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ONE-ON-ONE WITH QUINLAN VOS
 Speaking
of Legacies, Doug, Quinlan Vos is larger than life by securing the
top vote in the Fans Choice poll. How did get you so lucky and
become the living model for Quinlan Vos?
A friend of mine (Chip Childress) was a
huge fan of Jan’s artwork. He immediately noticed the similarities
between Quin and I. This was just after Celebration II about three
years ago. Chip submitted a photo of me to Jan from my portfolio and
she contacted him immediately and asked how to reach me.
Why did Jan Duursema pick you?
Well Chip is pretty much responsible; he
was a big fan of her earlier issues before Republic and was
astonished how much this character resembled someone he knew for
many years. Jan herself said the likeness was uncanny. She asked me
to attend Wizard World in Chicago and invited me to the Dark Horse
Comics booth to pose in character for an appearance she was doing.
I’ll never forget the look on her face as she looked up from her
sketchbook. It was like she has seen a ghost. I didn’t realize how
big this was until I was literally transformed right there, being
painted up with the tribals. Then I was shook when people passed by
and mentioned the character by name.
What happened next?
Later that night we ran into some guy named
Steve Sansweet at dinner and I was introduced as Jan’s model. That
show was such a great time; I really didn’t want it to end. By the
time Republic Issue #76 rolled around it had really taken on a life
of it’s own.
Doug, how greatly has your life changed since Issue #76?
Seeing the cover of #76 was heavy-duty
stuff, I’m not sure if that is what inspired the CIII poster but to
see Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura, I was blown away. The construction
of my Sith Armor was started on the road in November in Ohio and I
didn’t get to see the finished product until my third appearance at
Celebration III. The character had truly been brought to life at the
show of all Star Wars shows.
Has this been your greatest experience over the many shows you’ve
been a guest at since then?
I was really shocked how many people
recognized the character in Indy. While you can’t compare just any
event to a Star Wars Celebration, it’s hard to pinpoint and say what
was my single greatest experience. It just keeps getting better.
Whether it’s San Diego Comic-Con, or a Wizard World event or even
finding myself seated next to Ray Park, Orli Shoshon, and others on
a Star Wars panel last year at the Chicagoland Entertainment
Collectors Expo was a very surreal experience. Some of these are
people I was in line for at Celebration II getting an autograph for
myself!
How much does the character of Quinlan Vos reflect Doug Wangler? Are
you two anything alike?
According to Jan, yes we are very much
alike.
How do you feel about the Fans’ Choice figure going to Darth Revan?
Do you think Quin deserves to be on the Fans’ Choice card in
addition to the two-pack? Its not like Hasbro it’s afraid of
rehashing a figure or two.
It’s really just a title and not such a big
deal. The number of fans that voted Quin number one means more to me
than any packaging or title.
Do you think Quin got the shaft?
Absolutely not, let’s look at the bigger
picture. They are saying a two-pack is coming that is good enough
for me.
Doug, we’d like to thank you for your time we look forward to seeing
you this weekend at
Wizard
World Chicago and extra special thanks to Jan Duursema for her
correspondence in this interview.
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