Jedi craves
Sadly, John White’s wonderful Star Wars: Age 9 webcomic has come to an end. The adaptation of the 1977 Star Wars film was made in the late 70s by John, who was only 9 years old at the start of his epic childhood endeavor. This was before video and so John had to use books and comics as his chief reference, not to mention his memory. This meant that his adaptation varied from the films in delightful ways. Dialogue is often simplified to fit the page, or adorably misspelled. Interestingly, Luke and Han often look like Kirk Douglas and explosions have all the colors of a box of crayons!
Star Wars: Age 9 really was a mammoth undertaking for a kid and the fact John was able to complete the whole movie is a real achievement. In 2009, John rediscovered this beloved project and hit upon the idea of sharing the trip back to his childhood by turning it into a webcomic. Just as much fun as the pages were John’s commentaries on his own work. His tongue-in-cheek critical analysis frequently poked fun at himself and his childhood understanding of panel layout and storytelling, but to be fair, how many of us adapted an entire movie into comic format at any age?
It’s been difficult for John to reach the end, knowing that with the final page, Star Wars: Age 9 is complete and the nostalgic adventure is over. But it’s been a trip into my childhood too, and I’m sure for many of the readers. And John, thanks for the inspiration and memories that your pages have stirred up over the past couple of years of reading.
John has plans in the new year (or sooner) to launch his adaptation of the film Alien, made when he was 11 years old.
Well. If you go by the expanded universe, I get the sense that that particular teaching was something Luke either ignored or Yoda conveniently forgot to mention.
I mean, it did kinda cause the whole “Anakin goes Dark Side” thing.
I’ve always found the running Princess Leia gag amusing. This elevates it to an art form. Been a while since I’ve laughed this hard; thanks!
When I saw this milk blew out of my nose. Is that a good sign?
Rod and Leanne- I just wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate all you do for BMS. I know things have been hard, but the Forciness will forever run strong with you! Thank you SO much 😀
Thanks so much for the nice write up! It’s very much appreciated – believe me 🙂 I’m now spending my day off work trying to fix that final page which seems to have broken! Oh, the irony.
ALIEN might be arriving on Xmas day (how festive!).
Great strip today. Yes, as Luke became more monklike I found he began to lose his shine somewhat!
I’m friggin envious, all the artistic skills my mother had passed me and went to my little sister 🙁
You draw better when you were nine than I do today. which is not (good) at all T_T
Thanks Al,
To be fair – not all of it was at 9!
Here’s a 9 years one:
http://starwarsage9.com/index.php/part-v/no-blasters-8
A c.14 years one:
http://starwarsage9.com/index.php/part-i/stormtroopers-break-through-9
Annnnd… 42
http://starwarsage9.com/index.php/part-v/scum-a-villainy-1
Yeah, Ben never mentioned those parts about being a Jedi!
John’s webcomic was fun. My favorite was when Ben uses a figure of speech, saying “Oh well, a duck can quack,” and Luke very logically goes “What’s a duck!” He grew up on a desert planet, after all.
Hey, Just a quick question for Zane C. I take it from your name you know a bunch of old-republic-era stuff, and I’m wondering if you know who’s the new voice-actor for the “Yoda-race” in the uppcomong SW:ToR, since you can clearly hear it’s not Tom Kane (he’s probably too busy with the CW to help Bioware, like Chris Lee is probably too busy with The Hobbit project to voice Dooku)?
Sorry, Mr. Al. No can do for answering your question. I’m thrilled, though, that someone recognized my name. Kudos to you! So I am an old republic fan, but I’m really only familiar with the comic series (hence the Zayne Carrick reference). As for the carsick part of my name, I wanted to come up with a clever Star Wars-y name like De Jawa Vu had. I googled “Zayne Carrick” and Autocorrect on my phone changed it to Zayne Carsick. So I decided to use it. I have yet to play the old republic games, but as far as I know, they have nothing to do with the old republic comics. 🙁
Knights of the Old Republic was magnificent! It was the game that introduced me to the RPG genre, and it still ranks as one of my absolute top games of all time. It’s not just me – it was well regarded critically, too. The sequel would have been superior except that it wasn’t really finished.
They may only be tangentially related to the rest of the Old Republic things, but they are absolutely worth picking up on their own merits.
Well, I’ll do my research to see if my Xbox 360 will run the games smoothly enough. I really would like to try them out.
Zayne, please don’t use the comment threads for tests and one liner posts. Thanks.
My apologies. Gravatar can be kind of wonky for me.
In the third panel…the spell checker was not working.
exctiment = excitement
Unless, of course, this is a new Jedi word.
BMS is still great!
Hmmmm, maybe I don’t want to be a Jedi anymore. 😉
I love that Yoda is eating up Luke’s disapproval of the new (largely ignored) rule.
John White, Xmas day fits my busy schedule for Alien age 11, thanks for checking with me first. 😉
Enjoy pulling the gizzards out of the turkey after reading it!
I think John Carpenters The Thing is my fave Sci-Fi right behind Star Wars with Blade Runner right in front as my ALL TIME fave. ^_^
Even the The Thing game kicks ass for the lord.
Yeah, like Yoda doesn’t crave these things.
Big up for Johnny White – he’s the man. Looking forward to his adaptation of Battle Beyond the Stars. BBTS:agefortythree
Ha ha thanks. I almost scanned a comic did that used the BBtS title – but is a totally different story. I just liked the title! – and ripped off the cover artwork from Starlord comic 😉
In the first panel, you can really feel how yoda stares into your soul, like he’s saying “TROLL YOU I WILL! ehehehehe.”…
meeewp….
Yes, Jedi really are dull. And now we know why.
I’m surprised no one’s theorized that a hetero male Jedi (supposedly) not craving sex with hot chicks would lead to an unnaturally strong bond with their light saber.
Rather Freudian, methinks. Sometimes a light saber isn’t just a light saber.
Wonder what sort of tactics Yoda might use on a female Jedi in training.
This is one of the main rules for a Jedi – no romantic relationships/attachments, – among other things. Interesting fact you might be able to make into a comic, from my very limited knowledge of what happened outside the movies of star wars I did read about Obi-Wan (when he was an 18-ish year old padawan) wanting to eventually break the rule and he did with a another Jedi padawan named Siri Tachi, though it didn’t last very long until Qui-Gon realized what was going on and then preceded to tell yoda. Another interesting fact, when Qui-Gon had brought Obi-Wan to yoda and they were discussing the situation obi-wan pulled out Qui-Gon’s weakness card and asked him why he couldn’t be with Siri but why Qui-Gon had had to be with another Jedi knight that I can’t remember the name to. It was an interesting discussion. So everyone under the training of yoda (Dooku for all I know) and everyone trained by yoda’s padawans has had relationship problems except dooku, he was exposed to a sith holocron at a young age and that sort-of messed him up.
Interesting idea, yoda’s about 900 years old now, so you could say he must have been in some sort of relationship lol. Fans -rewriting star wars since 1977.
Oh my gosh! Siri Tachi? Thank you SO MUCH for that one little piece of info. I knew he had been in a relationship, but I wasn’t sure with who. I thought it might have been the mandalorian queen who’s name escapes me that Obi-Wan occasionally flirts with in Clone Wars. But Siri Tachi? Wow. She was Ferus Olin’s master. Ferus Olin is a character from the Last of the Jedi series. Real easy reads, but great books and really detailed storylines. The series takes place when Luke and Leia are toddlers.
That series is written by the same writer of the books I was referring to. Jude Watson. And the Clone Wars TV series messes everything up and contradicts things. I got my info from the Jedi Apprentice series if you want to take a look at it.
Ah, yes. I have read mmm…five of those? I don’t know, really. It’s tough to follow as my limited libraries only have so much nerdy stuff for me to devour. Also, is your pic a Lego Biggs?
Yes, yes it is.
If you ever desire to read the 2 special series finales of the Jedi Apprentice then follow the link. PS The books cost more separately.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439851467/ref=s9_simh_se_p14_d0_g14_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=auto-no-results-center-1&pf_rd_r=DC0B30858B014A9BB90F&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=1263465782&pf_rd_i=secrets%20of%20the%20jedi%20plus%20ledgens%20of%20the%20jedi
My brother Zayne Carsick introduced me to this site. Great job, Rod and Leanne!
You know, I think Lucas just made that “rule” up to build tension in the stupid Prequels.
Hee-hee, poor Luke!
Of course that’s why he was “too old” to start Jedi training – the hormones had already kicked in ;P