If you’re a fan of such comics as LOBO, JUDGE DREDD and the excellent STAR WARS:© DARK EMPIRE-you’ll know the name of a Mister Cam Kennedy. Cam’s distinctively dramatic way with watercolors, and ink washes compliments his famed emphasis on machinery and engaging characters, have brought him much acclaim-not to mention legions of fans worldwide. I spoke with Cam about his involvement in DARK EMPIRE, and the unique look he brings to comics.
Cam, how did you become involved in the DARK EMPIRE project?
"Tom Veitch actually mentioned to me a few years ago ‘How would you like to do something with STAR WARS’, and I said ‘Well, STAR WARS isn’t as popular as it was, but let’s see what we come up with.’
And he started writing out ideas for this new series of comic books, and originally we were going to market it through Archie Goodwin-who was still with EPIC comics at the time-and I got started it in. Then we had some sort of differences, I can’t remember them exactly, so it was laid aside for a short while.
"I think what happened then was, the license had run out, so it came back on the market. And DARK HORSE were looking over a computer one day and it came up that the STAR WARS thing was up for grabs. Mike Richardson (DARK HORSE president/publisher) phoned and convinced me to continue drawing it out-so we took it from there and that was it.
“You see this is George Lucas’ baby so Tom knew I could handle all the machinery okay, because I’m quite well known for drawing machinery fairly well and we had to stick to the likenesses. But what happened was, the way Tom was writing things out (and I’d worked with him before), he knew I had the ability to throw in new characters and new machinery. As the basis for the whole thing, we used the Millennium Falcon, used Han Solo; all the characters from the first STAR WARS films. And, as I said, Tom threw in all these opportunities for new characters which, hopefully, will add to the STAR WARS universe.”
In reading over the letters section from both the U.S. & U.K. versions of the comic, some fans were not happy with some of your characterizations.
“Comic buffs...I sometimes think they can’t differenerate between movies and comics. I explained to somebody at one time who brought this up that ‘Luke didn’t always look like Luke Skywalker.’ So I said to him, ‘Well I could spend an awful lot of time working from photographs, getting good likenesses from Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, but for me, that is NOT comics. Their likenesses belong for me, in the movies.
“What I am doing is comics, and an INTERPRETATION. I’m trying to be as civil as possible, and with all due respect to what George Lucas created, I just got the feel for drawing them that way. And, I think if you did a poll that most people reading the stories would know who they were. I still dressed Harrison Ford the way he was dressed in the movies. 'So to have pure likenesses, we may as well take stills from the movie and paste them into the book. Will you be happy then?’ And this guy says ‘Well no, I wouldn’t be happy then, because it wouldn’t be a comic book!’ What exactly do people want?”
You brought up a really good point about your version of Luke. I think you created a very good interpretation of him. Luke’s older, he’s been through some tremendous losses, so it wouldn’t be right for him to look the same as he did in the movies.
“Yeah, if you go through time warps twice a week, it’s going to change you. It’s like riding on the Metro and the subways in New York everyday, your face does change!” (laughs)
Do you have a favorite panel and/or page from the series?
“Well, it would have to come down to visuals. There are pages I enjoyed doing. If you’re speaking about about visual page, I like the one where the Millennium Falcon is escaping from a huge spy droid. It’s a full page picture, this big black spy droid. It’s a larger version of small probe droid that was in the movies. And there is another page in book #3 where Han and Princess Leia are on the run down the quarter where Han used to have an apartment. Some of the street scenes, I like doing them.”
While we’re on the subject of favorite pages in DARK EMPIRE, mine has got to be when Luke first visits Leia urging her not to come after him. You portrayed him almost zombie-like; engulfed by the Dark Side. He has those burning eyes that I’ve seen in other work you’ve done
“Yes. When I did Luke where he does not have proper pupils in his eyes at the very end of the book (I okayed this with Lucas and DARK HORSE) because I just felt he’d become such a different being from the last STAR WARS movie. This is a guy who has gone on. His capabilities, mental and physical have just changed. I wanted a different look to his face.”
"I think when the new movies come out, it’s going to be a runaway success. I think especially in the States, the climate will be getting a bit tighter for violence, and gratuitous violence in movies. And if Lucas runs true to form, what he’ll be making is really good adventure films that cater to the whole family...” - Cam's prequel prediction circa 1993!
So what was it like working in the STAR WARS universe?
Current Note: to Cam’s answer below let's quote Qui-Gon Jinn: “He can see things before they happen!” And now Cam’s prediction...
“I didn’t actually think it was going to be the success that it’s been (the DARK EMPIRE COMICS). You know, when I went in San Diego last year it was amazing: grown men were almost in tears, thanking me for having done this series. Because they’ve been starved for new STAR WARS material for years. It’s amazing the following that STAR WARS has got. I think when the new movies come out, it’s going to be a runaway success.
“I think especially in the States, the climate will be getting a bit tighter for violence, and gratuitous violence in movies. And if Lucas runs true to form, what he’ll be making is really good adventure films that cater to the whole family...”
For more on DARK EMPIRE please go to: Our short interview with artist Dave Dorman.
STAR WARS:® DARK EMPIRE © 1993 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for DARK EMPIRE are © 1993 Lucasfilm Ltd.