184: The Throne Room
c.1978/79? | age 10/11? 2nd-last page of the comic. Today, spelling really gets throne out of the window. Did I really spell ‘back’ as ‘bak’?—and then correct it? Maybe I was just so much more eager to draw, that I dashed off the text without much thought? This page is a spelling disaster, but all the more enjoyable for it.
Those handsome heroic types! but only 3?
“Seven brave souls?” I presume that’s: Luke, Ben, Han, Chewie, Leia, Threepio and Artoo? But not the other rebel pilots who died? And what about Wedge? Why are only 3 of them going up for their medals? Stop it! This is Star Wars: stop thinking, and just enjoy the ride.
Eh-pillow-jee
A touch of class
“Epilo-googlie”
I think I first encountered this word ‘epilogue’ in the Marvel Star Wars comic adaptation. See? Pop culture increases your word-power! Funnily enough, the Streets of San Francisco TV series which I liked—Karl Malden was a great great actor—used to do this whole Prolog, ACT IV, Epilog thing. It was a tad pretentious, but the series itself was good. They used the shorter, more phonetic spellings though. Watching it one night with mum and dad I asked:
“Why do they spell eh-pillow-jee as ‘epilog’ in America?”
Dad chuckled and told me it was pronounced ‘epilog’. Of course you know how practical Americans are with English, many of their spellings are more phonetic and make much more sense than their Anglo-versions. I felt silly «again.
It reminds me of Zoolander delivering his graveside eu-googlie (eulogy)!
Of course, Roy Thomas’ Marvel comic use of the word is the anglo version—with the ‘ue’ on the end. But that’ Marvel for you. Their writers could be very classy and sophisticated at times. Marv Wolfman would definitely fit this category. Marvel’s writers seemed to be aiming at adults very often, and had—often—a much more sophisticated and erudite style than their 1970s, British counterparts.
Art Notes
Han scrubs-up well
“Han you came bak (looking) fantastic”
“Yes, the salon you recommended was amazing. Thank you!”
Leia whirls around, delighted to see Han’s fantastic appearance. But has he shrunk? Maybe it was the hairdryer… A comma would’ve helped here—but then, it wouldn’t look as silly 3 decades years later would it? I wrote BAK so quickly that I forgot the letter C. I could spell quite well back then, but was in such a rush to get drawing, that I’d make mistakes. At least, that’s my excuse. I felt at the time that my spelling was very good for my age, but I don’t recall getting any—and I mean any—glowing school reports. Ever. I’m sure that my pal Niall F was a much better and more weller-read kid than I was.
I dunno why, but this rebel reminds me of poor Langdon, in the Planet of the Apes.
. . .
Writing: Neceseccerilary
“Today hundreds if nessersary thousasnds of rebel troops and technicians stand to. To hounoured seven brave souls :-“
Hey, there’s a primitive 1978 emoticon in there! Looks like the villain from ‘Scream’ :— Pioneering stuff! No, actually, that’s just the way people wrote and typed back then. The used office paper that I made these comics on, often had things like that on the reverse. Colons and hyphens locked together.
And no, I’m not sure what that paragraph means either! Maybe what I meant was: “Hundreds, if not thousands?”
I’m still struggling with that word too! Neccerssarery. Here’s another example if you’re feeling nostalgic yearnings for the earlier part of the book:
« was-this-trip-really-necessary-15
. . .
Agh… only 1 page left of the comic! See you on Wednesday.
. . .
Now what could the last strip be?!?!?!?
Coming to a screen near you – this Wednesday!
Gasp… Will they all die?
Good of you to take the time to actually draw the “Hundreds if nessersery Thousands” of rebals, so we would have known how many could be bothered to show up, instead of taking your word for it! 😉
I personally think they did not show up, because they had it on good authority that Biggs would not be in attendance, except as a 1 part per gazillion micro-particula te in the air. 🙁
Wonderful reference to Planet of the Apes, in the monologue, it seems Taylor will have to make due with
a brief SWage9 stardom, without being imortalized in his own Age Something comic. 😉
Quoting T. Gatto:
“…except as a 1 part per gazillion micro-particula te in the air. 🙁
Love it! Poor Biggs.
But seriously folks, seriously. It seems that when George shot his version of this, they were hard pushed to find enough extras – and uniforms. How was the film of SWa9 ever even made? They grabbed GI army surplus stuff – anything they could get. And I believe they matte-painted some in too! Troops – not the clothes.
Now that would make an amusing DVD extra 😀
Man, the stress of that final attack really took its toll on Leia 😉
And was it nessersery, was it, to really make thousands of Rebel troops squeeze into that ziggurat to watch a couple of guys get their xmas bonus? A hundred I could understand, but thousands?
I thought Leia was looking surprisingly non-barf-induci ng in this one!
I know – thousands – overkill. And still no medal for Chewie. And – and! – no posthumous award for Ben!
Seven brave souls, Luke, Han, Chewie, Leia, Ben?, and Artoo and Threepio?
Do droids have souls? That’s really metaphysical of your 9-year-old self!
Phil, no doubt that was lifted from Marvel’s version – or the novelisation
Interesting about your droids having souls bit though. In the radio drama Ben muses on the fact that droids are becoming more human-like all the time. Seems all the more callous that they would often have their ‘minds’ wiped. What is a sentient being? Should droids of that mental level have rights that equal humans?
Into Star Trek territory, this is! Any Kirk and Spock drawings in your files?
I don’t think so Phil. Just in a 1973 or 4 Star Trek activity book that I actually still have believe it or not!