TOM HODGES INTERVIEW

Tom Hodges is another individual on a growing list of true Star Wars fans that have gotten to contribute to Star Wars lore in an official capacity. Hailing from New Jersey, and now a resident of Southern California, Tom's dream job was to work for Lucasfilm. Dreams do come true as he is currently the artist for the starwars.com Hyperspace exclusive online comic, "Reversal of Fortune." "Reversal" is a story set at the end of the Clone Wars and is written by Paul Ens, director of LucasOnline.

Once Tom got his foot in the door at Lucasfilm, he was given the task of drawing almost 2000 sketch cards for the Topps Star Wars Heritage series.

To learn more about Tom Hodges and see some of his incredible work, check out his official website at www.tomhodges.com.

TUCWS: Hello Mr. Hodges, and thanks for having a chat with us. First off, what can you tell us about yourself? What types of illustrations do you do, and how did you get to be interested in artistry?

Tom Hodges: I work in several different medium. I do everything from Conceptual Designs to Comic book Sequential art. For Lucasfilm, the Hyperspace website, I do the Webstrip, Reversal of Fortune.

As for how I got into the industry, I busted my butt. I went to Cons and sent out samples put work online. Anywhere anyone would look at it. Be it a random Star Wars or Comic fan or an editor. If I can give ANY artist out there a piece of advice, it would be get seen.

TUCWS: You're currently working on a comic strip called Reversal of Fortune. Have you had any prior experience with the Star Wars universe before this?

TH: Nothing professional. Everything’s been fan art until now.

TUCWS: How did you get to be involved with Reversal of Fortune?

TH: I was approached by Paul Ens at San Diego Comic Con in 2003. Paul had seen my work online and liked what he saw. It was what he was looking for for a possible project with the Hyperspace site.

TUCWS: Can you tell us a little bit about what goes into the production of a comic strip, from concept to completion?

TH: Basically, Paul sends me a script, I do thumbnails for him to approve, he gives the thumbs up or down, asks me to make adjustments, I do the finished strips. Pretty cut and dry.

TUCWS: Reversal of Fortune incorporates several well known and used characters from the Clone Wars, such as Aayla Secura and Barris Offee. What types of research, if any, did you use for these characters?

TH: I was given loads of amazing reference material. Nothing I can discuss, but know everything I’ve been given makes the strip connect to Episode 3 wonderfully.

"Reversal of Fortune" webstrip #36 Reprinted with the permission of Lucasfilm, LTD

TUCWS: How much input do you have on the story, and how much input does that author have on the art?

TH: The story is Paul’s. I’m using my skills to tell his story the way he and Lucasfilm want it told. I may come up with a suggestion on how to adjust it, I may have a suggestion on how to pace it out different. I always think in terms of film. I was trained as an animator and went to film school.

TUCWS: What can you tell us about what's upcoming with the comic strip?

TH: I can’t. Sorry. Rules are rules.

TUCWS: What's the main differences between a comic strip and a comic book from the artist's perspective?

TH: The format is what’s different for me. There’s a HUGE difference between an 11 x 17 page and a 4 x13 strip. You just need to adjust the storytelling to make due with the space. No splash pages, but like in strip #35 with the one panel of Utapau, THAT is a splash page for a strip.

TUCWS: Will Reversal of Fortune be published in book form any time in the future?

TH: I hear this has been discussed with Dark Horse. I would love it, but I have nothing to say about whether it does or does not. Ultimately, I'm sure it will be up to demand from the fans. If fans are interested, they should let Dark Horse know.

TUCWS: How long will the comic strip run? After Reversal of Fortune is done, will there be more, similar work for you?

TH: The strip runs until around the release of the film. That is also something I really cannot discuss. As for beyond Reversal of Fortune, who knows. The feedback has been great. I would love to move onto a Tales story or a Mini-Series.

TUCWS: Because Reversal occurs days before Episode III, have you seen a script for the movie? What events in the comic are the most relative to what's in the movie?

TH: I cannot comment on that. Sorry.

TUCWS: Recently, you've worked on a large number of sketch cards. What exactly are these?

TH: The Topps Star Wars Heritage cards. They did a “Chase” series for the Clone Wars set with artists doing Sketch Cards. It was very popular, so they continued to do them with the Heritage set. That was a great deal of fun. Lots of work, but fun.

TUCWS: How can we get our hands on some if interested?

TH: Buy packs of Star Wars Heritage Cards… the chances of getting one of mine are 1-180 packs… GOOD LUCK!

TUCWS: How long does it take you to produce one? Are there any particular characters or events that you like to draw?

TH: It can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes depending on the details. I enjoy drawing Padme, Vader, Boba Fett and now Grievous. He’s a lot of fun… detailed, but fun.

TUCWS: Have you seen the Episode III teaser? How much are you looking forwards to the last installment? What is your favorite Star Wars movie thus far?

TH: Love the Teaser Trailer. I’m beyond excited to see this film, but it’ll be sad. I’ll sit there at the end of the film and just kinda be sad, you know. I know it’s not the “end” of Star Wars. But it’s the last film. That’s a big deal… a long journey finally coming to an end.

The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite. After that, A New Hope, Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace. I like Jedi, but it’s behind all of the rest.

But we have another coming soon, and from what I can tell, it’ll dethrone Empire.

Special thanks to Paul Ens and Lucasfilm for giving TUCWS permission to reprint Webstrip #36 from "Reversal of Fortune." The single webstrip we posted here, while very cool, is only the tip of the iceberg. To read the full story of "Reversal of Fortune," you'll need to join the Official Star Wars Fan Club, Hyperspace. If you are not a member of Hyperspace yet, sign up by clicking here. Paul and his team update starwars.com with exclusive Hyperspace content daily. What are you waiting for? Sign-up today!

Conducted by Andrew Liptak and the TUCWS Staff, December 2004

Related Items
Paul Ens Interview, February 2005

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