The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic (Phase One)
Featuring exclusive concept art, character and costume sketches, and vehicle and creature designs by Lucasfilm Publishing and its partners, this official companion to Star Wars: The High Republic (Phase One) offers fans a definitive, behind-the-scenes look at an ambitious new era of Star Wars storytelling
The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic takes fans behind the scenes of Phase I of Lucasfilm Publishing’s massive crossover event. Collecting the very best concept art of the new characters, worlds, ships, and creatures of The High Republic—designed jointly by the Lucasfilm Visualists and a team of legendary comic book and Star Wars artists, including Phil Noto, Iain McCaig, and Ryan Church, among many others—and presented alongside development materials and interviews with High Republic architects Claudia Gray (Star Wars The High Republic: Into the Dark), Justina Ireland (Star Wars The High Republic: A Test of Courage), Daniel José Older (Star Wars The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower), Cavan Scott (Marvel Comics’s The High Republic), and Charles Soule (Star Wars The High Republic: Light of the Jedi), The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic is an essential guide to the creation, design, and realization of a new era of Star Wars storytelling.
The High Republic Phase I: Light of the Jedi finds the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic at the height of their respective powers, but following the events of “The Great Disaster,” the Jedi, led by Jedi Knights Avar Kriss, Loden Greatstorm, Keeve Trennis, and Stellan Gios and joined by a diverse group of Padawans and Jedi Masters, are confronted by the looming threat of the Nihil—a marauding group of Outer Rim anarchists who stand opposed to all the Galactic Republic represents. In The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic, readers will discover the origins of the fan-favorite new characters taking on this threat, as well as exciting new starfighter and creature designs, beautifully rendered environments, and detailed views of Starlight Beacon—the shining symbol of hope in the Republic.
The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic is the only book to explore all facets of the design and artistic direction of a story that spans comic books, novels, and young adult books, taking Star Wars fans of all ages on a deep dive into the development of the New York Times bestselling series.
Author: Kristin Baver
Foreward: Kathleen Kennedy
Page Count: 224
Publication Date: November 8, 2022
ISBN: 9781419756559
While it’s no surprise that The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic (Phase One) is a gorgeous book to flick through, sitting confidently alongside the other recent Art of books from the last decade of Disney as well as Galaxy’s Edge, what might be surprising to some is just how interesting this recent era of Star Wars is. Indeed, the whole High Republic era project has been sorely underestimated; while it still feels like a fresh new era – albeit one entering its second phase – there’s been a lot – and we mean a LOT – of content hitting shelves over the last couple of years, and despite the pandemic hitting the pause button on its release, the amount of books of all ages and comics released already are impressive. However, even that impressive haul has to sit alongside a vast gallery of artwork that fleshed out the look and style of the era, and this is the treasure trove that author Kristin Baver dives into to bring us the first Art of volume from the three phase project.
Opening with a Foreword from Fantha Tracks Honorary Member Kathleen Kennedy, the book wastes little time in diving into the fray, explaining the origins of the project (‘what scares the Jedi?‘ asked Cavan Scott on the third day of the first authors summit at Skywalker Ranch back in 2018) and how that germ of an idea sprouted into a multi-media project that’s growing by the day in the eyes of the reading public (and soon on the small screen with The Acolyte and Young Jedi Adventures and in game form with Star Wars Eclipse). With encouragement from Kennedy, the project was underway, and all while main unit photography was rolling on The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian was about to begin shooting. A momentous time for Star Wars, to be sure.
With prequel trilogy concept artist and Fighting Fantasy legend Iain McCaig brought onto the design team, the visual pallete of the project began to expand. Characters now familiar to fans across the world were beginning to be sketched out, and while the project remained under wraps – known only as Project Luminous, teased at Celebration Chicago and unveiled in all but name with the five authors (Cavan Scott, DJ Older, Claudia Gray, Charles Soule and Justina Ireland) introduced at New York Comic Con 2019 – The High Republic was finally revealed in a 24th February 2020 panel at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
After the initial details regarding the genesis of the project, a browse through the book eases you into a page-turning feast for the eyes as the art just washes across your irises. Designs from McCaig, designs inspired by Star Wars concepts from the past, old friends redesigned (hey there Yoda and Yarael Poof) and familiar races revisited. Brought together by Baver, this really does remind you just how much ground we’ve covered already, with Starlight Beacon, the Nihil, and Drengir and more indelible parts of the Star Wars story. While there’s a template style to the designs, it’s clear that these are tremendously helpful to the various artists drawing the characters on novel covers and in comics, giving a consistency of presentation that has bonded the numerous and meticulously crafted stories into a pleasing whole.
With all this glorious artwork to pull from and previously unseen sketches and artwork to fill the pages you could be forgiven for believing the pictures are the only attraction on show, but just a few minutes of browsing through the book reveals salient points, well-chosen quotes and insight that Kristin Baver has scattered throughout, tying in the spirit of the High Republic with both unused moments from the past and fresh inspiration that will keep the project forging on into the future. Each chapter begins with in-depth dives into the subject before wowwing us with even more stellar art.
With two more Art of The High Republic volumes to come and the second phase just underway, make sure to keep a couple of inches of shelf space free for their arrival and cross those fingers that Kristin is the organisational mind behind them both as this is a very welcome addition to the Star Wars non-fiction galaxy.
- Hardcover Book
- Baver, Kristin (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 224 Pages - 11/08/2022 (Publication Date) - Abrams Books (Publisher)
Opening with a Foreword from Fantha Tracks Honorary Member Kathleen Kennedy, the book wastes little time in diving into the fray, explaining the origins of the project (‘what scares the Jedi?‘ asked Cavan Scott on the third day of the first authors summit at Skywalker Ranch back in 2018) and how that germ of an idea sprouted into a multi-media project that’s growing by the day in the eyes of the reading public (and soon on the small screen with The Acolyte and Young Jedi Adventures and in game form with Star Wars Eclipse). With encouragement from Kennedy, the project was underway, and all while main unit photography was rolling on The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian was about to begin shooting. A momentous time for Star Wars, to be sure.