant was one of the ten best-selling mass-market paperbacks in Barnes and Noble stores this past week. It's gratifying to see, of course, and it's been wonderful reading the kind words folks have written me in recent days.

Debuts can be scary things; my first comic book, years ago, was a bit more tumultuous as experiences go. But this has been a pleasure all around. I really do thank everyone for their support!

Photos: First Knight Errant signings

2011-01-30T20:22:00.004-06:00

httThe first signings for Star Wars: Knight Errant were this weekend, and I was thrilled to have the participation of the Wisconsin Garrison of the 501st in both of them.

Bookworld (seen above) in Stevens Point had the first event, Friday evening, and I appreciate everyone who turned out during what developed into quite a snowy evening outside. I appreciate the time that the troopers put in outside; they're real, well, troopers!

It was while getting ready for that appearance when news broke that a Lost Tribe of the Sith compilation was on the Del Rey schedule for 2012 (August, tentatively). Details about what's included are yet to be announced, but it's something I've looked forward to us doing. The stories have always been part of a wider arc, and presenting it all under one cover should make for an interesting dynamic.

On Saturday, I spoke at the University Ave. Borders in Madison, and again, there were photo ops for the kids with the 501st members, above. It was the first talk I've given about the book since its release, and I was thrilled at the turnout.

I hope to get some more photos online as time is available; be sure to check out my Facebook photo section. I have two more Wisconsin signings planned for the near future:

Fri, Feb 4, 2-4 p.m.
MARSHFIELD, WIS.
Bookworld
414 South Central Avenue

Sat, Feb 19, 1-4 p.m.
MADISON, WIS.
Westfield Comics
7475 Mineral Point Rd. (in High Point Center)

There have been several more interviews to appear in recent days. Random House's Suvudu site interviews me here, and I also appeared on the French podcast, Star Wars Universe. It actually turned out to be a two-parter, about Knights of the Old Republic and Knight Errant; the KOTOR portion is now online, here.

I've been getting some very nice feedback from those of you who've read the novel; much appreciated. Peter White was inspired to this graphical response, putting brothers Lord Daiman and Lord Odion on the Dr. Phil show!

That's priceless! Don't forget to spread the word, with review posts on bookstore sites, etc. — supplemental art not necessary!

Copies are now on sale at all booksellers and at the following links:

Amazon • Barnes and Noble
Borders • Things From Another World

And be sure to follow me on Twitter — thanks, Heather, for the spiffy new background!

Knight Errant signings for today and Saturday

2011-01-28T14:18:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder of the two Star Wars: Knight Errant signings in the next 24 hours:

Friday, Jan. 28, 4-6 p.m.
Bookworld 1136 Main Street, STEVENS POINT, WIS.

Saturday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m.

Borders 3750 University Ave., MADISON, WIS.

We'll have representatives from the Wisconsin Garrison of the 501st at both events! And speaking of Borders there's a new post in my guest-blog there today — check it out!

Copies are now on sale at all booksellers and at the following links:

Amazon • Barnes and Noble
Borders • Things From Another World

Star Wars: Knight Errant now on sale!

2011-01-25T10:29:00.002-06:00

Today's the day! Kerra Holt's journey into Sith space hits full speed in the novel Star Wars: Knight Errant, on sale today!

Copies are now on sale at all booksellers and at the following links:

Amazon • Barnes and Noble
Borders • Things From Another World

It's a big day — exactly five years to the day after my long-running Knights of the Old Republic series launched. (How cool is that timing?) Remember, this is an original novel, and while it's set after the events of the first comics storyline, you don't have to have read the comics to enjoy the novel — the work stands on its own. And the novel does not spoil the ending of the first comics story, so read away!

A few notes on fun extras while reading the book. You can see what Diligence, the warship belonging to Rusher's Brigade, looks like— and you can also look at the map of the sector (as far as the Jedi understood it). There's also a prequel story about Kerra's arrival in Sith space here.

Readers new to the site may not have seen the production notes I do for individual works; like album liner notes or DVD commentary, in a sense, I put together a few thoughts about the process and some trivial notes after each work releases. (You can start reading the ones for the Knight Errant comics here.) With the novel notes, I expect they'll go up in stages, as I imagine there will be questions that will inspire some more thoughts I'll want to add to the page.

That's it! Please let me know what you thought by responding to this post — and by leaving your comments at the various bookseller sites. And pay a call to one of my signings if you're in the area! Enjoy!

Star Wars: Knight Errant Pre-release Q and A, Part the Last

2011-01-24T20:07:00.000-06:00

Just hours left! Last weekend, I opened the digital floor to questions touching on the Star Wars: Knight Errant material that's appeared so far as it relates to the novel; with the book on the shelves on Tuesday, here's the final batch of answers. Earlier batches of answers are here and here.

Claudio do Santos asks: "What was your inspiration for the character of Lord Daiman and all that talk of 'you do not exist' and 'I created the universe'? It's an interesting vision of the Sith Lords."

Since two of the elements of Sith philosophy are the aggrandizement of self and the debasement of others, I simply took that to a logical extreme. In Daiman's case, he's crafted a Sith solipsism that holds that no others exist — and he's made a case in his own mind for it. I considered what would happen to someone who had those thoughts while growing up — and realizing that, because of the Force, he could alter the rules of reality that others have to deal with. He'd only become more convinced that he was something different from everyone else.

The novel gets into quite a bit of detail on Daiman's particular weirdnesses, and how they impact the people around him.

Nathan asks: "What characters did you draw inspiration from when creating Kerra Holt (ex.: Jaina Solo)?

I don't think I really drew from specific Star Wars characters to a great degree. I wanted her to be driven and self-assured — and able to function on her own, making her own decisions on the fly. She probably bears more in common with Jedi-era Luke than anyone in the films: She's got the job, now it's time for her to go to work.

Heimir asks: "Will the novel be released in audio book form in the future?"

I honestly don't know — haven't heard anything about that.

Shey Tapani asks: "Politicians are more or less scum in Star Wars. Are Jedi Chancellors corrupt politicians too? If they aren't, then why does the Republic get rid of them after the war?"

The Darth Bane novels get into how the political situation changes, and why; it's not really in Knight Errant's era to address. And since every page of the novel takes place in Sith space, we really see the Republic more through the eyes of outside observers. That was always intentional: Kerra's story is about where she is, and where her heart is. The Republic was just her alma mater!

And finally, two good questions to end with:

Hirogen Hunter asks: "Let's say someone who picks up the book just watched the movies. Is this a good book for him to read?"

I think so. Since this era is new to most readers, we do a lot to set the scene and explain the situation.

Anonymous asks: "Will there be a sequel novel to Knight Errant?"

Sequel? I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep! Anything's possible, of course — but you can help the odds by buying the book and spreading the word!

That's it! More Q&A will follow a little while after the release. In the meantime, enjoy the book! Click to order the book from the following outlets:
Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Borders • Things From Another World

Knight Errant special: A look at Diligence

2011-01-24T10:49:00.000-06:00

One of the things I've been frequently asked about the creation of the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel is what it was like imagining starships without the help of the many talented comics artists I've been privileged to work with. The answer comes in this special piece on StarWars.com: Engineering With LEGOS!

I've talked about this process a little here before, in the piece on Knights of the Old Republic #37 -- but in the article you can see both the model for Jarrow Rusher's artillery carrier, Diligence, and the rough schematic that was drawn from it. It's a flying lobster of a ship -- and the trials in keeping it together were always a major element of the novel. Thanks to that Star Wars licensee, LEGO -- and to my young son, Jack -- I was able to know for sure what went where in my descriptions.

Knight Errant goes on sale everywhere tomorrow!

Star Wars: Knight Errant Pre-release Q&A, Part II

2011-01-22T21:18:00.001-06:00

Last weekend, I opened the digital floor to questions touching on the Star Wars: Knight Errant material that's appeared so far as it relates to the novel, due out Jan. 25. The first batch of answers is here; and now, here's another bunch:

Darth Malachi asks: "Is Lord Bactra featured in the novel, or is he only alluded to and will be reserved for the next comic arc?"

Sith Lord Bactra, neighbor to both Daiman and Odion, was mentioned in the Atlas Supplement. With hours to go until the general release, I probably spoil nothing in saying that, yes, we definitely meet Lord Bactra in the novel. Among others!

Shey Tapani asks: "Could you give as a list of species featured in Knight Errant #4? There are some really rare ones in that one — I could not recognise anything expect the obvioius ones."

There are many cases where I do not give the artist specific instructions as to which species to use in crowd scenes; this was one of them. So that question really would go to Ivan — he would know better than I would. It's possible that some species may be appearing for the first time; all sorts of refugees wind up stuck in Sith space.

Sithoid asks: "Star Wars: The Essential Atlas states that during the dark age the Republic had to face the outbreak of devastating Candorian Plague, and the Holonet was disabled. In Knight Errant, we can see the consequences of the latter, but are we going to learn anything about the very events that made both disasters possible or at least any precise dating?"

Under the same principle mentioned earlier about not pinning down things that happened a long time before the events of the novel, no, there's no precise dating. But we do get more deeply into some of the ramifications those historical events had.

Rudy Alapag asks: "Who taught Kerra a long time ago?"

We've already established that Vannar Treece did, among others: "Influx" tells of how the Jedi, low on personnel, shared duties in teaching students. She was not being trained as a Jedi prior to her meeting with Vannar.

Shawn asks: "Will characters introduced in the novel show up in the comic series?"

Yes. Sooner than you may think!

Heimir asks: "Are all the Sith in this timeline concentrated in the sector the four mini-empires occupy on the map? With the infighting in this sector I was wondering if there are more -ites out there?" The Atlas clearly shows there's a lot of real estate under Sith control, far more than the Grumani sector — and the Atlas Supplement only showed a very small portion of that sector. There are many more out there; Vannar only mentioned in the briefing the ones he knew that he thought might be relevant to Operation Influx.

My own map has many more of the blanks filled in, and differs from the published one because, as the map notes, Vannar's information wasn't up to date. Once you read the novel, you'll have enough details for a map that looks a lot closer to mine.

Hirogen Hunter asks: "Will the different ship classes be named in this book that were shown in the comics? Will there be an online update on ships and military units and all kind of other stuff a la the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide?"

Not all the same ships appear, although I do get into more detail on some of the vessels. I don't know about the possibility of a guide to vessels and units, but I will say that the novel gets into quite a lot of operational detail, especially when it comes to artillery units. This was something I got interested in while working on the Campaign Guide, as a matter of fact: I wrote the section on Republic ground forces, and that started the process that resulted in Rusher's Brigade from the novel.

But we will get some additional detail about Rusher's carrier, Diligence — watch for a special bonus to be announced here soon!

One last batch of answers to come! In the meantime, click to preorder the book from the following outlets:
Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Borders • Things From Another World

Signing schedule for Knight Errant

2011-01-20T19:13:00.001-06:00

Some appearances to announce with regard to the upcoming Star Wars: Knight Errant novel release. All are up here in Wisconsin, but then I have some conventions in March — C2E2 in Chicago and Midsouthcon in Memphis. More on those later.

Friday, Jan. 28, 4-6 p.m.

STEVENS POINT, WIS.

Bookworld
1136 Main Street

Saturday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m.

MADISON, WIS.

Borders
3750 University Ave.

Fri, Feb 4, 2-4 p.m.
MARSHFIELD, WIS.
Bookworld
414 South Central Avenue

Sat, Feb 19, 1-4 p.m. (Note: Date corrected)
MADISON, WIS.
Westfield Comics
7475 Mineral Point Rd. (in High Point Center)

Members of the Wisconsin Garrison of the 501st will be in attendance at the Borders signing (and perhaps others — more details as I have them).

If there are more to add in this stretch, I'll post details as I know them. Hope to see you there!

Now blogging on Babel Clash!

2011-01-18T15:42:00.000-06:00

In addition to my posts here, for the next two weeks you can catch me — along with fellow Star Wars authors Troy Denning and Joe Schreiber — blogging about fiction, Star Wars, and other things at the Borders sci-fi blog, Babel Clash.

Here's the link to my first post, today. More to come...

Also, tomorrow, the first issue of my new Mass Effect series with Mac Walters and Omar Francia goes on sale. Click to see some sketches and editor Dave Marshall's notes on Mass Effect: Evolution!

Finally, a lot of signings are coming together. I'll get them all listed in a post soon.

Star Wars: Knight Errant pre-release Q&A, Part I

2011-01-17T18:12:00.001-06:00

This weekend, I opened the digital floor to questions touching on the Star Wars: Knight Errant material that's appeared so far as it relates to the novel, due out Jan. 25. (You can still ask your questions here.) Here's the first batch — I'm skipping around, to start with:

Kenyon asks: "I'm sure this has been covered other places, but does the entire book take place before Influx and Aflame or does it overlap at all?"

A good question to start with. The order of events in continuity is as follows:

• Vannar Treece's letter to the Chancellor, as found in the free Knight Errant Atlas Supplement;

• The short story "Influx," also available for free here on StarWars.com;

• The comics Knight Errant: Aflame #1-5; and

• The novel.

Now, you may note that #5 has not been released yet. No worries; I was aware of the shipping calendar when I wrote the novel, so it purposefully does not spoil the ending of the first comics series. (Apart to say that Kerra lives — we should hope so!) I would have written it that way, anyway, so as not to spoil Aflame for novel readers regardless of when they're reading it. So you don't have to wait to dig into the novel! (And, no, you don't have to have read the comics to enjoy the novel, either.)

Barriss Coffee asks: "While at Celebration V you mentioned we'll probably never see something along the lines of a young Lord Kaan, does that rule out the possibility of any connections between this series and the Jedi vs. Sith comics or Darth Bane novels, exclusive of the general political situation (weak Republic, infighting Sith, etc)? Is there a chance a character or plotline from one of those other stories may make an appearance in this series?"

We purposefully set Knight Errant well before the big events of 1000 B.B.Y., so as not to collide with anything coming up. The events of that time are momentous, and cast a shadow not only forward, but backward. Partly, I didn't want to repeat the "who's-who-in-the-future" cycle from Knights of the Old Republic.

But another reason is that, as we saw in that comics series, you can fit an enormous amount of story real estate into the calendar. The entire fifty-one issue series took a little over one standard year in continuity — and even then, there were a lot of moments in the main characters' lives that we did not see, to say nothing of all the other characters in the milieu.

Here, we're talking 32 years — so there's a fair chance that wherever a character like Kaan is, we might not recognize him; he'd have had many potential moments for change over the years. I'd be reluctant to depict such a character in such a way that locks in everything that happens to him in the intervening decades.

I'll never say never if there's a story to be told; obviously, I did add to the pasts of characters like Malak and Karath. But if a character would only be used for scenery, I'd probably preserve that character's past for later stories.

Jordan asks: "The character Daiman often reminds me of characters from Eastern material, due to his appearance and his personality. How much of your work is inspired from Eastern material — i.e. manga / anime?"

I think Daiman's inspirations come from a little further west — Alexander the Great in his own mind, but more like Caligula in practice. Certainly his statuary and some of his architecture recalls classical times.

But in terms of apparel, I think we'll find there's a wide mix of influences. In all things, Daiman sets his own style!

There are other elements in my work that have been influenced by manga and anime, including some yet to be seen.

For the curious, my favorite manga ever is, in my regard, probably also the best original (read as, not licensed) science fiction story in comics: Yukinobu Hoshino's 2001 Nights. Hard science fiction with quality art — the look of some of the ships borders on engineering schematics!

Sithoid asks: "How come the Sith are now occupying the southern region of the Outer Rim? Have they lost any connection with their tradition on Korriban etc?"

This is one of those things that, if you think about it, would require the current works to speak to the situation across a huge span of time. And that's a little like Lord Kaan in reverse, for me — I'm reluctant to use this work to characterize the broad sweep of events in the centuries before.

Now, we do get into the state of things currently, and certainly some of the recent past. But it's clear that a whole lot of history has transpired that is unaccounted for, and I think I would be cautious to get too far outside what characters know from their own lifetimes.

Anonymous asks: "What kind of crystal does Kerra have in her lightsaber?"

A green one. And that's about all she can tell you about it! The meticulous, painstaking care Kerra put into her choice is touched upon in "Influx". She's a busy woman — she just wants one that works!

More answers soon! In the meantime, click to preorder the book from the following outlets:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Borders • Things From Another World

Knight Errant pre-release: Ask Me Anything!

2011-01-15T16:57:00.001-06:00

The Star Wars: Knight Errant novel releases in ten days, and while I'm not doing a daily countdown as I did with last year's wrap to Knights of the Old Republic, I will open the floor to questions as I did then — specifically, anything relating to what has already appeared (Knight Errant: Aflame #0-4, "Influx," and the Atlas Supplement).

So if you've got a burning question — something trivial or big-picture — click "comment" and ask your question here. I'll collect a few of the questions for a blog post or two later in the week. Again, as with last year, no promises for answers to everything — I won't give novel secrets away, or the end of Aflame. And some things will be reserved for my notes on the novel, anyway. But this is a good chance to get your questions in while you're thinking of them!

I'll also be guest-blogging next week on the Borders sci-fi blog, along with Troy Denning and Joe Schreiber. More details soon!

Click to preorder the book from the following outlets:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Borders • Things From Another World

Knight Errant #4 notes, a look at the book, and more!

2011-01-14T10:46:00.000-06:00

A busy week. The novel is in-house, as you might gather; the copies came in on my birthday. Beats a poke with a sharp lightsaber!

The book looks looks great; 416 pages including a 16-page color comics section (reprinting part of #1). The book can be preordered from Amazon or Things From Another World, among other places.

Next up: the production notes for Star Wars: Knight Errant: Aflame #4 are now online; just click the link.

Next, there's a new interview with me on the novel at LightsaberRattling.com, and there's more to come. Additional posts here as they become available; you can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

Finally, congratulations to my comics editor, Dave Marshall, for his promotion to full editor at Dark Horse! Well deserved!

Knight Errant #4 hits the stands -- with bonus novel preview!

2011-01-11T22:56:00.000-06:00

Just two weeks from the release of the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel, we've got some more Sith War goodness coming at you. Star Wars: Knight Errant #4 goes on sale on Wednesday!

This is the one you've been waiting for. Kerra Holt, dashing frenetically back and forth between Lord Odion and Lord Daiman, finally hits the end of the line. Will she find her true mission? What will be the fate of Gorlan Palladane -- and the people of Chelloa?

This issue also includes a preview of the Knight Errant novel -- one that we haven't seen in #0 or Star Wars: Red Harvest. It falls between the two (but there are still parts in there you don't have yet).

I'll have some notes on the issue up shortly. Enjoy!

Mass Effect Evolution preview, interviews online

2011-01-11T18:48:00.000-06:00

I've gotten a little behind on posting these updates, but there's a lot of news online for our new Mass Effect: Evolution series. Not a sequel to Mass Effect: Redemption or the games, but rather, a prequel, providing the origin of the Illusive Man, the series launches on Jan. 19.

I'm interviewed by ComicVine about the series here. Meanwile, IGN has big versions of the covers for #4, and finally, IGN has both an interview and a nice preview of the first issue here.

Finally, I've got pages on the site here at last for issues #3 and #4, showing both cover variants.

More to come. New comics day is tomorrow — Knight Errant #4 ships!

Knight Errant countdown: Three weeks to go!

2011-01-04T22:44:00.000-06:00

The novel has attained corporeal form!

Del Rey posted the pic seen at left of Star Wars: Knight Errant on its Facebook page; it's due out Jan. 25. It's thick -- something like 400 pages, I believe.

Three weeks from today: the countdown is on. And while I don't plan to give much away beforehand, here's a little hint about the setting depicted on the cover: it's definitely one of the planets that Vannar Treece describes in The Essential Atlas Supplement.

More updates coming soon!

Knight Errant preview in Red Harvest

2010-12-29T20:57:00.001-06:00

Fans of previews, here are a couple headed your way. First off, Joe Schreiber's new hardcover Star Wars: Red Harvesthas a preview of the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel, which is due out from Del Rey in a little less than a month. (It appears to be chapter four.)

Plus, a six-page preview for Star Wars: Knight Errant: Aflame appears now on Dark Horse's site. That issue is set to go on sale Jan. 12. And that issue actually has a preview of the Knight Errant novel in it, as well!

Don't worry — the novel's a good hundred-thousand words-plus. There's plenty left over after the previews!

Gryph Rushmore!

2010-12-19T18:45:00.001-06:00

OK, I admit I didn't know this site existed — but Darthipedia's piece on The Gryph from Knights of the Old Republic is an absolute howl.

Props to the writers for giving him Danny Devito's line from Other People's Money. I think Marn and Larry the Liquidator would be wonderful friends, after they had completely and absolutely established that the other no longer had a dime to his name.

Jarael, Rohlan action figures now shipping!

2010-12-11T11:42:00.000-06:00

At last! The Jarael and Rohlan Limited Edition Action Figure Comic Pack, announced this summer, is now in stock at Entertainment Earth.

Jarael and Rohlan action figures are in the pack, as well as a limited edition reprint of my Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #6 comic book. Each action figure is in the traditional Star Wars 3 3/4-inch scale.

They're selling the pack individually for $17.99, and also as part of the final wave of four Comic Packs. Here's what's in the larger pack:

• Star Wars X-Wing Rogue Squadron #29 with Baron Fel and Ysanne Isard
• Star Wars: Legacy #7 with Darth Nihl and Deliah Blue
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #6 with Jarael (Edessa) and Rohlan Dyre
• Star Wars: Jango Fett: Open Seasons #2 with Mandalorians Jaster Mareel and Montross

There's a price break if you order the whole set — $69.99 for the four. According to Entertainment Earth, customers need to order by Dec. 15 to be sure to get the figures by Christmas.

Knight Errant #3 production notes now online

2010-12-09T20:41:00.000-06:00

And on something close to a timely basis, I have the production notes for Star Wars: Knight Errant #3 online. Enjoy!

In the meantime, I have confirmed now for attending Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo in March, followed by Midsouthcon in Memphis; and I have been working with Del Rey on scheduling signings following the release of the Knight Errant novel. I'll get info online about that soon.

Red alert! Knight Errant #3 hits the stands!

2010-12-08T00:09:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday, and that means New Comics Day -- and the third issue of Star Wars: Knight Errant goes on sale!

In Knight Errant #3, follow Kerra Holt as she ventures to Lord Odion's space station, The Spike, in a desperate attempt to save the planet Chelloa. This reunion will not be catered!

As a nice bonus, the issue has a several-page preview from my 2011 series with Mac Walters and Omar Francia, Mass Effect: Evolution.

I'll have some notes online about the issue later in the week, but in the meantime, enjoy, and be sure to drop me a line about the issue.

Don't forget, you can also follow my news on Facebook and Twitter!

Lost Tribe #5: Purgatory now online for Kindle!

2010-11-22T16:00:00.001-06:00

Amazon has finally resolved whatever issues were delaying the posting of Lost Tribe of the Sith #5: Purgatory, so now all you Kindle-philes can see what you've been missing! Remember, it's free!

It is also available on the Sony eReader and from Barnes & Noble. You can also simply download the PDF from StarWars.com.

I'd delayed posting any notes on the story until after the Kindle release went online, so I suppose that's on my schedule for the near future.

Star Wars Knight Errant #3 preview online!

2010-11-19T18:01:00.000-06:00

Thinking of a weekend trip? Consider visiting Lord Odion's territory in this exclusive six-page preview of Star Wars: Knight Errant #3. But exercise caution, travelers -- the security pat-downs are brutal!
You can order the comic book from your local comics shop or preorder it from Things from Another World.

Knight Errant #2 notes, upcoming covers online

2010-11-14T19:44:00.003-06:00

With the Knight Errant Essential Atlas Supplement now online, a variety of updates this weekend to the site here, starting with the production notes for Knight Errant #2.

There are also now pages on the site for Knight Errant #5 and Mass Effect Evolution #2, which remarkably happen to be shipping the same day in February. I'm also able to report that variant covers are available for both Mass Effect issues.

More updates to come!

Exclusive Knight Errant Atlas supplement now online!

2010-11-12T16:15:00.003-06:00

Wondering what the state of play is in the area Kerra Holt is fighting in? You'll know what the Jedi knew — at least, before things went wrong! Star Wars: The Essential Atlas authors Daniel Wallace and Jason Fry and I have put together a Star Wars: Knight Errant Essential Atlas Extra for StarWars.com. It's free!

Except for the historical postscripts, the piece is written in the voice of Vannar Treece; it's literally the strategic briefing on Operation Influx, a story you can also read for free online. But there's a lot more to it than that, as we've gone through the upcoming comics and novel to include quite a lot of places Kerra may be seeing.

My thanks also to Modi and Christopher West for the art. Much better than the Paint maps that I sent! Enjoy!

And while we're at it, check out a podcast I have online today with SciFi Book Report. It begins with an overview of the Lost Tribe of the Sith series, and continues with a wide-ranging interview about that series and Knight Errant, among other things.

Also, it's Star Wars Friday at DarkHorse.com -- check out the blog post by Madison, our convention model, on being Kerra Holt!

More news to come!

Veterans Day remembrance

2010-11-10T23:25:00.001-06:00

A few months back, I wrote of my grandfather, who served in World War II aboard L.S.T. 560, one of the "Landing Ship, Tank" vessels that brought soldiers and equipment ashore in the Pacific. Interestingly, that posting -- in which I noted a few of the places where I've worked the number 560 into my work -- brought me into contact with the sole surviving shipmate from his engineering team. Lt. Walt Wittholz happens to be the national president of the United States L.S.T. Association -- and in the intervening months, I've had the pleasure of corresponding with him about my grandfather and that time in the war. Providing him some of my grandfather's photos, he identified every member of the crew and detailed what was going on in some of the images.

E.V. Taylor, my grandfather -- he always preferred using just the initials, and even his wife called him "Taylor" -- enlisted in the Navy at the start of World War II at Grand Prairie, Texas, Naval Air Station. He was already in his 30s when he enlisted; my mother was still a child at the time.

He served as Chief Motor Machinist Mate in the engineering division aboard L.S.T. 560 in the South Pacific during many of the major invasions, including New Guinea, New Briton, Borneo and other Philippine landings.

The main action photograph I posted here some months back depicts L.S.T. 560 during the invasion of Brunei Bay, Borneo, Lt. Wittholz writes.

Next to it, L.S.T. 640 displays the pontoon bridges chained to the side, which were used for decking, if necessary. "These are Australian troops we picked up on New Guinea," he writes. "These soldiers never took their clothes off and would not go below decks even to eat. Every day at 2 p.m., the war stopped and they would sit down and have their tea. After 2 p.m., they would pick up their guns and start shooting again."

Lt. Wittholz was able to provide the entire crew list appearing in the photo of the Engineering "Black Gang" Division for L.S.T. 560, as well as their ranks at the time:

Seated, Front Row:
E.V. Taylor,
Chief Motor Machinist Mate
David Roney,
Motor Machinist Mate, 2/C
Louie Levesque
Chief Motor Machinist Mate

Seated, Second Row:
Albert Sabul,
Motor Machinist Mate 3/C
Clarence Hoddinett,
Electrician Mate 2/C
Walt Wittholz,
Motor Machinist Mate 1/C
Jim Stanyard,
Motor Machinist Mate, 3/C

Back Row, Standing
William Red Schreiber, Motor Machinist Mate 1/C
Charlie Doyle, Motor Machinist Mate 3/C
Cranville Van Ess, Electrician Mate 1/C
Andrew Lehman, Motor Machinist Mate 3/C
Wilbur Daden, Fireman 3/C
Henery Jefferies, Watertender 2/C
Zane Buckingham, Motor Machinist Mate 2/C
Myron Way, Electrician Mate 2/C
Bill Herman, Motor Machinist Mate 3/C
Marvin Smith, Motor Machinist Mate 3/C
Jim Cheney, Watertender 3/C
Stanley Church, Fireman 3/C
Ray Schreiber, Motor Machinist Mate 3/C

As noted, Walt Wittholz is the only surviving member of the team; my grandfather died in 2000 at 91. Out of the 128 members of the original crew, Lt. Wittholz only knows of six to eight remaining.

My grandmother, Nell Taylor, was working during the war, too, as a "Riveting Rosie," a civilian employee for the Army. She went to welding school and then became chief inspector for the Army at North American Aviation in Dallas, Texas. She had top security clearance on the P-51 Mustangs (120 days to produce an airplane that would fly faster than the German Messerschmidt). She said the P-51 Mustang at that time was the world's fastest plane, with a cruising speed of 425 m.p.h. and a diving speed over 500 m.p.h.

Shown here in 1945, Nell was in charge of final inspections on the planes. She used a "magma-flux" which was used to X-ray the planes' structures for weaknesses or cracks in the metal. Sadly, it was her exposure to these high levels of radiation that likely caused her to have skin cancers in later life. She died in 1996.

It's an honor this Veteran's Day to remember my grandparents and those who served and worked with them -- and it's been a pleasure hearing from Walt. I'm sorry my grandfather didn't live to find out about the National Association, but you can, by visiting the website of the United States L.S.T. Association. Based in Toledo, Ohio, it recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. And you can visit the one of only two intact L.S.T.s in the United States, L.S.T. 325, at the USS LST Ship Memorial in Evansville, Indiana. Walt appears with the ship here, as it was brought back from Greece in the winter of 2000-2001. I'm planning on making the trip myself, when I can.

Additional thanks to my sister, Kathy Summers, for her help in compiling this information.

Knight Errant #2: Lord Daiman has arrived!

2010-11-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

Just because he's late to the party doesn't mean you have to miss Lord Daiman's debut in Star Wars: Knight Errant #2, on sale Wednesday in finer comics establishments all around creation!

Of course, creation is Lord Daiman's creation, or so he says — so he really can be late for the party if he wants to be, can't he? (And isn't it just like Big Brother Odion to put himself on the cover of Daiman's comic book? The nerve of that guy!)

So hit that comics shop — or you can also order it from Things from Another World — and join the party. And don't forget, you can also preorder the Knight Errant original novel, due out in January! (And it's also available from Things From Another World!)

Some notes on the issue will be forthcoming as I have the time — and I'll also have something for Lost Tribe #5, which is online at StarWars.com and which, I am assured, will be on Kindle soon.

Lost Tribe of the Sith #5: Purgatory now online! Download free!

2010-10-25T20:05:00.000-05:00

The fifth installment of Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, titled "Purgatory", is now online. The free download is now available at StarWars.com and also Random House's Suvudu. I'll link other major download platforms as I have them.

It's my second electronic story online in less than a week, but it's completely different in many ways — and quite different from the previous episodes of Lost Tribe. Much time has passed since the fourth episode, as you'll see. This story also has an ending you may not expect — avoid spoilers!

Speaking of unexpected, I finally have production notes online for Lost Tribe: Paragon and Lost Tribe: Savior. I'll have notes for Part 5 on my page for the e-book later on, hopefully later this week.

Knight Errant: Influx, prequel story, now online!

2010-10-19T13:11:00.001-05:00

Star Wars: Knight Errant: Influx, my prequel prose story to Knight Errant #1 (in stores now!) is now online for your reading enjoyment at Star Wars.com. Find out about Kerra and Vannar Treece's arrival in Sith space. The plan went wrong even before the plan went wrong!

I'll have some notes up about this story in the near future — but in the meantime, enjoy. Coming soon, we also have the Atlas update based on the events in Knight Errant, as well as Lost Tribe of the Sith Episode 5: Purgatory, which is set for release on Oct. 25. All coming soon, and all free!

D-Day for Sith space: Knight Errant #1 arrives!

2010-10-13T11:08:00.001-05:00

The Jedi have arrived!

Kerra Holt and the volunteer forces of Vannar Treece have arrived in the Daimanate for a sneak attack -- but you don't have to be stealthy to find Star Wars: Knight Errant #1, now on sale at your local comic-book purveyor's establishment!

(Find your local shop here; checking the link, I see we're the top book on the page this morning!) You can also order the issue from Things From Another World; they're also a good source for the variant cover version, seen above right.

And in surprisingly speedy fashion, I already have the spoiler-free production notes online. Remember, the novel comes out Jan. 25 -- reserve your copy at Amazon.

Comments on the issue always welcome! Enjoy -- there's more to come!

Mass Effect: Evolution launches Jan. 19!

2010-10-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

And now we have the ship date for Mass Effect: Evolution #1 — January 19, just one week after Star Wars: Knight Errant #4 and one week before the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel comes out. Busy month!

Plotted by Mac Walters from Bioware, scripted by yours truly, drawn by Omar Francia, and colored by Michael Atiyeh, the new series chronicles humanity's first deadly days on the galactic stage — and uncovers the pivotal role The Illusive Man played in it all!

Whatever the weather this winter, at least there'll be plenty of reading material!

One week to Star Wars: Knight Errant #1!

2010-10-06T16:42:00.002-05:00

If things go as scheduled, the first issue of Star Wars: Knight Errant hits comics shops next Wednesday, Oct. 13. It hits at a busy stretch for me (I'm not at New York Comicon, sad to say, because of various deadlines), so I'm probably not going to do the kind of big countdown here on the site that I did for the end of Knights of the Old Republic. But there is a fresh interview now online about the series at ComicBookResources. Check it out!

Also, I now have pages on the site here for Star Wars: Knight Errant #3 and #4, along with covers. And the cover of the novel is on the Amazon preorder page, I see.

Busy week coming up... stay tuned!

New podcast interview on Fictional Frontiers

2010-09-27T18:03:00.000-05:00

Busy beyond belief these days, but I can note that a new interview with me has aired on Fictional Frontiers. More later...

Knight Errant video interview on Newsarama

2010-09-12T00:55:00.000-05:00

Newsarama has posted a video interview about the upcoming comics series and novel Star Wars: Knight Errant, conducted with me at Star Wars Celebration V. I'm not that short -- that banner behind me is just really tall!

Knight Errant interviews, Lair of the Shadow Broker trailer online

2010-09-01T17:41:00.002-05:00

For those anxious to see Star Wars: Knight Errant in print when issue #1 goes on sale on October 13th, I have two more interviews on the series up from Things From Another World and Time Magazine's Techland.

For fans of Mass Effect: Redemption, I'm pleased to report that the trailer for the upcoming Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC is now the web. The DLC ties directly into the comic series, so don't be surprised if you see a few familiar faces. Our next series, the prequel Mass Effect: Evolution, launches in January. Busy times!

Star Wars Celebration V wrap-up

2010-08-18T20:38:00.003-05:00

I don't know if I intended to do day-by-day posts from Star Wars: Celebration V, but they certainly didn't happen; it was a pretty busy but enjoyable time. So now, safely back in the Wampa ice-cave, I'm running through some photos with accompanying thoughts...

The big news for me at the show was the promotion for Star Wars: Knight Errant, both the comics series and novel. Dark Horse and Del Rey both displayed material for the books, and offered free copies of Star Wars: Knight Errant #0, the show exclusive; Dark Horse also had a cool (and tall!) hanging banner promoting the series. This is one collectible that won't fit in the garage!

The publishers had hired a young lady named Madison Geisler to portray Kerra in a running Twitter contest; folks took photos of her roaming in the convention hall for a chance to win a bookcase full of books, plus bookcase.

She was pretty tired of being photographed by passersby by the time it was done! (Sorry, a photo of me got you absolutely nothing.)

Peter White, whose Zayne Carrick costume had appeared in the letters pages of Knights of the Old Republic, also appeared; it was more than a bit surreal for me to see these two characters in one place.

This is me thinking, "Sorry, Zayne — Kerra can definitely beat you in a lightsaber duel. We haven't statted her character for the role-playing game, but she's probably got something like a half-dozen melee feats you don't!"

Saturday we had a panel on the comics series and novel. "Kerra" sat in on the panel, with Del Rey editor Shelly Shapiro, Dark Horse editor Dave Marshall, and myself. Jeremy Atkins of Dark Horse (far right) ran the panel.

The slide presentation provided people with their first look at the cover of Knight Errant #3, due in December. Which reminds me —I need to get a page online for the second issue here...

While I didn't give away much in the panel, I did reveal the visual inspiration for a particular tower-like vessel that appears in the first issue of the comics series. I had kept thinking it should look, y'know, kind of like the stubby thing that's left over when you snap off the wing of a Kenner TIE Fighter; so I finally just told the artist that's what to base it on. (No, I'm not even going to begin to come up with a continuity rationalization for the resemblance...)

We had signings, of course — I was really pleased to get to meet everyone. And luckily, my voice held out for much of the show — I was pretty terrified of reaching the Saturday panel with only the ability to croak!

At the Hasbro booth, they were displaying the Entertainment Earth exclusive figures of Rohlan and Jarael that are coming later this year. Don't forget, you can still preorder the figures by clicking here.

The convention being in Florida, we made a family trip of it; it was the first time my kids had been to either a convention or to Florida, so it was a good combination. Jack and Josie got to work on dioramas at Echo Base, see the costume contest, the droid parade, and more. Now they know what Dad does for a living!

It was also the first time I'd been to Florida since my senior class trip umpty-ump years ago. I visited EPCOT then, but got no closer to it to the parking lot this time, on the way to the Magic Kingdom with the family. Initial thoughts of hitting EPCOT again on Sunday evaporated — along with much else — once I saw hot blazing hot it was. (The last time I'd been there, it'd been March.) No matter; it just meant a fourth day back at the convention.

Celebration itself was, of course, plenty entertaining on its own; the life-sized TIE Interceptor was a marvel to look at, as were several other displays. This thing had cables attached to the ceiling to keep the wings standing.

There are more photos here, and I'll be posting a few more on my Facebook page. I won't miss the Florida heat, but I really did have a great time. Thanks to Lucasfilm, Reed Exhibitions, TheForce.net party folks, and my publishers for the hospitality — and thanks to everyone for coming out! (Thanks also to the Intrepid Meredith and the Energetic Trudy for their photo assistance!)

Star Wars Celebration sights

2010-08-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

My full post on Star Wars Celebration is coming along shortly, but in the meantime, since everyone is interested in photos, here are some of the folks seen along the way in the hall, starting with some people from a certain video game!

And definitely my favorite costume of the convention...

No idea how this guy got through doors!

More to come...

Star Wars Celebration Day 1: The hunt for Kerra Holt begins!

2010-08-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

Just in from the first afternoon at Star Wars Celebration. It'll be a while before I can get photos posted, but I will pass along this pic that was just retweeted to me of me and Madison, the actress playing Kerra Holt, as part of the Find Kerra Holt contest at the convention. (And no, you can't use this picture from the event for the contest -- you'll have to take your own!) But now you know who to look for!

Plenty more chances to find Kerra at the convention -- and I have signings tomorrow and Saturday, plus the panel Saturday afternoon.

And if you can't make it, check out the new interview about the series just posted on IGN!

More news soon!

Join the hunt for the Knight Errant at Star Wars Celebration!

2010-08-06T18:13:00.001-05:00

Dark Horse and Random House's Suvudu have announced a special Twitter contest for Star Wars: Celebration!

Kerra Holt, the Knight Errant, will be making a special apperance at the Dark Horse panel at noon on Thursday, and again at my panel on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. She'll also be roaming the convention floor. If you find Kerra Holt, take a picture of her and upload it to Twitter. (Use whatever photo site you prefer.)

Be sure to use the hashtag #knighterrant, and direct it to @darkhorsecomics and @suvudu to be entered to win.

One grand prize winner will receive a collection of graphic novels and books from Dark Horse Comics and Del Rey, plus a bookshelf to hold all the wonderful prizes! Full details here.

It's a cool promotion — I'm thrilled that it's coming together.

And you can follow me as well on Twitter, right here!

My Star Wars Celebration signing schedule

2010-08-04T20:58:00.000-05:00

Subject to change should I be trampled by AT-ATs, here's a bit of where I can be found during Star Wars Celebration V:

Signings at the Dark Horse booth:
Thursday, 2-3 p.m.
Friday, 3-4 p.m.
Saturday, 6-7 p.m.

Panels (at the Behind the Scenes Stage, W414 ABCD):

Dark Horse Comics panel: 12-1 p.m Thursday

Star Wars: Knight Errant panel: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Friday

I'll also be dropping by the TFN Fanforce Jedi Council Party on Thursday evening; more details on how to attend at the link.

As mentioned here before, the con giveaway is Star Wars: Knight Errant #0, which is a double-sided book with preview pages from Knight Errant #1 on one side and the first chapter of the novel on the other side. There are also several of Federico Dallocchio's designs and an interview with me in the issue. This is an exclusive for attendees of Star Wars Celebration, so far as I know.

More information as I know it. Hope to see everyone there!

Knight Errant #0 and event announced for Star Wars Celebration

2010-07-28T19:24:00.001-05:00

A number of things have been announced for Star Wars: Celebration to talk about. First, there's a Star Wars: Knight Errant #0 issue, exclusive to attendees. According to the website:

Del Rey and Dark Horse Comics have partnered on an exclusive Issue #0 of the new Knight Errant comic book. The comic will feature the Dark Horse cover on one side and the Del Rey novel cover on the other. The interior will be a mix of comic book, sketches, and an excerpt from the novel. Issue #0 will be available as a free giveaway at the Dark Horse and Del Rey booths.

On top of that, there's a Knight Errant panel with yours truly slated for Saturday, August 14 at 4:30-5:30 on the Behind the Scenes Stage with Pablo Hidalgo (W414 ABCD).

There's also a Dark Horse Comics panel on the same stage from 12-1 on Thursday — and for readers of the Fate of the Jedi novels, a panel on those in slated for the same location from 1:30-2:30 on Saturday.

More news and I have it!

StarWars.com releases Knight Errant promo copy

2010-07-24T18:50:00.000-05:00

And now StarWars.com has released the promotional copy for the Knight Errant novel:

"The Republic is in crisis, torn by plague and conflict. The Sith roam unchecked, vying with one another to dominate the galaxy. But one lone Jedi, Kerra Holt, is determined to take down the Dark Lords — one act of sabotage at a time. Her enemies are strange and many: Lord Daiman, who imagines himself the creator of the universe; Lord Odion, who intends to be its destroyer; the curious siblings Quillan and Dromika; the enigmatic Arkadia. So many warring Sith weaving a patchwork of brutality — with only Kerra Holt to defend the innocents caught underfoot.

"Sensing a sinister pattern in the chaos, Kerra embarks on a journey that will take her to many worlds and into fierce battles against even fiercer enemies. With one against so many, her only chance of success lies with forging alliances among those who serve her enemies — including a mysterious Sith spy and a clever mercenary general. But will they be her adversaries or her salvation?"

They've also provided the name of the cover artist: John Van Fleet, whose other covers include The New Essential Chronology, Darth Bane: Rule of Two, Star Wars: Allegiance, and Star Wars: Millennium Falcon.

Once again, the preorder page is live at Amazon; I expect the promo copy and cover will wind up on that page in the near future.

Star Wars: Knight Errant novel cover released

2010-07-23T22:57:00.002-05:00

The cover of the Star Wars: Knight Errant novel made its debut at Del Rey's display at Comic-Con International this week — and with the image now circulating online, I've been allowed to post a clean copy of it here. Behold!

I've created a page for the novel here on the site, to go along with the section for the comics series. To fiction readers that may not be familiar with my site, when books or comics or e-books release, I try to post some production notes and trivia about the work, sort of like the liner notes from LP albums past. That's what you'll find here on the site. (Hopefully time will allow for me to get caught up on all of these!)

We also have a new publication date to tell you about; the novel's release has been moved a month earlier to January 25, 2011. That's a really cool date for me — given that the first issue of Knights of the Old Republic shipped on that date exactly five years earlier! That's a that I'm looking forward to keeping!

Remember, you can preorder the novel here. Stay tuned for more info, as it becomes available to release!

Lair of the Shadow Broker announced for Mass Effect

2010-07-23T12:46:00.000-05:00

Readers of our Mass Effect: Redemption series know all about Liara T'Soni's conflict with the Shadow Broker. And now, Bioware has announced DLC, or downloadable game content, building off of the events of that story. Lair of the Shadow Broker was announced this week as coming soon from Bioware. "Two years ago, Commander Shepard died and Liara T'Soni fought in a desperate struggle against the Shadow Broker to recover her former Commander," Bioware writes. "Now that Shepard is back, it's time to even the score."

I had been aware that DLC relating to Redemption might be in the offing; I'm thrilled to see it announced. What happens in the comics happens in the game universe, too, and so it definitely is worth checking into.

If you'd like to catch up on what's been happening with Liara and the Broker, you can get the Mass Effect: Redemption trade paperback from your local comics shop, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Things from Another World.

Knight Errant makes cover of Diamond Previews in August

2010-07-16T11:29:00.000-05:00

OK, it's hard to communicate how cool this feels to anyone who doesn't have a near-complete 30-year collection of comics distributor catalogs like me, but our title Star Wars: Knight Errant made the cover of PREVIEWS for August. (Thanks, Dark Horse and Diamond!) You'll be able to place your orders at the comics shop next month from this very same catalog.

In addition, the catalog cover gives you a first look at the Knight Errant logo!

Very busy these days, even without San Diego in the mix. Actually, there's a "Not at Comicon" interview with me coming next week in Red Bull's China Shop magazine. I'll post the link when I have it.

Finally, keep an eye on the Star Wars Celebration programming grids as they're updated. We should have our booth signing schedules set up beforehand as well.

JJM scripts Illusive Man origin in Mass Effect: Evolution

2010-07-15T16:35:00.000-05:00

News is pouring out in advance of San Diego — and via IGN, Dark Horse has just announced my next project: Mass Effect: Evolution. The follow-up to the successful Mass Effect: Redemption, Evolution is actually a prequel, providing an origin story for the mysterious and powerful Illusive Man. Click to read the interview!

Our first issue releases in January 2011, plotted once again by Bioware head writer Mac Walters with art by Omar Francia. This time, we've also got cover art from Massimo Carnevale, from Y: The Last Man.

I was gratified by the success our first series got; the trade paperback for Redemption hit the Top 20 at Diamond last month. (If you haven't got yours yet, order it here or check with your local retailer.) I'm pleased to be able to contribute to this vital chapter in Mass Effect history!

Ignition... blast off! Star Wars: Knight Errant #1 ships October 13

2010-07-13T20:40:00.002-05:00

And we have a shipping date — and a story title — for the inaugural issue of Star Wars: Knight Errant. According to the solicitation, the first issue ships October 13 — the week of Columbus Day, not a bad time to embark on a journey! Order the first issue of our first story, "Aflame," next month from your retailer.

I've set up a page on the site for the comics series; I'll eventually get a landing page online for the novel. In the meantime, remember you can preorder the novel, too, here.

And as I'm playing catch-up, I note that the page for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Vol. 9: Demon has been updated; there really aren't many production notes at all because there weren't any changes from the original comics. More to come.

Finally, we have cobbled together another complete, signed KOTOR set, auctioning now on eBay; we're getting these together at the rate of about one every six months, so get your bids in now...

Update: Dark Horse is offering readers a chance to read Knight Errant #1 first, before it comes out — and to be a part of the first issue. Find out how, here!

Update II: And now I see from Amazon that the release of the novel has been moved up to Jan. 25. More info as I get confirmation...

Mass Effect Redemption production notes online

2010-07-10T21:08:00.001-05:00

I'm finally beginning the process of getting the updates onto the site that I missed while in novel-land; good timing, too, with more news coming from San Diego this week. (No, I won't be there after all, but that's not the news!)

Anyway, let's begin with Mass Effect: Redemption. Notes are now online for issues #3, #4, and the trade paperback. That trade paperback is now available in wide release — order it here — and as it turns out, there's actually a limited-release hardcover, available through the Science Fiction Book Club and through Hastings.

More to come...

Knight Errant interview on MTV.com!

2010-07-07T16:02:00.000-05:00

And the first look at Kerra Holt and Star Wars: Knight Errant comes from... MTV! Check out my interview with their site here...

Jarael, Rohlan action figure pack now available separately

2010-07-05T11:52:00.001-05:00

Last week, Entertainment Earth began selling the Jarael and Rohlan action figures as part of a set including the entire final wave of Comic Packs. As of today, they're also selling the pack individually, so you can get just the ones you want.

The Comic Packs are EE's best-selling set in a long time, from what I understand. Preorders for the Jarael/Rohlan set run $17.99, with the figures shipping later this year.

Also, my podcast with the EU Review is now online. Listen to it here!

Jarael and Rohlan action figures now available!

2010-07-01T18:17:00.001-05:00

I am pleased to report that the Jarael and Rohlan action figures will appear this fall from Entertainment Earth as exclusives. They're available for preorder now:

The company's copy:

* An Entertainment Earth Exclusive! The Final 4 Star Wars Comic Packs!
* Features never-before-made action figures from the Star Wars comic book series!
* Each pack includes a full-size Star Warscomic book reprint and accessories for the action figures!

The Entertainment Earth Exclusive Star Wars Action Figure Legacy Comic Packs Case is so massive, it spans thousands of years of Star Wars history! The tales in Knights of the Old Republic take places thousands of years before the original film, while Star Wars Legacy takes place over 100 years after Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader killed the Emperor.

This exciting exclusive action figure set includes Jedi, Mandalorians, Imperials, and more from the Star Wars saga! Each figure is armed with accessories and tons of articulation. Based on the comic book series, these heroes and villains' lives are chronicled but in the special included comic book! Each action figure is in the traditional Star Wars 3 3/4-inch scale.

This limited edition Entertainment Earth exclusive Star Wars action figure set includes:
1x X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #29 with Baron Fel and Ysanne Isard
1x Legacy #7 with Darth Nihl and Deliah Blue
1x KOTOR #6 with Jarael (Edessa) and Rohlan Dyre
1x Jango Fett: Open Seasons #2 with Mandalorians Jaster Mareel and Montross
(subject to change)

Who Are These Amazing Figures??

The Mandalorian Montross betrayed his brothers during a fierce battle, causing a rift with Jaster Mareel that can never be healed. Each action figure includes a helmet and firearms for action battle fun!

Deliah Blue, a Zeltron mechanic, works with the forces of good against Darth Nihl in the far-flung future of Star Wars Legacy. She has her blaster accessory to protect herself, but will that be enough to stop the lightsaber cane of Darth Nihl?

In Star Wars' pre-history, Jarael and Rohlan Dyre both fight the good fight against traitors, turncoats, and misguided Jedi Masters. Jarael is an Arkanian offshoot with extraordinary skills with her weapons, and she's brought a staff to protect herself. Meanwhile, Rohlan Dyre has a helmet and a pistol to keep danger at bay, and he's extremely sharp with a blade.

After the Empire's defeat above Endor, Ysanne Isard and Baron Fel fought the good fight to preserve what the Empire stood for against an unappreciative batch of rebels. As the head of the Empire's intelligence division, Ms. Isard has a lot of information at her fingertips, but the blaster she carries is an excellent back-up against interlopers. Meanwhile, fighter ace pilot Baron Fel is dressed in his formal uniform and features a unique helmet along with a standard issue Imperial blaster. Long live Palpatine!

Very glad to see that these are making it out!

JJM on Fictional Frontiers podcast

2010-06-15T13:19:00.000-05:00

Heigh-ho! Still extremely busy — even with the bulk of the novel out of the way, there's been lots of work to tend to. But you can hear me discuss Star Wars: Knight Errant and other things on the latest episode of Fictional Frontiers. Listen to it here!

There are several people on the podcast, including Christie Golden, author of Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Allies!

Star Wars: Knight Errant releases Feb. 22. Pre-order now!

2010-05-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to report we have a release date for my first novel, Star Wars: Knight Errant. It's a mass-market paperback from Del Rey, 320 pages, for $7.99. Preorder it now from Amazon!

The release of the novel follows the conclusion of the first storyline for the Knight Errant comics series, which I'm also writing. Look for it this fall!

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