Undercity Interviews - John Ostrander
John Ostrander é um dos mais famosos e respeitados escritores de Banda Desenhada do momento. Autor da famosa saga "Legacy" tem-nos agraciado com histórias e personagens riquíssimas de Expanded Universe.A FanForce Portugal teve o privilégio de efectuar uma descontraída e interessante entrevista com Ostrander onde pudemos conhecer melhor este escritor e onde nos foi possível conhecer melhor algumas facetas da sua profissão e projectos futuros.
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John Ostrander is one of the most famous and respected Comic writers of the moment. Author of the famous ongoing "Legacy" saga, he has been offering us rich stories and characters for Expanded Universe.
FanForce Portugal had the privilege to do a relaxed and interesting interview with Ostrander were we get to know this writer a bit better as well as some interesting insights of his profession and future projects.
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FanForcePortugal: Mr. Ostrander, we all know you for your writing, but little people know you actually started your career in arts being an actor. How did you end up writing for Star Wars?
John Ostrander: I got into comics when my friend, Mike Gold, who was part of the start up for FIRST COMICS asked me in. He was the editor and he knew my long love of comics. He also knew I could write -- I had written some plays -- and he wanted to see what I could do with in the comics medium. So Mike gave me my very first job in comics and I soon discovered I could do with my writing something I had not been able to do as an actor -- make a living. Thus I became a full time writer. My first major breakthrough was a character that i had originated called GRIMJACK. A young artist named Timothy Truman was named as the artist and we soon became fast friends. Tim added so much to the character and concept that I had him credited as co-creator. Jump forward many years later. Now Tim is the main writer on the ongoing STAR
WARS comic book but he has a special assignment so he needs time away. He recommended me to his editor and so I got my first chance to write Star Wars. When Tim, for several reasons, opted not to return to the book, I really became the regular writer on it and have been there ever since.
FFPT: You’re a comic writer. How would you describe this type of writing in comparison to novels, for example?
JO: I haven't written novels so I can't really say. It's not unlike writing a play in that all the action, plot, character and so on is indicated by a few instructions for what the actors do and through the dialogue.
FFPT: We’ve read you worked for other comics. How different is the Star Wars saga?
JO: It's both alike and unlike. SW has a great deal of continuity but so does the X-MEN or BATMAN. It's also a licensed series which means that I have to please not only my editor, Randy Stradley, but LucasFilm Licensing. I'm on a pretty good basis with Sue Rostoni over there. What is the biggest difference, I suppose, is that SW is into so many different mediums -- books, games, and soon TV shows -- and they can all influence the continuity which means influence what i'm working on.
FFPT: You worked in the Republic, Jedi and now the Legacy sagas. Even though Legacy isn’t over, which one did you enjoy working the most?
JO: I usually most enjoy the one I'm working on so right now that would be LEGACY. But I've enjoyed them all in their time.
FFPT: The whole comic production process, you do have a creative side to it, or course, but who oversees all? Who idealizes the story line?
JO: Well, every step of the way we have to get not only our editor's approval but, as I said, LucasFilm Licensing's approval as well. That includes from the plot overviews on. My artist, Jan Duursema, and I are the ones who come up with the storyline first and then we go on from there.
FFPT: The latest revelation of Darth Krayt’s identity was a passionate theme throughout the Star Wars forums. How did the idea come up for turning Hett into Krayt?
JO: That happened fairly early in our discussions and development of LEGACY, back at the beginning. We, Jan and I, wanted someone who would have a heft and a connection to the earlier stories. Hett seemed a possible choice given his early experiences among the Tuskens in Tatooine.
FFPT: Can you share with us the evolutions of Legacy story line?
JO: Do you mean where we're going? of course, I COULD. . .but I won't.If you mean how we BEGAN all of them -- it was part of the development at the start. We established who the players were and what they were after; what was the status of the galaxy? We tried to make the most INTERESTING choices which were, at the same time, consistent with the existing continuity and that FELT like SW. For example, we KNEW we wanted Sith but we decided we wanted LOTS of Sith. We KNEW we wanted a Skywalker but we wanted one that was different from the existing Skywalkers. And so on. The stories then evolved from that. FFPT: How about Star Wars: Vector? Can you share some insights on this new exciting saga? JO: I've had some experience in doing crossovers before but this is the first time Dark Horse has tried one with the entire Star Wars line. That had its own challenges, given the stretch of time between, say, KotOR and LEGACY. We wanted something that could carry through but not be repitious. Also, the entire crossover exists as arcs WITHIN the existing series. The reader doesn't have to buy anything else -- no one shots or tie-ins. The purpose is not only to do something that has not been done for the SW readers but, by the nature of the event, hopefully pull in NEW readers to what I happen to think is a pretty fine line of comics. FFPT: Being an author, we know you have a restriction regarding the reading of Fan Fiction. But what is your opinion on young and sometimes inexperienced writers making novels and short stories? JO: There is a difference between fanfiction and doing what, say, Matt Stover or Troy Denning or John Jackson Miller does or what we do on LEGACY. We all have to work with the approval of LucasFilm Licensing which also means that we have an official sanction. Fanfiction can do pretty much what it wants. As for young and inexperienced -- hey, everyone learns by doing. What's nice for the SW fans is that George Lucas doesn't spend time trying to close it down. He could but he doesn't. He recognizes the deep love that fans have for Star Wars and honors it in his own way. FFPT: You had the chance to meet the Star Wars fans and, quite possibly, get some of their own insights. What’s your impression of these fans? JO: I love the fans -- mostly. I love their enthusiasm and, yes, their obsessions. There was some understandable questions about whether or not LEGACY would work when it was first announced but we've managed to win over most of those who had reservations. What's really amazing is, at Cons, to see people dressed up as the people that Jan and i have created. What a trip! FFPT: Is there an advice you would like to give to young writers in their career beginning? JO: A writer writes. Sounds trite but there it is. Write every day, even if its only for a few minutes. Get a journal and put your story ideas in there. Don't tell anyone your ideas until AFTER you've written them down. Read everything. Don't strive to be only a SW writer; aim to be a GOOD writer who maybe gets a chance to write SW. You have to write a lot to learn HOW to write and before you really get any good at it. FFPT: What’s the future of John Ostrander? JO: Well, hopefully he gets to keep doing what he loves to do. In addition to LEGACY, I've also been involved in the planning for STAR WARS: VECTOR. I'm also doing an 8 issue SUICIDE SQUAD miniseries for DC which is just coming out now. And I'm doing GRIMJACK and some of the MUNDEN'S BAR stories which will be appearing online, FOR FREE, at Comicmix. com. And i have a few other things in the planning stage but i can't discuss them yet. Thanks for asking!
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