Latest news with #TimothyZahn
CBS News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Fan Expo Denver 2025
CBS Panel chairs get setup ready to host John Cena on day 3 of the event, June 5th. 2 CBS Hundreds of booths show off artists' talents. 3 CBS Artist and writer of the popular series "Invincible," Ryan Ottley. 4 CBS A pair of cantina aliens from the "Star Wars" universe meet writer Timothy Zahn. 5 CBS A fan cosplays as the Fairy Godmother from "Shrek" 6 CBS Fan cosplays as a New California Republic Ranger from the "Fallout" video game series. 7 CBS Mandalorian and Cara Dune cosplay by fans. 8 CBS Don't forget Grogu! 9 CBS Marvel heroes unite. Blade, Falcon/Captain America, Nakia, and Shuri/Black Panther cosplays in the main lobby. 10 CBS "Warhammer 40,000" Space Marines show off their impressive armor. 11 CBS Imperial Officer and Stormtrooper patrol the halls of Fan Expo. 12 CBS Clickers from "The Last of Us" series send shivers to anyone who gets too close. 13 CBS Clickers from "The Last of Us" series send shivers to anyone who gets too close. 14 CBS Clickers from "The Last of Us" series send shivers to anyone who gets too close. 15 CBS Spider-Punk travels the multiverse to Denver Fan Expo. 16 CBS Spider-Punk travels the multiverse to Denver Fan Expo. 17 CBS Lord Farquaad, Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, and the Magic Mirror from "Shrek" strike a pose. 18 CBS Levi Craig of Water Color Chaos shows off his unique prints for sale at the convention. 19 CBS John Boyega signs autographs for fans 20 CBS James and Oliver Phelps, known as the Weasley twins from "Harry Potter", make a special appearance. 21 CBS Comedian and Actor Rob Schneider signs autographs. 22 CBS "Evil Dead" cult icon actor Bruce Campbell. 23 CBS John Rhys-Davies meets hundreds of "The Lord of the Rings" and "Indiana Jones" fans. 24 CBS Sinister Darth Vader figurines are seen on sale. 25 CBS Fallen Stormtrooper helmets decorate the halls. 26 CBS Actor Brendan Fraser signs autographs. 27 CBS A dinosaur prop is seen in the back of a Jurassic Park truck. 28 CBS An exhibitor is seen with various prop weapons. 29 CBS Fans dress up as Shrek characters (left to right) Lord Farquad, Magic Mirror, the Fairy Godmother, and Prince Chargming.
Geek Tyrant
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Awsome and Massive STAR WARS Galaxy Map Is the Kind of Geeky Wonder That Reminds Us How Big This Universe Really Is — GeekTyrant
Star Wars universe can sometimes feel surprisingly small. Recent stories often narrow in on the same handful of planets and people. But now and then, something comes along that snaps us out of that tunnel vision, and today, it's a giant, updated map of the entire Star Wars galaxy. The official Star Wars website has just launched a freshly expanded semi-interactive galaxy map, building off the version originally crafted for the 2009 reference book Star Wars: The Essential Atlas. This latest iteration includes locations from recent canon like Andor 's Narkina 5, The Bad Batch 's Pabu, and even reaches into the deeper corners of lore with planets from Timothy Zahn's Thrawn novels and the mysterious Chiss Ascendancy. It comes with a full index of star systems, each labeled with its grid coordinate, sector, and region. For fans of tabletop RPGs, worldbuilders, fanfic writers, or just obsessive timeline checkers, it's a goldmine. As the official site puts it: 'The Star Wars galaxy contains billions of stars and is home to trillions of beings living on millions of worlds governed over millennia of galactic history by the Republic, the Empire and the New Republic. It's the setting for countless stories of good and evil, chronicled in Star Wars movies, TV shows, video games, books, comics and more.' The site also encourages fans to explore and return: 'This page, originally created as an online companion for the 2009 reference book Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, collects key maps and documents of interest to students of galactic cartography. Bookmark it and check back for updates from the galaxy far, far away!' There's something kind of hypnotic about just staring at the whole thing zoomed out. All those hyperspace lanes crisscrossing, sectors bordering other sectors, planet names floating in every direction, it reminds you that this galaxy is a galaxy. Tatooine, way out on the edge, really is as far from the Deep Core as Luke said it felt. It also reframes some of the emotional weight behind the stories. Think about Nemik's manifesto from Andor . That little rebel's words, scribbled on the edge of nowhere, somehow reached Coruscant, Yavin IV, and the furthest systems. It even deepens how we understand the Force. The idea that it connects all living things becomes literal when you look at this map and imagine every pinprick of light representing a world full of life, all bound together in that invisible energy field. Sometimes, it takes something as geeky and seemingly simple as a map to remind you why Star Wars works. It's not just the characters or the space battles, it's the sheer scale of it all. The freedom to tell any kind of story, in any corner of an impossibly big universe. This map is a tool. But it's also a reminder of what makes Star Wars so special. You can check it out for yourself on the official Star Wars site and start planning your own galactic journey, or just get lost in the possibilities.
Gizmodo
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
I Can't Stop Staring at This Massive ‘Star Wars' Galaxy Map
For as many times, narratively speaking, Star Wars' universe can feel awfully small in much of its recent output, it's always nice to be reminded that, actually, the scope of the galaxy far, far away is incomprehensibly vast. Especially if we can be reminded such an incredibly nerdy manner: via the medium of a massive, updated official map of that galaxy. Today the official Star Wars website, to sit alongside its own interactive timeline of the eras of Star Wars' past and future, released an updated semi-interactive map of the Star Wars galaxy. Based on a version that was first officially created in 2009 for the reference book Star Wars: The Essential Atlas (and updated multiple times since), the newest version now features locations from across recent Star Wars history, like Andor's Narkina, Bad Batch's Pabu, the worlds of the Chiss Ascendancy explored in Timothy Zahn's canon Thrawn, and much, much more. There's even an accompanying list of every star system charted on the map, including its reference grid on the map as well as the sector and region it belongs to. Star Wars RPG fans, fanfic writers, and more, rejoice! The map itself can be fully zoomed in on for better staring on the official site, but there is something breathtaking about just staring at the whole thing as in. Letting the words and hyperspace routes sort of blur, the regions of space and the official sectors of the galaxy intermingle, you really do remember that the Star Wars galaxy is a galaxy. It's huge! People on one end of it could never see or know what's going on on the other. Luke's line in A New Hope about Tatooine feeling like it was so far away from that bright light of the deep core feels so much more real when you see the the sheer distance Tatooine has from what was declared the 'hub' of galactic existence. The fact we have so many modern stories obsessed with maps, aside from speaking to Star Wars' own fascination with archival history and mythmaking, becomes so much more poignant in a way when confronted with the sheer scale of what these maps represent in a vast, cosmic scale. It makes other thematic ideas about the universe that much grander and impactful too—like the thought that Nemik's manifesto in Andor spread from one young man in one tiny cell of resistance in one tiny segment of the universe to the point that it was on Coruscant in the heart of the ISB, it was on Yavin IV, it was, as Major Partagaz despairingly admits, everywhere. The fires of the Clone War raged across this space. The Rebellion against the Empire sparked and flourished, from isolated pockets to a unified alliance that had members all over. The Resistance did it all over again years later, pulling together people from across these star systems to stand against the First Order, lying in wait at the galaxy's fringes. And that yes, the Force itself connects every living thing on all these bright lights across the universe. Star Wars is so, so very big. Its stories can do anything and be anything in a sandbox as vast, almost incomprehensibly so, as the one laid out here. With so much room, there's room for everything—including going beyond it. And that's what Star Wars should always feel like, so free and full of possibility. That's a lot to get out of just staring at a galaxy map, to be sure. But sometimes being given the scope of the thing allows us to comprehend our place in the universe—even a fictional one like Star Wars'. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
South China Morning Post
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Meet the Hong Kong artist behind the comic book adaptation of Star Wars: Thrawn
Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we've written. A huge stage. A sea of fans. Hong Kong comic artist Man Tsang Wai-man was surprised when he saw his art on the big screen and heard cheers from the crowd. It was the Star Wars Celebration 2025, held last month in Tokyo. For an artist from Hong Kong's small comic scene, Tsang had achieved something special: working with Disney on the comic book version of a novel, Star Wars: Thrawn. The original book is by an award-winning author, Timothy Zahn. The comic book will be released later this year. 'The idea that people would cheer for something we made? It's unimaginable ... Just being part of it, even in a small way, was exhilarating. It actually made me tremble,' said the artist, who is in his 40s. Hong Kong's comics industry For Tsang, his experience in Tokyo was unforgettable. But it was very different to what he faced back home. 'In Hong Kong, we draw comics, and no one really notices,' he said. 'Hong Kong comics have been dying for over two decades.' The city's comics industry was successful in the late 80s and early 90s. But since then, local graphic novels have not been very popular. 'Given the way things are in Hong Kong now, you have to hustle,' Tsang said. For example, he often takes on commissioned projects to make a living. Tsang has been dedicated to art ever since he was a child. When he was just 17 years old, he became a full-time comic artist. In 2022, Tsang won the Gold Award from the Hong Kong Comics Support Programme. The government initiative supports comic publishing. This helped him release an original title, The Zeros (0課特工). After Tsang showed his comic book at an international festival, it became popular and has been published in countries around the world. Through these international editions, Disney noticed his work. Drawing the mind of a villain When Tsang was illustrating the story of Thrawn, he faced some unexpected challenges. Unlike most Star Wars characters, Thrawn does not have special powers or weapons. 'I figured I'd get to draw some cool battles. Those are easier to handle,' Tsang said. 'But Thrawn was a completely different story.' The artist found himself drawing a calm, calculating general – a villain defined not by strength, but by his brain. 'Thrawn is like Sima Yi from Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' Tsang explained. 'He doesn't overpower his enemies – he outsmarts them.' And the real challenge, Tsang said, was showing what happens in Thrawn's mind. 'He's up against someone with a nuclear weapon, and all he has is his brain. He has to win using mind games. That's way harder,' he said. A new path for local artists Disney's collaboration with Tsang could create a new path for Hong Kong's comic scene. He hopes this progress does not end with him. 'If a major international company has worked with someone from Hong Kong and had a good experience, maybe they'll start to take us more seriously,' he said. 'Maybe we'll see something shift – maybe we'll be known as Hong Kong artists who specialise in international comics.' To young artists, Tsang offered advice: do what it takes to get your chance to shine. 'Don't be too proud to fight for opportunities,' he said. 'Sometimes, you have to be willing to crawl and clutch for your shot.' Reflect: Do you know of any famous Hong Kong comic books? To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
A new hope for Hong Kong comics: artist lands dream Star Wars manga gig
Growing up in Hong Kong in the 1980s, Man Tsang Wai-man spent his free time immersed in the world of Dragon Ball, one of his favourite manga, and sketching his own interpretations of the protagonist Son Goku's future adventures. Little did the young dreamer know that years later, his artworks would venture to another galaxy far, far away … Tsang, now 46, has been chosen by Disney to adapt a beloved Star Wars novel about Grand Admiral Thrawn – one of the most cunning and formidable villains of the interstellar universe – into a manga. The artist's involvement in Disney's latest series of Star Wars manga is exciting news and a rare milestone for Hong Kong's comic industry, a once-thriving sector now in serious decline. The adaptation, based on Hugo Award-winning writer Timothy Zahn's 2017 novel Star Wars: Thrawn, was announced at last month's Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo. 'Our creative industries in Hong Kong, especially the comic industry, have been in decline for two decades, you'd think it is impossible to get these opportunities,' Tsang said.
