Star Wars Artist Series: Thomas Hodges

Hailing from Cherry Hill, NJ, Star Wars artist Thomas Hodges recalls an eventful rainy day that changed his life forever. On Memorial Day weekend in 1977, the budding artist and his parents stood in line to see an innovative sci-fi film featuring amusing droids, unusual alien characters, and the epic battle between good and evil.

"It was pouring rain, yet there was a huge line to see A New Hope," Hodges recalls. "My dad stood in the rain for tickets while my mom watched us in the car. When he got them and they were letting us in, we went in, got our seats and waited. After it started, my father told me every time he looked at me, I looked as though I had forgotten how to blink or breathe. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was blown away by the entire experience. When it was over, I was so upset I cried... so my dad sent my siblings home with my mom and took me to see it again. Star Wars is why I picked up the pencil in the first place."

Heavily influenced by the Original Trilogy film at young age, Hodges found himself drawing inspiration from the legendary Star Wars artists Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston.

"I used to have those old art books and I would stare at them all the time," Hodges says. "But I am also in awe by the prequel trilogy work by Doug Chiang, Iain McCaig and Ryan Church. The 'Art of' books are as much an event for me as when the films are released." Influences outside of the Star Wars realm include comic book artists Jim Lee and Mark Texeira. "Those are two artists I never, ever miss a thing they do!" Hodges exclaims.

During his formative years, Hodges focused mostly on refining his drawing style. When he was 25, he attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia to train in traditional and computer animation.

"That's where I stopped trying to be a Jim Lee clone and developed what I have now: a very animated look to my stuff," Hodges says.

Before long, Hodges found himself drawing covers for an independent comic called The Jersey Devil, produced by South Jersey Rebellion Productions.

"The experience introduced me to the whole comic book convention circuit and I was able to network and meet lots of interesting people that way," Hodges explains.

His convention networking led him straight to Paul Ens, Director of Lucas Online, who later asked Hodges if he was interested in developing an online webstrip for starwars.com.

"Paul had this idea for the webstrip -- 'Reversal of Fortune' -- he wanted to do that was literally a year in the making," Hodges says. "He had mentioned it last year about a week after San Diego Comic-Con [2003] and it wasn't until about a month before we announced it on the official site that it was completely green lit. Once he gave me a story overview. I was hooked."

The story takes place towards the end of the Clone Wars, focusing on the Jedi Aayla Secura, Barriss Offee, Stass Allie and a group of helpful clone troopers, with cameos of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda.

"I think this webstrip format is exciting for the fans because it brings them back everyday to the site for a little treat after a long day at school or work," Hodges explains. "If I wasn't drawing them, I'd definitely be reading them! It keeps the fans busy while they wait for the movie and the fact that the story is so tied into the film, it allows the movie to become that much bigger."