"The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" Drops New Trailer
Plus: a new Star Wars book announcement, Black History Month comic variants, and a reading update.
Wednesday was a wonderful day for The Legend of Zelda fans as Nintendo Direct finally gave us some more information about the upcoming “Breath of the Wild” sequel.
There were some exciting things revealed in this trailer; most notably a new, eerie voice for Ganondorf that many fans are speculating is Critical Role star Matthew Mercer.
“Tears of the Kingdom” is expanding Hyrule into the skies as Link explores mysterious floating islands. Naturally, this means more flying—and flying in style! It looks like Link has gotten some travel upgrades, and may not need his Paraglider all that much in the new game. In the trailer, he can be seen crouching on a large, eagle-shaped glider swooping above the skies, and on a mechanical platform whirring toward the platforms above.
Link even gets his own land vehicle, which looked to me a bit like a tractor/lawnmower love child… after many fans got creative in making their own land vehicles in “Breath of the Wild,” Nintendo probably thought it was safer to just let us have one in-game.
With flying islands come flying enemies, as can be seen throughout the trailer; one such flying creature is also seen carrying a Moblin? (I can just imagine them rehearsing that particular move… “Now if I jump into your talons, do you think we could do an arial attack?”)
The Sheikah Slate technology also seems to have been upgraded as… a bionic arm for Link? In the trailer, he can be seen using his outstretched (now dark green?) right arm to lift items out of a pond. It begs the question—what tragedy (or innovation) happens in the game to cause that upgrade?
Every new glimpse of “Tears of the Kingdom” makes me more and more excited for its release. I played “Breath of the Wild” pretty obsessively when it came out, and it looks like it might be time for me to crack it open once again. (You know, just for a refresh. Not because I ~still~ haven’t gone into Hyrule Castle to beat Ganondorf… definitely not for that reason…)
“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” releases May 12, 2023 and will cost $69.99 USD.
STAR WARS: CRIMSON CLIMB Book Announced
On Monday, E. K. Johnston announced that she is writing another Star Wars novel, this time about a fan-favorite character of Solo, Qi’ra. Since she was introduced in the film, Qi’ra has been featured in some off-screen media: the novel Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson, and the Crimson Reign/Hidden Empire comics writted by Charles Soule. Most Wanted dives into Qi’ra’s backstory with Han before the events of Solo, but we haven’t gotten much information about what happened after Han left Corellia and how Qi’ra joined the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate.
E. K. Johnston has written multiple novels for the Star Wars canon, focusing on the powerful female characters we love. She’s written Ahsoka, as well as a trilogy focusing on Padmé: Queen’s Shadow, Queen’s Peril, and Queen’s Hope. I personally LOVE Qi’ra and can’t wait to see how she girlbosses her way to becoming Dryden Vos’s right-hand (wo)man. (And maybe I’ll finally get around to making a Qi’ra cosplay…)
Star Wars: Crimson Climb releases in October 2023.
This Week’s Comic Haul feat. Black History Month Variants
Guys, I’m now at the point where I am getting the “regular” discount at my local comic shop. I feel like I’ve leveled up in my comic collecting. (Shoutout to Casey, that 20% discount is so generous.)
Anyway, this week’s comic haul was pretty great, especially since my shop had the Black History Month variant covers for the Star Wars comics I picked up. Look at how gorgeous they are! Designed by Mateus Manhanini, these variants are now some of my favorite comics I own—especially the Finn one!
Other comics I got this week include:
A regular cover of Star Wars: Hidden Empire #3 written by Charles Soule.
A regular cover of Star Wars: The High Republic (2022) #5 written by Cavan Scott
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #3 written by Jordan Ifueko
Secret Invasion #4 written by Ryan North
Batman and the Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 written by Marc Silvestri
My comic shop guy also hooked me up with a free Marvel comic calendar that will soon be hung up in my apartment to proudly declare my nerd-ism to everyone that comes to visit.
What comics did you pick up this week?
A Quick Reading Update
I have been reading some great literature lately, and I simply need to share!
Just Finished: The Thrawn: Ascendancy trilogy by Timothy Zahn. I’m going to do a more in-depth reading reflection in another newsletter, but if you’re a fan of space battles and political intrigue, this series is perfect for you. I definitely had to work to get through the first two books, but the payoff in Lesser Evil was SO worth it. It was so interesting to see how other societies work in the Star Wars universe, especially ones like the Chiss Ascendancy that we don’t see in most media. Finishing these novels made me excited to read the other two Thrawn trilogies!
Currently Reading:
Severance by Ling Ma. A post-apocalyptic novel in which a disease called Shen Fever wipes out most of the population. (VERY The Last of Us vibes, so if you’re enjoying that show, check this novel out.) It’s a wonderful examination of our reliance on memory, as well as a reflection on immigration and a capitalist society. Severance will make you take a step back and think about what is really important in your life.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. This is our romance book club pick of the month, and I was so excited it was chosen! Seven Days in June has been on my TBR for a while—it’s a second-chance love story about two authors who reconnect at a Black literary event after an explosive teen romance 15 years ago. They’ve been writing to each other in their books ever since. I can already tell this novel is going to destroy me. It looks at how we idolize young love and trauma, and how growth means coming to terms with things in your past. There’s also some great commentary about the publishing industry in relation to Black books and authors.
How Long ‘til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin. I’m ashamed to admit that this is the first thing I’ve read by N. K. Jemisin, but she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This short story collection shares the same title as an essay she wrote in 2013, reflecting on Janelle Monáe and Afrofuturism. I’m a sucker for some short stories, and I have been blown away by N. K. Jemisin’s writing so far.
Up Next: Babel by R. F. Kuang. My TBR Jar has declared that Babel is up next as I read through my physical TBR this year. I bought this book the day it came out, but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. I’m super excited to finally understand the hype around Babel! (ALSO—HarperCollins has reached a tentative labor agreement with the union! WOOHOO!)
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