The “interlude story” that begins running here today is a rare treat. I was able to talk good friend, fellow Kubert School graduate, and soon-to-be Star Wars painter extraordinaire Dave Dorman into jumping in as a special guest artist for this eight-page story. Dave had recently painted the cover to issue six of the original Trekker series (see below). He did such an amazing job there that it was natural to ask him to step in on this job when it was clear that obligations were making it impossible for me to draw it myself.

Soon after this, Dave’s career really took off and he quickly became the gold standard for Star Wars art. Tons of his breathtaking paintings have graced Star Wars and other science fiction and fantasy projects ever since. I am sure he couldn’t have done it without me.

I was very lucky to have had Dave as a class mate back at the Kubert School in it’s earliest days. And it’s great to see that we’ve both made our way, through plenty of ups and downs, to still-thriving careers. Cheers to you, Mr. Dorman. And thanks for the help all those years ago!