Ivana Fanboy: How has your life changed since you became the Star Wars line editor? Have there been unexpected pitfalls? Boundless joys? Adulation from fans?
Dave Land: Things have become much more busy. The one difference that I've noticed is
the attention from comics pros has increased. Folks call me out of the blue looking to work on Star Wars projects. And also I've found that a greater range of artists want to work on Star Wars books than they would some other licensed or company owned project. This has been true across the board ranging from artist like Craig Thompson up to really great established artists like Tony Harris. There have only been two cases where professionals have flat out denied me when they were asked to work on Star Wars. These gentlemen shall remain nameless so let's just call them "Frank Miller" and "Alex Ross"...
IF: How would you describe editing duties on Star Wars books compared to other editing projects you've done. Lots of the same stuff, more fun, bigger projects?
DL: The process hasn't really changed at all. Star Wars books have to go through the same steps as most every other book that Dark Horse does but with the added joy of the approvals process. But that isn't so bad (most of the time) at Lucasfilm. Allan Kausch at Lucas Licensing really knows his stuff and most approvals get turned around in a flash. What I've really enjoyed is working with artists who love working on Star Wars material. At the moment I'm working with Jan Duursema, Davidé Fabbri, and Ramon Bachs
and they all LOVE working on Star Wars. And it shows! Working with people who are really into what they are doing is a beautiful thing and I think that love of the process gets translated into the art and makes the entire project all the better.
IF: When you first took the Star Wars reins, how did you go about evaluating the task set before you? Were you focusing on revamping the line, trying new things, or just getting the schedule straight?
DL: The first piece of business that I turned to after taking of the reigns on Star Wars was getting the Star Wars ducks in a row -- and I don't mean that figuratively -- I mean it literally. We actually have an office here at Dark Horse that has eight ducks in it. They are supposed to consult with us on the Star Wars books. When I took over, it was bad. They were all over the room, flapping around, quacking, and I don't want to get into how they were disrespecting the carpet (and each other). It took a while but I finally got them ship-shape and now they follow each other around bill-to-tail! I'm quite proud of that and I'm hoping to try and get them into a position with our Sales and Licensing Department.
Once that was done I my next goal was getting the books back on time. There were some schedule problems that had to be dealt with, and I spent a good deal of time just trying to figure out how to bring things back on schedule. I don't think I've ever really sat down and thought to myself "I'm going to make the Star Wars books look completely different!" The
creative decisions I've made have really been based on what I think comics readers will enjoy. Of course that dovetails with some of my personal tastes in artist and writers, but I don't think that's really a huge revelation.
If there has been one "agenda" that I've been chasing it would have to be trying to make the Star Wars books accessible to the widest possible audience. I want to please Star Wars fans, comics fans, AND hopefully, non-comics readers as well.
My other goal is to raise awareness of the ultra-coolness that is Lando Calrissian (and to a lesser extent Lobot).
IF: Now that you're fully settled into the editorship, what plans have you made for new Star Wars projects? Let's start with Underworld ....
DL: Yeah! Underworld is a cool project. We wanted to do something that would make readers sit up and take notice. We took the old "superhero team-up" angle and applied it to the Star Wars universe. Which two Star Wars characters would you love to see working together? We picked the coolest of the cool, Han Solo and Boba Fett, and things sort of fell into place from there.
IF: I think this is the first time some of the favorite but minor players from Star Wars have been so well personified -- Bossk, 4-LOM, IG-88 ... What concerns do you and the writers have when these sorts of characters are brought out to play?
DL: The only real concern is that the characters are developed but not to the point where they contradict whatever small role they've played in the movies. We wouldn't want 4-LOM going off and starting a doggy daycare center -- that's not something a bounty hunter would do, right? Hopefully we're able to add some depth to a character and then maybe the next time someone sees A New Hope or Empire Stikes Back they'll relate some of what they've read in our books back into the movie. And that will make their Star Wars experience all the better.
IF: Underworld is also sort of a funny story -- lots of plot twists and deceptions. How have fans responded to the Star Wars stories that are a little lighter in tone than some of the past series have been?
DL: Most of the response to the lighter or funny stories have been in regard to the pieces from Star Wars Tales. The response has been really positive. I've received a lot of letters that say things like "I didn't want to like this story, but..." I think once people see that we're not mocking Star Wars, but rather showing how we can have fun with it, they respond well. But there is always that one guy who claims that we've blasphemed against the Star Wars universe -- but that's okay, we still like him anyway.
IF: How did you decide the creative team for Underworld? I was really impressed with Mike Kennedy's script. He handled the Hutts really well, and managed to fit lots of different personality elements into characters who have been relatively one-dimensional before being developed more for the comics series.
DL: I wanted someone who could really make this a fun action oriented book and Mike Kennedy fit the bill. He's really good at making these distinct characters who stand out even when they're surrounded by funky looking aliens. I'm really happy with the job that he's done. I also have to mention the Underworld artist, Carlos Meglia. He's fantastic as well. He has a really engaging art style that's a lot of fun, and he brings a distinct energy to this project that I think folks will like.
IF: After Underworld, what big announcements will Dark Horse be making for the Star Wars line in the coming months? I've heard something about a Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan series ...
DL: Yes, there's a three-issue mini-series coming out in January titled Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan -- Last Stand on Ord Mantell. It's written by Ryder Windham and illustrated by Ramon Bachs. It's atale of daring and high-adventure featuring Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan that takes place prior to events in Episode I. Ryder has done a great job of expanding a bit on the relationship between the two Jedi and I'm very please with his story. And I think people will really like Ramon's art on this one -- he just keeps getting better and better.
Other than that all I can say is that we have plenty of surprises in store for the future. I don't want to give anything away and remember that patience is a virtue!