Ahmet Zappa and Christian Beranek have joined forces with Walt Disney Studios to create Kingdom Comics. The venture will issue six to eight graphic novels per year, some original and some based on existing live-action Disney properties, all with the possibility of becoming movies. In an interview with PW Comics Week, Zappa and Beranek discussed the project. “We are hoping to discover new talents, new writers, new stories, and be able to tell them in a way that you can only tell in a graphic novel,” Zappa said.
Kingdom Comics plans to release its first book in summer 2009. All publications will be at least 120 pages and consist of a self-contained story, although successful works may spawn sequels. When the graphic novels draw on the Disney vaults, it will be to reimagine less successful live-action features, especially from the 1970s and ’80s, in original ways. “Disney wants to put a lot behind this and there is a good chance these stories will become the next film franchises,” according to Beranek. Zappa and Beranek will coauthor some books, but they are actively seeking other writers as well as artists. At Heroes Con, Beranek and Zappa announced the first creators who will work on the line, writers Scott Lobdell and Steve Niles, with more to be announced soon. “All I can say is, I think the fans will be happy,” Beranek promised.
Zappa and Beranek’s backgrounds merge knowledge of the entertainment and comics worlds. Zappa, son of the late rock and roll musician Frank Zappa, started as an actor and is currently a producer of Fraggle Rock; in 2006 Disney published his young adult novel Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, which has been optioned for a film. Beranek helped found the independent comic publishing company Silent Devil and co-wrote, among other works, Willow Creek. Harris Katleman, an experienced television executive and producer, is also on board. While the writers’ strike stalled talks in the fall, the deal was finalized this spring.
Beranek cites Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure as examples of the tone of their publications, comparing the content to that of a PG-13 movie. He laughingly explained that the “entertainment people” describe Kingdom Comics’ products as “four quadrant,” meaning they will appeal to audiences that are young and old and male and female.
Zappa is excited that Kingdom Comics may help turn reluctant readers on to books. As a child, he struggled with learning disabilities. “It was so difficult, the pressure that I put on myself to read a book. But when I discovered comics books and the pictures that help tell the story—that was the trick that allowed me to dive into reading.” He had more access to comics than the average kid. His father was one of the first musicians to advertise his records in Marvel comics, so there were “always vats of them around the house.”
The Kingdom Comics team is already actively promoting the venture. They appeared at Wizard World: Philadelphia and Heroes Con and will also attend Wizard World: Chicago and San Diego Comic-Con, among other events. Beranek notes that they are open to talking to fans and have found “people are excited that we are treating these books with care and respect.” They have also begun to build relationships with librarians, who will be an important market.
Zappa and Beranek will meet with Diamond this fall to discuss distribution, but Kingdom Comics will also, of course, distribute through Disney Worldwide Publishing. “When Disney fires up the machine, you are going to do some business,” according to Beranek. Given Disney’s global reach, the works will also be translated and distributed in other countries.
The two lifelong comic fans are thrilled to have the power of Disney, already the world’s largest producer of children’s comics, behind them. Zappa stresses, however, that Kingdom Comics is a new direction for the company, noting the venture will seek out original content, instead of only producing graphic novels to support already existing properties. “For us,” he added, “it is about the art and the story. We want to make great books. Turning them into movies is just an added benefit.”
