TELLING TALES: STAR WARS TALES WITH ROB WILLIAMS

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Whether you’re a fan of the Old Republic, the Prequel era, the Classic Trilogy, or the New Jedi Order, you’re sure to find something to love in Star Wars Tales.

Beginning with issue #21 in September, the quarterly anthology Star Wars Tales undergoes a radical retooling. Over the course of its five-year run, Tales has presented a large collection of short, non-continuity Star Wars stories ranging wildly in style and tone, careening between the deadly serious and the absolutely absurd, doing its best to cast as wide a net over as broad an audience as possible.

No longer presenting “What If?” style of stories, Tales will become more of a companion to Star Wars Republic and Star Wars Empire, Dark Horse’s other monthlies.

Kicking things off would be writer Rob Williams and artist Brandon Badeaux teaming up for the story of a Jedi wandering the galaxy’s Outer Rim hunting for revenge and hiding a deadly secret, writer Shane McCarthy presents a rag-tag group of convicts and cutthroats flying for the Empire’s glory in the feared TIE Fighter squadron called “Black Eight,” and Kyle Katarn, star of the hit video game Jedi Outcast, goes toe-to-toe with the vile Yuuzhan Vong, in an action-packed tale by Nathan P. Butler and James Raiz (Tokyo Storm Warning).

We got in touch with Williams, writer of the cult hit Cla$$war miniseries (#6 available in shops now) for his take on his version of the Jedi Order.

Newsarama: How big of a Star Wars fan are you?

Rob Williams: I’m part of the Star Wars generation, I guess. Sad as it sounds, it’s probably one of the major childhood memories I have, my father taking me to see Star Wars back when I was six years old in a cinema in Cardiff, South Wales. I’d been to see movies before, but the effect that had on me at the time was just huge. My life turned into one big Star Wars fest after that for a good few years – the toys, the comics. I was totally immersed in it. I’m now 33, bald and, needless to say, I’ve calmed down a wee bit since then, but I still have a large soft spot (and bald spot) for Star Wars. When I did “Ghosts Of Hoth” for Star Wars Tales a while back, and was writing dialogue for Han, C3P0 and Chewie, I must admit to regressing slightly and having a bit of a fanboy thrill.

NRAMA: Did you dress like a Jedi or Darth Vader, etc. before in a costume party or during Halloween?

RW: Errr… no. And I wasn’t once of those guys dressed as Jedis at the first showings of Phantom Menace, either. I’m sorry to say that I’ve never actually dressed up in a Star Wars costume. I once dressed up as Spider-Man, but that’s a private matter between me and my local Conservative Member of Parliament.

NRAMA: Who's your favorite Star Wars character? What's so appealing about him, or her?

RW: I think it’s probably Han, especially in Empire [Strikes Back], where he’s a real bada$$, but charming and funny at the same time. I think I relate to how grumpy he is, how he sees the world conspiring against him all the time. It’s the indignity with which he hits the Falcon’s cockpit when all the lights go out as they are trying to escape Hoth. I’ve had the same experience with a sputtering Vauxhall Corsa. Harrison Ford is just great in Empire. He’s this Humphrey Bogart figure – a hard man with a begrudging good heart. And when Leia tells him she loves him and he replies “I know…” I honestly think it’s one of the great moments in cinema.

Uhhh… my feelings towards Han Solo and Harrison Ford are purely admirational and platonic. Honest.

NRAMA: Okay, back to serious biz, what is Star Wars to you?

RW: At its best, Star Wars is widescreen, action-packed cinema with a real emotional core behind it. Again, I’m harping on about one film here, but look at Empire – killer action set-pieces, wonderful spectacle and special effects, a great story, huge scale and… and without this it doesn’t work… characters you really care about. So many films have the visuals but no heart, or vise versa, Empire, especially, had both in spades.

NRAMA: If you could re-envision the Star Wars saga (be it films, animated series ie Clone Wars, comics, novels, etc), how would you do it? Which event(s), character(s), etc would you change, and why?

RW: Hmmm… well, I’ll tell you what I’d do for the upcoming Star Wars III if I was writing it, which would turn the whole series on its head? Yoda always knew what was going to transpire in all six movies – he could see the future prior to the Phantom Menace, and he allowed it to happen, the discovery of Anakin, Palpatine’s rise, the Clone Wars, Vader, the destruction of the Jedi, Luke’s ascension and the eventual triumph above Endor. He knew that Luke would eventually bring balance to the Force so he let it all occur and, due to his inaction, actually helped it all take place. The fact that millions have died along the way would be a side issue to him – an unfortunate but acceptable sacrifice to a religious zealot. How ruthless, dark and powerful would that make Yoda? I like the idea that this likeable little muppet would turn out to actually be the most important, ruthless figure in the Star Wars Universe.

NRAMA: From Cla$$war to Star Wars. How did you land the Star Wars Tales gig? How did the opportunity present itself?

RW: A friend of mine had done some work with Jeremy Barlow (Star Wars editor) a few years back and gave me his email address, so I contacted Jeremy and sent him a copy of Cla$$war. Fortunately, Jeremy really liked it and asked me to pitch for Tales. I did “Ghosts Of Hoth” for him with Cary Nord and it turned out really well. It’s a nice little eight-pager that Cary did a killer job on. When the opportunity came up to do this new series within Tales, Jeremy thought of me.

NRAMA: What's the story about?

RW: It’s an action-filled Star Wars road movie about a nomadic Jedi called Darca Nyl who is travelling around the Outer Rim worlds. He’s searching for a Dark Jedi, Lycan, who has escaped Jedi custody. Lycan’s a real nasty piece of work who is a few cards short of a full deck, the type of person you really shouldn’t approach under any circumstances. Darca should catch him and return him to Coruscant, but there’s a revenge element to the story. Darca and Lycan have a past, and when we get to the heart of it you’ll discover that everything in the story is not exactly as it seems.

NRAMA: How does it tie into the Star Wars continuity? And how will it affect the Star Wars mythos?

RW: It doesn’t really. Occurring in the Outer Rim worlds it has this kind of timeless Star Wars quality to it. There’s lightsabers, action, Jedis, humour, but Darca and Lycan are travelling around the extremes of the Star Wars universe, to places that have never seen a Jedi before. These are frontier planets. I pitched it as a John Ford western set in the Star Wars universe. Hopefully it should appeal to people who don’t normally go in for sci-fi. At its heart it’s a revenge-thriller where our central character has to make a major moral decision towards good or evil.

NRAMA: What's next for you?

RW: Next up will be a few things for 2000AD in the UK – Asylum II and a series tentatively titled The Ten Seconders. I have a miniseries coming out for an American publisher and a two-part Batman that should appear in Gotham Knights at some point in the not-too-distant future. It’d be good to do more Star Wars too. We’ll see.

[Carlton_FExM]

Hey all,

I generally hate all things Star Wars. Lucas has been beating this horse's carcass for DECADES. I mean how many times are people going to buy the same story?! "Ohh...this time Luke Skywalker is a brunette, so now we'll have to launch a brand new set of novels, comic books and toylines!" It's the greatest scam in the history of filmmaking!!


However, I really like this comic book. I was surprisingly impressed by the artwork. I think it looks very cool and it feels genuinely fresh. Not just another Lucas cash grab.

The Branch.

[nihilance]

Originally posted by Carlton_FExM
in progress

Is being first poster so important that you have to put a place-marker instead of just typing your post?

[Carlton_FExM]

Don't be jealous because you're second

Seriously I don't care at all, but I did like the idea of being first.
And the post is finished now, so I can't see the harm.

Lates,
Me.

[Darth Wahu]

Originally posted by Carlton_FExM
Hey all,

I generally hate all things Star Wars. Lucas has been beating this horse's carcass for DECADES. I mean how many times are people going to buy the same story?! "Ohh...this time Luke Skywalker is a brunette, so now we'll have to launch a brand new set of novels, comic books and toylines!" It's the greatest scam in the history of filmmaking!!


However, I really like this comic book. I was surprisingly impressed by the artwork. I think it looks very cool and it feels genuinely fresh. Not just another Lucas cash grab.

The Branch.

Schmuck!!!

[from the gutter]

Well I love SW, always have since 77. I dont see a scam in the MedstarI: Battle Surgeons novel about Bariss. But hey Im just trying to emerge myself into a fictional reality I find exiting. I am in control of the books I buy and the figures I buy, so I control somewhat, what SW is to me. I have no loyalty to Lucas, just as I have no loyalty to Marvel or DC. Star Wars will always have people who hate it, and people who love/ hate it, love it, or whatever, just like it doesnt matter if someone wants to be first post. (Or if you dont use paragraphs in your posts, whch I have been blasted for on this site)


Anyway, I was not happy with the changes made to Star Wars Tales. I liked the ability to not have continuity stop a story. Personally I plucked stories out and put it into my SW continuity. Like the death of the dark woman at the hands of Darth vader. I liked that story so much I consider it continuity. In fact I considered the whole "not continuity" clause, basically a way for them to tell the stories they wanted to, without repricution from fans and the Lucas camp. That may not be the actual case, but that is the stand point from which I came at it from. Now that they are stateing this is in continuity, they cant show how the Jedi are killed by Darth Vader, unless they have permission. But as long as the stories in them are good, I am going to be happy. I dont read empire, so those will be new to me. I always keep meaning to read it. I have even bought it accidentally when they put it in my box at my comic book store. But I never got around to reading them.

[perk9600]

For a long time tales has been the best of the SW comics.

I really like it. Besides the comedy stories I consider it all to be in continuity myself. I loved the way the could expand on something that happened in one of the movies. Kind of a deleted scenes feel.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but then again I read the trades so I wont see this for a year anyway.

[Solamon]

Originally posted by Carlton_FExM

Lucas has been beating this horse's carcass for DECADES.
However, I really like this comic book. I was surprisingly impressed by the artwork. I think it looks very cool and it feels genuinely fresh. Not just another Lucas cash grab.

Funny how the worst part of the Star Wars franchise is the movies. The comcis, games, and cartoons are actually pretty good. Just more proof Lucas should finally admit he doesn't have any actual talent aside from finding the right people to helm his properties. Step back Lucas and let the professionals work.

[JohnnyONeal]

I'm glad they're making this move. I guess I'm a SW continuity nut, but one of my biggest problems with all the Star Wars comics is the fact that many haven't seemed to fit the continuity. A move back in that direction for Tales might make me willing to shell out the hefty cover price for some issues.

[skollar]

Alright, i know I'm new here, this being my second posting and all. But why does everyone at every website post to let us know that they hate something. Last I read, this was an artile about an UPCOMING project NOT Do you like this? I mean c'mon, have respect for those that are fans here for crying out loud. If you like the project great, but don't tell us you hate SW.

I for one look forward to a lot of the upcoming SW projects and I'm a fan of all the movies (yes, that includes PM too) I grew up on this stuff and it's these movies that have continually inspired me to do the work that I do. Do I agree with everything....no, but i remember an article with Lucas stating he knew that PM would be the least liked until all three movies were done, then the point of that movie would be made clear. Everything has it's reasoning for happening and if you look at the movies you'd see that there is a lot that has been set up for ROTS.

Alright, i'm off my high horse for now, it's just irratating to hear people bash things they don't like in an area where they know the fans go. Peace out.

Sean

[Drew_Atreides]

Just more proof Lucas should finally admit he doesn't have any actual talent aside from finding the right people to helm his properties. Step back Lucas and let the professionals work.

Okay, going so far as to say that Lucas has absolutely NO talent is pretty ludicrous..

Guy has a knack for imagining some incredible action sequences and visuals..


Sure he has a bit of a problem with writing non-cheesy dialogue.. I'll agree that THAT is where his weakness lies, but...

I mean, c'mon! Some people are just a bit TOO fanatical in their hate of Lucas...

[stlfan79]

I have never been interested in the Star Wars comics but Rob Williams on any book is enough to get me to take a look. If its half as good as Cla$$war it will be fantastic.

[MindTricked]

Hmmmm... I'm still split about the upcoming direction change. On one hand, I'm seriously going to miss a lot of the goofier Tales, some of which could very well have been in continuity, as well as some of the more serious Tales (like the aforementioned Vader/Dark Lady one). I loved just the idea that some of this stuff could be canon, and very few of them (like that Chewbacca/Leia love affair one) could be dismissed as just a humorous diversion.

Now, with the upcoming stuff being canon (more or less)... well, that's extremely cool inasmuch as these will be Tales that actually happened "behind the scenes". (Hell, just seeing the Vong will be a treat.) Still, I'm going to miss the offbeat stuff.

Oh - love the take on Yoda being that powerful, sinister force. Something to consider.

[beta-ray]

I'm a bit disappointed in the new direction... of course I haven't read it yet... but...

The reason I liked Tales is that it did get goofy, yet cool. There were stories there I couldn't think of getting anywhere else. Now it is just like the regular two titles.

Oh well, maybe there will be a story or two down the line I'd be interested in, but will miss the oddness of the recently deceased direction.

[from the gutter]

Weird, when the last article about the TALES changing its spots came out, I felt like I was the only person who liked the former version. The main reason being is because the last issue was still in peoples memories, or at least fresh in there memories. Since it had a humor tone the whole way through, it recieved HORRIBLE reviews. But now a few people have come out in favor of the old ways of the TALES. Thats nice. (too bad its too late for my petition and my march onto DH grounds for a sit in, which tuned into a one man sit-in. And all they did was give me a tour and some signed free stuff. Randy S. will do anything to get out of work.)

[Jeremy Williams]

Hey Marvel and DC give this man Rob Williams a job already! For instance the Hulk book is without a writer at this point and Rob would bring a much-needed dose of grit and politics in it.