INKTOBER 52 2024 Week #33: STORMTROOPER

“I should keep a running tally of the ‘Star Wars’ references I make with Inktober prompts. It is my biggest creative influence, as I’ve mentioned every time I do one of these, so it’s always fun to find ways to pay homage to the ‘Star Wars’ universe.

I put a lot of wear and tear on my ‘Star Wars’ toys and action figures as a kid. I loved all the details of the sculpts (though I know my imagination filled in a lot as the manufacturing technology wasn’t what it is today) and accessories for each character. There was such a wide range of unique sizes and body types from the tiny Yoda (with orange snake and removeable robe) to the tall Chewbacca (the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ version that had the disassembled C-3PO in a bag) and a large assortment of droids and different alien species. Two figures that I always thought were particularly cool were the Luke Skywalker and Han Solo disguised as stormtroopers ones. They had removeable helmets! I don’t know why I liked that so much, or why it captured my imagination, but it did. There was just something satisfying about popping those helmets on and off in the course of playing depending on whatever I had going on in the story I came up with. The Stormtrooper armor design was really cool and instantly iconic, and became even more so by seeing its evolution through all the history revealed in the prequels, animated shows like ‘The Clone Wars’, and all the other expanded universe novels and comics.

Anywhat, ‘Star Wars’ is awesome. I’m overdue to rewatch the movies.”

Do you enjoy my Plunger Monkey Inktoberings? Would you like to have a bunch of them in your very own hands while supporting the pursuit of my dreams? Go grab a copy of Inklings on Amazon.com today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733734716?ref