JOHN OSTRANDER: Casablanca At 70 – As Time Goes By

John Ostrander

John Ostrander started his career as a professional writer as a playwright. His best known effort, Bloody Bess, was directed by Stuart Gordon, and starred Dennis Franz, Joe Mantegna, William J. Norris, Meshach Taylor and Joe Mantegna. He has written some of the most important influential comic books of the past 25 years, including Batman, The Spectre, Manhunter, Firestorm, Hawkman, Suicide Squad, Wasteland, X-Men, and The Punisher, as well as Star Wars comics for Dark Horse. New episodes of his creator-owned series, GrimJack, which was first published by First Comics in the 1980s, appear every week on ComicMix.

You may also like...

4 Responses

  1. Martha Thomases says:

    I never thought Renault was gay, and that’s an interesting prism through which to observe the character. Is that your insight, or did you discover it in your research?

    • John Ostrander says:

      It’s my view. Not everyone will agree but I think it’s right there.

      • Kirk Teeters says:

        I must disagree, John. To me, their relationship is what my kids call a ‘bromance’. (Not unlike Gaunt and BlacJac.) Renault’s comment, “if I were a woman, I would be in love with Rick” is a prime example of his being Rick’s ‘wingman’.

  2. Peter David says:

    I think Renault’s sexuality is much like Renault himself; it moves with the prevailing winds. Women are convenient and in need, so he exploits them. If he were in the French foreign legion, it might well be a different story.