MIKE W. BARR INTERVIEW

Mike W. Barr is an accomplished comic book writer and novelist. He's been a professional writer for over 30 years and brings a tremendous sci-fi resume to Star Wars. His new Clone Wars short story, "Death In the Catacombs," marks his returen to Star Wars after having been a writer for the popular X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comic series in the late 90s.

Mike has dabbled in several "universes" besides Star Wars including Star Trek, Batman, and G.I. Joe. He's also written other popular titles such as Camelot 3000, The Maze Agency, and Mantra.

Be sure to pick up his latest Star Trek novel entitled Gemini in stores (and at amazon.com) now!

 

TUCWS: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Mike. Tell us about yourself and your writing career.

Mike W. Barr: I sold my first prose story to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in 1972, and my first comic book story to DC in 1973. I took a staff job at DC in 1977 and later went freelance, where I've remained ever since. Comic book work dried up in the late 90s for me, so I returned to prose. I also write an Internet comic strip, “Sorcerer of Fortune,” which is drawn by a talented chap named Dario Carrasco (who's also done some Star Wars work for Dark Horse). It can be found on GraphicSmash.com. In 2003 I published my first Star Trek novel, “Gemini,” and have sold short stories to several markets.

 

TUCWS: Did any of the comic book industry greats influence you?

MWB: Oh, sure. Mostly the classic storytellers: Gardner Fox, Stan Lee, John Broome, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner. (A writer can learn a lot from a good comics artist.)

 

TUCWS: What is the biggest difference between writing a graphic novel--such as the X-Wing comic series--and a short story or novel?

MWB: In writing a comic book story, you can describe a scene such as “A crashed x-wing fighter” and let the artist decide how much of that he wants to draw, and which elements to emphasize. In prose, you have to “draw” the scene mentally for the reader, by choosing the most descriptive details yourself.

 

TUCWS: Do you prefer writing in one form more than the other?

MWB: I enjoy them both, though I do regret the fact that I’m not doing as much comic book work nowadays. The comics form is so difficult to master that I'm sorry I’m not using all the skills I've developed more often.

 

TUCWS: Are there any major differences between working in the Star Trek universe versus the Star Wars universe--or any other franchise you've worked in versus Star Wars?

MWB: The Star Trek universe is theoretically our world in the future, so a lot of the details of the background universe are spelled out for you because Earth plays so dominant a part in the Federation. Star Wars is a little tougher because it's not our universe and the backstory of its universe is largely untold. You can't use America as an example of a country declaring its independence, for example. You don't know when its people first traveled in space or discovered hyperdrive.

 

TUCWS: Are you still writing for G.I. Joe? What do you think of the new CGI cartoon?

MWB: No, the only “G.I. Joe” writing I’ve ever done was for the cancelled Dark Horse series. I've not seen any of the new series. The “Joe” series my comics were based on didn't ever seem to take off, for some reason. Maybe fans are more comfortable with the 80s characters they grew up with, which seem to be enjoying a comeback.

 

TUCWS: What is your favorite Star Wars film and who are your favorite characters from the films?

MWB: My favorite film is probably “Attack of the Clones,” as I'm very interested in the Jedi Knights and their history, though every episode contains favorite scenes. My favorite character from the films are Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the expanded universe I'm quite fond of Mara Jade and Jania Solo.

 

TUCWS: Are you interested in revisiting the X-Wing comics? Fans have been clamoring for more of them since the series ended.

MWB: I recently contacted Dark Horse about SW comics work, but was told there was none available. I’m interested in all aspects of the SW universe.

 

TUCWS FIRST LOOK - Death In the Catacombs (illustration by UDON)

TUCWS: What can you tell us about your upcoming Clone Wars short story for Star Wars Insider?

MWB: “Death In the Catacombs” introduces a new Jedi Knight, Jyl Somtay, who I think the readers will like. It's essentially a Geonosis occupation story. The cool thing about the SW universe is that there are more details introduced in each film than the films themselves can possibly exploit. So it occurred to me, when the Battle of Geonosis was over, that the Republic wouldn't just pack up and leave, that they'd probably leave an occupation force behind to make sure the Geonosians didn't have any more unpleasant surprises up their sleeves. Of course, they do have.

 

TUCWS: What type of research did you do for "Death in the Catacombs"?

MWB: I did a lot of research on Geonosis and its life-forms, much of which made its way into DITC. Former SWI editor Dave Gross, for whom I first wrote the story, was really invaluable in his help and suggestions, and everyone at SWI has been very encouraging, especially Francis Mao and Brett Rector.

 

TUCWS: Had you been following the overall Clone Wars story in the comics, novels, and elsewhere before you were hired to write "Death in the Catacombs"?

MWB: I usually keep up with the novels, somewhat less with the comics, as there are so many of them. I did thoroughly enjoy the “Clone Wars” cartoons on Cartoon Network.

 

TUCWS FIRST LOOK - Jedi Master Jyl Somtay (illustration by UDON)

TUCWS: Anything else down the pipeline for Lucasfilm or otherwise?

MWB: Francis Mao has kindly asked me to write some more fiction, an offer which I'm delighted to accept. That may take the form of more stories about Jyl Somtay, depending on the popularity of the character, and were discussing other aspects of the SW universe, as well. Dario and I plan on continuing “Sorcerer of Fortune,” and I'm making notes on an original fantasy novel.

 

TUCWS: Finally, have you seen the Episode III teaser? How excited are you about Episode III, which is set to hit theaters in less than 6 months?

MWB: I am quite excited about seeing Episode 3. I predict when we first see Darth Vader, there won't be a dry seat in the house -- including mine. But I haven't seen the trailer yet, and I desperately want to.

 

TUCWS: Well, we'll have to do something about that, won't we. Check out the Episode III teaser trailer online at starwars.com.

 

TUCWS thanks Mike for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. I am looking forward to reading more adventures of Jyl Somtay in later stories. I hope we can do this again in the future. Welcome to the Clone Wars!

Special thanks go to Brett Rector and IDG Entertainment.

 

Conducted by Brian Gates and the TUCWS Staff, November 2004