I forbindelse med anmeldelsen af The Circle Trilogy, havde Serieland mulighed for at snakke med Kevin Kaiser, manden der bearbejdede Ted Dekkers forlæg fra bøger til tegneserier.
Serieland: The original book series is fairly unknown in Denmark, would you say that the comic book version is a fair representation of the novels original language, plot and scope?
Kevin Kaiser: Yes and no. From a storytelling standpoint I think it’s a fair representation of what I call the series’ “super story”—the big ideas, themes, and plot that everything revolves around. But, being a fantasy story, the graphic novels have to fall short in some ways. The original novel is always better than the movie, or this case the graphic novel. A good example of what I mean is The Lord of the Rings. There are lots of Tolkein fans who say the Lord of the Rings movies were weak because they left out so many details or that Middle Earth wasn’t what they imagined in their minds. It’s the same The Circle Trilogy is an expansive story that spills over from our world into this sort of fantastic realm that is difficult to contain on the printed page. But all of that aside, I think we did a good job weaving the main thread of the story.
Presumably some cuts have had to been made upon transforming a lengthy book series into a comic book version, could you be so kind as to reveal how this process took place?
Adapting a novel to a graphic novel is much like making a movie. And it’s almost as painful at times because you don’t have as much time to tell the story as the author did. First, the novel (400 pages) had to be distilled into 132 pages of script. The process is the same as writing a movie screenplay. It starts with a lot of discussion between the script writers and the novel’s author about what key elements of the story are essential and what details can be left out or told in other ways. That can take weeks to come to terms on, but it’s the most important. Once those decisions are made, a script outline is made and reviewed. Then the writing begins. The script is written that details not only the dialogue that happens on each page, but also what images and “camera angles” need to happen in each panel. Then like any novel, the script goes through a ruthless editorial process to make sure the story makes sense and flows well. After several rounds of revision, we agree on a final version that we give to the artists. Then they start drawing.
To what degree – if any – was Ted Dekker included in editorial questions and practices – did he for instance have influence on the graphical style / look of the books
He was very involved in this series and had specific ideas on what a particular character should look like or how a particular plot thread developed. I’ve worked with Ted Dekker on several projects and he’s got a specific vision particularly for these books.
In retrospect are there any shortcuts or emissions (or even additions) you were “forced” to make – and could you tell our readers what the reasons for doing so were?
Oh, there were lots of shortcuts mostly having to do with back-story or character development. In the novels, Ted had the advantage of having 400 pages to tell the story. He had to make several compromises on how much time we could spend developing characters through what they said versus what they did.
Were there any that you are especially proud of?
I can’t think of any that I’m particularly proud of.
Any that you regret to have made?
In Red, Book Two, there is a key scene toward the end of the book that (in hindsight) I wish we would have given more space in the script. After I saw it in finished form it felt a bit rushed.
When reading the information included on each TPB, it is revealed that not only has each instalment had various people adapt the original, also both the choice of artists and colourists seem to change from volume to volume what is the reason for this?
That’s a great question. When I came onto the project, the books had already been in production for several months under another the direction of another studio that the publisher (which, at the time, was Circle Media) was forced to part ways with. The books were behind schedule, and the only way to get them on track for the deadline was to put more artists on the projects. It was a decision made more from necessity than design.
Why did you not, for instance stick with Mike S. Miller, who – from my humble view as a reviewer – seem to have the strongest, most consistent style?
The time constraints really were the reason. And I agree with you. White is visually the strongest and most consistent book, but that’s because it only had one artist.
Have you had any responses/critique from readers who have commented on the changing artists involved?
We really haven’t. I’ve heard a few comments, but those have been from comic aficionados.
It seems that it has been a deliberate choice to change the graphic style from Thomas’ real life and Dreamworld – yet both have to be have a certain degree of realism – could you tell our readers a bit about the differences and the artistic/editorial choixces made in connection to this?
Other Earth was meant to have a sort of surrealistic feel to it—vibrant colors, softer lines, and an overall mythic feel. This earth was meant to be more angular and more “realistic”. What made the story challenging was how Thomas passed from one world to the other. Using different coloring to signify the two worlds, we felt, would help readers discern the leap from one world to the next.
The series have a strong Christian morale and iconography throughout. In connection to this several questions arise: Who is the main target audience for these comics?
The main audience is fantasy readers, and particularly those who are familiar with Dekker. I would place the story in the same vein as some of Tolkein or Lewis’s works. While the Christian myth is central to the story’s telling, I wouldn’t say it’s made for Christians per se.
Do you think that the comics are accepted in the same way by Christian audiences and by “ordinary” comic book fans who do not necessarily share a specific creed?
Everyone sees stories through the lens of their worldview. So, from that standpoint a Christian might get something different from the story than an atheist, or Buddhist, or agnostic. The stories, though, seem to have found an audience both within and outside the Christian circles. So, yeah, I think they’ve been accepted by both.
Have you had any positive/negative responses to this comic book from religious groups (both non-Christian and Christian)
We’ve gotten great response from comic fans in the States, even from those within the comic industry that I expected negative response from. Actually, the only negative comments we got were from the Christian community regarding the level of violence in the books.
Do you think these comics have the power to change the readers’ live/opinions/outlook on their world?
Stories cut straight to the core of how we see and understand the world. There are some big themes in these books that I hope challenge the readers, for sure. Is the story powerful? Yes. Will it change the reader? Not up to me. : )
Themes such as birth, baptism, blood, rebirth and salvation are dominant throughout the latter part of the story, how do you respond to the idea that some may see these as getting in the way of the very action-centred, fantasy plot of the first instalment?
I think it’s a ridiculous argument. All of those things are central themes of nearly every fantasy story or myth ever passed down through human history. Those themes are the action; they are the fantasy plot.
Lastly, are there currently other plans to transform any of Dekker’s other works into comic books?
There are. We just finished the four Lost Books titles (Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, and Chaos), which are Dekker’s follow-up novels for the Circle Trilogy. Chosen and Infidel released in the U.S. in November and Renegade/Chaos release Spring 2009.
And in relation to this: How well has the Circle Trilogy been received, both with respect to the critics and its general reception by the comic book crowd?
According to the sales numbers the review I’ve read, The Trilogy has been received very well. So, hopefully we did our job well.