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I love the white and gold design for the jedi robes, it's a nice new take on the basic brown ones we see normally.

I never got into reading any of the new SW books as the stories always seemed to be desparately trying to sew together the jumbled mess that was the sequel trilogy rather than telling a good story. With a clean slate I am interested to see how this is all handled.

It definitely sells it as a different era for the jedi themselves, though I'd prefer they had more varied and personal colors rather than the more uniform white and gold palette they're doing here.

Posts after Manchu's showing the jedi character roster and before mine: 7


Posts preemptively complaining about disgruntled star wars fans: 3

Posts discussing the images: 2

Posts accurately explaining the lack of disgruntled star wars fans complaints: 1

Posts from disgruntled star wars fans complaining: 0

I’m late on this one but as an update, High Republic is now slotted for launch in 2021 ... rather than next month.

:(

This is a big bummer. I think SW fans and people generally are probably pretty eager to escape to a better world at this point, or should I say, a more civilized age.

Well, I rec’d the first novel in the post upon its debut and started reading it.

And then put it down, feeling mildly disappointed.

And then never picked it back up in about a month since.

High Republic sucks, I’m sorry to say.

I know there are folks out there of a certain, shall we say, ideological bent who are really canning High Republic as Woke Garbage. I can kinda sorta see that point but it’s not really the problem.

I mean, you could do a book that goes out of its way to be Non-Problematic(TM)(C)(R) and, ya know, still have engaging characters and an interesting plot.

Unfortunately, the first High Republic novel doesn’t have those things. At all.

But I suppose it’s hardly a phenomenon considering there has been essentially no interest in discussing High Republic here in contrast to the dozens of pages discussing The Mandalorian and other SW topics.

 Scrabb wrote:
Posts after Manchu's showing the jedi character roster and before mine: 7


Posts preemptively complaining about disgruntled star wars fans: 3

Posts discussing the images: 2

Posts accurately explaining the lack of disgruntled star wars fans complaints: 1

Posts from disgruntled star wars fans complaining: 0

Let me correct this.

The comic sucks.

I haven’t read the comic myself, but I will say we’ve been unable to keep the thing in stock. Ordered as much as they would send us and it still sold out right away.

First novel is a scene setter. We see faith in the Republic at an all time high, with centralised plans in motion to include as much of the galaxy as they can.

Jedi gonna Jedi, and each feels like a distinct person. And we also see a greater range of powers and abilities being wielded together.

The baddies are a bit....odd. At least at first as they don’t really feel like a credible threat - especially as the first bit is all a genuine accident.

As for the comic? Need to grab issue 2 off Amazon.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Addendum question is probably a thread unto itself. And so it shall be.

I’m not sure the High Republic ever had a chance. The time it dropped...it might as well have been another Terminator sequel for all the fan base cared. Good? Bad? Who cares any more?

I don't think the timing is the problem.

It's the medium. If it had been a video game or solely comics/graphic novels or a TV series? It likely would have been a Smash Hit.

But reading? Like, actual books?

What is this, the 80s?!

As someone who just finished reading the first Alphabet Squadron book (in dead tree format) I cant say as I have a problem with the format but actually getting hold of the material has been another issue. My preorder of the first book has still not been delivered!

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I’m not sure the High Republic ever had a chance. The time it dropped...it might as well have been another Terminator sequel for all the fan base cared. Good? Bad? Who cares any more?

Sadly, I agree its format, not timing. SW as a book franchise is always going to be third tier (at best). Especially this long after burning the EU audience and walking away.
Right now, there aren't any pop culture links to this time period or the characters in it, so nothing to drive book sales.

In essence, its 'Christopher Tolkien presents Unpublished Tales of Middle Earth.' You've got to be a pretty die hard fan already to dive in (or merely curious), but neither is going to drive it to the NY Times Bestseller list.

....uh, I’m not a huge fan of LotR yet still somehow have all the lost tales, Children of Hurin and Fall of Gondolin. I’ve read tons of stupid tie-in books, like the prequel to ID4 2, or prequels to video games I’ve never played. And even as a fan of The Mandalorian, I still can’t find the interest to pick up The High Republic. Perhaps it’s just me, but Star Wars feels deader than ever (in print).

Voss, you have a great point. Disney’s handling of SW print media has been aslmost a case study in killin GM a fan base.

Absolutely not lumping those who haven’t enjoyed it together. But looking at the Amazon reviews?

A large number are complaining it’s “woke” and a SJW “agenda”.

I have read it. I happened to enjoy it. Even ran a “read along with” thread on this very forum.

And there’s precisely two thirds of fifty percent of bugger all “woke” or “SJW” about it. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nowt. Nothing.

Now, the one star reviews saying they didn’t enjoy the prose or the story? Those I can believe have indeed read it. And so I default to respecting a view even if I don’t share it.

Take away here? You’ll need your BS filters set to “Waaaa” when considering what all others have to say, regardless of what the opinion is. Because it seems there are those determined to entirely invent an idiot culture war over what is, ultimately, a pulp SciFi story. Yes. Including my own opinion I just opined.

If you’ve got a free ebook subscription or even a local library for us Old Grognards, read it for yourself. Find out what you think. And if you find yourself enjoying it, buy a copy.

 Kanluwen wrote:
I don't think the timing is the problem.

It's the medium. If it had been a video game or solely comics/graphic novels or a TV series? It likely would have been a Smash Hit.

But reading? Like, actual books?

What is this, the 80s?!

People still read books.

While I was interested in checking this out, the initial marketing made it sound like the ongoing storyline was going to be split between various types of media. Doctor Who has been doing something like that lately, and for someone not interested in collecting comics or audio dramas, it's really off-putting. If that's not actually the case, then I might have to come back and grab a copy.

At the moment? Too early to tell.

We’ve one novel, and two issues of a 6 part comic book.

We don’t currently know if one can just read the comics or novels or what have you and be able to tell what’s going on.

It’s neither format nor timing.

The book simply isn’t good. The ideas are lackluster, the characters are flat, the plot is boring.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Absolutely not lumping those who haven’t enjoyed it together. But looking at the Amazon reviews?

A large number are complaining it’s “woke” and a SJW “agenda”.

I have read it. I happened to enjoy it. Even ran a “read along with” thread on this very forum.

And there’s precisely two thirds of fifty percent of bugger all “woke” or “SJW” about it. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nowt. Nothing.

Well, there was a little bit. But since it was bit about cross-species dating that could be read as social commentary on our own society (like the white/black black/white aliens on Star Trek the Original Series) it felt very outdated, literally generations behind on social issues.

If you’ve got a free ebook subscription or even a local library for us Old Grognards, read it for yourself. Find out what you think. And if you find yourself enjoying it, buy a copy.

Truthfully, the sample chapters on amazon were enough for me. It didn't pull me in or hook me in any way. It mostly left me questioning the physics, as a shotgun blast of light-speed impacts on a solar system doesn't leave time for a rescue force to show up from literally anywhere else and try to stop said impacts.

BobtheInquisitor wrote:I’m not sure the High Republic ever had a chance. The time it dropped...it might as well have been another Terminator sequel for all the fan base cared. Good? Bad? Who cares any more?

Kanluwen wrote:I don't think the timing is the problem.

It's the medium. If it had been a video game or solely comics/graphic novels or a TV series? It likely would have been a Smash Hit.

But reading? Like, actual books?

What is this, the 80s?!

Voss wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I’m not sure the High Republic ever had a chance. The time it dropped...it might as well have been another Terminator sequel for all the fan base cared. Good? Bad? Who cares any more?

Sadly, I agree its format, not timing. SW as a book franchise is always going to be third tier (at best). Especially this long after burning the EU audience and walking away.
Right now, there aren't any pop culture links to this time period or the characters in it, so nothing to drive book sales.

In essence, its 'Christopher Tolkien presents Unpublished Tales of Middle Earth.' You've got to be a pretty die hard fan already to dive in (or merely curious), but neither is going to drive it to the NY Times Bestseller list.

I see a lot of people pointing to poor sales as proof of whatever pet theory you have about Disney, Lucasfilm, or 'Wokeness' in general. I find the arguments somewhat disingenuous in the face of the fact that, by all present metrics, these first books have actually sold rather well.

If you want to lament that Lucasfilm (or Disney, if you believe they're wearing the skins of Lucasfilm employees like suits or something) abandoned their fans, lament that they've done so in search of more money, rather than in spite of more money.

More to the point I'd love to argue the merits of the books themselves, I honestly find it odd that for all the people complaining adamantly that they read it and found it bad for any number of reasons, precious few of them seem to bring up the Great Disaster that the first part of the book so painstakingly lays out - you'd think the fact that it's a direct reference to the Holdo Maneuver would have had certain sections of the fanbase up in arms.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, Manchu. I reached part 2 and the pace of the action changed, I took it as an opportunity to take a break and haven't picked the book back up again, but I mainly think that's because I'm distracted by other stuff (been catching up with a number of podcasts and a certain Marvel show on Disney+) and I like what I've heard in Part 2 so far than what I've heard in Part 1 (I rather like the subplot about Jedi tracking down some kidnapped homesteaders - I was surprised how refreshing it was just to see Jedi trying their best just to save a few innocent people) but it hasn't gripped me the way the Alphabet Squadron books have, for example.

Being first out the gate, it also has the job of setting the galactic stage. And that’s not easy, especially as there’s no Big Bad until quite late on.

There is quite a lot to enjoy. I’m particularly taken with the apparent lack of cynicism in the Republic Government. They have lofty ideals. When they say We Are The Republic, it’s not yet a mealy mouthed statement, but one they genuinely mean.

There’s a vision behind what they’re doing. A recognition that the Core is all comfy, but the Outer Rim needs more help. A certain frontier feel.

Much of the book is setting the wider scene, the playground in which the other tales will take place.

I’m probably repeating myself, but I’m also impressed with how it explores different Jedi’s connection to The Force. It’s shown to be a personal thing, and from that each has their own strengths.

I look forward to the comic completing, as it’s adding the much needed visual element that I’ve come to expect from Star Wars. That expectation mainly stems from having read a few Old EU novels alongside the Guide To series.

If you’ve read it and didn’t enjoy it, I’m not gonna gain say you. There’s no point. But if you’re on the fence, get it read

 Kanluwen wrote:
I don't think the timing is the problem.

It's the medium. If it had been a video game or solely comics/graphic novels or a TV series? It likely would have been a Smash Hit.

But reading? Like, actual books?

What is this, the 80s?!

Books are still rather a good medium to get through with folk, but if the book has some baggage eh. There also is a comic, it is gak.