A&A The Official John Ostrander Discussion Thread

I have two questions for you John.
1.Do you know when Infinitys End will be Released in TPB?

2.And have George Lucas or Lucasfilm taken notice of your awesome work in the ongoing series and said anything about it?

because your work with Quinlan Vos is awesome, especially Darkness and Twilight and from what i have seen in Rite of Passage its only getting better.

 

1.Do you know when Infinitys End will be Released in TPB?

I may be mistaken, but I don't think John wrote Infinity's End. And it will not be coming to TPB, apparently -- the TPB line seems to be jumping from Twilight to The Hunt For Aurra Sing and Darkness.

2.And have George Lucas or Lucasfilm taken notice of your awesome work in the ongoing series and said anything about it?

George obviously took notice, considering that Aayla showed up in Attack of the Clones!

 

In the last couple of years I think John Ostrander has been the best SW comics writer.

I enjoyed Rite of Passage so far. While Fabbri's art is good personally I prefer the more detailed style that Jan Duursema uses.

I'm planing on getting Apache Skies when it starts in July because John is writing it. The art style sounds different though I have no idea how it will actually look.

 

John, did you wirte Suicide Squad too?


oh, btw... Devaronian Version: Best damn Star Wars comic ever.

 

Picked up the last part of Devaronian Version and the first part of Rite of Passage....I really enjoyed both, though it different ways. DV was so damn funny...especially liked when Yoda turned into Gollum! *lol*
As to Rite, it was really great too...only, I wondered, where is Quin? Villie dumped him? The other way around? Or is there something else going on here - with Villie, you never quite know which side he's on...

Great work, anyway! I'll be looking forward to the next issue...

 

>>1.Do you know when Infinitys End will be Released in TPB?

2.And have George Lucas or Lucasfilm taken notice of your awesome work in the ongoing series and said anything about it? <<

I don't know anything about INFINITY'S END. As somebody else pointed out, I didn't write that one. I'm told that George likes comic books in general and may read the SW comics but I have no definite knowledge of that. Certainly, people over at Lucas Film Licensing are VERY aware of what we do as everything must be approved at the overview, plot, art, and scripting stages. I've received a lot of encouragement.

It feels nice because I've been able to do a lot od different types of stories within the SW framework. TWILIGHT was a mystery, DARKNESS was horror tinged, STARK HYPERSPACE WAR was military epic, THE DEVARONIAN VERSION was gonzo comedy, and RITE OF PASSAGE, I think you'll find, is a story of family. SW can actually be a flexible story telling field if you play with it a bit.

All the best

John Ostrander

 

>>Date Posted: 5/27 11:52pm Subject: RE: The Official John Ostrander Discussion Thread
In the last couple of years I think John Ostrander has been the best SW comics writer.

Thank you kindly. Much appreciated. I really DO put the effort into it and its nice to know its noticed.

>>I enjoyed Rite of Passage so far. While Fabbri's art is good personally I prefer the more detailed style that Jan Duursema uses.

Jan's the best.

>>I'm planing on getting Apache Skies when it starts in July because John is writing it. The art style sounds different though I have no idea how it will actually look.

You can see some samples over on Marvel's board. It is flat out gorgeous. Leo manco is using colored pencils and watercolors. If the results prints naywhere near to the originals or even the copies I get, it will stun you.

And wait until you see what Jan has up her sleeve. I've been blessed to work with some very fine talents in the industry.

All the best

John

 

>>jJohn, did you wirte Suicide Squad too?

The ORIGINAL version, yes. Kim Yale, my late wife, joined me during the later run of that. Keith Giffen writes the current incarnation.


>>oh, btw... Devaronian Version: Best damn Star Wars comic ever.

Thanks much! Comedy is always really touchy. As others have noted, you can fudge with drama or adventure but with comedy, there's no hiding. If it doesn't make you laugh or smile, it ain't funny and it has failed as comedy. Also, comedy can be REAL subjective. What one person finds funny another may not. In general, I think this story was pretty well received.

John

 

>>Picked up the last part of Devaronian Version and the first part of Rite of Passage....I really enjoyed both, though it different ways. DV was so damn funny...especially liked when Yoda turned into Gollum! *lol*


Thanks. Also one of my favorite moments as well. And it seemed so natural. I laughed when i thought of it and the artists caught that moment well.


>>As to Rite, it was really great too...only, I wondered, where is Quin? Villie dumped him? The other way around? Or is there something else going on here - with Villie, you never quite know which side he's on...

Well, if you can believe Villie, he shot Quin. OTOH, it's always good to take Villie with a grain of salt. An asteroid sized grain of salt maybe.<g>

And it's JUST possible you'll learn a bit more next issue. Villie and Quin have a STRANGE relationship.

John

 

John, that last comment can be interpreted SO many ways!

Sorry, just making with the funny. Seriously, I was disappointed you couldn't make the Star Wars Celebration in Indy. I'm also a big fan of your work in Star Wars and have enjoyed all the stories. Also loved your work in the late Martian Manhunter series by DC. Between your writing and Jan's art, I think you have created one of the best representations of the Star Wars universe ever. I cannot wait to see what you have brewing next!

 

Quinlan Vos is such an awesome character, it was cool to see him in the AOTC TPB but does anyone know if he survived the battle? he is to good to have been killed by some droids.

Another thing the Stark Hyperspace Wars was awesome good story, what relation was Senator Tarkin to grand moff tarkin?father?

 

>>I was disappointed you couldn't make the Star Wars Celebration in Indy. I'm also a big fan of your work in Star Wars and have enjoyed all the stories. Also loved your work in the late Martian Manhunter series by DC. Between your writing and Jan's art, I think you have created one of the best representations of the Star Wars universe ever. I cannot wait to see what you have brewing next! <<

Thanks for the kind words, not only on SW but on Martian Manhunter. SW definitely influenced some of the stories I was trying to tell there. The RINGS OF SATURN storyline is particular comes to mind.

And I think you'll be very pleased with RITES OF PASSAGE as we continue and complete it. Major intensity coming!

All the best

John

 

>>Quinlan Vos is such an awesome character, it was cool to see him in the AOTC TPB but does anyone know if he survived the battle? he is to good to have been killed by some droids. <<

I completely agree. So far as I'm concerned, he survived.

>>Another thing the Stark Hyperspace Wars was awesome good story, what relation was Senator Tarkin to grand moff tarkin?father? <<

I think we decided he was an uncle or something.

Thanks for the kind words. I love writing Quin! Hey, can you write to Dark Horse and let them know as well?

All the best

John

 

John,

A couple questions, if I may:

What's the deal with Republic/Empire? Will they be running side by side, or alternating? In other words, does Honor and Duty start in September or January?

Also, could you leak us any more preliminary info at all about H&D or the potential start of a big story with issue #50?

Thanks!

 

I venture out of Community for the first time in years, and find out John Ostrander posts here regularly, wow!

I have nothing to say about Star Wars, but I think your entire run on the Spectre was one of the best I've read.

 

>>Also, could you leak us any more preliminary info at all about H&D or the potential start of a big story with issue #50? <<

Let's see -- HONOR AND DUTY will feature some familiar faces (one suprisingly so) and some new ones. The action takes place entirely on Coruscant and will be set about 2 years before AotC. Too soon to speak of issue 50.

And, as I indicated elsewhere SW: REPUBLIC and SW: EMPIRE or two concurrent monthly series. So far as I know.

John Ostrander

 

Thanks for replying John! I did have one question: during Stark Hyperspace War, I heard Thome suspect Qui-Gon of being nearly a grey Jedi. First time I heard the term grey Jedi. Care to give us some insight? Or will this play out later?

 

>> I did have one question: during Stark Hyperspace War, I heard Thome suspect Qui-Gon of being nearly a grey Jedi. First time I heard the term grey Jedi. Care to give us some insight? Or will this play out later? <<

We have plans and ideas. We'll see how we're allowed to use them. The term was deliberately used.

John

 

John, are there any plans down the road on doing a story that brings Quinlan Vos into the path of Aurra Sing? it would be cool to see them run into each other and have him try to save her.

 

Way to keep the story interesting, John. Between that and all the new characters added in Darkness, I'm loving this. Now, let's hope these plans go through! Sad as it is, I'm already looking past Honor and Glory. Not to say I won't enjoy the current stories, I will, I just want the future to hurry up and get here!

 

>>John, are there any plans down the road on doing a story that brings Quinlan Vos into the path of Aurra Sing? it would be cool to see them run into each other and have him try to save her.<<

No current plans for Quin and Aurra Singh to meet but I agree it would be interesting. Would he try to save her or would they go after eahc other or would she appeal to the "dark side" of his nature? Ah, the possibilities. . .<g>

John

 

>>Way to keep the story interesting, John. Between that and all the new characters added in Darkness, I'm loving this. Now, let's hope these plans go through! Sad as it is, I'm already looking past Honor and Glory. Not to say I won't enjoy the current stories, I will, I just want the future to hurry up and get here! <<

I understand that but I think you'll find our current foes, the Morgukai, pretty cool as we go along. AND HONOR AND DUTY will be an interesting change of pace, I think. How would you rate the new characters Jan and I dreamed up in DARKNESS? Which ones do you want most to see again? This question is open to all, by the way.

John

 

the blind Jedi asskicker was cool.

a little too Yoda-ish at some places, but still cool.

 

How would you rate the new characters Jan and I dreamed up in DARKNESS? Which ones do you want most to see again?

I haven't read Rite of Passage #1 yet, but here are my thoughts: Darkness itself I didn't like much. It felt too talky, like a six-issue series pushed into four issues. I guess the new character that I liked best was the little guy who follows the way of the leaf, with the staff-saber. The tree Jedi didn't seem to have much personality. I must say, though, that what I'm most interested in seeing at this point is not your characters at all but more of The Dark Woman and A'Sharad, who are now teamed up. I love Quin and Aayla, but at this point we've been in their heads for something like 17 issues so far, most of the second half of what's been published. I'd just like to break away and give those characters a little break.

 

First, on the assassins, I was one of the folks who thought they were masked Vong, with the term Jeedi. Jan was good enough to confirm they are not. Still, would have made a cool plot twist.

Who did I like? Well, right now Aayla is my favorite EU character, bar none. She is just such a strong character with something about her that makes her endearing. Personally, I'd like to see her bump into Senator Orn Free Taa. Be an interesting meeting. T'ra Saa from Darkness is also interesting. Reminds me a lot of the Jedi who became a tree in Tales of the Jedi. Interesting connection between her and Thome. I thought love was forbidden by the Jedi! But then again, with Anakin and Qui-Gon, that rule seems to get fudged a LOT.

Seriously, there has NEVER been a character since John started writing the book I DIDN'T like. I have preferences and favorites, but I love them all. Speaks well of his writing.

Speaking of which, a big disappointment is finding out that Heart of Fire will not be included with the Darkness TPB. I REALLY wanted this story, mainly for the bridge between Tim Truman and John. John using the Jedi Padawan who recently saw her master slaughtered by Aurra Sing to tie into Quinlan and his story.