Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022: Publishing Panels Recap

Whether it was a comic book cover reveal, a pitch for an all Shyriiwook audio drama, or the absolute joy of thousands of The High Republic fans coming together for the first time, Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 had several publishing panels, filled with tons of love for the world of Star Wars publishing.

Lucasfilm Publishing: Stories From A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Moderated by Creative Director of Lucasfilm Publishing Michael Siglain, this was the first book-related panel on the Celebration Anaheim schedule. The panel consisted of authors Delilah S. Dawson, Cavan Scott, Rodney Barnes, E.K. Johnston, Roseanne A. Brown, Kiersten White, artist Jake Bartok, and Executive Editor Jen Heddle. The main focus was on all the new offering on the horizon; the anthology collection Stories of Jedi and Sith (with Bartok’s amazing art on display), Dark Horse titles Tales from the Rancor Pit and Hyperspace Stories (whose interiors and covers drew fervid crowd reactions), the YA novel Padawan, and The Mandalorian comic adaptation from Marvel Comics. An hour was barely enough time to capture each panelist’s passion and excitement for their works, with newcomer to Star Wars, Kiersten White’s enthusiasm being the most evident by her energetic and bubbly personality. A key takeaway from the panel was the diversity of offerings coming from the Star Wars universe—there truly is something for everyone, and all of it looks incredible.

The High Republic: For Light And Life

The High Republic: For Light And Life was the only publishing related panel that took place in the enormous Galaxy Stage, and nearly 4,000 fans attended. Excitement was definitely high (no pun intended), even during the pre-show which consisted of an audience cosplay competition. The High Republic Show host Krystina Arielle moderated the panel, receiving roars of applause upon her entrance. She was joined by Michael Siglain, Senior VP of Franchise and Content Strategy James Waugh, and the Luminous Five: Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, and Charles Soule. Top of mind for the folks onstage was how amazing it was to all be together in a room with thousands of The High Republic fans—they were all genuinely thankful for the experience. Quickly, things turned to The High Republic Phase II: Quest of the Jedi, launching in Fall 2022. Brand new revelations included the cover of Zoraida Córdova’s novel Convergence, a middle grade novel; Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann; the return of The High Republic and Adventures titles to Marvel and Dark Horse respectively; an all-new comic miniseries, The Blade from Charles Soule; and a new audio drama from George Mann called The Battle of Jedha. Audiobook narrator Marc Thompson and Kristin Baver also joined the panel, the former giving insights on how he created Marchion Ro’s voice, the latter revealing the cover to her book, The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic, drawing a huge reaction from the crowd. The panelists shared their excitement of stepping even further back in time for Phase II. Charles Soule specifically shared his enthusiasm for The Blade, his opportunity to share exactly why Porter Engle became the legendary Jedi we were introduced to in Phase I. Slide after slide of concept art and cover images were displayed, which included peeks at new characters and the first ever concept art for The Nameless and The Leveler. The panel wrapped up with three titles coming in Spring 2023: Cataclysm by Lydia Kang, Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton, and in his The High Republic YA debut, Cavan Scott’s Path of Vengeance. The panelists couldn’t leave without mentioning that the all-new era of Sta Wars isn’t all about publishing, teasing that there’s a lot more in store for The High Republic fans in the future.

Behind The Audiobook: Making An Audio Original Star Wars Adventure

Star Wars audiobooks were front and center at this panel from Penguin Random House Audio. On the panel were Star Wars audiobook narrator Marc Thompson, accompanied by scriptwriters Sarah Kuhn (Doctor Aphra) and Cavan Scott (Dooku: Jedi Lost, Tempest Runner), who were joined by moderator Nick Martorelli, Executive Producer at PRH Audio. The panel served as a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make a Star Wars audiobook. Both Scott and Kuhn shared the sentiment that writing for audio dramas is a unique experience in that their words literally get to come alive for listeners. Scott shared his particular fondness for the medium as audio dramas hold a special place in British popular culture. He personally pitched the idea for The High Republic’s Tempest Runner and said he’ll never be done with this way of telling stories. The most interesting part of the panel was the discussion of how important mixing is in audiobook production, particularly how important sound effects and music play in the completed product. Audience members got the chance to listen to two scenes with voices only and then with the final mixed product, and the difference was eye opening. Another highlight was Marc Thompson’s display of voices he has portrayed over the years, his Wookiee being especially impressive; so much so that Cavan Scott proposed an audio drama entirely in Shyriiwook!

Marvel Star Wars Comics

If the standby line for the Marvel Star Wars Comics panel was any indicator, this was high on many fans’ lists at Celebration 2022. A plethora of Star Wars comic book authors were onstage, including Alyssa Wong (Doctor Aphra), Charles Soule (Star Wars (2020)), Cavan Scott (The High Republic), Jody Houser (Yoda), Rodney Barnes (The Mandalorian), Ethan Sacks (Bounty Hunters), and Christopher Cantwell (Obi-Wan). Moderated by Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski, the agenda was jam packed as title after title was highlighted and discussed. A number of issues and covers had already been released, but audience members were not left wanting as gorgeous interiors and brand new covers made their debut. Charles Soule was particularly excited about Star Wars (2020) #25 as it’s his 100th script for the franchise; it tells a number of new stories from a variety of the titles he’s worked on over the years, and its collection of variants will have collectors salivating when it releases in July (I have my eye on the one by Steve McNiven, it’s a stunner). Absent only in presence but not in spirit were the number of artists whose work consistently drew “ooh’s” from the crowd: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Ramón Rosanas, Rachelle Rosenberg, Carlo Pagulayan, Phil Noto, E.M. Gist, Rickie Yagawa, W. Scott Forbes, Ken Lashley, Georges Jeanty, Karl Story, Adi Granov, Alessandro Miracolo, Paul Renaud, Rahzzah, Luke Ross, and Nico Leon. A new title was unveiled, Star Wars: Yoda—an anthology series told by various authors and artists at moments throughout the Jedi Master’s life from The High Republic through The Empire Strikes Back. Finally, a book based on Star Wars: Visions was announced; not many details were shared but they did mention that it is a brand new story set in one of the worlds of the Disney+ series.

Del Rey: Behind-The-Scenes

There’s never a bad time to talk about Star Wars books, not even at 6:30pm after a long day at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022! Del Rey Publishing’s panel consisted of Executive Editor Jen Heddle (representing The Princess and the Scoundrel in Beth Revis’ absence) and two first-time Star Wars authors Adam Christopher, author of Shadow of the Sith, and Mike Chen, author of Brotherhood, and was moderated by Senior Editor Tom Hoeler. Mike Chen drew some of the loudest applause, as Brotherhood has quickly become loved by Star Wars readers everywhere. Chen explained how his book drew influences from a variety of sources from within the Star Wars universe (Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith) and out (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), with a variety of easter eggs sprinkled throughout the novel. He also expressed his love for new character Mill Alibeth and agreed with the audience that she must be protected from Order 66 at all costs. New Zealander Adam Christopher, author of the upcoming Shadow of the Sith, expressed his extreme gratitude for the opportunity to join the Star Wars family. Without giving too much away, he explained that his novel will focus on Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian as they hunt down Ochi of Bestoon in the time of the New Republic. He also confirmed the identity of the mask-wearing baddie Kiza, a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond, first introduced in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy. Jen Heddle promised Han and Leia fans a good time as she discussed August’s The Princess and the Scoundrel. She explained that the concept of the novel came about from a meeting with the Disney Imagineers when she casually mentioned, “What if Han and Leia went to the Halcyon for their honeymoon?” Heddle and Hoeler also explained that author Beth Revis was very aware of the love fans have for 1994’s Legends novel The Courtship of Princess Leia, and worked hard to honor it.

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 included so many publishing panels for fans of books, comics and audiobooks, a gift in and of itself. It truly shows how much the world of publishing has made an impact on the fanbase, and I was ecstatic that so many publishers, executives, editors, and authors attended and shared their passions.