Tag Archives: PART 2

KIERON GILLEN LOOKS BACK AT MARVEL’S DARTH VADER SERIES, PART 2

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Via Starwars.com:

THE ACCLAIMED WRITER DISCUSSES ENDING A MODERN CLASSIC AND MUCH MORE.

In the final installment of StarWars.com’s Darth Vader wrap-up interview with writer Kieron Gillen, we discuss the inspiration for Doctor Aphra, Vader and Palpatine’s tense dynamic, and the comic becoming one with the Force at the right time. (In case you missed it, check out part one of the interview here.)

StarWars.com: So, Darth Vader, the series, has brought a number of characters into the Star Wars universe that have left an unforgettable mark. Perhaps no character has had as much of an impact as Dr. Aphra. Although I’m sure Triple-Zero would probably disagree with that.

Kieron Gillen: [Laughs]

StarWars.com: So, what was the inspiration for Aphra, and what does she mean to you as a character? She’s popular; I mean, people love her.

Kieron Gillen: She’s great. I mean, this is sort of tricky because actually, I’m not going to say whether she survives or not. It’s one of those things where, she’s kind of the heart of the book, and like, I should say that Vader isn’t going to die.

You know, that’s the thing: what the tension of the book is, is anyone around Vader going to survive? And by having a character kind of likable, that’s kind of the thing. The emotional backbone for a lot of the book is, is Vader gonna kill Aphra? Because Aphra knows Vader is going to kill her. And Vader knows that Aphra knows he’s going to kill her. [Laughs] So you get all of the politics back and forth.

StarWars.com: And there’s pathos because of that.

Kieron Gillen: Oh yeah, absolutely. And it’s the final scene; the final confrontation between Vader and Aphra in issue #25 is one of my highlights of the run. You know, it’s kind of all built towards this final scene, and I think it’s quite powerful.

[As far as] where did the idea come from? I was trying to make the idea of how to make something feel like Star Wars. And at least part of it was, I wanted to… Okay, I’m going to take Vader. Vader’s basically our Luke. I need to surround him with a cast, so I kind of end up almost mirroring the main Star Wars cast. Aphra ends up taking sort of [a] Han-ish position. And obviously, the droids are the droids, and Black Krrsantan is Chewbacca. And, you know, Trios is Leia.

But at the same time, I was also thinking, they can’t just be mirrors. They’ve got to be archetypes. And the thing about Star Wars is, the characters better be broad and direct. Leia is a certain princess archetype, and Luke is a farm boy turned Jedi Knight. These are kind of quite the ideas you get, you know, and Han most of all. He’s the smuggler, scoundrel guy. And soon, you kind of hit a certain kind of character type, and make them feel big enough.

We met Lucasfilm for the first time. They were showing us around the building, and I just passed one of the Indiana Jones bits. I found myself thinking, “You know, Indiana Jones would be an archetype who’d work. It’s a very old universe. It’s got the old stuff there.” You know, gender switched Indiana Jones, but evil, with all that kind of charm of Indiana Jones, but completely different, ethical means. That could work. And also, there’s kind of a fun-ness to doing another character inspired by another Lucas property.

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FINDING NIEN NUNB, PART 2

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THE SEARCH FOR NIEN NUNB CONCLUDES — AND A STAR WARS CIRCLE IS COMPLETE!
Actor Christian Simpson concludes his detective work-meets-Star Wars magic true story of trying to track down Kipsang Rotich, the original voice of Nien Nunb in Return of the Jedi, to reprise his role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Be sure to read part one in case you missed it!

After looking high and low for any leads regarding the whereabouts of the original Nien Nunb — and beginning to think the case was closed — a tip finally came through. “I am an American named Larry,” began an e-mail I read with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. “I am currently a guest in the house of Kipsang Rotich…”

On my search for Kipsang Rotich, someone had seen my original local forum post that biographer L.D. Goldberg’s info had led me to, and within hours I was on the phone to a “Mr. Bill Rotich.” Was it the original voice of Nien Nunb in Return of the Jedi?

“Bill” was very understanding as I explained things in broad strokes and asked if he’d mind verifying some due diligence checks. I asked Bill about the wedding date from Kipsang Rotich’s postcard, Kipsang’s wife’s name (I figured he should know that), and more.

I texted supervising sound editor Matthew Wood just two words as Bill told me his answers in a friendly and distinctive voice.

“Found him!”

Bill had answered it all 100 percent correctly! Within minutes he was telling me tales of Pat Welsh, of Hemingway safaris, how his family knew fellow Kenyan Lupita Nyong’o, and how Ben Burtt had offered him the voice of E.T., but he had graciously passed it along to Ms. Welsh as his senior!

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STAR WARS PODRACER DRIVERS, PART 2

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CONCLUDING THE HISTORY OF DRIVERS IN THE NEWLY RE-RELEASED STAR WARS: RACER REVENGE VIDEO GAME!

With the release of Racer Revenge for PlayStation 4, we can again try our luck on podracing tracks across the galaxy. Marking that release, StarWars.com is looking at all the racers gifted (and crazy) enough to try this deadly (and amazing) sport.

Kraid Nemmeso was a Ghishi that didn’t fit in with the warrior-mantid culture of his home planet. He turned his attention to podracing, hoping that this might impress his elders. Kraid constructed an enormous podracer that allowed him to literally crush his opponents. Although not the record holder, he became the track favorite on the Podracing Open course in the ruins of Carnuss Gorguul on Gamorr. Engines: Versper Dux Ultra-3

Occo Ninebar left the Neelabi homeworld to pursue his dreams of becoming a famous podracer. His elders, however, disagreed with his choices and exiled him. The only way to return to his homeworld was in glory. Occo worked his way up through the Galactic Trials, setting the track record on Oroturu G’am on Mon Cala. His Enser Flay 254 racer had a custom built cockpit that kept Occo submerged at all times, as he couldn’t breathe air. Because of the severe consequences of a ruptured cockpit, Occo tended to avoid dangerous situations. Engines: Enser Flay 254

Teemto Pagalies was a Veknoid who was banned from his home planet Moonus Mandel after refusing to marry the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Pagalies became a podracer, but also built a reputation as an alcoholic. His success on Mon Gazza landed him a spot on the Boonta Eve Classic. During the race, Pagalies was doing quite well and was in a solid third place. His chances of finishing were taken away, however, by the Tusken Raiders that shot him down in the Canyon Dune Turn during the second lap. After recovering from his injuries, Pagalies continued to participate in the Galactic Trials. Engines: Irdani Performance Group IPG-X1131 LongTail

Slide Paramita was a Ciasi racer, who was a contestant in the Invitational Podracing Circuit. He was lean and agile, aspects that were reflected in his Pizer-Errol engines. His engines were quite fragile and vulnerable, but Paramita valued maneuverability above all else, and equipped his engines with some of the best cooling and repair modules. Paramita was mostly known for his temper, however, and was motivated most when he was upset about how things were going in the race. One of his best achievements was made on the Ando Prime Centrum track on Ando Prime, were he set the track record. Engines: Pizer-Errol Stinger 627 S

Ben Quadinaros was somewhat of a surprise in the Boonta Eve Challenge. The Toong from Toong’l had acquired some fame on the Pouffra Circuit on Tund, but that course was largely laughed away by other racers as an easy track for amateurs. One night in the Poodoo Lounge, he made a bet with Boles Roor, who put five million peggats on the table if Quadinaros competed and survived the Boonta Eve Challenge. He rented a Quadra-Pod from Gardulla the Hutt, but the maintenance was rather poor. Added to that, his engines were sabotaged by Ark Roose. Quadinaros couldn’t get his podracer to start and angrily hit the control panel, causing the energy binders to shut off and his engines to fly all over the place. Quadinaros did win the bet in the end, as he technically entered and survived the Boonta Eve. Engines: Balta-Trabaat TB310

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THE DEL REY STAR WARS COVERS OF RALPH MCQUARRIE, PART 2

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SEE AND LEARN THE STORIES BEHIND MORE LITTLE-KNOWN ART FROM A STAR WARS MASTER.
Most Star Wars fans are aware that Ralph McQuarrie painted the cover for the first printing of the movie tie-in issued in the fall of 1976, six months before the film’s release. And that he also painted the cover for the first Expanded Universe novel, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. But few know that he developed an unused cover for the novelization to The Empire Strikes Back, that one of his paintings was used on an early mock-up for the Return of the Jedi novelization, or that he did preliminary design work for the first of the Lando Calrissian adventures. This three-part series explores both the published and unpublished Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars artwork for Del Rey books from 1976-1983.

STUART IMMONEN’S STAR WARS SKETCHBOOK, PART 2

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Taking over for John Cassaday, Stuart Immonen’s upcoming role as the ongoing Star Wars series’ new artist with regular writer Jason Aaron — beginning with Star Wars #8 – prompted us to seek him out for his thoughts on the design work he’ll do on the book, as well as the particulars of the characters and everything else that makes Star Wars, well, Star Wars. (Part two of our interview is below, and part one can be found at Marvel.com.)

StarWars.com: Stuart, your likenesses for the characters are incredible: what’s your approach to them? What’s too little and how much is too much?

Stuart Immonen: That’s very kind, thank you; I still feel like I’m not quite close enough for my own satisfaction, even with a few issues under my belt. Our comics take place between Episodes IV and V, and I’m trying to keep the cast looking as much as possible the way they did in 1976-77, but the challenges are multi-fold, as the reference material available is automatically limited, and the features of the principals are not as easy to capture in their youthful state.

Regarding too little/too much… I don’t consciously ever back off from being as on-model as possible, but scale is a factor; for a mid- or distant-shot, resolution is finite. It becomes a game of millimeters and there’s only so much information I can deliver with the tools at hand. For a close-up, it’s a different matter — I can “splash out,” delineating the subtleties of lighting the planes of the face, nuances of the characters’ expressions and so on. It’s a work in progress, and as I relax into the job, the work is becoming easier and better.

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FULLY OPERATIONAL FANDOM: THE STAR WARS COLLECTOR WITHIN US ALL, PART 2

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Back in September, I showcased the collections of a few Star Wars enthusiasts, and it’s time to continue that series. Collector is a word with myriad definitions. I know collectors who focus their sights on attaining every item in a single series, such as the Star Wars Disney Vinylmation figures. I know collectors who limit themselves to gathering posters and other paper media. I know collectors who go after every piece they can find and collectors who pick up random items that make them smile. I’m sure you know all these types of collectors and more.

Though I’ll highlight smaller and more specific collections in future installments, this time around I talked with owners of sizable and wonderfully displayed collections. Archon Revuge and Eric Pfeifer each have impressive (most impressive) but different methods for showing off their Star Wars collectibles; both of them make me want to add a room to my house so I can expand my collection.

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2015-03-13 16_21_10-Fully Operational Fandom_ The Star Wars Collector Within Us All, Part 2 _ StarWa

OPEN TERRY DODSON’S PRINCESS LEIA SKETCHBOOK, PART 2

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Marking today’s release of Princess Leia #1 from Marvel, StarWars.com presents part two of an exclusive interview with artist Terry Dodson — discussing how the penciller brought iconic movie characters to comics, the Rebel leader he enjoyed drawing most, and more. (In case you missed, be sure to read part one on Marvel.com!)

StarWars.com: A book like Princess Leia means making the characters recognizable to millions of fans. Overall, how do you feel about doing likenesses? Do you have a philosophy on them?

Terry Dodson: I actually really enjoy doing likenesses; it’s a great way to “test” yourself as an artist. Lots of times in the work I do, I will base the look or aspects of the look on a real person so it’s very normal for me. For something like Star Wars, I do try to develop a “working likeness” — figure out the gist of the likeness without being slavish to photographs. I try to make it feel like the character as opposed to feeling like a photograph. And in this case, it really helps to work on characters/actors you already like and know their personality.

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DAVE FILONI ON STAR WARS REBELS, PART 2

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In part two of StarWars.com’s interview with Dave Filoni (in case you missed it, be sure to check out part one), the executive producer and co-creator of Star Wars Rebels addresses some of Season One’s biggest story elements (pre-tonight’s season finale), including giant fyrnocks, what makes Hera truly strong, and understanding truths from “a certain point of view.”

StarWars.com: The show clearly goes for that classic Star Wars tone. In approaching Rebels, which has a very different tone than Clone Wars, did you prepare differently?

Dave Filoni: Not really. I’m a firm believer that characters have to go through trials; otherwise it’s just not believable. It’s not like Ezra or the rest of the characters have a simple life. We get a little dark. The problem with dark storylines is, and I learned this on Clone Wars, they seem really fun when you pitch them, but the audience actually enjoys it far more when the heroes win. They’ll say they don’t, but it’s not true. It’s exhilarating when Luke blows up the Death Star — you’re excited about it. In Clone Wars, when we would defeat the bad guys, viewers were always more excited than when we’d kill off a favorite clone.

SALVADOR LARROCA’S DARTH VADER SKETCHBOOK, PART 2

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We delved into artist Salvador Larroca’s philosophy on approaching his handling of Marvel Comics’ new Star Wars: Darth Vader ongoing series in the first part of this interview on Marvel.com. Here, we’ve pinpointed an intriguing sequence from Darth Vader #1 — available today! — that combines our favorite galactic baddie with a very familiar location from the films to get his take on what all went into its execution.

StarWars.com: Salvador, we see Vader arrive at a very familiar place to us, Jabba’s palace; how did you decide how to populate the backgrounds of these pages? And if the film didn’t show a spot that the script of your layouts demanded, what did you do to fill it in?

Salvador Larroca: I watched the original scene from Return of the Jedi several times to catch the feeling, the mood, and the look of it, so if I needed to improvise on the setting, I had only to repeat that style of architecture and its patterns. It’s not that hard; in fact it’s easy for me. I saw the films many times; nothing is new or unusual to me in its locations and sets. I decided on just how I wanted it for the comic, just following the films the same way as with the characters.

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RANCHO OBI-WAN’S 2ND ANNUAL GALA, PART 2

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By now you will have read James Burns’ look at the lead up to Rancho Obi-Wan’s second Annual Gala, as we traveled across the Whale Pond from the UK to Petaluma to help owner Steve Sansweet, manager and VP Anne Neumann, and the Rancho team get ready for the event on Saturday, September 20. I’ll take up the story as we move forward to 4 p.m., as the guests start to arrive, pulling up, and signing in, checking in coats and bags, collecting their passes, and entering the museum. For those who’ve had the pleasure of visiting before, it’s a welcome return. For the first-timers it’s a mind-blowing experience that one, two, or a hundred visits won’t diminish.

The primary goal of these galas — apart from having a great time in one of the planet’s key Star Wars locations — is to raise money for Rancho Obi-Wan, which is a non-profit organization. Front and center of the festivities are two auctions; the live auction hosted by Steve himself in the Art Gallery and the silent auction in the Ephemera Room, which for this event was run by myself, James, and local fan and Rancho supporter Lucas. After carefully laying out the items and bidding sheets it was 4 p.m. and time to start the auction. For those of you who don’t know, a silent auction is similar to eBay, where you raise your bid until the clock runs out. With a plethora of items on offer — from signed copies of The Insider to exclusive Clone Wars crew items, newly released Itty Bitty’s to vintage Japanese lightsabers — we knew the room would be popular. I’ll admit to bidding on more than a few items and, as the evening progressed, the room got busier and busier as folks pitched in with their silent bids.

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