Star Wars Returns ... on Screens Both Big and Small

Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 8/20/2008

Star Wars Returns … on Screens Both Big and Small

George Lucas’s latest chapter in his successful sci-fi saga premiered on August 15, 2008. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (PG-13), an animated feature from Lucasfilm Animation, is set between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). As armed conflict spreads across the galaxy, the Separatist Alliance, led by the ambitious Count Dooku, continues to gain territory with their army of battle droids. The Jedi Knights, in command of the Galactic Republic’s genetically engineered soldiers, find themselves pitted against the powerful forces of the dark side. Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice are sent on a special mission fraught with danger and political intrigue. With bold computer-generated animation, this movie makes an epic-scale addition to the Star Wars oeuvre. The story—relayed in the same dazzling visual style—will continue in the fall, when an animated television series of the same name debuts on the Cartoon Network. Stand-alone episodes will expand upon both the Clone Wars movie and the similarly titled animated TV series that aired on the Cartoon Network between 2003 and 2005.

On the Web.

Teens can visit The Clone Wars official website (http://www.starwars.com/clonewars/site/index.html) for video clips, commentary by the film’s creators, and an overview of the entire Star Wars mythology, including major characters, events, and settings. The Star Wars site (http://www.starwars.com/index.html) offers information about all of the films, related books, and shopping opportunities.

Book Tie-ins

Karen Traviss’s movie novelization (Del Rey) will attract readers with its iconographic cover—a combat-worn clone helmet—and hold their attention with fast-paced storytelling that balances battle-scene excitement with the chess-game subtleties of political maneuverings. Written from the viewpoints of numerous characters, the book fills in important background elements and reveals motivations, while keeping the action moving at light speed. Younger teens, or those with a visual bent, will enjoy browsing through Jason Fry’s lavishly illustrated The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide (DK), which describes characters and plot elements through colorful movie images and brief text.

Though it’s not a Clone Wars tie-in, Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection (DK) will fascinate tried-and-true fans of the series. Five double-sided posters display movie photos of classic characters along with detailed plans and schematics (re-created from the Lucasfilm Archives) for droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, Darth Vader’s life-support suit, the Death Star, and more. Encased in a cardboard box, the posters are sturdy enough for (careful) circulation and make great choices for display.

Star Wars Graphic Novels

This is a great time to supplement—or launch—a collection of Star Wars related comic books. Dark Horse presents a stellar array of series that span the timeline of the saga and feature characters both familiar and new. Most of the titles mentioned here are trade paperbacks that gather consecutive issues of ongoing comic book series into easy-to-circulate volumes. Also included are several Omnibuses, single-volume compilations that showcase a novel-length series from start to finish. They make excellent choices for libraries, offering a bang for the buck as well as all-in-one-place narrative continuity.

Younger teens and less-sophisticated GN readers will enjoy perusing the “Clone Wars Adventures” series, which was inspired by the 2003 animated TV show. Each digest-size volume presents four short tales illustrated with streamlined artwork. A graphic-novella series tie-in to the Clone Wars movie and 2008 TV show will be launched in September, beginning with Shipyards of Doom.

More experienced graphic novel devotees will be captivated by the following series, which feature action-packed plots and dynamic artwork. “Tales of the Jedi,” presented in two Omnibus volumes, begins 5000 years before Luke Skywalker’s exploits and covers several centuries of intergalactic adventures centered around the newly founded Republic…some with far-reaching effects. “Knights of the Old Republic,” an ongoing series beginning with Commencement (2006), is set soon after, and features Zayne Carrick, an under-achieving Padawan who is wrongfully accused of murdering his fellow Jedi-in-training.

Drawn with a gritty realism, “Dark Times,” the newest, most ominous Star Wars comics series, begins with The Path to Nowhere (2008) and is set after Episode III. After the destruction of the Jedi Order, a sense of hopelessness prevails as the evil Empire tyrannizes the worlds of the former Republic and Darth Vader bristles under his Master’s command. Droids (2008), another Omnibus, takes place soon after and details the early escapades of C-3PO and R2-D2.

Featuring slick, almost muscular-looking graphics, “Rebellion” is set in the months after Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). Including classic characters such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, the series depicts the Rebel Alliance’s resistance movement against the Galactic Empire. “X-Wing Rogue Squadron,” available in three Omnibus volumes, takes place immediately after the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) and highlights the exploits of the Rebel Alliance’s best star-craft pilots as they battle remnant forces of the Empire.

Beginning with Broken (2007), the “Legacy” series is set more than 100 later. It’s been more than a century since Luke Skywalker reunified the Jedi Order and new evils threaten the peace, setting the stage for Cade Skywalker, the conflicted heir to his family’s past. The fluid, punch-packing artwork has a sophisticated, cutting-edge look and keeps the action notched up to full speed.

Visit the “Star Wars Zone” on the Dark Horse website (http://www.darkhorse.com/Zones/StarWars) to view the full spectrum of materials.

Pub Info

TRAVISS, Karen. Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Del Rey. 2008. Tr $20.00. ISBN 978-0-345-50898-0.

FRY, Jason. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide. DK. 2008. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-7566-4121-4.

Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection. illus. by Chris Trevas & Chris Reiff. written by Ryder Windham. DK August 2008. Boxed Set. $19.99. ISBN 978-0-7566-3869-6.

Dark Horse Graphic Novels

“Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures” Series

Volume 8. ISBN 978-1-59307-680-1.

Volume 9. ISBN 978-1-59307-832-4.

Volume 10. ISBN 978-1-59307-878-2.

ea vol: 2007. pap. $6.95.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom. Vol. 1. Sept. 2008. pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-59582-207-9.

Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi: Vol. 1. 2007. pap. $24.95. ISBN 978-1-59307-830-0.

Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi: Vol. 2. 2008. pap. $24.95. ISBN 978-1-59307-911-6.

“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” Series.

Volume 1: Commencement. 2006. pap. $18.95. ISBN 978-1-59307-640-5.

Volume 2: Flashpoint. 2007. pap. $18.95. ISBN 978-1-59307-761-7.