Star Wars age 9 Comic Book

early-mid 1978? | age 9/10? Well… looky here boys, we got ourselves one a them there Shape-Shifters! The ever changing actors of SWa9!

Art Notes

Consistency

Shape-shifting actors, revisions at various times, blue biro, black biro… How much fun would this comic be if it was consistent? “Consistent”—sigh. That boring word that clients spout when they’re evaluating your work. But look on the bright side: it’s the only sensible thing they’ll ever say on design matters. It’s better than: “Fun & Funky.” You know, sometimes I think that the Victorian art critic John Ruskin might have enjoyed the choppy-changey look of this Star Wars comic. One of the things he loved in gothic architecture was that the many craftsmen working on a building would throw in a bit of this, and a bit of that, as the fancy took them—without some architect constantly telling them to stay on-model, on-style. I must say, I enjoy going into a Gothic buildings—such as the Cathedral in Chester, England—and discovering remnants of Romanesque architecture which have been absorbed by the Gothic revisions, but not demolished and removed to make the whole consistent with one person’s grand vision. But, I digress, from matters Star Wars related…

Shape-shifting actors

“I can even shape-shift into Han Solo!”

Yep, in the last panel, Han reminds me—very appropriately—of shape-shifter Sam Merlotte in the TV series True Blood. Does anyone remember that show? It was pretty darned good. Was. And what the heck is he saying in panel 3? Maybe it’s supposed to be an “Ah-ha!” of sudden realisation—or shock? If you revisit to see the next page, will all be revealed? Probably not! I’ll let you give it your own meaning.

“A..
A..
A..
A,
HA!”
—The enigmatic Han Solo, Star Wars age 9, 1978

Look at panel 2. Was any real effort put into that drawing of Han? Aren’t you glad now – that none was? It’s funny. “Heh heh!” And look at the the poor terrified ickle stormtrooper! Such reckless abandon on the part of Solo, and the artist!

I can’t figure out Han’s trousers in this one! Is that a huge holster—or what?

Helpful & Informative Film Credits!

Here’s the back of the page, in case you’re curious! John Dy-kas-tra just seems right, doesn’t it? Certainly, that’s how my pals and I thought it was pronounced. Maybe we were so accustomed to seeing ads for toys that stated “In die-cast metal!” But it also just trips off the tongue more easily than the correct Dykstra. Sorry John!

Just in case you were wondering who made Star Wars!