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Writer Cavan Scott on the creative dream team for Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic #1
After the holidays are over there will still be one more geeky gift under the tree for Star Wars fans to cheer about in the form of Marvel Comics' first foray into the Golden Age of the Jedi Knights with the premiere issue of a new flagship series, Star Wars: The High Republic #1, which drops Jan. 6.
As first announced by Disney/Lucasfilm back in February, Star Wars: The High Republic is an epic publishing initiative set centuries before the events of 1999's Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, with contributions from an all-star lineup of authors, artists, editors, and illustrators. This ambitious event kicks off in January of 2021 and offers a multi-faceted tapestry of Star Wars tales explored via an interconnected collection of adult and young adult novels, children’s books, and comics from multiple publishers.
Blasting out of the gate a day after Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi is Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic #1, written by longtime Star Wars author Cavan Scott (Star Wars Adventures: Tales From Vader's Castle) and decorated with rousing artwork from penciller Ario Anindito (Atlantis Attacks) and inker Mark Morales.
The plotline of this fresh ongoing series finds the fabled Jedi at the height of their influence as galactic peacekeepers while Republic pioneers expand into unexplored territories. As the Frontier prepares for the ceremonial dedication of the inspiring new Starlight Beacon space station, young Padawan Keeve Trennis clashes swords with her Trandoshan instructor, Jedi Master Sskeer, during the completion of her Jedi Trials.
Scott was a key member of the core author group who first began brainstorming the interwoven stories for The High Republic at Skywalker Ranch back in 2018 at the initial Project Luminous summit.
"I’m so excited for people to finally hold Star Wars: The High Republic #1 in their hands!" Scott tells SYFY WIRE. "We’ve been working on it for so long. But what a dream team. I couldn’t ask for a better partner than Ario Anindito. His eye for detail is just outstanding and his storytelling second to none. The High Republic looks even better than we ever imagined it. Plus, of course, he is a MASSIVE Star Wars fan. We’re always geeking out together.
"And of course the talent doesn’t stop with Ario. Mark Morales is such a creative inker. It's a joy to see the two of them working together, before Annalisa Leoni brings everything to luminous life with her beautiful colours."
"This first issue introduces Keeve Trennis to Star Wars fans," Scott reveals. "Keeve is going to be a major player in Star Wars: The High Republic and long-time readers might have picked up on her surname before. Her relationship with her Trandoshan Master Sskeer is a joy to write. Like the best characters, I feel like they’re constantly surprising me, which is also a testament to our editors Mark Paniccia and Thomas Groneman who always know the right question to ask to get the biggest emotional punch on the page."
Now check out our preview of Marvel Comics' Star Wars: The High Republic #1 (out Jan. 6) in the full gallery below.
