The Way of the Editor:
Star Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicIt’s a brand new Star Wars title in a galaxy far, far away, and ComicBase Editor Shiaw-Ling Lai sits down with writer John Jackson Miller to talk about his exciting new series!
4,000 years before the Star Wars that we know and love, in a galaxy far, far away, there was the Old Republic. Devastated by the Exar Kun Jedi wars and faced with the mounting new threat of the bloodthirsty Mandalorian Empire, the weakened Jedi Order and the Republic itself are both teetering on a very fine edge. As the Mandalorian Wars strain Republic resources and threaten to overrun Republic borders, the Jedi are left to their own devices to maintain order on the Outer Rim. Into this universe comes a struggling young padawan with a penchant for leaping (and falling) through city-worlds before he looks.
The new Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic series (or KOTOR for short) comic series, penned by John Jackson Miller with art from Brian Ching, follows in the heels of the two popular games from LucasArts Entertainment and developed by gaming giant Bioware (Baldur’s Gate, Jade Empire) with a sequel from Obsidian Entertainment, respectively.
The new series will tackle the events beginning eight years before the beginning of the first KOTOR game, and stars Zayne, the young padawan in question, who always seems to end up in the right place at the wrong time. Debuting with a bang, the first issue of the comic has become an immediate hit, capitalizing on the fan audience of both Star Wars and followers of the licensed games and selling out in most major metropolitan areas worldwide.
In the past, writer John Jackson Miller has been known for reviving a little-appreciated Silver Age villain, the Crimson Dynamo, as well as credited for penning a dramatic reworking of the high-profile Iron Man story. Between Miller’s talent for creating accessible, realistic characters and artist Brian Ching’s breathtaking artwork, dedicated readers should fully expect to revisit this comic more than once.
ComicBase Editor Shiaw-Ling Lai caught up with John for a quick Q&A about who’s who and what to expect from his dynamic new series…
CB: First off — Congrats! In its second day after release, reports are that comic shops worldwide are now sold out of the title. Did you expect such an enthusiastic fan reception?
JJM: It’s been very gratifying. We’ve gotten lots of wonderful feedback from fans on the various websites, and people are already trying to figure out the various mysteries we’ve posed. Brian Ching, colorist Michael Atiyeh, and our editors, Jeremy Barlow, Dave Marshall, and Randy Stradley knew we had something special here, and we’re glad to see how it’s been received.
If any fans as having trouble getting copies, they should definitely ask their retailers to put in a reorder. Hopefully everyone who wants a copy can still get one, if they act soon!
CB: Give us a little background. Where is the story set, who are our characters, and what kind of developments can readers expect from your first story arc?
JJM: Taris is a planet on the edge, literally and figuratively. It’s at the edge of the Republic’s control, and it’s on the edge of falling into lawlessness. There’s a small coterie of Jedi Masters and their students there to help keep the peace – and their number includes Zayne Carrick, a student of less than stellar aptitude.
Zayne’s big concern is simply making the grade as a Jedi Knight. That is, until his life – and a lot more – are turned upside-down by the surprising events of #1. Suddenly, he’s got a lot more to worry about – like survival!
CB: Zayne is an unusual protagonist: he’s not the best at what he does, and he’s not the brightest. In fact, he’s a bit of a klutz. Could you tell us a little more about the inspiration for his character?
JJM: Zayne comes from a couple of places. We all have that memory of Luke Skywalker saying that Yoda was asking the impossible. Luke grew out of that stage, but Zayne feels like he’s been there for a long time. He has the training and the skills, but his handle on the Force remains awkward.
In a way, his experience feels a bit like video gaming, ironically – where you have the list of controls but you’re not quite able to move like you should.
So we’ll be learning more about Zayne’s development – and why he may have been having more trouble than most – as we go along.
I also like the notion of casting a Jedi character in the scoundrel mode, which raises all sorts of interesting questions about Jedi ethics, the Dark Side, and morality. It makes for some cool visuals, too!
CB: Unlike most productions, this story is set 4,000 years before the universe of the movies that most readers are familiar with. What kind of a world can readers expect to see in your series?
JJM: It’s the same universe technologically – hyperspace travel has been around for years and years by this point. Thematically, there are many of the same elements, too, though some of the things we see as familiar in the later time periods may be new to this time.
Overall, the idea was to present an engaging adventure with interesting characters – and draw on the local time-period and geography for further inspiration. We think we’ve put the two together pretty well.
CB: Will this be a different Star Wars universe than previously seen?
JJM: It’s the era introduced in Tales of the Jedi plus a few decades – and the era we learn a little about in backstory in the video games. For many, it’ll be new – and for others, they’ll find that the series will provide some new information.
Fans trying to reconcile this first issue with some of the history as they’ve previously understood it are finding that they don’t have all the pieces yet – and that’s how it’s supposed to be. Things have happened – and are about to happen – in this series that will both deepen and broaden the storyline for this time period. Not everything can be answered in the first issue – or the first arc – but we guarantee, patience will be rewarded…
CB: What kind of challenges did you and artist Brian Ching face in creating this version of the Star Wars universe?
JJM: A lot of those video game images move too darn fast to draw! Seriously, since we were bridging two different groups of works, the trick was deciding what inspirations to draw from which – and where we should go off on our own. That’s one of the things about this milieu – it’s a big galaxy, so there are a lot of names, faces, and places that we’ll be able to present for the first time.
CB: What did you use for reference?
JJM: The games themselves, of course -- as well as past Dark Horse comics, a mountain of reference books, and then much help from the fine folks at Lucasfilm.
CB: Was it intimidating to jump into the setting of the Star Wars universe, especially considering the large, existing fan following of both the movies and the games? (Not to mention the expectations of maintaining continuity between the comics and the games.)
JJM: No more so than working for Marvel, where there was another 15 years of material to consider. I’m a lifelong part of the fan base for both, which helps an awful lot. I’m not going to do anything that’s going to spoil my own appreciation of the characters or the milieus.
There’s always a challenge in interpreting and reinterpreting any fantasy world, of course, and you try to reconcile your events with what’s gone before as best as you can while telling a good story.
CB: Any hints at what readers can expect to see down the line? How about cameo appearances?
JJM: People who’ve looked at the preview of #2 on Dark Horse’s site already know we have a video game cameo right away – although I am unwilling to say at this time whether it IS a cameo, or just a first appearance. And, again, we don’t know everything about the histories of all the video game characters – nor everything about the futures of the Tales of the Jedi characters. Who knows who we may be seeing where – and what they’ll look like…
CB: So what other projects can readers expect from you in the future?
JJM: Lots more Knights of the Old Republic, of course – we’re plotted well into the future. I have some prose projects as well, including a Star Trek novella in the works – and I hope to get time to do some more humor comics – by Bart Simpson #27 is on racks right now. I look forward to a mix of fiction work with my non-fiction work (like the Standard Catalog of Comic Books and my Comics Buyer’s Guide column) keeping me on my creative toes.
CB: Thanks!
JJM: You’re welcome!
Fans interested in the inner workings are invited to visit John’s website at Faraway Press, or to check out John’s official, Star Wars blog. And don’t forget to pickup the upcoming Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion Special (ETA March 1st ) for additional background details on the new series!
Shiaw-Ling Lai is the Editor of ComicBase, enjoys sci-fi shows like Firefly, and is currently the proud owner of all of the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic video games. She got a copy of her KOTOR comic bright and shiny Wednesday morning. Did you get yours?
Feedback or corrections are wholeheartedly welcome and can be sent to her at slai@human-computing.com.