In the late 1990s, shapeshifter go through KA Applegate Become a cult phenomenon. Written by Kathleen Applegate and husband Michael Grantand later a ghostwriting team, the prose series totaled more than 60 volumes. shapeshifter It was later adapted for television and has occupied much of the discussion time on campuses across the country. Now, Scholastic Graphix is adapting the story into a series of graphic novels by: Chris Green.
with next entry shapeshifter graphic novel series, Predator: Shapeshifters #5Just around the corner, Comics Beat took the opportunity to interview Grine via email about bringing the groundbreaking prose series into a continuous graphic narrative. If you missed it, be sure to check out last week’s interview with Applegate and Grant!
Avery Kaplan: Can you tell us how you got involved in this project? shapeshifter Graphic novel adaptation? Did you have any experience with the series before this?
Chris laughs: I just published a book using Graphix (time converter) That May, I was pitching some new ideas to my editors when they asked me if I would be interested in doing some kind of test run on this old IP they had. Before that, I’d only created my own stories, so this was different for me and I wasn’t sure it was what I wanted to do next. Then they told me it was Ampofus, and I knew I would be crazy if I didn’t understand what it was. I think they liked what I submitted and that’s what happened. However, while I’m familiar with the premise, I haven’t read the books, and I’m excited/terrified to see that the fanbase is as strong today as it was in the late 90s!
Kaplan: I think it’s safe to say that you and shapeshifter By adapting the series into graphic novel form. I’m curious, what new thoughts do you have about this book through the adaptation? Has your impression of the story changed? Is there anything you appreciate again?
laugh: Well, like I said, before this, I’d only read a little bit of the first book, but that’s about it. Once word got out that they were being adapted, my social media was flooded with questions and comments from long-time Animorphs fans. They want to know how I’m going to do everything! They all have favorite books, favorite scenes, and favorite characters, and they all want it all. They still do it! In this regard, a simple comic-for-hire job that I could have easily accepted suddenly took on a whole new dimension. They pressured me in a positive way to do my best in the most honest way because I know what this means to a lot of people.
As far as my impression changed, yes, it did. Mainly just looking at the crazy transformation covers and knowing that kids have the ability to turn into animals to fight ostensibly aliens sounds pretty silly or ridiculous. I was pleased to discover immediately that these books, while YA, were never written to feel silly or in any way not take real-world stakes seriously. As I delve further into the nostalgia and lore of it all, I appreciate it more and more. Anyone who dismisses this series as “just for kids” is really doing themselves a disservice.
Kaplan: What was the process of describing spaceships, aliens, and shape-shifting technology like? shapeshifter series? Was there anything that posed particular challenges for you adjusting?
laugh: Honestly, most of it was the reason I took the job in the first place. I love sci-fi stories, and you tell me there are space ships to be designed, alien technology to be invented, children to turn into deadly animals… I’m in on it!
Surprisingly, the biggest challenge was the speech balloons. Everyone knows what a normal bubble looks like, right? But what happens when each character can only speak with their thoughts while transforming into an animal? The sound is only in your head and the head of the person you are speaking to, so… there is no tail pointing in any direction… How do you demonstrate this visually? We decided to assign colors to the balloons because without the tails it would be impossible to know who is talking. Then add the thought speaking aspect, they can choose to only have certain people hear them and not others. How do you prove this? Well, in this case, I kind of don’t because I can’t crack that particular nut in any satisfying way.
Kaplan: Is there anything in the first five volumes that you were particularly eager to portray through art? What’s in store for the next few volumes? (I’m particularly excited about Ax’s food court scene in book five.)
laugh: Me too! I knew from the beginning that Ax was a fan favorite, and I knew I needed to nail it, but I still had 4 books to do before I got there…well, more like 3 3/4. I’m eager to get to Ax, but I’m also a little scared that I’ll be dealing with 20+ years of headcanons and fan art. One thing on my bucket list to tackle is definitely Ellimist! To me, he’s just a huge asshole. He reminds me of Q StarCraft. The David trilogy will also be a highlight, but that’s still a long way off.
Kaplan: Are there any details in the first four volumes that you hope readers won’t miss?
laugh: Not really. I want readers to read them in order, but I know classrooms and libraries may only have a portion of the series available at any one time. That said, I’m really proud of the terrible jokes throughout the series so far, such as Jack and Marco always talking about the lizard transformation in the first book, or the constant fear of people suddenly transforming.
KAPLAN: During the Scholastic virtual panel at SDCC 2020, you mentioned having 12-year-olds reference 90s pop culture to verify their relevance. I’m curious if you continued this process, and if so, did you discover anything that particularly surprised you?
laugh: Not really. I did start doing this but quickly realized it made me feel old! Haha Also, after doing a few Q&As with my kids, it was clear that most (if not all) of the specific pop culture references needed some work in order for them to stick around, but also not to make the new ones younger Readers are confused. For example, don’t mention that you are david letterman showI changed it to late night TV. I know it’s not ideal, but die-hard fans will know the references and hopefully new readers won’t stumble over them too much.
Kaplan: Have you had any memorable interactions with readers who enjoyed this book? shapeshifter Is there a graphic novel you can share with us?
Oh my gosh, this is definitely the best part of all this. Not only are the creators of the series (Applegate and Grant) some of the kindest, most passionate people I have ever had the pleasure to meet, but the fans are also the most passionate group of people I could ever wish to call friends. I’ve had the opportunity to be a guest on multiple Animorphs-related podcasts, where I’ve met some of the most amazing people. This extends to making other podcasts on other topics with some of the same people, which is awesome! However, the interactions I had with fans in person at conventions were undeniably amazing. I’d been kind of looking forward to when the tide would turn at conferences and have people who were actually doing regional missions stop and talk to me, and I’m so happy not just because Animorphs said, but it’s been as wonderful as I had hoped. I love my fans so much.
graphic novel adaptation Predator: Shapeshifters #5 Will start arriving at your local bookstore and/or public library on August 20thth2024.
