The Last Council, the fourth installment in the Amulet series, has recently been published in Israel. We spoke with Amulet creator, Kazu Kibuishi, about the series, comics and more.
Kazu Kibuishi is a busy person. Small wonder, since he is also one of the most popular creators in the comics industry for young audiences, today. Millions of children (and those who are children at heart), eagerly await each new installment in his Amulet series, which Kibuishi creates from his own studio, "Bolt City Productions". In addition, only last year, he designed the covers of the 15th anniversary special edition of "Harry Potter". In short – a busy person. And yet, with the publication of the fourth installment in the series in Israel (Keter Publishing, 2014), "The Last Council", the Amulet creator was kind enough to dedicate a few moments for the readers of "The Fantastic Library", and anwer a few questions.
Hello Mr. Kibuishi, and thank for agreeing to the interview!
Where did you get the idea for Amulet, and how did it develop into the comics?
I originally came up with the idea for Amulet when I was in college. I wanted to work on a project that was reminiscent of Steven Spielberg and Hayao Miyazaki movies and try to do it in comics form. It took me a few years after college to realize what I wanted to talk about in the story before I began to work with a publisher on the project.
The drawing technique of the characters and the amazing scenery in Amulet are distinctly different. Why is that?
In Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, McCloud asserts that a simple cartoon face is more relatable than a very detailed one. I believe this to be true. My goal was to create a very rich and detailed world, but one that you can access very easily. The characters and their simply designed faces are the access point, so to speak.
The tone of the story in Amulet is quite mature and dark: loss, betrayals, despotism… were you not afraid that audiences would find it too dark?
My favorite stories I read as a kid were often very dark. Whether it was Roald Dahl’s work, or Shel Silverstein, or even Dr. Seuss, their stories often had a slightly dark and wicked tone to them that was also laced with humor. I wanted to make sure I drew for the person I was when I was ten years old.
Generally, fantasy narratives do not include parental involvement. Parents are somewhere in the background, if they are there at all. Yet, in Amulet Emily and Navin are joined by their Mother. How and why did you decide to have Karen actually accompany her children on their adventures?
I decided Karen needs to join the journey because even though she is older, and she is a parent, in many ways she is still a kid. This is pretty reflective of my own personal life, where my brother and I have often had to take care of our parents. I also love my parents so much. Why would you not take your family along on the adventure?
What do you think of the future of comics in the digital age? Will we see Amulet in a more digital and/or interactive format?
I believe Amulet is available in a digital format by now, released through Scholastic. I’m working hard enough to keep up with the present that I have no idea what the future holds for comics. My belief is that we will still have paper books for a very, very long time.
What advice would you give to the readers of "The Fantastic Library" who wish to create comics?
Just practice! Remember, according to social psychology writer Malcolm Gladwell, that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to develop expertise on any one thing, so start putting in those hours of work!
Thank you, and please keep up the amazing work!
You’re welcome! And thank you for reading!
Read the Hebrew translation of the interview
Watch the magical trailer for Amulet: The Last Council
