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DeMATTEIS' ABADAZAD
by: Jennifer Contino (The Pulse)
This past weekend at San Diego Comicon CrossGen’s
Code 6 announced a new title from J.M. DeMatteis and Mike
Ploog called Abadazad. This all-ages fantasy series is done
along the vein of Oz, Narnia, and the like. DeMatteis gave
us a few details on this upcoming project.
THE PULSE: What is Abadazad?
DeMATTEIS: Abadazad, the series, is a kid-friendly fantasy-adventure
-- in the tradition of Oz, Narnia, Neverland, Dr. Seuss,
Madeleine L'Engle, A.A. Milne, Susan Cooper...and all the
great children's literature that has nurtured my soul...and
my children's. Abadazad the place is a magical land that
our lead character, Kate, has only known through a series
of famous fantasy novels by a writer named Franklin O. Barrie
...
... until she suddenly finds herself journeying through
the real Abadazad in search of her long-missing brother.
THE PULSE: What inspired this story?
DeMATTEIS: I've been saying for years and years that the
contemporary comic book business has pretty much turned its
back on young readers. You'll find an occasional exception
to that rule, but, for the most part, the audience keeps
getting narrower and narrower as the companies strive ever
harder to be "edgy" and "adult."
Please note: I'm not knocking the quality of the books or
their creators; just talking about the general direction.
Nor do I think there's anything wrong with adult comics:
I am, after all, the guy who did Moonshadow, Seekers, Brooklyn
Dreams and many other comics geared toward an adult audience.
But when the majority of mainstream super hero comics aren't
suitable for an eight or nine year old, I think we've really
gone off the rails. I think it's an incredible disservice
to our children not to have comics for them that transcend
the usual cartoon adaptations that are thrown out into the
market. We need challenging, literate, beautifully-illustrated
material in the tradition of the best children's literature.
I've been trying to get some kid-friendly properties off
the ground for some time now...and really hadn't found anyone
who really "got" what I was talking about -- until
I went knocking on CrossGen's door. Their understanding of
the material -- and their enthusiasm for it -- has been not
only encouraging to me, but inspiring.
THE PULSE: Whom if anyone did you base Kate on?
DeMATTEIS: Kate is a very contemporary spin on the classic
Alice-Dorothy heroine of children's literature. Being the
father of a not-quite nine year old girl, I'm sure some of
my daughter (and my son, for that matter) has crept in to
Kate and her brother, Matt. But, really, once they hit the
page, these characters take on their own lives. So Kate is
pretty much...Kate. She's nine at the beginning of the story,
but a jaded, cynical, angry fourteen year old for the bulk
of the tale. An interesting, multi-leveled character (I hope!).
THE PULSE: Who are some of your creative influences on this
series?
DeMATTEIS: All of the above-mentioned gods of the children
book pantheon, especially L. Frank Baum and C.S. Lewis ...as
well as the classic fairy tales we were all raised on. I
also have to mention Walt Disney...whose interpretation of
so many of those classic stories has had a profound influence
on me (I think Disney's Pinocchio is the Citizen Kane of
animation). And then there's the Mary Martin version of Peter
Pan that played on television every years when I was a kid:
I've been seeking Neverland ever since.
This series has also been influenced by just about everything
I've ever written. Writing Abadazad has been very reminiscent
of writing Moonshadow and Brooklyn Dreams and other creator-owned
properties I've done. It's as if, through this book, I'm
picking up where I left off, honoring the work I've done
and pushing off into new creative waters. This has been a
wonderful, challenging piece of work...and it's only just
beginning.
Finally, of course, my own life is probably the biggest
influence on Abadazad; not just my life as a father, but
my own childhood, as well. Being nine years old doesn't seem
very far away to me...and I still see the universe through
a child's eyes in many ways.
THE PULSE: Who is your target audience?
DeMATTEIS: I want this to be a series that a parents can
read with their children...and that they can all enjoy; the
same way parents and kids find mutual joy in Narnia, Oz,
Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and so many others tales.
THE PULSE: Who besides Kate are the other characters in
this series?
DeMATTEIS: Too many to list. With Abadazad, I'm creating
(and the brilliant Mike Ploog—and what an honor it
is to work with him!—is breathing visual life into)
an entire new world. Aside from Kate, Matt and their mother
-- there's the entire population of Abadazad. Characters
are pouring out of my head at an alarming rate...and I'm
having the (creative) time of my life!
THE PULSE: What made Code 6 a good choice to publish this?
DeMATTEIS: As noted, CrossGen totally "gets" the
need for this kind of material. I didn't have to explain
anything or try to convince them to do it: they very enthusiastically
jumped on board and made the project a priority. As for Code
6, I think it's one of the better deals out there. It allows
me the freedom to create my worlds and to be cut in for a
very fair piece of the pie—while CrossGen goes out
and aggressively finds new venues for the work.
I've been very impressed with their plans so far. I'm sure
it's only going to get better.
THE PULSE: How many parts/issues do you envision this series
being?
DeMATTEIS: The initial story-arc will run 13 issues. If
it's successful (as we all hope it will be) I've got enough
Abadazad stories to tell for many years to come.
THE PULSE: What are some of the biggest challenges to working
on this?
DeMATTEIS: It's been a while since my imagination has been
allowed to roam as freely as it has in creating Abadazad;
that's both exhilarating -- and terrifying. This is a dream
project for me...one I've nurtured for years now; in many
ways it's the project I've been working toward through my
whole career. Again, that's very exhilarating -- and scary.
But I've found that the projects that really scare me are
the ones that force me to grow as a writer.
So I look forward to the journey through Abadazad and all
the surprises it will bring me, personally and creatively.
THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
DeMATTEIS: Well, we've wrapped up the first Giffen-DeMatteis
Justice League series (Formerly Known As The Justice League)
for DC and we're plowing through a second six-issue mini-series
(I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League). I've got the
128 page, two-part Superman mini, The Kansas Sighting, coming
out in November. Another original that's in the proposal
stage. And I'm working on a movie project right now (and,
no, I can't really talk about it) that's as challenging and
exciting in its own way as Abadazad.
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