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Latest Comic Guest Announcement - John Ostrander Appearing: Both Days Writer: Star Wars; Grimjack; Suicide Squad; Martian Manhunter; Heroes for Hire IT’S STRANGE how life-changing opportunities come out of the blue. In John Ostrander’s case his comics career began in 1983 while he was performing in Warp!, a series of science fiction plays being presented by Chicago’s Organic Theater Company. When First Comics launched a comic based on that series, the actor came on board to write sporadic back-ups featuring Sargon, Mistress of War, a major character in the plays. It was a move that initiated a career that has so far lasted over 30 years. Alongside his fourth (and last) contribution to Warp!, Ostrander – who also worked on Dynamo Joe, Mars and First Adventures for First – joined forces with artist Tim Truman to create Grimjack, a character that appeared in the back of Starslayer before graduating to his own First title in 1984. Grimjack ran 81 issues until 1991 by which time the writer was also working for DC, where his first project was 1986’s six-issue Legends. Next he took over The Fury of Firestorm, scripting that series (later renamed Firestorm, the Nuclear Man) until 1990, when it was axed at #100. Adding various fill-ins and one-offs to his CV, Ostrander launched Suicide Squad, writing the comic from 1987 to its cancellation in 1992 after 66 issues. Along the way he authored Eclipse’s three-issue Hotspur and New America four-parter (1987), co-wrote all 18 issues of DC’s 1987 series Wasteland – which many consider a precursor to Vertigo, DC’s much-praised mature readers imprint – and launched Manhunter for DC the following year. In 1989 Ostrander authored First’s Demon Knight: A Grimjack Graphic Novel and then reunited with Truman to co-write Hawkworld, a DC series that ran 32 issue from 1989 to 1993. As Suicide Squad was ending, the writer’s 1992 output also included the Batman: Penguin Triumphant one-shot and the Armageddon: Inferno and Gotham Knights four-parters as well as Predator vs Magnus, Robot Fighter. Following that two-issue Dark Horse mini, he relaunched The Spectre, staying on board the DC comic until it ended with #62 in 1998. Alongside DC’s Batman: Seduction of the Gun one-shot, 1993 saw Ostrander begin working for Valiant, writing runs of Magnus Robot Fighter and Rai and the Future Force, as well as scripting the first six issues of DC’s relaunched Hawkman and the first three of Dark Horse’s Out of the Vortex. In 1994, as well as embarking on a lengthy run on Valiant’s Eternal Warrior, the writer also authored his first work for Marvel. Bishop was a four-parter as was Batman: Gotham Knights II, which he wrote next for DC before he began producing a stream of titles for the House of Ideas. First up was 1995’s Wolverine: Knight of Terra one-shot. After that came a Punisher relaunch (for which he wrote all 18 issues), a short run on X-Man and 1996’s two-issue X-Men vs the Brood and XSE four-parter. Then, in 1997, came Heroes for Hire ( a reboot of Hero for Hire for which he scripted all 19 issues) and The Kents, which looked at the lives of Clark (Superman) Kent’s ancestors during the latter part of the 19th century. That DC 12-parter was the writer’s first venture into the Western genre. Subsequently he would author two four-parters – Blaze of Glory (2000) and Apache Skies (2002) – for Marvel. While scripting The Kents Ostrander continued working for Marvel with his 1998 credits including the Bishop: XSE three-parter and a run on Quicksilver. Before the year was out he also relaunched Martian Manhunter, writing all 36 issues of the DC series as well as beginning a short run on Catwoman for the Batman and Superman publisher. By 2000 Martian Manhunter was Ostrander’s only ongoing assignment but a major change was looming. Shortly after writing an issue of Star Wars Tales for Dark Horse, the writer took on the publisher’s core spin-off from the blockbusting SF movie saga. He remained on Star Wars (subsequently retitled Star Wars: Rebellion) until it ended in 2006 but continued working in the George Lucas-created universe until Dark Horse lost the licence in 2014. For the Portland, Oregon-based publisher Ostrander wrote numerous Star Wars titles – foremost among them Star Wars: Legacy and it’s sequel Star Wars: Legacy War, scripting all 56 issues between 2006 and 2010. Even so he still found time to author other material. Among his few non-Star Wars credits over the past 14 years have been JLA versus Predator (a 2001 DC one-shot), 2001’s seven-issue JLA: Incarnations, a bunch of 2001/2002 Lady Death minis and one-shots for Chaos! Comics and a return to Grimjack, which he resurrected via two miniseries – Grimjack: Killer Instinct (2005) and Grimjack: The Manx Cat (2009) – at IDW. He also returned to Suicide Squad for the eight issues of 2007’s Raise the Flag.