That's right, the most eagerly awaited movie of all time comes out in just a few weeks and I know how it ends. Don't worry, though, I won't give it away. I wouldn't dream of ruining the movie for anyone. (Anyway, Lucasfilm made me sign a huge document saying they could do all sorts of nasty things to me if I let any information leak. So you'll all have to wait a bit longer to find out the fates of all those characters you've seen in the trailer...)
Obviously, I can't share any Episode I secrets with you. However, I can share with you the events that led to my involvement with the comic book adaptation of Episode I. Back when I was just a pup, my Dad took me to see the original Star Wars at the Westgate Theater in Beaverton, Oregon. I was hooked then and there. Years later I waited in line for what seemed like days to see The Empire Strikes Back and I skipped school when Return of the Jedi came out so I could be at the front of the line for the first show. It wasn't until Return of the Jedi came out that I took notice of the comic book adaptations of the Star Wars movies. It was then-comics retailer (now Dark Horse publisher) Mike Richardson who sold me that comic book adaptation of Return of the Jedi and who piqued my interest in other titles that in turn kept me coming back to buy more comics for more years than I really care to admit. I wonder what my reaction would have been back then if Mike had sold me that first issue of Return of the Jedi, given me my change, and told me, "Oh, by the way, you'll be editing the comics adaptation for the NEXT Star Wars movie..." The headlines the next day probably would have read: "YOUNG BOY FREAKS, PASSES OUT AT LOCAL COMIC SHOP."
One of the most difficult parts of working on this project was deciding on a creative team. There are many talented writers and artists that could have done a great job on this book and I spent a many day wrestling with different creative combinations. But, in the end, I think the right people were chosen for the job. The first person signed up was writer Henry Gilroy. Henry has written extensively for animated television series as well as comics (Aliens: Mondo Heat and Aliens: Mondo Pest to name two) and he has been able to smoothly bridge that gap between major motion picture and comic book. He's done a fantastic job of laying the groundwork for this book's art team. But finding that art team was no cake walk.
I was in the process of looking for pencillers for Episode I when editor Randy Stradley showed me pages from Batman Versus Predator III by artist Rodolfo Damaggio. Rodolfo has an amazing sense of pacing and a wonderful attention to detail that gives his work a real cinematic quality. It was no surprise to learn that he has also done storyboard work for films such as Dark Horse Entertainment's Virus. I would like to say that I hunted down Rodolfo and offered him the job, but the truth of the matter is that he contacted me first. Destiny? Who's to say? But it was with a sense of destiny that I finalized the decision of who would ink Rodolfo's work: Al Williamson, whose work so many years ago on the Return of the Jedi adaptation had caught my attention and drawn me into comics in the first place. Who better to complete the circle and lend a classic air to this new generation of Star Wars comics?
The team was complete and with the addition of colorist extraordinaire Dave Nestelle, letterer Steve Dutro, and color separator Harold MacKinnon, I knew we'd have an outstanding comic. And who knows? Maybe somewhere out there, some young Star Wars fan will read a copy of the Episode I adaptation and will be inspired to read other comics and one day pick up the mantle and take my job away from me.
I'll see you in line!
--Dave Land