Suvudu Universe

Tom Hodges’ Star Wars Rebels Cover

For San Diego Comic Con 2013, Star Wars artist Tom Hodges pencilled and inked a Marvel mockup cover featuring Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan and colored by fellow Star Wars artist Grant Gould. For this year’s convention, Hodges designed a new Marvel mockup cover with the Inquisitor and his unit of stormtroopers from Star Wars Rebels. Colored by Jeremiah Skipper, the 11″ x 17″ print will be available for $20 at his Artist Alley Booth (GG-01). To find out more information on what other prints and sketches will be available, go here.

Check out his progress on the cover: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX

New Star Wars Rebels Characters

As more published material becomes available to the public, details surrounding new characters will inevitably reach the masses. The latest character reveals for the animated series now include Cikatro Vizago, Zare Leonis, Bail Organa, and our two lovable droids, C-3PO and R2-D2. Cikatro Vizago is a green-skinned Devaronian and a crime boss mainly operating on the planet Lothal with his Broken Horn crime syndicate. He provides vital information to the rebel crew of the Ghost at a price, and because of that, he reminds me of Hondo Ohnoka from Star Wars: The Clone Wars–always looking for a profit. Actor Benjamin Diskin appeared on the set of Star Wars Rebels in a previous behind-the-scenes photo. Perhaps Diskin plays the voice of Vizago?

Zare Leonis is a young rebel spy in the Imperial Academy, having joined it to discover the truth behind his sister’s disappearance from the Imperial ranks. (Wouldn’t it be cool if his sister turned out to be a rebel?) Leonis shares the same age group as Ezra, and he’s also a young man of color. Diversity at its best! For the latest conversation on that topic, check out the Agent Kallus and David Oyelowo post. There have also been recent talks about John Boyega’s character from Star Wars: Episode VII and his possible connection to Zare Leonis. Personally, I’m not one to support the unfortunately common thought process that involves connecting black characters to each other. Star Wars is a big universe and not every black character has to be related to each other. However, the prospect of seeing the legacy of Leonis continue into Star Wars: Episode VII does strike some interest.

The return of Senator Bail Organa, C-3PO and R2-D2 is both wonderful and somewhat expected. Senator Organa would obviously continue his position of attending diplomatic meetings and maintaining public relations across the galaxy. Additionally, Threepio and Artoo are the iconic droids that have been in the films and in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. R2-D2 was also the first character to be announced for the highly anticipated sequel film. As a result, they were bound to make an appearance in Star Wars Rebels, especially to round up some of the older fans.

Sketch Cards by Cal Slayton

Illustrator, graphic designer, and comic book artist Cal Slayton has drawn a handful of Star Wars Rebels sketch cards and shared them over at his Instagram account. His latest additions include Cikatro Vizago and an AT-DP pilot. He has also drawn cards for Ezra Bridger, the Inquisitor, and a stomrtrooper.

Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy by Jason Fry

Set for release on October 21, 2014, Star Wars Rebels: Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy by Jason Fry is an action-packed original story set during the Rebels time period. Aimed for ages 8 through 12, this junior novel will have a significant focus on stormtroopers with Zare Leonis, presumably, as the protagonist. A few months ago in Star Wars Insider #148, Jason Fry wrote a fascinating piece on the development of Imperial stormtroopers over the years, entitled “Imperial Icons.” I hope to see that level of detail throughout his novels. Finally, on July 16, Fry sent out the second installment of the Servants of the Empire series to the publisher.

Star Wars Rebels: Ghost Raid

We know that the rebel crew of the Ghost will do anything to interrupt the flow and trade of Imperial supplies. In this new online game from Disney XD, you get to fly the Ghost across the galaxy and raid Imperial shipments for the growing rebellion! The route between planets includes Ryloth, Christophsis, Kashyyyk, Toydaria, and Lothal. If you’re in the mood to play something different, check out Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars: Droid Masters and Agent P: Rebel Spy.

Many years into the reign of the evil Galactic Empire, a small band of rebels, led by Kanan Jarrus, did their part to strike against Imperial tyranny. Flying the starship Ghost, the ragtag crew performed a series of daring raiding missions on Imperial supply ships, hoping to capture their cargo and deliver them to the growing resistance…