Living on the (Galaxy's) Edge

If you felt a disturbance in the Force today, that was probably me jumping up and down with excitement in my living room. That’s because ECHOES OF THE EMPIRE #1 (of 5) is out in our world, a week before a seismic change in the status quo of Disneyland, and in the near future, Disney World. More on that in a sec.

I’ll be celebrating the release of ECHOES OF THE EMPIRE #1 this evening with a big signing at Midtown Comics Grand Central, so if you are in this sector (New York City area) of planet Earth, please stop by from 5 p.m.

My third foray onto Batuu (after GALAXY’S EDGE and HALCYON LEGACY) is worth picking up no matter where you are, especially with the art by the ridiculously talented duo of Roi Mercado and Jethro Morales, colors by my long time partner-in-space-crime, Rachelle Rosenberg, and letters by the gifted Clayton Cowles. Together, we get to play with all of our childhood favorites - Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2D2, C3PO, and Boba Fett. More on this issue in two secs.

Cue a flashback sequence!

Though this is the first issue, this particular saga really started back in 2019. I was a fledgling comic writer, fresh off my first big comic run on OLD MAN HAWKEYE when I was given a vote of confidence by Star Wars editor Mark Paniccia for a secret project. One so secret that artist Will Sliney and I had to undergo an NDA training course before we could tackle the official comic tie-in to the eagerly awaited Star Wars park set to open in Disneyland and Disney World known as Galaxy’s Edge.

We needed that training before we could look at the 168-page creative bible that Imagineers put together for the Black Spire Outpost — everything from concept art and maps to character bios and files on the flora and fauna that dotted the fictional planet of Batuu. Will, Rachelle, and I got to come up with part of the lore of the place, particularly surrounding Dok-Ondar and his awesome Den Of Antiquities store that is one of the best parts of the park

GALAXY’S EDGE also proved such a powerful experience that my name is still cursed powerfully in the hallways of the prop builders that make the park so special. See, the framing story in that first mini-series / parks tie-in involved a heist and several items that are on the display. And one that was not. I thought it would be cool if Will, Rachelle, and I introduced a new kyber crystal statue of a Jedi fighting a serpent - loosely inspired by our planet’s story of St. George and the Dragon. It was just intended for a cool action beat in the story. Nothing more.

Once the first issue came out, however, so did a barrage of tweets (back when I was on Twitter, before it became a wretched hive of scum and villainy) from fans visiting the newly opened Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities who found all the other relics except for that one. In a panic, I emailed a Marvel publicist, who advised me to keep my mouth shut until the fandom forgot about my poor creative decision. Only they didn’t forget. The questions kept coming.

Until about two months later when the statue just appeared on the wall of Dok-Ondar’s store. There it is, the glowing green one, at the top of the photo.

The magic continued with a second installment called the HALCYON LEGACY, which told the history of the incredible Galactic Starcruiser addition to the park, a cutting edge hotel masquerading as a spaceship; an experience that gave guests the chance to immerse themselves in that galaxy far, far away. In one issue, Anakin Skywalker dueled Asajj Ventress and a stray lightsaber strike left damage gashes in the wall. A grumbling prop-master had to add those to the right spot in the real Halcyon, too.

Though the Halcyon ultimately was grounded, those voyages proved life-changing for many of the fans. That’s not hyperbole. There’s an annual fan-run convention called Halcy-Con which draws that flew me out to Orlando last year as a guest of honor. There are some stories from that convention that I’ll tell you… after you sign an NDA.

Today, my imagination gets to return to Batuu. Next week, there will be a major change at Galaxy’s Edge, which will shift from the Sequel Trilogy era (Til the Spire, Rey and Kylo Ren!) to the Original Trilogy era (Bright Suns, Luke, Leia, and Han). And what’s really cool is that Lucasfilm and Imagineering, the purveyors of creativity at the Parks, gave us the opportunity to tell you the story behind that shift. We’re creating official lore that will outlive us and probably making a prop-master curse our names in the process.

Come visit my signing at Midtown Comics Grand Central and I’ll tell you all about it.