Hailing from the Granite City of Aberdeen in Scotland, Nick Brokenshire is a multi-talented comic creative that has penned, inked, and coloured many comic book titles during his career. In recent years he has been heavily associated with the Star Wars Adventures title published by IDW. October and November 2020 are exciting times for Nick, with 3 (Yes, you read correctly) new titles from IDW all bearing his work. We thought it only right to catch up with the man himself and let him tell you all about his career so far, what to expect this month and what is in store for the future!
JN – Hi Nick and welcome to Jedi News!
NB – Hello! Thanks for having me!
JN – We always start by asking our guests about their early days, so what has been the path you have taken to get you to where you are now?
NB – Well now… If I remember correctly, I was only young around the time I was born. I recall being obsessed with Batman, Superman, Hannah Barbera Cartoons and all the weird and wonderful British children’s TV content in the UK of the 70s and 80s. I’m from a mixed cultural background so I was also exposed to a lot of TV in the US and Latin-America and so I developed a love of things like Ultraman, Speed Racer and other imported Anime of the time… Then in 1977, my Dad took me to see Star Wars and that was it. Smitten for life. It is fair to say, that movie had a big impact on me. Since then, I worked on farms. I was a window cleaner. A rock and roller. A high school art teacher. I did a lot of travelling about… Finally, I decided to pursue drawing for a living. It took me a long time to figure that out – Ha! Since then, I’ve been on a wonderful adventure of discovery. Learning how to tell stories. All inspired by Star Wars and Big Daddy George.
JN – Can you tell us about your formative experiences of Star Wars?
NB – Goodness. I mean, From the age of seven onwards, I would constantly draw R2D2 and Darth Vader all over my schoolbooks. I recall that when my mum would drive me to school, I would daydream that I was flying the Falcon as the countryside whipped past the car. I remember the first time my folks bought me Star Wars figures. It must’ve been Christmas of ’78. I got Walrus Man, Snaggletooth, Vader and a Stormtrooper. I have always loved the space-weirdos. Yeah of course I loved Luke, Leia and Han, but I was always FASCINATED by the weird creatures in the background! I LOVED Vader. The cantina scene was where it was at for me. Still is.
My Mum used to say that if I was naughty and made to sit on stool as a time out, I would be happy as Larry sitting there – using my imagination and dreaming up Star Wars adventures.
My pal Simon and I would play with our Star Wars toys occasionally but because I lived in a rural part of Scotland, I spent a lot of time wandering around the forest with my dog, just pretending I was on Endor or some other strange planet. Stories, stories and more stories.
When Empire came out, I literally fell off my chair at Vader’s revelation. I was shocked! I recall lot’s of people complained about Empire. It wasn’t the story they wanted to see. Sound familiar? Ha! A few years later, everyone decided it was their favourite. Me, I’ve loved ALL of Star Wars right from start. ALL of it. I bawled my eyes out when the Ewok celebration music morphed into the choral finale at the end of ROTJ in ’83. I was devastated. But then we had the comics. Then the EU in the 90s kept me going. In ’98 when I saw the first trailer for Phantom Menace, I knew I was going to love this new chapter. I knew it would be different and it was! I’m so happy that people are re-evaluating the prequels. The tragedy of Anakin and the fall of the Republic. Man. Enormous. You guys, I could go on and on if you let me. But Star Wars has been pivotal for me. My focus has determined my reality.
JN – You work on 3 of the 4 key aspects of comic book creation: writing, inking, and colouring. That is something that not many creatives do, you usually find that they have 1 specialist area they concentrate on. Do you find this can work to your advantage?
NB – Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s just been this way for a while now and it feels natural. I’ve always imagined myself drawing my own stories whether they be Star Wars or anything else. Saying that, I do love working with others – very much so! As for the art side of things, I think I’ve become known for doing the whole kit and kaboodle and so, I’m approached for that a lot. I think the advantage of this is that it’s much easier to have a cohesive vision and to get it accomplished more easily. Things aren’t lost in translation!
JN – Are you thinking of taking up lettering to make it 4 out of 4 and complete your comic book creating portfolio?
NB – No Way! Lettering is beyond me. The only things I can do is my shonky sound effects and goofy scratchy lettering that you can see in my sketchbook doodles. I have mad respect for letterers. Their work pulls the artwork together so nicely as well as completes the storytelling. Big Ups!
JN – Star Wars Adventures (2020) #1 was out on October 7, 2020 and the back-up story was all yours. An amazing retelling of the Battle of Hoth from the perspective of Darth Vader. Based purely around the on-screen events of The Empire Strikes Back, but with a cheeky spin to include the infamous deleted Wampa scene. Whose idea was it to retell this story?
NB – Weeellll. Well, as part of celebrating Empire’s 40th, this year, my editors at IDW asked me to come up with a pitch that focused on that moment in time. Quite an unusual request really, but also super-thrilling! One of the ”Galaxy of Adventure” animated shorts dealt with a little piece of this story, so it was really fun to continue it and fill in some of the blanks as well. It was also quite nerve wracking to deal with such a major part of canon. There was a lot of back and forth with the story peeps at Lucasfilm regarding what would be appropriate and accurate to depict. The flashback scenes were carefully considered. They had to flow with the emotion of the original scene while creating a subtext that fits. Trickier than it looks, believe me. The Wampa scene was fun too. I’m glad we could insert it back into the story! Star Wars must have humour! As for Vader, the issue was: how do we depict these moments in such a way that hints at the Anakin that we know is there but who is completely subsumed by the Dark Lord of The Sith. Vader’s quiet rage is in effect. He serves the Dark Side completely – but the memories are still there.
JN – And then there’s this year’s release for Halloween, Star Wars Adventures: Shadow of Vader’s Castle. This time a one-shot comic and not a 5-part series like the past 2 years. There is quite an impressive team assembled including Cavan Scott, Francesco Francavilla, Nicoletta Baldari, Derek Charm, and your good self! Scheduled for release on November 4, 2020 (Editor note – Release date subject to change) what can we expect to see from you here?
NB – Haha! Oh boy. Well, Cavan has managed to concoct some classic horror vignettes this year. I had a ton of fun with this. All I can tell you about it is that Vader is in it and he is RUTHLESS. Full on, sarcastic, deadly Vader. And sweat. A lot of sweaty creatures. Ugh!
JN – But it doesn’t just end there for you does it? We also have Star Wars Adventures Annual 2020 also on sale November 11, 2020 (Editor note – Release date subject to change). Another back-up story, this time starring IG-88. I must say a special thank you for allowing me a sneak peak at this issue, and I will say I loved it from cover to cover. What can you share with us about the story, without revealing any spoilers?
NB – The story I wrote for the annual is really special to me as I was allowed to use two very disparate and beloved characters from Star Wars canon, but more importantly I was able to create a brand new character with a very distinct background that hasn’t been seen before. It took a fair amount of effort and refinement to invent something that is so different and yet fits into our beloved ‘lived-in’ universe. I got to play with IG-88 again and that was ace. The story is… well… weird. That’s all I’m gonna say!
JN – Has the on-screen appearance of IG-11 in The Mandalorian influenced how you perceived IG-88 would react and move within your story?
NB – Absolutely! I adored IG-11’s jerky portrayal in Mandalorion. Absolutely inspired. I would say that my depiction of IG-88 takes a little of IG-11 and a fair bit of inspiration from the assassin droids we saw in The Clone Wars series. IG-88 has had a hugely different and quite strange existence, making him a different proposition to IG-11 who is always firmly tethered to his programming. 88’s consciousness is a more complicated affair! But yeah, there is a scene in my story where I looked carefully at IG-11’s action moves. Sho’nuff!
JN – Does writing the back-up story for an issue of Star Wars Adventures put you under any constraints as you have fewer pages to work with to tell your story?
NB – Yes, but they are constraints that I relish. I find huge satisfaction in writing stories that must have a beginning, middle and end in a short number of pages. It means you have to keep whittling and whittling until you have the most essential elements of the story. Every tale starts off huge, with lots of background and depth and by the time the readers see it, all that depth is baked into the few pages. Storytelling. It’s like cooking.
JN – Planning must be so important for you. How do you start the process of preparation and are there any tricks to this you have learned or even created for yourself?
NB – It all comes back to the weirdos. I like to find a fantastic character and take it from there. I like to think of myself as the guy that writes the juicy little strange folk that you can see in the background. Once I have a weirdo, I have explore their world, their background and soon enough, stories start to emerge in my imagination. I always have a sketchbook at hand and almost immediately – once I’ve chosen a character to focus on – I start to scribble story ideas. Then it’s a case of collecting them and finding the best idea and exploring that. I mull. There is a lot of mulling. I mull over things. Scribbling and mulling. Mulled wine. Or perhaps Mull of Kintyre. Probably neither of those.
JN – One thing that has always struck me with your work is the colour pallets you tend to use. It could, at times, be described as pastel like. Has this always been your style or have you evolved it over the years?
NB – It has developed over the years. Saying that, I have always held to the belief that comics are a bright and colourful medium. I find that a lot of dull and ugly colours are often used in comics. Even when a comic is ‘dark’ it can be beautiful and colourful. Look at Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. Dark of tone and heavy in the use of black ink but so lush with colour. Even serious comics can be pretty. I strive to make my comics pleasant to look at. More important than this is clarity. Often dark colours can render the story lumpen and lacking in momentutm. I do like that pastelly side of the spectrum, don’t I? Back in the day, they’d choose weird colours in comics production simply as a means of defining shapes and making the story clearer. You’d have people with green skin and everything else would be orange – all so that the lineart could pop and tell the story. Anyway, why colour a tree dull brown when you can pick a groovy purple?
JN – Music is an influence for many creatives in the world of literature. Does music play any part in your work process?
NB – Oh, for sure. I do listen to a very wide range of music, usually when I’m inking and colouring. When I’m writing and doing layouts, I need silence though. Need to be uninterrupted when I’m working stuff out. I find that listening to a lot of prog rock and world music gets me in the mood for doing the art on Star Wars books. A bit of Yes, Gentle Giant followed by some Cumbia from Colombia or Billo’s Caracas Boys from Venezuela. Often followed by some out and out 80s goodness. Mister Mister. Oingo Boingo. Perhaps some 90s fun. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Stereolab. ALL SORTS. And Zappa. Always Zappa.
JN – Away from the busy world of creating comics, what do you get up to?
NB – Well, currently I’m awaiting the arrival of a baby Brokenshire so that’s fun! Many will know I’m the frontman of a band called BLUES HARVEST. I’m sure I don’t have to explain the name. We’re quite well known for our Star Wars-centric tunes and general movie based tunage. We had the thrill of playing at two Celebrations. One in London 2016 and last year in Chicago for the 501st bash. Like I said, my focus has determined my reality!
JN – Oh, congratulations on your fantastic news! Yes, Blues Harvest is well known to many of us, but I’d never put you and that together until now!
Is there a Star Wars character you have yet to create a comic for that you would want to work on in the future?
NB – There is a list. It’s long. I’d love to do a Hondo story. I’d like to write some Gungan adventures. I adore Ahsoka but I doubt I’d be allowed to write her. How about Embo? He is so COOL!
JN – It is a bit of an understatement that 2020 has been an unusual year. How has it affected your work?
NB – Wow. It has been trying, hasn’t it? I’m thankful that work hasn’t slowed down for me. I’ve managed to stay busy. One way or another, we have to keep making art, telling stories and singing songs. I have to say, this year has made me more conscious of the need to promote harmony and the idea of peace. It seems some folk have forgotten that the true message of Star Wars is peace. The quest for inner and outer peace is so important. Too many are driven by fear these days and we all know what fear leads to.
JN – I know it is quite difficult time for many of us to plan too far ahead, but do you have any plans or projects you are involved with that you can share with us?
NB – I do have some irons in the fire. The one I’m currently working on is top secret but a project that I’ve been chipping away for five years is due to come to fruition next year. That’s a story called ‘She’s Not There’ written by my pal Ellis Bojar. But you can expect more Star Wars Adventures for sure. I have some swashes to buckle!
JN – Which social media platforms are you available on?
NB – You can find me on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter. Just look for Nick Brokenshire. Just reach out… and type it with your fingers.
JN – I know you undertake commission work, so how is the best way for someone to get in touch?
NB – The best way is to contact me through Big Cartel here.
JN – I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of the team here at Jedi News for your time. We wish you every success in the future with the upcoming birth of your little one and hope that we will see your name adorning many a comic book cover sometime soon. Hopefully, when that happens, would you come back talk to us again and join us as a guest on our Take Cover podcast?
NB – I would be delighted! It’s been an absolute pleasure. Thank you for allowing me to ramble on!
JN – That’s brilliant Nick! Thank you!
NB – Thank YOU! May The Force Be With You.
We hope you will all agree that Nick is a fantastically talented creative and we really do hope to see more Star Wars from him in the future. Rest assureed that we will keep you up to date with what is coming up from him in the future!
