Star Wars - A long history of top talent
Since the inception of the Star Wars universe all the way back in the mid 1970s, top talent has been attracted to and associated with all Star Wars projects. Granted, when the first film was made, nobody involved realized they were dealing with "top talent" since the cast consisted largely of unknown discoveries, but it wasn't long before the sci-fi adventure that became film-making history began turning heads left and right, launched the film careers of a slew of actors, and suddenly everybody wanted a piece of the action.
That's certainly been the case with Star Wars comics since the first series Marvel produced when A New Hope became the sleeper hit of 1977. Classic talents such as Archie Goodwin, Tom Palmer, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, and Walt Simonson were among the names who worked on the Marvel series, and as the comics evolved and the license eventually moved to Dark Horse, top talent continued to be drawn to the excitement and built-in fan base of the Star Wars universe.
One such talent is renowned novelist Michael A. Stackpole, who penned a number of extremely popular X-Wing novels before being asked by Lucasfilm to try his hand at the comics as well.
"Working on the Star Wars property is an absolute thrill," said Stackpole. "You get to recapture the thrill of being in the theater watching the movies, and then you get to add stuff. One of the best things about the situation is that Lucasfilm is very, very receptive to creator input and really likes it when creators get to work together and essentially add to the canon and the greater mythos of Star Wars. There's no greater thrill I can think of."
Jan Strnad agrees that working with Lucasfilm has been a highly enjoyable endeavor. "I've loved it," Strnad exclaimed. `Their standards are the highest and they appreciate stories that are very character-driven. They give me clear parameters to work within and then allow me substantial freedom to write in my voice, to my own sensibility. Besides my Star Wars comic book scripts, I'd be delighted to write some prose fiction for them, if given the chance."
"Comics as a medium is exceptionally suited to interpreting and expanding the Star Wars universe," said editor Peet Janes, adding, "and we really appreciate the care and attention that Lucasfilm
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