Abrams has a major list of graphic novels planned for Fall 2013 and a couple of teases for 2014, with lots of great talent and a wide variety of subject matter.In October, Abrams ComicArts will release Explorer – the Lost Islands, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, who also oversaw the first volume, Explorer: The Mystery Boxes. "It includes a lot of the same people as in last Flight anthology—this one centering around the theme of the lost islands," Abrams Executive Editor Charles Kochman said. "He works with them closely. All the stories don’t connect, but they all focus on a single theme." The 128-page book will have full color illustrations; the paperback will MSRP for $10.95, and the hardcover will MSRP for $19.95
"Kids are hungry for graphic novels. Parents are hungry for graphic novels. I think Wimpy Kid took down that barrier where you say ‘boys don’t read’ and now it’s no longer about boys not reading, it’s about getting them enough material. Girls have already read comics and graphic novels and you’re seeing that with a lot of them. I think having a strong voice and a strong narrative sense that Frank does, he really created a wonderful female protagonist. I think kids are going to love it. The art is extraordinary and the storytelling is really wonderful."
The 96-page hardcover book will release October 1st with an MSRP of $14.95
As far as what Abrams has planned for 2014? “We’re doing an adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred, done by John Jennings and Damian Duffy, "Kochman said. “That is probably a release for Fall 2014."
They are also working on a graphic novel based on the report on the Kennedy assassination by the Warren Commisson. "It’s being done by half of the team, Ernie Colon, of the 9/11 Report," Kochman continued.
"Ernie is working with Dan Mishkin. Again, not trying to solve the mystery, but these are all the theories, this is what we know, this is what we’ve heard, this is where the contradictions are, and leaving it at that. I think one of the mistakes Oliver Stone makes is that he solves the mystery, and as soon as you do that, you anger all these other people. This uses the Rashomon approach of showing multiple points of view and letting the reader decide what makes the most sense."
Another project in the works is Climate Change: A Personal Journey, written by Philippe Squarzoni. "It does what we did with Economix, teaching a really strong non-fiction subject authoritatively," Kochman explained. "It shows the effect of climate change and what’s happening. Very non-partisan. It’s not taking a side, but it’s also showing you irrefutable proof, also showing you counter-arguments so you can get both sides of something and what it does is offer solutions on what we could do. It’s beautifully illustrated. The author is a journalist and he pursued it with the approach of is this real? Is this really happening? Does is matter if it’s man-made or not? Is there something we could do that would correct this naturally occurring cycle that seems to be happening?"
The book will be in black and white and is planned for a Spring 2014 release.
