This coming January 24, Marvel Comics is set to release the first issue of the comic adaptation of Timothy Zahn's acclaimed 2018 Star Wars novel. Now, some of you may be asking: is Thrawn: Alliances Canon?
Jody Houser penned the adaptation with Andrea Di Vito and Pat Oliffe, who worked on the illustrations. The entire comic series will consist of four issues with new releases every month.
Just like any Star Wars novels and comics that are released, you might be wondering about the canon status of this new comic release and how it fits with the official timeline of the franchise.
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What is Thrawn: Alliances About?
Thrawn: Alliances was a 2018 novel written by Timothy Zahn, which serves as the sequel to the 2017 novel Thrawn. It is the second entry in a trilogy of books that tackle Thrawn's origin story in the official canon timeline of the Star Wars franchise that was established after Disney acquired Lucasfilm.
Set between the third and fourth seasons of Rebels, the story follows Thrawn and Darth Vader as they team up for a mission to investigate a new threat that poses against the Empire.
The novel notably follows two timelines: Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars era and the novel's present-day era with Thrawn and Darth Vader.
It ended up becoming a best-seller as it topped The New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover Fiction during the week of August 12, 2018, and received positive reviews from book critics and fans.
Is Marvel's Thrawn: Alliances Part of the Official Star Wars Canon?
Just like the 2018 novel, the Marvel Comics adaptation is also considered to be part of the official Star Wars canon timeline. The main difference is that the story is now being told in a comic book format which makes it digestible for some readers.
Lucasfilm recently released an exclusive preview of the first issue with the logline, "The Emperor calls on Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader to eliminate a new threat on Batuu. But it’s not the first time either have been to the Outer Rim world…"
The first novel, Thrawn, was already adapted into a comic book series back in 2018 that was also written by Houser. Its success led to Marvel Comics to do adaptations of the subsequent novels.
The release of the comic book adaptation also comes as Thrawn finally made his live-action debut recently in Ahsoka with Lars Mikkelsen reprising the role from Rebels.
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