JOHN CASSADAY

I'm directing episode 10 of the new season of 'Dollhouse' and couldn't be more thrilled. I've visited the set several times in the last year and a half to shadow Joss and other directors in order to prepare. It was important for me to get a feeling for the crew and how they interact.

I essentially started out with a Western series for WildStorm/DC but didn't want to be perceived as a 'Western artist.' I did a couple of super-hero things at Marvel but didn't want to be one of those guys, either. I loved all these genres and wanted to play in a very big toy box. Enter 'Planetary.'

I was in Los Angeles prepping my episode of 'Dollhouse' when the final 'Planetary' hit the stands in October. Yeah, it was surreal. One chapter closing, another opening.

The key for me with 'Star Wars' is to stay in their world. Don't get in the way of what is already known and what works. I think of the basic nature of the filmmaking process that worked so well for the original trilogy. No stylistic flights of fancy for the sake of showing off. Tell the story, get the shot, get the performances, and move on.

Any time you get to work with creative people - animators, actors, directors and producers, all of this - it helps to refine what tools you'll need moving forward.

The approach to 'Star Wars' was more complicated than usual merely by the nature of its expansiveness.

I've been planning a chunk of time to myself for years now. It's been my intention to finish 'Astonishing X-Men,' 'I Am Legion' and 'Planetary' and then sort of 'disappear' from doing comic interiors for a couple of years. I'll pop up here and there with a short story or two, old promises to friends and all, but no major series work.

I essentially started out with a Western series for WildStorm/DC but didn't want to be perceived as a 'Western artist.' I did a couple of super-hero things at Marvel but didn't want to be one of those guys, either. I loved all these genres and wanted to play in a very big toy box. Enter 'Planetary.'

The key for me with 'Star Wars' is to stay in their world. Don't get in the way of what is already known and what works. I think of the basic nature of the filmmaking process that worked so well for the original trilogy. No stylistic flights of fancy for the sake of showing off. Tell the story, get the shot, get the performances, and move on.

Any time you get to work with creative people - animators, actors, directors and producers, all of this - it helps to refine what tools you'll need moving forward.

I'm directing episode 10 of the new season of 'Dollhouse' and couldn't be more thrilled. I've visited the set several times in the last year and a half to shadow Joss and other directors in order to prepare. It was important for me to get a feeling for the crew and how they interact.

I've been planning a chunk of time to myself for years now. It's been my intention to finish 'Astonishing X-Men,' 'I Am Legion' and 'Planetary' and then sort of 'disappear' from doing comic interiors for a couple of years. I'll pop up here and there with a short story or two, old promises to friends and all, but no major series work.

The approach to 'Star Wars' was more complicated than usual merely by the nature of its expansiveness.

I was in Los Angeles prepping my episode of 'Dollhouse' when the final 'Planetary' hit the stands in October. Yeah, it was surreal. One chapter closing, another opening.