John Ostrander

"It's a myth... It's not science fiction."

- John Ostrander

John Ostrander is a fan-favourite comic author who has written several titles set in the Star Wars universe, often with Jan Duursema as his artist.

Ostrander is currently one of the main writers on Star Wars: Republic for Dark Horse Comics, and many of his story arcs, such as "Twilight", "Darkness", and "The Clone Wars" stories are available in trade paperbacks.

Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, he moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about "Sargon, Mistress of War" published in the First Comics series "Warp", based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character GrimJack with Timothy Truman, published originally as a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in a comic of the same name, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, and Ostrander went on to work at other comics companies.

Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead cop named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.

From the mid-1980s until her death from breast cancer in 1997, Ostrander frequently co-wrote with his wife Kim Yale. It was while working with her that he made what is probably his most lasting contribution to the DC Universe: the recasting of Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, into the information and computer specialist Oracle.

At Marvel comics, Ostrander has also worked on X-Men, Bishop, Quicksilver, Heroes for Hire and the Punisher.

Ostrander has also written for other comics companies: Hotspur for Eclipse Comics; Lady Death for Chaos! Comics; Magnus, Robot Fighter, Rai and the Future Force, and Eternal Warrior for Valiant Comics.

Ostrander has also written a Doctor Who audio drama for Big Finish Productions. Titled Deadman's Hand, the story was originally announced for release in 2004; it has since been delayed twice, and now appears on Big Finish's pages in a Future Releases section without any scheduled release date. As announced, the story was to feature the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex.

His work has won him a good deal of recognition in the comics field, including nominations for the Comic Buyer's Guide Award for Favorite Writer in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

Republic

 * Star Wars Republic 19: Twilight, Part 1 (2000)
 * Star Wars Republic 20: Twilight, Part 2 (2000)
 * Star Wars Republic 21: Twilight, Part 3 (2000)
 * Star Wars Republic 22: Twilight, Part 4 (2000)


 * Star Wars Republic 32: Darkness, Part 1 (2001)
 * Star Wars Republic 33: Darkness, Part 2 (2001)
 * Star Wars Republic 34: Darkness, Part 3 (2001)
 * Star Wars Republic 35: Darkness, Part 4 (2001)


 * Star Wars Republic 36: The Stark Hyperspace War, Part 1 (2001)
 * Star Wars Republic 37: The Stark Hyperspace War, Part 2 (2001)
 * Star Wars Republic 38: The Stark Hyperspace War, Part 3 (2002)
 * Star Wars Republic 39: The Stark Hyperspace War, Part 4 (2002)


 * Star Wars Republic 40: The Devaronian Version, Part 1 (2002)
 * Star Wars Republic 41: The Devaronian Version, Part 2 (2002)


 * Star Wars Republic 42: Rite of Passage, Part 1 (2002)
 * Star Wars Republic 43: Rite of Passage, Part 2 (2002)
 * Star Wars Republic 44: Rite of Passage, Part 3 (2002)
 * Star Wars Republic 45: Rite of Passage, Part 4 (2002)


 * Star Wars Republic 49: Sacrifice (2003)
 * Star Wars Republic 50: The Battle of Kamino (2003)
 * Star Wars Republic 54: Double Blind (2003)
 * Star Wars Republic 59: Enemy Lines (2003)
 * Star Wars Republic 61: Dead Ends (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 63: Striking from the Shadows (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 64: Bloodlines (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 65: Show of Force, Part 1 (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 66: Show of Force, Part 2 (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 68: Armor (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 69: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili, Part 1 (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 70: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili, Part 2 (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 71: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili, Part 3 (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 72: Trackdown, Part 1 (2004)
 * Star Wars Republic 73: Trackdown, Part 2 (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 74: The Siege of Saleucami, Part 1 (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 75: The Siege of Saleucami, Part 2 (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 76: The Siege of Saleucami, Part 3 (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 77: The Siege of Saleucami, Part 4 (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 78: Loyalties (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 81: The Hidden Enemy, Part 1 (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 82: The Hidden Enemy, Part 2 (2005)
 * Star Wars Republic 83: The Hidden Enemy, Part 3 (2005)

Jedi

 * Jedi: Mace Windu (2003)
 * Jedi: Shaak Ti (2003)
 * Jedi: Aayla Secura (2003)
 * Jedi: Dooku (2003)
 * Jedi: Barriss Offee (cancelled)

Star Wars Tales

 * Deal With a Demon in Star Wars Tales 3
 * Bad Business in Star Wars Tales 8

Boba Fett

 * Agent of Doom (2000)

Legacy

 * Star Wars: Legacy 0 (2006)
 * Star Wars: Legacy 1 (2006)
 * Star Wars: Legacy 2
 * Star Wars: Legacy 3
 * Star Wars: Legacy 4
 * Star Wars: Legacy 5
 * Star Wars: Legacy 6