Creators Workshop member and Comics Experience course alumnus Shaun Manning is headed to a galaxy far, far away, joined by artist Chad Thomas and colorist Charlie Kirchoff! On January 17, pick up a copy of IDW’s Star Wars Adventures #6 and read their short story, “Podracer’s Rescue,” which follows some of Anakin’s adventures before The Phantom Menace.
“Anakin was fun to write, though, just really great. I don’t think there have been a lot of stories about the days before he met Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, or even the time shortly after. I think there’s a lot of room to play with Young Annie, especially in a series like Star Wars Adventures,” Shaun says.
Transitioning from independent, creator-owned work to breathing life into some of the most iconic fictional characters in all time is as exciting as it is challenging.
“With my creator-owned books, I have to account for how my world works, who my characters are, the full arc of their stories, and so on — there are a lot of moving pieces, but ultimately it’s down to me to decide how these stories are going to play out. I actually found writing licensed characters a lot… harder? A ton of fun, in so many ways. But especially with something like Star Wars, there’s so much to keep track of that isn’t necessarily in my own head,” Shaun says.
“Like, I know the movies, the comics, and some of the cartoons and books, but sitting down to create something new, I had to keep track of the tech, various planets, and the sort of slang used in this universe. It’s not just getting the characters’ voices and environments, it’s a whole far-away galaxy of stuff.”
Shaun’s work in the Creators Workshop introduced him to IDW editor Bobby Curnow. Their friendly working relationship in the forum led to multiple pitches and, eventually, Star Wars Adventures.
He says, “I think the exercise of writing short stories for the workshop, evaluating other members’ stories, and improving through revision is just really useful for writing this sort of short, contained story that has to both read well for its audience and also fit into the broader tapestry of a property like Star Wars.”
Support your favorite local comic book store and purchase Star Wars Adventures next week!
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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you’ll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!
Posted by Meredith Nudo