Earlier this month, Chris Arrant of Comic Book Resources interviewed Kazu Kibuishi, asking questions about his career and his most recent progress. Check it out. We managed to get a few interesting tidbits about the series, including the following excerpt:
Q: I remember you once saying your initial contract for the Amulet series was only for five books. Can you talk about being at the point that it’s successful enough – and you’re still creatively fulfilled by it – to keep going to six and beyond?
A: I could probably draw Amulet books forever, but there is definitely a clear story arc coming to an end very soon. The current contract is for seven books, and if the story looks like it needs to end there, that is what’s going to happen. When I started the books, I envisioned a single 300-page book that was split into two parts because Scholastic wanted to print a shorter book, but as I was coming to the end of the second book, and saw that there was a lot of story left to tell, I went back to Alledia and kept the journey going. I work for my characters, so they can tell me when I need to stop.
As you can see, there is a possibility that the series can end at the seventh book, but will it? There are lots of loose ends that need to be tied in the story still, so I would assume Kazu would have to make the next book the longest in the series if that's the case. Though as an aspiring artist and writer, I never doubt the ability of the author. I honestly believe that Amulet will extend beyond its contract, as it did with Book 5.
Also, Kazu made the following comment regarding the kickstarter re-release for his Daisy Kutter series and the affect it had on Amulet 6: Escape From Lucien:
One thing I realize while working on the Daisy Kutter Kickstarter was that I was a more efficient storyteller working on Daisy Kutter than I was as a storyteller on Amulet. It made me reassess how I wrote and drew the pages for Amulet, and how I could work to pack more of a punch per page. The results are on display in Amulet Vol. 6. If readers think the book provides a better reading experience than previous Amulet books- and I think it does- then they have Daisy Kutter to thank for that. The key was in changing the size I draw the original pages.
This makes me even more excited for the book. If you've read the entire series, you'll notice Kazu's progression as an artist and storyteller. Each of his books look cleaner and crisper, and I'm really excited to see that kind of artistic development. What do you think?