Ever since DARK HORSE released the now seminal DARK EMPIRE comic series six years ago, I've followed their pencil and ink forays into the STAR WARS universe. Having already spoken with STAR WARS comic artists Cam Kennedy and Dave Dorman, I jumped at the chance to speak to some of the writers behind the EPISODE I adaption and the Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Amidala one-shots. Also included is a brief conversation between myself and Qui-Gon one shot artist Robert Teranishi. Judging from the excellent PRELUDE TO REBELLION series, STAR WARS fans should love what the folks behind THE PHANTOM MENACE comics offer up now and in the next couple of weeks.


by Kim August

Contents

  1. EPISODE I ADAPTION & OBI-WAN Writer Henry Gilroy
  2. EPISODE I QUI-GON Writer Ryder Windham
  3. EPISODE I AMIDALA Writer Mark Schultz
  4. EPISODE I QUI-GON Artist Rob Teranishi


PART ONE: Screenwriter and comic scribe HENRY GILROY describes his duties for DARK HORSE's EPISODE I adaption and OBI-WAN KENOBI one-shot.

PO: Henry, you tackled both the graphic novel of Episode I and the Obi-Wan one shot: how did you land both projects?

"I began working on Episode I last May when I received the screenplay. I think my combined comic book writing credits and screenwriting credits helped me land the adaptation job... also a bit of good fortune. I was thrilled to be chosen and continue to be... It's an honor really."

PO: Did you have a choice of choosing which one-shot you wanted to write?


"The Obi-Wan story would have been the one I chose, but I lucked out and it was sort of handed to me after the initial writer didn't work out."

PO: Anakin one-shot writer Tim Truman approached researching his SW project as if it was actual history. Did you use anything like this in your preparation?

"The one thing I did have that the other one shot writers didn't have was all my notes on an "earlier draft" of George Lucas' screenplay. The other one shot writers received an "updated" screenplay later in the year that had certain scenes deleted as they were not included in the final film. So the Obi-Wan one shot includes some material that will not be seen in the film, but was in an earlier draft of the screenplay that few have seen. I think that's pretty cool!"

PO: Have you added any Force abilities not previously seen in any DH comic?

"ARGH! Absolutely not! There is no reason to do that. I believe the reason that "the Jedi" are so compelling to the every day person, is because it's not that much of a leap to believe that we all can commune with the "forces" of the universe and use them for ourselves."

PO: Which of the two projects was more difficult to write?

"The adaptation was far more difficult to write. The story is huge in scope andjammed with so many cool characters and events, just trying to get it into a hundred pages, and give it the atmosphere and scale it deserved was quite a challenge. I even offered to write a "fifth" issue for free to get more page length. Still, I'm confident the final product will be one of the best film to comic adaptations we've seen in quite a while. I gotta hand it to Dark Horse!"

PO: What do you feel was the most important idea or scene for you to write in both comics?

"In the adaptation, I liked the Podrace if only because I am a huge fan of the 1959 film, BEN-HUR. The chariot race was inspirational to me as a boy. There are a couple of other very satisfying sequences, but you'll have to wait until the movie comes out to hear about them from me. Actually -- the whole adaptation was very important. I wanted it to be as great as I knew the film would be."


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



PART TWO Qui-Gon Jinn One Shot Writer Ryder Windham.

STAR WARS fans are more than familiar with scribe Ryder Windham. Interestingly enough, Ryder not only penned the Qui-Gon Jinn one shot for Dark Horse, but several other EPISODE I books as well: Running Press' EPISODE I WHO'S WHO and the EPISODE I SCRAPBOOK, as well as young reader's novel for Scholastic. Already a fan of Windham's DROIDS series, I was delighted to discover his immersion in all things Qui-Gon and Episode I.

PO: To begin Ryder describes how he landed the Qui-Gon Jinn one-shot comic. "Last year, Running Press hired me to write EPISODE I WHO'S WHO, A POCKET GUIDE TO THE CHARACTERS OF THE PHANTOM MENACE. That project placed me on a short list of writers who were approved to work on Episode I material, which was just ridiculously fortunate," Windham confides. "By the time Dark Horse Editor Peet Janes phoned and asked if I'd write a Qui-Gon comic, I was really familiar with the material. I'd already written EPISODE I SCRAPBOOK for Random House, and had begun work on an Episode I tie-in titled, JEDI ADVENTURES for Scholastic. Peet was my editor on DROIDS-REBELLION, so I was thrilled when he offered me the assignment."

Obviously writing STAR WARS comics concerning both new and old characters proved to be a challenge for Windham. "For THE PROTOCOL OFFENSIVE, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Anthony Daniels. We worked from an outline by Brian Daley, and it was just an incredible experience. Anthony is brilliant. There's a certain comfort in writing a droids adventure: everyone knows C-3PO and R2-D2. Since Qui-Gon Jinn was a relatively new character, I didn't have that safety net. But I also knew that as soon as THE PHANTOM MENACE was released, everyone would know Qui-Gon Jinn too."

This project also proved to be challenging due to the time line. Ryder's previous SW comic outings took place approximately 5 years before A NEW HOPE, Windham describes what it was like to write something set 27 years before his last comic. "I did have a few questions regarding the continuity, but Lucas Licensing Continuity Editor Allan Kausch was always there to save the day. The biggest challenge was to come up with a story set during the events of Episode I," he says. "I read through George Lucas' screenplay and Terry Brooks' novel, and I looked for scenes where Qui-Gon was off camera, and also for key lines of dialogue that suggested any possibility for filling in some brief, blank areas. If a character said something like, "We'll meet you there later," I thought about what might have happened in the time between now and later."

With the STAR WARS Universe being so vast in scope, Tim Truman says he approached researching his Anakin one-shot like a history lesson Ryder agrees. "Yes, definitely. Besides the screenplay and novel, I had a small pile of other top-secret reference material, and I sifted through all of it before I wrote the Qui-Gon story proposal. When I submitted the proposal to Peet Janes and Allan Kausch, it was peppered with fairly extensive footnotes," Windham recalls. "For example, there's one scene in the comic where Watto and Gardulla the Hutt meet and have a discussion. Even though these two aliens don't exchange any dialogue or meet face-to-face in the film, I thought the already-existing reference material supported that these particular characters would have known each other. That kind of research was all in an effort to build a solid foundation for the story."


"What appealed to me about Qui-Gon was that his origin is never stated in the film, but he doesn't come off as a mysterious figure. Even though we know very little about him, we somehow trust him immediately and completely. Credit George Lucas' writing and Liam Neeson's performance. There's an immense sense of integrity to Qui-Gon Jinn, and without any background details."


Since so little is known about the Jedi, I wondered if Ryder invented any new abilities for Qui-Gon. "In THE PHANTOM MENACE, the Jedi demonstrate a number of fighting techniques that you've never seen before. It's wildly impressive stuff, and I didn't even think to create any additional abilities. In the WHO'S WHO book I wrote for Running Press, I was encouraged to invent original details for the members of the Jedi Council, and some of those details expand the Jedi lore a bit."

Ryder did not expand on Jinn's background, but was eager to divulge what impressed him about the character. "I didn't expand Qui-Gon's personal history at all. What appealed to me about Qui-Gon was that his origin is never stated in the film, but he doesn't come off as a mysterious figure. Even though we know very little about him, we somehow trust him immediately and completely. Credit George Lucas' writing and Liam Neeson's performance. There's an immense sense of integrity to Qui-Gon Jinn, and without any background details."

As to what Ryder's story adds to Jinn, " I think the story helps emphasize that Qui-Gon Jinn handles both his friends and enemies with great fairness."

Having written several EPISODE I projects including Qui-Gon, Ryder says he would definitely like to do an on-going series if it were proposed. "Absolutely and without hesitation. Would I ever. I mentioned the JEDI ADVENTURE series I'm writing for Scholastic, and those books feature Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in a story set just before the events of THE PHANTOM MENACE, so I already have a lot of ideas for more of their exploits. They're wonderfully rich characters."

To close, Windham explains what it was about Jinn that made him pursue the comic. "Qui-Gon is a very pivotal character in the STAR WARS saga. If you've seen the theatrical trailer, you know he's the man who introduces...Oh, I don't want to spoil it for anyone."


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



PART THREE QUEEN AMIDALA ONE SHOT WRITER MARK SCHULTZ


STAR WARS boldly presents very strong female characters--Princess Leia and Mon Mothma first come to mind and now with THE PHANTOM MENACE upon us Queen Amidala, Adi Gallia, Aurra Sing, and Depa Billaba will soon join the beloved Princess in history. Queen Amidala one shot writer Mark Schultz talked to us about his role in the TPM tie-ins.
PO: Mark, how did you land the project?

"Editor Peet Janes asked me if I'd be interested in writing a story focusing on the "Young Queen" character featured in the upcoming movie. Since I particularly like writing stories featuring lead heroines, I jumped at the chance."

PO: Since so little is known about Amidala's family, were you able to embellish that?

"Not really. In fact, my job was to more or less try to flesh out her character a bit without revealing her past. I had initially proposed a>story that was told largely in flashback featuring Amidala on Naboo long before THE PHANTOM MENACE begins. This proposal was rejected by Lucasfilm-- I was told that conjectures concerning Amidala's background were not considered appropriate for this comic series."

PO: What is the most important scene in your story?

"That's tough to say, as the story is more or less one long scene. I'd guess I'd have to say near >the story's end, when Amidala, who up to that point has been reluctant to force the action, finds herself in a situation where her training and skills allow her to take command. I like to think that this shows a slight evolution in her character that helps build to the more "proactive" queen she becomes by THE PHANTOM MENANCE's conclusion."


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PART FOUR: QUI-GON ONE SHOT ARTIST ROB TERANISHI

Robert Teranishi made a name for himself in the comic world when he worked on the XENA series last year, now with his contribution to DARK HORSE's Qui-Gon Jinn one-shot STAR WARS fans will know his name too. Robert shares his experience about drawing on STAR WARS below.

PO: Robert, did you work from photos to capture a likeness of Liam as the character?
"I tried to get Liam Neeson's likeness down as best as I could. I felt that the story would be best served if the characters I drew accurately represented the actors."

PO: What was it like working on a SW comic?

"It was very intimidating; both because STAR WARS is such a cultural phenomenon and especially because the project tied into the upcoming movie. As a fan, I really wanted to do justice to it."

PO: What is your favorite page or panel from this book? "Page 15. The fight scene. This page was especially fun to pencil as it highlighted Qui-Gon's fighting prowess. Drawing over-the-top, big action is always fun."

PO: How did you interpret Jinn's Force abilities? "When Qui-Gon is using the Jedi mind control thing on another character, the other character would have a completely dazed "duh" look on his face as Qui-Gon stares directly into his eyes. Hand gestures were also used to achieve this. During the fight sequence, Qui-Gon jumps higher and moves faster than a normal man, and throughout this battle he remains calm and in control. These qualities seem to define the character and the abilities >of the Jedi."

To find out more about DARK HORSE COMIC's STAR WARS Comics please visit their website Dark Horse


For more on STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE Star Wars Official Site

Star Wars: © 1999 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and all Star Wars: Episode I titles are © 1999 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Back to the contents page