The Star Wars universe features a variety of heroes, but some of its most engaging ones are the reluctant heroes who sometimes against their better judgement are swept up into vast intergalactic struggles of good against evil. Smuggler turned Rebel Alliance member Han Solo is of course the most famous of these type of characters, but a close second is Han's “old buddy,” the dashing gambler Lando Calrissian who filmgoers first met in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. In Empire, actor Billy Dee Williams used his trademark charm to show Lando's journey from a scoundrel who sells out Han to the Galactic Empire to a Rebel Alliance sympathizer. And in 1983's Return of the Jedi, Willams' Lando returned to help the Rebels strike a death blow against the Empire by blowing up the second Death Star.
This May, the legend of Lando grows a bit larger. He's a major player in the next Star Wars film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, which winds back the clock and shows the criminal escapades the title character, played by Alden Ehrenreich, and his future best friend, Donald Glover's Lando, got embroiled in as young men.
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That same month Marvel Comics fans will get a chance to learn more about Glover's character with the debut of the five issue Star Wars: Lando - Double or Nothing, by screenwriter Rodney Barnes and artist Paolo Villanelli. CBR spoke with Barnes about the excitement of writing his title character, his take on Lando, and the dynamic between the gambler and his droid L3.
CBR: Rodney, I'm guessing that being offered the chance to write almost any Star Wars comic is a dream, but how did it feel to be offered a chance to look at a young Lando? What's been the most appealing element of writing this miniseries?
Rodney Barnes: Man... the day I got the call was unlike anything professionally to date. To be a part of a world I’ve loved since childhood is truly an honor. The most appealing part of writing this story is it’s new. This isn’t the older more familiar Lando we’ve all come to know and love; this is an ambitious upstart with a galaxy full of adventure in front of him.
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I've only really seen bits of Donald Glover's Lando in the Solo trailers, but what I've seen suggests that he's confident in who he is and has already developed his signature style. Is that your sense of Lando when you pick up with him in issue #1 of Double or Nothing? Which aspects of his character are you especially interested in exploring in this series?
Confident is an understatement. [Laughs] Fearless, ambitious, self serving... but with a moral compass, nonetheless. I plan to explore his emotional development from where we’re meeting him in this series to begin to resemble some elements of the older version. Not too much, but you’ll certainly see glimpses.
The other major character in Double or Nothing is Lando's droid, L3. What can you tell us about L3's personality and his dynamic with Lando?
L3 is the perfect partner for Lando at this stage of his development. Sometimes a sounding board, sometimes a cheerleader and sometimes the voice of reason.
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Part of the fun of Lando is he can go almost anywhere and in get into a variety of troubles. What can you tell us about the tone of his adventures and the action he gets into in Double or Nothing?
The tone is dangerous but fun. Fast paced, lots of action. Let’s just say Lando has his share of enemies for being such a young guy.
What can you tell us about the enemies Lando will run afoul of in your series? Does the supporting cast of Double or Nothing include any familiar faces? Or is it primarily made up of new characters?
All of the characters are new. It was a lot of fun to create a world of new folks to accompany the great lead. I also got to create some new settings which was a blast. You get a feeling of awesome responsibility because of how loved this world is. The stuff of bucket lists.
Finally when Double or Nothing was announced the art team was still "To be determined." Are you able to talk about who you're collaborating with on this book? And if so what can you tell us about them and their style?
Paolo Villanelli is the artist I’m blessed with collaborating with. He's got a great eye for both the expanse of the universe and character development. Honored to be doing this with Paolo.
Star Wars: Lando - Double or Nothing, by Rodney Barnes and Paolo Villanelli, kicks off in May from Marvel Comics.