Paul received andreviewed a preview copy of Mara Jade #1 before the interview. Mr Ezquerra waskind enough to scan in some preliminary sketches he created for the series. Click onthe various sketches to see a larger, more detailed version.
TF.N:Thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions.How did you come to get the assignment for 'Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand'?
Ezquerra:After I finished Boba Fett #1/2, Peet Janes offered me the Thrawn project, butlater on he thought my style would be even better on a Mara Jade project.It made me very happy, as she is the kind of strong character I love to draw.
TF.N:Are you a long time Star Wars fan?
Ezquerra: I've been a fan of SW since I saw the first film back in the seventies.It had a great impression on me at the time. It was like seeing a realcomic book on the screen!
TF.N:How is working in the Star Wars universe different than in the universe of Judge Dredd or other projects you've done?
Ezquerra: There is not too much difference. Maybe with Judge Dredd I am more free,but this is due to the fact that I created that universe. As long as thewriting is good and the characters are well defined and have their ownpersonality the differences are minimal. I have been very lucky up to now as all the writers I have been working with are top class (with John Wagner over twenty five years, Alan Grant, Garth Ennis, and now Michael Stackpole and Timothy Zahn).
TF.N:Mara Jade did not appear in the Star Wars films. Did you model your version of her after a real world person?
Ezquerra: No, as her personality is so well defined, the visualization cameinstantly. I tried to make her face "the mirror of her soul". After that Ihad only to give her continuity with the look other artists have givenher before me, as I think this is very important from the reader point ofview.
TF.N:This series has had a lot of fan input. Did you see any of the fan feedback on Jade's appearance? If so, how did it affect your drawing?
Ezquerra: I had several conversations with Peet about how the fans saw Mara, andafter reading the great description of her by Timothy and Mike I coincidedwith them in everything. She is not a comic book bimbo. She is a realisticcharacter, beautiful, with a very strong personality, powerful, loyal andif necessary ruthless, yet at the same time quite complex on the inside.Like a very real person she can have doubts and regrets. All that is what Iwant to show in my drawings.
TF.N:Will the animation in MJ #0 follow the same lines as 'Crimson Empire #0' with"moving cutouts" and the camera sweeping over still pictures, or can we expect something else?
Ezquerra:My part in the Mara Jade #0 preview was like any standard comic story to be printed on paper.I think the animation is been done by the same creative team andvery similar to Crimson Empire, with only some things will be changed to better suit my style of artwork.
TF.N:I love the detailed crowd scenes in MJ #1. How do you decide when to make any given member of the crowd from an established Star Wars species and when to use your own creation? Do your own creations have to pass Lucasfilm approval before they can be included?
Ezquerra:I don't have any rule, I tried to portrait the types better suited forwhatever is happening in the script. If I found one from the established SWspecies fine, if not I made one up. Once my mind is "inside" the SW universethey came quite naturally. If it is a new alien type and the character servesa degree of importance in the story, LFL may choose to review andapprove/disapprove the design. As I understand it, established species arealways preferred, but new creators are encouraged to make things up as well.
TF.N:You did both penciling and inking duty for Mara Jade. Do you prefer inking your own work? What materials do you use?
Ezquerra:I always ink my own work, as I am very sketchy in penciling. It is verydifficult for anyone to ink my work. The reason for this is that when Iam penciling I am telling the story and I am not interested in details, Ileave it for the inking.
When I receive the script I read it with the pencil in my hand, and it islike seeing a film in my mind, so I choose the scenes I consider moreimportant and I put it on paper at the same time. Sometimes there arelittle details in the script that I think can look better in another way, then I pick up the phone and after a few minutes talking with the writer or theeditor we reach a compromise.
Once the story is in pencil, I send copies to the editor for the letteringand getting the approval from Lucasfilm, and start inking, normally withtechnical drawing pens number 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 for lines and a couple ofbrushes for the black surfaces.
TF.N:Thank you for your time, Mr Ezquerra. I look forward to the series!
