Disney Press released author/game developer Jordon Mechner's new graphic novel, Prince of Persia: Before the Sandstorm in April, six weeks before the release of Disney Picture's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a potential summer blockbuster film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and based on Mechner's popular Prince of Persia videogame series first developed in 1989. A 128-page graphic novel, Before the Sandstorm is a prequel to the plot of Prince of Persia, consisting of five linked stories, each illustrated by a different artist. Although complimentary, the graphic novel and the film can be understood independently of one another.
The book is structured as a mystery, with several characters giving their version of events about how they came into possession of the prince's valuables. In an e-mail interview Mechner explained, “I took a cue from the Thousand and One Nights, which is of course where Prince of Persia came from in the first place. Those tales are stories within stories within stories. That, and Kurosawa's film Rashomon (which also owes a lot to the 1001 Nights), gave me the idea to build it around five different characters, each telling his or her own story, within a frame story drawn by the sixth artist.”
Prince of Persia: Before the Sandstorm should not be confused with the graphic novel Prince of Persia released by First Second in 2008, which was written by A.B. Sina and illustrated by LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland. “My role on that project was to offer creative inspiration and oversight,” Mechner notes. The process “reawakened the urge to write graphic novels” in Mechner and helped lead to the new Disney graphic novel. A new edition of the First Second volume will be released on April 27.
However for this new graphic novel, Mechner decided to use the anthology format and said “It makes sense having different art styles because each character has his own view of reality.” The artists include Niko Henrichon, Cameron Stewart, Bernard Chang, Tommy Lee Edwards, David Lopez, and Tom Fowler; Todd McFarlane supplied the cover art. Mechner and Castro collaborated in choosing the artists, and the owner of Mechner's local comic book shop (Secret Headquarters in L.A.) suggested Henrichon.
Mechner said he feels lucky to have collaborated with the artists involved and trusts their visions. “I don't try to dictate how they should lay out the story panels on the page, any more than I'd try to tell the director where to put the camera when I'm writing a film screenplay,” he said to PWCW.
Nachie Castro, Mechner's editor at Disney Press, said they expect the graphic novel to appeal to fans of the video games, the movie, and attract fans of the artists involved in the project, as well as people interested in the movie and just curious about the book that accompanies it. A reader who knows nothing of the Prince of Persia series in any other format can enjoy the adventure story and the artwork, Castro said, noting that there are plenty of plot points that tip their hat to fans of the video game and the film.
The age range for the book is 13 and up, in fitting with the PG-13 rating of the movie. The price point was kept low, at $9.99 for the paperback and $19.99 for the hardback.
Disney Press hopes to publish other graphic novels in tandem with Disney Pictures. As opposed to novelizations or literal adaptations, these publications will be part of a larger narrative world which the films will also occupy. As Castro explained, “These worlds are really large and rich and there is room for additional stories. We want to tell stories that are interesting and stand alone—either can be read and seen without the other.”
Publicity for the Disney book began at last year's San Diego Comic-Con, and it is now featured on the Disney Books website. The artists associated with project should attract fans from different areas of the comic and graphic novel world. The appearances that Mechner will make are for the movie, although the book will soon be publicized on the movie website. Castro explained, “as the [publicity] machine keeps rolling on the stuff that Jordan is doing for the movie, and the fact that they are playing up the legacy aspect with his video game, will only help the book and bring in more people who may have not heard about the book.”
Mechner expressed amazement that Prince of Persia has found success in so many formats for over two decades. “At the time I was animating and programming the original game, my biggest worry was whether I could get it done in time before the Apple II games market dried up entirely.” Mechner added, “So many people have lent their creative talents to Prince of Persia over the years—in games, graphic novels, and now a movie, toys, LEGO—it's really wonderful and amazing to me.”
