31
| | | Disney & Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Graphic Novel is on FOC Now!
Preorder This Can't-Miss Release!
|
One of the biggest Disney franchises comes to comics! Over three decades on and The Nightmare Before Christmas remains one of the most popular and influential films in the Disney pantheon and pop culture at large. Multiple generations of fans have been obsessed with the heartfelt tale, memorable characters, and iconic aesthetic. The hotly anticipated graphic novel adaptation of the best-selling Long Live the Pumpkin Queen novel is almost here and on FOC this week. This story is set after the events of the film and focuses on the fan-favorite Sally.
Lock in your preorder with your favorite retailer now!
| One of the Biggest Franchises Comes to Your Shelf! | |
JILL THOMPSON
HARDCOVER - MAY250053
PAPERBACK - MAY250054 | | | Stitching Together a Story - Interview
Writer Liz Marsham Delves Into the World of the Pumpkin Queen
| | | Liz, it’s great to be able to ask you some questions about this project we’ve been working on for quite a while now! So first off, and most important, what was it like to get offered the chance to adapt this story?
Well, the first thing that drew me was the chance to work with the editor, Matt Idelson, again. Matt was one of my bosses way back in our DC Comics editorial days, and his straightforwardness, practicality, and humor always made the hard stuff less hard. As for the specific gig, I’m old enough to have seen The Nightmare Before Christmas in its original theatrical release and been absolutely blown away by the artistry and the world. The opportunity to help create something in that world was really exciting.
As you know, the original novel dives deep into Sally’s character. Was it challenging trying to condense her inner thoughts without losing anything?
It was at first; we had a specific page count to hit, and we were initially concerned about cramming in so many captions that they would cover up all the art. Once I broke the story down page by page and looked at the pacing, it became clearer where we absolutely needed to see every word of her internal monologue, and where we could cut back the words and rely on the visuals instead.
The story really centers around Sally — not only is she the primary character, but she’s also shown a great amount of respect by the plot and writing. What are your thoughts on her journey throughout the story?
In the movie, there’s this really lovely character element that is presented as a given: Dr. Finkelstein never truly owns Sally. He keeps her confined, he enforces his priorities on her behavior, but it is never suggested that her own morals or desires have been warped by his influence. She is wholly her own person throughout, and we know it’s only a matter of time before she’s free. So seeing, in this book, where she came from and who actually made and shaped her — that’s the other piece of her freedom. Finkelstein tried to take away so much of who Sally is, and she finally gets to reclaim her whole self and decide what that means to her.
This is of course an adapted story, but you had to get very familiar with the source material to help translate it to a visual medium. During the process, what ended up being the most difficult things to adapt?
In the novel, Shea Ernshaw did an incredible job of describing the visual aspects of Sally’s journey, which made my job a lot easier. So the main challenge was making sure that, especially as we’re showing these big establishing panels of crowd scenes or new environments, we never feel too far away from Sally. Our point of view in any particular panel might be soaring over Sally’s head or peering at her from far down the path, but I wanted us to always experience things with her, not just about her.
As part of the overall process, you’ve gotten to see two artists and a colorist work on pages you penned. What’s it been like seeing this title come to fruition from your writing?
It is such an honor to see someone draw what you’ve written. The angles they choose, the way light and shade contribute to the storytelling, the emotions that come through the characters’ bodies and faces, the background things they add that make the world feel really there — it’s a treat every time!
|
We appreciate your support! |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
