These two story arcs probably contain my largest ever fictional body count.

DC Universe Online Legends #17

Hal Jordan is seriously conflicted as he and the Green Lantern Corps arrive at Korugar to “contain” the war between Sinestro’s Yellow Lanterns and Brainiac–but can they save the planet of innocents caught in the crossfire? And how desperate could things possibly get that would see Hal team up with Sinestro for one final battle?!

Star Wars: Invasion—Revelations #5

Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Colin Wilson
Colorist: Wes Dzioba
Cover Artist: Chris Scalf
Release: November 16, 2011
32 pages, issue 5 of 5

Queen Nina and Princess Kaye have successfully rescued the refugees from the Battle of Shramar, but the Yuuzhan Vong invaders may still have another win for their tally. Or is there another revelation in store? Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Jedi-in-training Finn Galfridian finds that in trying to prevent an assassination, he may be complicit in one! The next revelation may be about Finn’s new mentor!

And don’t forget, next week sees my first work in the DC Universe as I pit the Green Lantern Corps against Sinestro and Brainiac in DCUO Legends #16.

I remember when Colin showed me the first moment of the ‘tentaclisation’ of Nina Galfridian on the Heart of Artorias. I was kinda horrified by the tentacles piercing her face.  Oddly enough, this gruesome element stayed in the book, and now it’s made it onto a cover… actually, two covers including Jo Chen’s variant from Refugees.

Click the cover for the preview.

Could this be Kaye’s last stand?

Check it out people.

Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Colin Wilson
Colorist: Wes Dzioba
Cover Artist: Chris Scalf
Release: November 16, 2011
32 pages, issue 5 of 5

Queen Nina and Princess Kaye have successfully rescued the refugees from the Battle of Shramar, but the Yuuzhan Vong invaders may still have another win for their tally. Or is there another revelation in store? Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Jedi-in-training Finn Galfridian finds that in trying to prevent an assassination, he may be complicit in one! The next revelation may be about Finn’s new mentor!

Also, today you can get issue #2 of Revelations from Dark Horse’s Digital Store for your iPad.

Click the picture to buy.

And the official Star Wars site has an exclusive preview of issue #1 where Colin Wilson sends Luke Skywalker into battle against impossible odds.

Right here – StarWars.com

Epic battles. Betrayal. The Yuuzhan Vong. The Empire. The Galfridians. A secret weapon that could spell the end of the galaxy and more twists than you could poke a double-bladed lightsaber at.

So big we had to do it twice. Yes, two covers! Revelations #1 comes with a cover by our new cover artist, the always brilliant Chris Scalf (artist on Star Wars: Blood Ties), and a special variant by the great Dave Dorman, to mark the 25th anniversary of Dark Horse comics.

And don’t forget, coming in the next few weeks – The Deep!

“Remember when you first saw Star Wars, that feeling of wonder and excitement at things being new and a wonderful adventure waiting to take you away?  That’s where I was here…If you enjoyed Star Wars then this is a must, pure and simple.” – PDX COMIC GEEK.

“Tom Taylor knows how to write a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and Colin Wilson has made this era of Star Wars his own.” - A COMIC BOOK BLOG

“At times approaching a meaningful theme, other times providing more visceral pleasures, it never fails to entertain. Even the relatively slow parts are kept alive by Colin Wilson’s brilliant penciling. The images of the New Republic soldiers in spacesuits being showered with toxic rain are simultaneously classic and modern, drawing, it seems, from the best aspects of sci-fi aesthetics. The design of the Yuuzhan Vong Tsalok is also awesome, approaching the ferociousness of sci-fi creatures like the Predator.“ - THE SCI-FI BLOCK

Click the pic for a preview.

This image, featuring art by Chris Scalf (of Star Wars: Blood Ties), has been posted all over the internet, so I guess I can post it too…

“Starting in issue #12, this new story arc sees the heroes of the Galfridian family step into their new roles as combatants in the middle of the biggest war the Star Wars galaxy has ever seen. Finn Galfridian has already lost his father and his homeworld to the Yuuzhan Vong, and now he offers himself for Force training by Master Dray-who just might be insane. Elsewhere, Finn’s mother and sister reach the Imperial outpost of Shramar, where refugees from their home planet hope to reunite with their family members. But a mystery turns dangerous and then threatens violent conflict between the New Republic and the Empire! Writer Tom Taylor and artist Colin Wilson continue their ongoing Invasion saga.”

Star Wars: Blood Ties seems to be a bit of a critical success and issue #1 sold almost as many copies the month after it came out as it did in the first month, which is a very good sign. The story continues here.  More is revealed about Connor Freeman, and Boba Fett gets to show off his wonderful toys.

Meanwhile, so much of Star Wars: Invasion has been leading up to this single issue.  There have been some wild theories from fans about the secrets of this series.  Some of those ‘ridiculous’ theories may be proven true in this issue (sorry, some of those ridiculous theories will remain ridiculous).  This is the issue that should have more people talking than ever before…

STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES—A TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT #3 (of 4)
Tom Taylor (W) and Chris Scalf (A/Cover)
On sale Oct 27
FC, 40 pages
$3.50
Miniseries
Boba Fett has discovered that his father left a legacy to someone Boba has never heard of. He manages to track down the man, but if he is to learn the reasons behind Jango’s posthumous generosity, Boba Fett must first save the man from an army of bounty hunters who want the guy’s head!
Jango Fett and Boba Fett together!

STAR WARS: INVASION—RESCUES #5 (of 6)
Tom Taylor (W), Colin Wilson (A), Wes Dzioba (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)
On sale Oct 27
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Miniseries
Kaye Galfridian has taken command of a New Republic army, but her first mission has forced her to fight against some of the very refugees she has come to rescue! Mutated by Yuuzhan Vong bioengineering, the refugees have become monstrous killing machines who can only be “saved” by death.
Meanwhile, on their homeworld of Artorias, Kaye’s brother Finn must deal with death on another level, unaware that he has become the enemy’s objective in a new front in the Yuuzhan Vong invasion!
• Set within the time frame of the New Jedi Order novels from Del Rey!
The price of Victory . . .

Fight for my love, children!

STAR WARS: INVASION—RESCUES #4 (of 6)
Tom Taylor (W), Colin Wilson (A), Wes Dzioba (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)
On sale Sept 29
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Miniseries
Jedi-in-training Finn Galfridian learns a secret about his mother that he never knew, but the knowledge only leads to new questions about himself and his unusual ability.
Meanwhile, Kaye Galfridian leads a New Republic attack against a Yuuzhan Vong base, not realizing that the Vong commander’s tactics are meant to buy him time to learn more about his most hated foe: Kaye’s brother, Finn.
New allies, new enemies, and a turning point in the lives of the Galfridian family!

STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES—A TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT #2 (of 4)
Tom Taylor (W) and Chris Scalf (A/Cover)
On sale Sept 29
FC, 40 pages
$3.50
Miniseries
Then: Jango Fett, the most dangerous assassin/bounty hunter in the galaxy, never fails to get his man. But Jango has never had a success that has affected him this way.
Now: Boba Fett has taken up his father’s mantle and lived up to Jango’s fearsome reputation. But a secret from the past has Boba working a case he would normally dismiss and wondering if he actually knew his father as well as he thought . . .
Across the generations, and across the galaxy, if a Fett is on your trail, you’ve reached a dead end!
Fully painted art by Purge artist Chris Scalf!

Here are your Authority #24 and Star Wars: Invasion — Rescues #2  reviews.  Authority #24 also made the ‘Read Pile’ over at CBR.

Invasion

“What I liked:  Tom Taylor knows how to write a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and Colin Wilson has made this era of Star Wars his own.  What we only got to read about in the novels is brought to life on the pages.  His characters are easily recognizable and his Yuuzhan Vong are beautifully freakish in looks.  Tom has done in excellent job in handling characters like the Solo twins and keeping them true to how they were in the novels.  Jaina really is a good pilot and Jacen, well Jacen is Jacen

What I didn’t like:  Having to wait until the next issue to find out what happens.” – ACOMICBOOKBLOG.COM

“Star Wars: Invasion/Rescues stays strong with this second issue. At times approaching a meaningful theme, other times providing more visceral pleasures, it never fails to entertain.

Even the relatively slow parts are kept alive by Colin Wilson’s brilliant penciling. The images of the New Republic soldiers in spacesuits being showered with toxic rain are simultaneously classic and modern, drawing, it seems, from the best aspects of sci-fi aesthetics. The design of the Yuuzhan Vong Tsalok is also awesome, approaching the ferociousness of sci-fi creatures like the Predator. Even the purely functional panels offer something to gaze at at least momentarily. The art alone is almost enough to recommend buying the comic. The comic ends with “Freaking Continued!” which may be presumptuous but is a sign that writer Tom Taylor is excited about his story. It shows all the way through.” – The Sci-Fi Block

The Authority – Mondregon Part 2

“The end of the issue was pretty awesome and really unexpected. It closes an arc for one of the characters who we’ve followed for a while now. This run is more than halfway done and with certain storylines wrapped up and others opened, I’m anxious to see what else we’ve got coming before year’s end. 8 out of 10 (On its way to greatness)” - Wildstorm Addiction

“The Authority #24 has a very abrupt ending as John Cumberland has one very inspirational performance.”- CBR