An Interview with the talents behind two great series
Star Wars and Star Trek
By Alex Ness
Star Wars
Along with the famous films, the space epic Star Wars has a long history of incredibly successful video-games, novels, and comic books. Recently, the Star Wars comics have been published under Dark Horse, with a stable of veteran
creators attached as writers and artists.
JAN DUURSEMA:
Jan Duursema is one of the most prolific Star Wars artists out there, having worked on such titles as the Star Wars: Episode II comic adaptation, the Star Wars: Darth Maul miniseries, the Star Wars ongoing series, and Star Wars
Tales. Jan's work has also been seen in such Marvel books as The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, X-Factor, and The Uncanny X-Men.
AN: You and John Ostrander seem to have an unique working partnership. You're able to tell stories organically, and what I mean by that is that I've been reading comics for 35 years, and yet I cannot see the seams and stitches between
writer and artist. You've worked elsewhere with other writers, so is it John, your friendship with him, or is it the strength of the Star Wars mythos as crafted by Lucas and others that create this sort of flow?
JD: I think everything you mentioned enters into the equation. John and I worked on Hawkworld and Hawkman before coming to Star Wars. We worked differently back then. I wasn't as involved in the plotting process as I am now. I
guess the way we work now is a pretty unique way of working together, so I'm not surprised you can't see where one of us leaves off and the other begins. Sometimes we don't remember exactly ourselves -- especially when we are
really moving along on cooking along on a plot. There's always a lot of ideas flying back and forth -— a lot of give and take. I think the reason it works is that both John and I like to build story and character throughout the
storytelling process. That is, a story begins with the plot, but the storytelling process is still allowed to evolve as the artwork progresses and then continues to build as the dialogue is added. I run panel and layout ideas by John a lot of
times to see if the storytelling is working for him and he lets me see the dialogue in case I have any insights to character or story issues that might need to be expanded. I guess that's why it seems so organic—sometimes it seems like
sculpting in clay.
An issue might begin with us talking about what kind of story we would like to tell—war story, mystery story and so forth. Or we might begin with a certain character in mind as with the Jedi series of books and talk over story from a
character point of view. Trying to find a story unique to a certain character is an interesting and fun process. The "Aayla Secura" issue of Jedi was especially interesting. The more we explored Aayla and Aurra Sing's characters the
more we realized how many things the two of them had in common and it really became the central theme of the story. Sometimes, as with the creation of characters such as Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura, a story might begin with a
new character and evolve from there. In Twilight, we set out to create a new Jedi and padawan whose story could be told in a 4 issue arc. We thought that would pretty much be the end of these characters -— we'd even planned to have
Aayla done away with by her evil Uncle Pol, but fortunately my daughter begged both John and I not to let her die, and Aayla ended up in Attack of the Clones and in TIME Magazine!
I don't think that either of us sees a plot as set in stone. There is, of course, a specific framework that each story hangs on and intricacies that the story depends on, but I like flexibility within that structure to change panel pacing and
point-of-view if I think something works better another way—breaking down or combining panels mostly. John will even let me add or delete a page or scene as long as the basic intent is kept intact. It occurred to me the other day that
when John and I plot a story it's
Stephen Scott BEAU SMITH:
Writer of hard-bitten heroes and tough and beautiful heroines, Beau Smith spends most of his working time as the Vice-President of IDW Publishing, but his time writing has given rise to some great runs, Guy Gardner and Wynonna
Earp among them. His work on the Star Wars mythos was limited to just Star Wars Tales #7, but it was definitely a keeper.
AN: Your work on Star Wars was limited to Star Wars Tales, but it was such an awesome story, and with excellent art. Your work on it was notable because you expanded the Star Wars Universe in the character of Boba Fett, but also
stayed within the precepts of the character template. Is that what they were looking for in particular, or did you come to them with the story idea?
SSBS: I've gotta' say that they didn't tell me anything that they wanted. Editor Dave Land kinda' said...wanna do a Boba Fett story? I said, yeah.
So I came up with the story line while driving around town. I wanted to do a real Western feel to the story. Then I came up with the parody of Ebay one night while bidding on some Don Heck art and getting beat out at the last minute
by some sniper.
That was the fun thing about working on it...they let me do what I wanted. The story went through with no problems with the Lucas folks. I was lucky.
AN: What character in the Star Wars mythos is your favorite and who would you love to work on?
SSBS: I don't really have a real favorite character. To this day I've only seen the first two films and I only saw them once each. I'd have to say Boba Fett because he is the one I wrote and kinda' know now. I never looked at the movies
as some religious thing like some people.
TIM TRUMAN:
While Tim's work is generally remembered by folks as heroic or anti-hero sagas, he spent almost two years associated with Star Wars properties.
AN: Your Hunt for Aurra Sing was awesome. Why do you like the Bounty Hunters so much? Aren't they just worse scum than the Rebels or Empire?
Tim Truman: Blame is on Sergio Leone, I guess. His "Man With No Name" character had a profound impact on me. And even before that, "Johnny Yuma, the Rebel" -- the old 60's TV character. Bounty hunters have always had an
appeal to me -- remember that the first comic book character I ever worked on was a bounty hunter, "Grimjack." There's just something about that character type that appeals to me.
Aurra is a tragic bounty hunter. She doesn't realize that she was duped into the profession, and was also duped into hunting Jedi. That's why Ki said that he senses a "grayness" to her. She isn't on the Dark Side or the light side of the
Force.
In one of my conversations with him, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, and I were speculating why his words and my images work so well together. He immediately said "It's because we both love outlaws, Tim." He was right.
AN: What Star Wars race is the most interesting to you and why?
TT: The Tusken Raiders, absolutely. I was proud when my old Star Wars editor Peet Janes dubbed me "The Man Who Broke (Lucasfilm's) Tusken Barrier." I had his email to me taped over my writing desk for months and months.
The first Star Wars comic story that I did took place on Tatooine and involved Ki Adi Mundi in an adventure with the Tuskens. Before that, no one had been really allowed to do a whole story about them-- just a page or paragraph here
and there. I used my interest in indigenous peoples to speculate on what their society would be like. Lucasfilm recognized that and let me do exactly what I wanted. It was a great experience. I also got to introduce a Tusken Jedi, which
is a concept that I'd wanted to do for about 15 years, and I really thank Lucasfilm for letting me flesh out that particular fantasy. I wished I'd had artists working with me who could have captured the flavor I was after. But the first artist
JOE CORRONEY:
If you've ever counted yourself a reader of Star Wars Insider and Star Wars Gamer you have almost certainly seen Joe's dynamite work. He is an artist associated with Star Wars and a great perspective to capture for this interview. He
is currently busily at work penciling pages for Marvel/Epic's Crimson Dynamo.
AN: Being a Star Wars Insider and Star Wars Gamer artist, you have an unique perspective on Star Wars Comics. Your use of two friends, Justin and Jan Duursema, as models for your images of the Jedi has led to them acquiring a
psuedo-canon status. Who is next up, and is it a secret thrill for you to stake your claim in the Lucas Empire?
JC: Actually, Jan is a Jedi in real life, or as close to one as you could possibly get. She can be very persuasive when she wants to be, just watch out for that waving hand. It only made sense to me to make the best Star Wars artist out
there who's drawing Jedi into one herself. And it was kind of my way to say thanks and acknowledge her for all the inspiration she's given me over the past few years. I wouldn't have gotten my current Marvel gig without her guidance
and support.
Justin was only too appropriate to illustrate as a Jedi character since, besides his long flowing locks, as a hobby he was making his own very authentic looking Star Wars replica props and costumes. He had a customized Jedi outfit
and lightsaber already so it just clicked when I wanted to create my own Expanded Universe character. And mind you he's now gone from pseudo-canon status to full EU canon status as he was finally 'officially' named in my work for
the latest HoloNet News feature in Star Wars Insider #71.
You could say it's definitely a secret thrill for me as a fan who enjoys everything Star Wars, especially the Expanded Universe, to be able to contribute my own characters and creations to the saga. I've been able to work other friends
into my Star Wars art as characters from time to time too so it's always as much of a thrill for them as it is me to see people I know inhabiting that galaxy far, far away.
AN: As you are an image specialist, can you tell us which Star Wars character has the most artistically attractive image, and which could use work?
JC: I appreciate characters like Boba Fett or Jango who are visually interesting and have costumes that are over all stylistically cool. I love all of their details. Vader is also, without a doubt, very dynamic, appealing and challenging in a
fun way to illustrate. The sleeknessand the overall graphic appeal of the stormtrooper or clonetrooper costumes can make for very exciting and dynamic artwork too. I wouldn't change a thing about those costumes. I always had a soft
spot for Boussh's costume too.
I was never a big fan of Dengar's recycled Imperial Snowtrooper suit outfit and bandaged head wraps. Wouldn't those swoop bike crash scars ever just heal eventually? He kind of seemed like a 'last minute hurry we need another
bounty hunter costume' look to me compared to his comrades. I guess you could say it gave him character though. And Poor Aunt Beru could have always used a makeover. Not sure what happened to her in the course of time between
Episode III and Episode IV. She used to be such a cutie. She really didn't age well at all.
TOM VEITCH:
One of the first in comics to consider the expanded, uncharted territory, Tom Veitch thrilled Star Wars fans with intelligent forays into character development and new worlds, highlighted by his fan-favorite series, Dark Empire.
AN: How was fan response to your works regarding continuity of the Star Wars Mythos?
TV: We had great response. I still get letters from people telling me that Dark Empire was the best of the continuing stories, that it should be made into a movie, that it should be a novel, etc. George Lucas told me personally that he
loved it. Some people had a p
Thanks to those who contributed to this interview.
Star Trek Comics
The other great space fiction franchise, Star Trek began its run with the original TV series in the 1960s and has appeared in some form in books, movies, TV and comics ever since. This interview was begun as a bookend to the Star
Wars interview but various participants chose not to send in their answers. Therefore while the talent responding here is by no means lesser desired, the breadth and width of this is limited to those who were kind enough to participate.
Bob Ingersoll is a lawyer and writer from the Cleveland area. He also has had a regular appearing column in the Comic Buyer’s Guide, “The Law is a Ass” and has cowritten with Tony Isabella Captain America Liberty’s Torch.
Alex Ness: What Star Trek work have you done? (books included)
Bob Ingersoll: "Good Listener," the lead story in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION SPECIAL # 1, which came out from DC comics in 1993.
STAR TREK: ALL OF ME, a prestige-format one-shot STAR TREK: TOS comic book which same out from DC/Wildstorm in 2000.
STAR TREK: THE CASE OF THE COLONIST'S CORPSE, a STAR TREK: TOS novel featuring Samuel T. Cogley which will come out from Pocket Books in January of 2004.
AN: Which character was/is your favorite to write?
BI: I've never written any characters from STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9, STAR TREK: VOYAGER, or STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, which skews my ability to answer this question a little. But of the characters I have written, it's
probably Spock. My favorite scenes are probably those featuring Spock and Dr. McCoy.
AN: Which of the TV franchise series was/is your favorite?
BI: That's a little tricky, because none of the series were consistently good from beginning to end. STAR TREK: TOS, after all, had that wretched third season. So, rather than take any series as a whole, I prefer to take them season by
season. With that in mind, my favorite seasons are the first two seasons of STAR TREK: TOS (particularly the first season) and the last three seasons of STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9.
AN: Tell us about the premise of your Star Trek novel...
BI: STAR TREK: THE CASE OF THE COLONIST'S CORPSE is subtitled "A Sam Cogley Mystery" and the structure of that title might be familiar fans of old TV shows. Tony and I took Sam Cogley (the
lawyer who represented Captain Kirk in the first-season TOS episode "Court-Martial") and wrote a Perry Mason mystery with Cogley as Perry. The plot, in a nutshell, centers around the disputed planet Aneher II, which lies in the
Federation-Klingon Neutral Zone. Much as they did on Sherman's Planet in "The Trouble With Tribbles," both the Klingon Empire and the Federation are colonizing Aneher II simultaneously, with each side having to prove to the
Organians that it can colonize the planet more efficiently. Cogley gets involved when Mak'Tor, the head of the Klingon colony, is accused of -- and put on trial for -- murdering Daniel Latham, the head of the Federation colony.
Gordon Purcell is an artist from Minneapolis and has worked from the mid 1980s to the present. His art is at once clean and pleasant and accurate in depictions of the cast of the Star Trek crews he illustrated.
AN: Which Star Trek Comics did you illustrate?
GP: Ok, here we go: For DC, I did STAR TREK Vol. 1 53-54, ST Vol. 2 11-16, 19-26, 30-33, 37-38, 40, 42-44, ST ANNUAL 4 (Capt. Pike), STAR TREK VI adaptation, STAR TREK: GENERATIONS
Adaptation, ST:NEXT GENERATION 7-8, 71-80, ST:NG ANNUAL SPECIAL 2. For Malibu, I drew DEEP SPACE NINE 1-2, 4-5, 8-9 and the DC/Malibu crossover of DS9 and NG 1-4. For Wildstorm,
I drew a Voyager tale in their ST SPECIAL 1. In addition, I helped thumbnail half of the DEBT OF HONOR graphic novel, 2 Next Generation coloring books in '97, and illustrations for 2 Pocket STAR TREK novels and a role
playing game.
AN Which of the TV Star Trek series are/were you most a fan of and why?
GP The first series was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I still love it! I think the best series overall is DS9. Of course, I'm a fan of all the TREK series in general.
AN: To what degree was working for DC and Paramount a more work intensive project?
GP: As a big TREK fan, I personally wanted to see very strong likenesses and detailed backgrounds and props on the titles, while still having the dynamics of a comic book. In my mind, reading the comic should be like getting another
episode of the TV shows. And one secret of comics is I can draw Kirk at any age and I don't have to worry about salaries and schedules to get cast members together. And special effects won't blow my budget! During my runs,
Paramount and DC agreed with my approach and the book was quite successful!
AN: Were you ever frustrated with a rejection due to the likeness requirements?
GP: I only had about 2 redraws to do in my run--some of the artists had to redraw every page again and again. Many of the actors have likeness rights, which can be difficult if you're not experienced at that.
AN: Which character was the hardest to depict?
GP: The easiest characters to draw were Scotty and Dax (she's comic-book pretty!), the toughest were Dr. Crusher and Kira (careful not to make them look older).
AN: Which character was your favorite in the series & was that character also your favorite to depict?
GP: I love Bones, Kirk, Spock, Riker, O'Brien, Dax, Tuvok and Trip. McCoy, Riker and Dax were easy to draw. Kirk was tougher--I always tried to draw him at his STAR TREK II weight. And I only wish there was an
ENTERPRISE comic being printed so I could draw Trip! (I did sneak Scott Bakula in as a Federation captain in one of my issues--must be Archer's offspring!)
AN: Are there stories left to tell in the expanded nature of the Star Trek series?
GP: Oh, clearly there are. ENTERPRISE, NEW FRONTIER, even more stories from the regular series. And what about Pike or the ENTERPRISE B or Sulu's missions? There's a lot to explore!
AN: Which would you most like to work on?
GP: I'd love to draw ENTERPRISE--then I could be known for drawing all the TREK captains, including Pike and Sulu! NEXT GENERATION and DS9 were a lot of fun too. I'd be happy to revisit any of them!
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Tony Isabella Boy genius of comics moved from Cleveland to New York and quickly joined the Marvel bullpen and became a writer and editor at the publisher. He moved to DC and created its first black super hero, Black Lightning and has written many wonderful comics. He writes a regular appearing column for the Comic Buyer’s Guide and for the website worldfamouscomics.com
ALEX: Which comics did you write in the Trek genre?
TONY: I wrote three issues of DC's original Star Trek series and plotted a fourth issue, which Len Wein scripted.
I then teamed with Bob Ingersoll for a story in DC's Star Trek: The Next Generation special...and a Prestige Format TOS book for Wildstorm. That last one was called STAR TREK: ALL OF ME.
ALEX: Which of the Star Trek TV series was your favorite and why?
TONY: The original series is a sentimental favorite, but I think DEEP SPACE NINE, especially the last half of the series, is my favorite and, overall, the best of the Trek series.
ALEX: Are there Trek stories left in you to tell? Is that limited to comics?
TONY: Sure. Bob Ingersoll and I have written STAR TREK: THE CASE OF THE COLONIST'S CORPSE. It's a "Sam Cogley mystery" and will be hitting the bookstores in a few weeks.
If it's successful, we'll write more Cogley novels.
Star Trek isn't a burning passion of mine, but I always enjoying playing in that universe. When opportunities arise for me to do so, I take them happily.
ALEX: What character from all the series would be your favorite?
TONY: Sam Cogley, of course. But I also like almost all the characters from the DEEP SPACE NINE series.
ALEX: Which movie was your favorite and which movie was the least successful in your eyes?
TONY: I haven't seen all of the Trek movies and haven't been overwhelmed by those I have seen. Truth be told, I can only remember bits and pieces of the ones I have seen.
STAR TREK: THE CASE OF THE COLONIST'S CORPSE A Sam Cogley mystery by Bob Ingersoll & Tony Isabella Order from: www.actionismyreward.com/item-0743464974.shtml
Mike W Barr Clevelander Mike Barr has written many great and entertaining comics. Batman, Star Trek, the Outsiders, the Maze Agency... his work delighted many and that he is currently not on a high profile comic is a crime.
AN: Which comics did you write in the Trek genre?
MWB: For Marvel's first incarnation I wrote Star Trek. For DC I wrote Star Trek and Star Trek the Next Generation (an Annual).
For Malibu I wrote Deep Space Nine, the Malibu half of the DS9/TNG crossover, and a plot for Star Trek Voyager that was never used. Marvel's second incarnation and Wildstorm wouldn't touch me; guess they didn't want the
books to sell too well.
AN: Which of the Star Trek TV series was your favorite and why?
MWB: Star Trek TOS, of course. Often imitated, never equaled.
AN: Are there Trek stories left in you to tell? Is that limited to comics?
MWB: There are lots of Trek stories in me left to tell. In March 2003 I published my first Star Trek novel, Gemini (a TOS novel, based on a plot the producers of "Voyager" rejected). I have recently signed a contract for a second
novel, and am always ready to return to comics, but the comics industry has seen fit to decree otherwise. Their loss.
AN: What character from all the series would be your favorite?
MWB: It switches between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. I also liked Odo, from DS9, a lot.
AN: Which movie was your favorite and which movie was the least successful in your eyes?
MWB: I liked Khan a lot, as does everyone, but I also harbor warm feelings for the unfairly underrated "odd" members -- TMP, Search For Spock (for which I wrote the comic adaptation) and The Final Frontier. I realize there's a
great deal wrong with the execution of FF, but I maintain the story is quite good, and I love the character interaction.
My least favorite is The Voyage Home. Too cute, too broad, too detrimental to the mythos. I have nothing against humor in Trek, but nearly all the humor in IV was inappropriate.
Oh, there have been some TNG films too, haven't there? The best of those was First Contact, the worst was Generations. Not only was Kirk's death totally wasted, but the story was a dud from moment one.
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