Back in March, LucasFilm announced that they are teaming up with book publisher Del Rey, Marvel and several other companies for a series of 20 Star Wars novels entitled Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens that will lead up to the highly-anticipated release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 18. These books, ranging from novels and comics for adults and teens to storybooks and stickerbooks for young kids, will bridge the 32-year gap between Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Today, PreviewsWorld has released the first details for one of these comics, dubbed Star Wars: Shattered Empire, which deals directly with the aftermath of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Take a look at the official plot description below.

"Emperor Palpatine's twenty-year reign of terror came to an abrupt and fiery end in the skies above the forest moon of Endor. A decisive victory for the Rebel Alliance, to be sure, but even with the loss of its leadership, the Empire's Moffs and regional governors retained their hold on important systems from the Core to the Outer Rim, thanks to the might of the Imperial Starfleet. Now, with a power vacuum atop the Empire, those Moffs will jockey for position and control, and the heroes of the Rebel Alliance will soon discover that a wounded and fractious Empire may be more dangerous than any threat they faced before!"

Writer Greg Rucka and artist Marco Checchetto are behind this Star Wars comic that will, "reveal the untold story of the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the political machinations that ensued." This book and the others in Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens series, will all be part of the official Star Wars canon that includes all of the movies and TV shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Unfortunately, this synopsis doesn't give us too much to go on, as for how the comic ties in to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it's possible that the story could set up some of the mysterious characters in the upcoming movie.

One of the many characters we know little about is Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma, a chrome trooper who could very well be trying to attain power after the death of the Emperor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. It's possible that we could learn more about how The Empire eventually becomes named The First Order in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While we wait for more details on these books, check out the Shattered Empire cover artwork.