22 Dec '09
I thought it’d be interesting to take some of the old drawings and try to colour them as faithfully to the film as possible... butperhaps I took it too far. It simply looks too good!
(...)It is in the best Lucas Tradition of taking something you did when you were young and tinkering with it – a sort of Special Edition version – but I’m not sure about it now.
Judge for yourselves and let me know See it here >
12 Dec '09
I had a flick through an old school jotter – or copy – as they call them in Ireland. This happens to be Niall’s one. He’s the chum who also did a good, pocket-size comic adaptation of SW when he was around 10 or 11. Of course, the jotter’s scrawled all over with drawings.
(...)Amongst all the mess of insults, counter-insults and drawings; I hastily wrote... See it here >
10 Dec '09
Yet again: I can’t claim all the credit. This time it’s when Leia spits on Vader. It’s… in the blasted novel.
Crap, crap, crap. It even sizzles when it lands on him.
Having said that, the princess in the 10-year-old version is grubbier than in Lucas’ text. This is a princess and senator of the Royal House of Alderann – or Antilles, or something.
I could have done so much more with it though. Oh the missed opportunities. Did she do a big nose-honk first? If we look closely, is she wearing a chunky sovereign ring? Is the Pocahontas hairdo actually a council-estate-facelift gone wrong? See it here >
8 Dec '09
Read the dreaded Ben-meets-Luke chapter this morning - in the '77 novel. I wondered, "Will I find that George came up with the Duck dialogue before I did? Will he be able to claim all the credit?" I read on... first the "That's a Krayt Dragon call" line from Luke. My pulse quickened. Then, nothing. No ducks. Imagine my relief, dear reader! Yes, the Pulitzer Prize for young adult literature is mine. I read on further. In the scene in Ben's house, Ben explains that although being a great pilot isn't hereditary, some of the qualities that make one are. Then he says (my chest tightened, the prize slipping from my grasp...) Read More »
7 Dec '09
I'm curious to know where the better-written bits of Star Wars age 9 came from. Er, that’s my excuse for the moment: research. Lines like "Their expressions every bit as worry wrinkled as their uniforms".
The cover's fallen off, so I'm using it as a bookmark; and it seems that I painted the inside back cover with black poster paint! Why? Who knows? On the left, you can see one that's on eBay. It's the only one, so mine must be worth literally millions. Beautifully painted cover artwork incidentally. Not all airbrushy.
But… do you know what? The "Vader Levitating and Drinking Coffee" mystery has been solved... Read more »
3 Dec '09
Over on Blue Milk Special Vader drinks coffee: for comic effect. It’s a parody of the film. I mean, honestly: how on earth could he possibly drink coffee? Well look what I found the other night in a box of old comics in the attic…
In the Howard Chaykin/Marvel comic adaptation of 1977 – Vader is actually depicted holding what looks like a paper cup of coffee! Even weirder: in the top left panel, the cup seems to float in mid-air!
Honestly, I wonder sometimes if the team working on the earlier issues had actually even seen the film.” Read More »
29 Oct '09
Here’s a great quote I discovered in my comic adaptation. A few lines that Star Wars Director & Writer George Lucas hadn’t thought to add to one of Obi Wan Kenobi’s snippets of wisdom:
Kenobi: (Emits an animal wail to scare off the Sandpeople)
Luke: “That’s a Krayt Dragon Call!”
Kenobi: “It just takes a set of well trained vocol cords (sic) that’s all. Oh well: a duck can quack!“
Luke: (Without pausing to ponder this nugget exclaims, wide eyed) “What’s a duck?” Read More »