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The
Lightsabre Interview Fandom Comics
Welcome
to Lightsabre. Our latest guests write, design and draw Fandom Comics,
the premiere Star Wars comics art site on the web,
but they also do much more besides.
Please welcome Keith Kappell, Ryan Brooks
and Steve Criado. Q
-Guys, welcome to Lightsabre. A
- Keith - Thanks for having us. Q – Star Wars has had a profound effect on all of us – it’s why we’re
here talking about it, but what was it that started you off on your Star Wars
journeys? A – Keith – I was into Star
Wars as a kid, but didn't become a "hardcore" Star Wars fan until I
was reintroduced to it my Freshman year of High School in 93-94. A
couple of close buddies did a school project on the trilogy, and hooked me
good. I already had a role-playing game background, and that, combined
with an interest in Star Wars and the early days of AOL were what set me on
the path to eventually co-founding Fandom Comics. Steve – It was one of the first
things I remember, going to the drive in and seeing it for the first time. I
must have
been around 3 or 4 but I remember it. I even remember watching the infamous Holiday Special. I would have to say it was the first
introduction to heroes and villains to me. Q
– You’re involved in Star Wars fandom through your work on Fandom Comics, and
Ryan and Keith before that with their play testing on the D20 core rulebook. How does it feel to have carved yourselves such a prominent niche in the Star Wars fan community? A - Keith - Well, Ryan and
I have been doing various Star Wars related fan projects together since about
95-96, so its been a long journey for us. I know I am just thrilled to
be doing something I enjoy doing, and that people seem to enjoy
reading. I feel like I have struggled for a while to really find my
niche in the community, and its just the best
feeling ever to have finally found it. Q
– Which of the six episodes stands out as your favourites? A – Keith – Empire Strikes Back. It
really is just perfect. There isn't a single frame in that movie I
would change (unlike the other five). Ryan – Empire here too.
Even as a kid that was the one that held the greatest fascination to me. Steve – Empire is my favorite. I
love the character depth in it. Q
– There have been many comics sites over the years, from Jawa Force to Tales of a Crazed
Mimbanite, but Cracken’s Crew really seems to have
caught hold of people’s imagination.
What do you think sets it apart from other web strips? A - Keith - I
think there are a few things that set us apart from more of the well-known
Star Wars fan comics out there. First, we take our subject matter
seriously. It is not a humor book (though
there is humor, as there is in anything Star
Wars). But our focus is to produce a quality storyline with interesting
characterization worthy of the Star Wars mantle. Second, we have a very
traditional comic-book format. The majority of web-comics out there use
sunday comic strip formats or use comic-book page formats but with varied
page lengths. We use the same approach the comic-book industry
uses. Also, our comic-page viewer on the site allows you to view two
pages at once. This makes the experience of reading the comic a lot
more organic, and it feels more like you are holding a comic in your hand
than other sites, who only allow you to view one page at a time.
Another thing to consider is that while everyone knows about Jawa Force and Bungo & Rusti, and maybe
even Jaxxon's 11, there hasn't been a
"new" Star Wars webcomic that big in a
many years, so we benefit from a lack of vocal competition. I phrase
that carefully because there are other great star wars fan comics out there
being produced today, people just don't know about them. Most of those
other fan comics out there don't have anyone plugging their comic all over
the web every chance they get. We don't mind pulling cheap stunts for
publicity, we're shameless like that. Lastly, credit has to be given to
Steve's artwork, which is what really sets us apart from the pack. Steve - Well it's written from a military experienced writer, so it holds weight as far as believable events. Both Keith and Ryan go in so much depth behind the comic. I think the comic and the site are planned and created by some very accomplished and passionate group of people. Not to discredit any other fan work but these guys here know their stuff.
Q
– As fellow fans you must have many golden Star Wars memories. Tell us
about some of them. A – Keith – Reading the Thrawn trilogy for
the first time. I got into Star Wars novels at just the right time,
around 1994, when there were not that many out there. My mom had me
going to the grocery store with her every week to see if a new book had come
out yet or not for a couple years. Ryan – Mine would probably be
walking into the theatre and sitting on my dad’s lap watching Return of the Jedi
for the first time. That was really the first Star Wars film I vividly
remember seeing on the big screen as a child. Steve – There are so many,
Halloween costumes, camcorder deleted scenes with my friends, late nights
West End RPG gaming, seeing them again in the theatres again. I went to Star
Tours when I was a kid and that was pretty great too. Q
– Which of the Star Wars characters is the closest to you? A – Keith – Well they are all dear to me
in their own way, and who my current fave character
is can change with my mood or the weather. Right now though I would
have to say Princess Leia, and not just because of how she fills out a gold
bikini. She was a leader and very motivated despite the pressure she
had to be under, she was almost a zealot. She wasn't particularly nice
or worried about making friends, she was all business and had her goals for
the rebellion first and foremost, and I find I can identify with that quite a
bit in some ways. Steve – Han Solo, I tried to be him so
much when I was young. He taught me a lot of things from relationships to his
lop sided smile which I still use...from time to time. Q
– What would you change about Star Wars if you could go back in time and make
alterations? A – Keith – Oh man...there is a long list
here, but if I had to boil it down to one thing for each trilogy, I would put
more heart into the prequel trilogy, and a few more of the deleted scenes in
the classic trilogy. The classic trilogy really is classic, there isn't
much need to mess with it except for having Han shoot first again. Steve – For the new ones I
would have just made Jar Jar something else and
gave him a better voice. Sped up the pace of the first one. Clones would have
been more like Empire with the acting, and not so much CG. Revenge was pretty
good cept Padme dying from a broken heart crap. Q
– You’ve had many prior job before coming to Fandom
Comics. Keith served in Virgina at both Naval
Space Command and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, CVN 71, Ryan is an amateur
photographer, graphic artist, a web designer and avid gamer as well as
practitioner of several styles of Martial Arts and Steve has done programme
covers for the NFL, Ohio State University and the Army and Air Force exchange
services. What is it that engrosses
you so deeply in your work on Fandom Comics? A – Keith – I feel like I have a pretty
unique skill-set/credentials within the Star Wars community in that I had
some intense, first-hand knowledge of how a military force functions, as well
as freedom fighter/terrorist groups, which could easily describe the rebellion
and imperial forces. So I really feel like I get to draw on all my past
experiences when I write for Fandom, be it RPG material, a short story or a
comic script. I have always been a fan of stories, regardless of the
media. I'm a big movie fan, I read a lot,
etc. Being able to tell my own stories is just very exhilarating and
fulfilling. Ryan – I just get bored if I
don’t have a project, heh. Seriously though I think
it’s about the challenge. It was something I hadn’t done before. Most of the
crazy things Keith convinces me to do start with him
saying, “I’ve got a
challenge for ya…” Steve – I like to look at it as
learning "hands-on" about how to create a comic. I was big into
comics when I was younger and always wanted to do one. I have already learned
a ton about drawing, line work, coloring, etc. The new stuff coming up is going to really fun. Q
– Where do you think Lucas will take us next on our trip through the Star
Wars galaxy? A – Keith
–Well obviously the two big things coming down the pipe are the TV show and
Cartoon, and while I can't even begin to hazard a guess as to what they will
focus on, I just hope they continue to capture that spirit of Star Wars, and
that they don't muck up existing continuity too bad (yeah, I'm one of those
people). Ryan – I’m crossing my
fingers and hoping that the TV series is about Mon Mothma and company and the
formation of the Rebel Alliance. As cool as I think that would be, I’m not
holding my breath. Steve
– I
heard about Tv so that could be good or bad. I loved the Clone Wars
cartoon. I heard about some 3d release which I would like to see. Q - What do you foresee
for yourselves in the future? A – Keith –Well I think and hope the
Fandom Comics site will continue to grow, and become known as a mecca of sorts for quality Star Wars fan comics. We
are definitely going to be adding more titles beyond Cracken's
Crew. We have at least three more titles in various stages of
production right now. I can easily some of our artists eventually
making the transition to professional comics. Steve – I am shooting for
getting published work and freelance work for a comic company. Q – A quick question about
our site, Lightsabre. Any comments? A – Keith – Yeah, nice to see the small article on Bob Vitas for his unofficial encyclopedia. Steve – Promote us and keep reading. Q
- It's been a great interview, and thanks for being our guests on
Lightsabre. Just one final question.
Your comic star General Cracken, the Setnin Sector’s slimy General
Soli and Return of the Jedi’s General Madine are standing in a General Motors
dealership, somewhere in the general region of Coruscant. There is one X-Wing left on the shop floor,
and all three generals want it – which one flies away with the ship? A
– Keith – Well, I think Madine would just take the X-wing by
force, and Soli would probably make friends with Madine so he could steal it
later. General Airen Cracken, on the other
hand, would walk away, because he would already have intelligence on a seller
of an entire squadron of X-wings. So Madine gets the X-wing, but Cracken
gets the admiration of the Naval Procurement branch. |
