He was a cunning warrior... and a good friend.

Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've created...

After our failure to launch we have decided to scale back a bit. For now we will offer up some tasty treats before we put up the whole comic! Character sketches, landscapes, and other fun stuff!

If you have been reading closely you will know that we are using some aspects of the Prequels as they are. We take the good stuff and combine it with history and imagery created before the Prequels.

In this example we have a character sketch of Anakin Skywalker. His face is drawn from screenshots taken of the actor Hayden Christensen. The costume however is based off of Ralph McQuarrie's early concept sketches of Han Solo. The blaster Anakin is carrying is also from a concept sketch by McQuarrie.

I like this costume very much because it feels like it belongs in an earlier time in Star Wars history. That's because it actually is from the earliest time of Star Wars history! It also is a great foreshadowing of what will become the iconic armor of Darth Vader.

Many people have said to me: "Why don't you create your own original story and your own original characters?"

The short answer is this: "Because as I have explored the world and life, I have found that everything is derived from something else. There is no such thing as truly original thought."

T.S. Eliot had this to say about a similar subject:

"One of the surest tests [of the superiority or inferiority of a poet] is the way in which a poet borrows. Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different. The good poet welds his theft into a whole of feeling which is unique, utterly different than that from which it is torn; the bad poet throws it into something which has no cohesion. A good poet will usually borrow from authors remote in time, or alien in language, or diverse in interest."

The Original Trilogy is a collection of blatant thefts from history, mythology, movies, pop culture and so much more. Lucas used to understand the importance of this.

Most important to me is keeping the feel of Star Wars. Most of the time when watching the Prequel movies I feel like I am watching a modern Sci-Fi movie that just so happens to be called Star Wars and has lightsabers in it. Every once in a while there is a scene when all of a sudden it feels like the classic Star Wars. A feeling which is ripped away with Jar-Jar's slapstick comedy and extraneous plot movement devices like pod racing.

This feeling is important because we want to make sure that we retain recognizability as well as adding a flavor not seen in the Prequel movies. The feel of Star Wars is even more important for the connection between the two trilogies.

That's the feeling we want to carry through this entire project. We want you to get caught up and get lost in the Universe we all love so much! We will weld the theft into the tapestry of history already in existence to give the Improved Prequels the honor they deserve.

We are working very hard! More to come soon!

Caleb

"I did feel something! I could almost see the remote!"

"That's good! You've taken your first step into a larger world...."

Who's the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?

This is the greatest undertaking I have ever attempted. If I rush this it will become the worst garbage in the history of the world.

I kept this idea under wraps for close to 4 years and this year I decided I would make it happen and give it to the world. A few more months can't hurt, never mind the 15 second attention span of the world.

Thankfully there are hundreds of others making an effort to retell the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. I will let them continue to hold the reigns for a while.

I have a lot to learn. The plan is to get all of issue one done and then start releasing pages.

So for now, May the Force be with you.

Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time.....

Oota Boota Solo??

Here we go friends! Sadly this is not the full 5 pages I had hoped to have up for today! I costumed myself as a swashbuckling captain and married a beautiful girl and a lacy dress! No kidding! Our Justice blew a fire ball after we kissed! It was fantastic!

This is a teaser preview of what we are working on. You can see here a great many things.... Some you will obviously recognize... Some things won't be made clear until there is dialogue.

See if you can spot the difference....

I hope you like what you see, because there is a lot more on the way!

Love,

Caleb, Joe and Ru

Fear is the path to the Dark Side.

A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for attack.

Anger, fear, aggression... the Dark Side of the Force are they! Easily they flow... quick to aid in a fight.

You will know! When you are calm, at peace. Passive.

We all fall to the Dark Side from time to time. Yelling at those who we love. Giving that asshole the finger after he cuts you off. Taking a little extra for yourself, even though it's not yours. The failings of humanity.

This is the beauty of the story of Anakin Skywalker. He represents the worst in us all. He shows us the blood on our hands after we unleash our own inner Death Stars. He is fear and being afraid.

Even better, he is also the spark. The tiniest glimmer of light in the blackest dark. That seed of hope. There is still good in him...

For most of us there is no distinct line between the dark and light. There is so much shadow! Anakin clears things up for us. He is the harsh contrast. This gives the rest of us a guide point.

Like any and all other mythology Star Wars attempts to show us something about ourselves. Anakin is the basis. Luke is the resolution. Leia is the medium. The Force is everything.

Next week friends! June 15th by hook or by crook there will be imagery from the first pages of the Improved Phantom Menace!

See you there,

Caleb