This is an article I wrote for Newsarama. They never ran the article, I assume because of how completely vapid this particular panel was. Or because I omitted the ten minute rant that Ahmet Zappa went on about Thumbelina, the smallest horse in the world.
“Kingdom Comics is about sucking the cute out of everything.”
The joke kicks off an irreverent discussion full of talk of bacon and velociraptors as Christian Beranek and Ahmet Zappa from Kingdom Comics discussed the process of creating comics based on Disney licenses, but were still unable to provide any concrete announcements of its publishing slate, vowing that all will be revealed next February in New York, where they will be joined by Disney Worldwide Publishing.
Because of licensing issues, the duo spoke more about what they did not have access to than what they might be working on, but Zappa managed to drop several winking hints about a possible Dr. Sin project, and “can neither confirm nor deny” a Black Hole comic.
Among the projects not being developed by Kingdom are The Absent-Minded Professor (“Flubber”), The Cat From Outer Space, the Swiss Family Robinson and Condorman.
“Our heart has been broken a couple of times,” Zappa weeps.
The issue, Christian explains, is that many of the properties in question are adaptations of novels, which leads to a rights issue. “Condorman is based on a Robert Sheckley novel called The Game of X,” the pair explains, “and the two are completely different from one another. I highly recommend that you track down Condorman. I was very excited to see it when I was a kid and very disappointed when it came out.”
Beranek expresses an interest in developing a Megaforce comic, joking that he showed up to work in one of the team’s trademark jumpsuits.
While forced to remain mum about their specific publishing plans, the creators could confirm some information about their marketing strategy and spoke with a retailer in the audience about the struggle to bring new readers into comic shops in general, and into Disney properties in particular. The publisher will be involved in Free Comic Book Day and is in active discussions with Disney marketing about how to give their books a substantial push in the direct market. The two even discussed different ways of packaging the ‘hypothetical’ Dr. Sin comic, including an edition with a leatherbound cover that “looks like an artifact of the 1800s.” It is possible that the same product may be presented in different formats depending on the market (for instance, a bookstore vs. a comic book shop).
When asked if their proposed focus on self-contained graphic novels indicated a stronger push toward the big box retail market, both men denied the allegation strongly.
Christian says, “I remember when I first went to a retail shop. I felt like I was going to Tibet to learn the secrets of the universe, and it was this big, massive thing. I was 11 and collecting Watchmen and Swamp Thing, so maybe that’s why I’m the way I am today.”
Zappa also shares a personal anecdote about his experience with comics as a young man. “If it wasn’t for comics, I wouldn’t know how to read. I had really bad learning disabilities and the thickness of a book really stressed me out. There was something about seeing the pictures tell the story and having less to read that really helped my education.”
Fans asked about the price point of Kingdom’s OGNs, and as with most details, it is too early to give specifics beyond a promise that prices will be “extremely competitive.” Christian confirmed that Kingdom is courting established, fan-favorite talent as well as new creators, but again cautioned that it was too soon to name specifics.
After a surreal segue into a discussion of miniature ponies, Zappa closed the panel by leading the audience in a round of “Happy Birthday” for his dog Luna. It was the second musical number of the panel, with Zappa earlier singing a tear-jerking rendition of “Candle On the Water,” from the film Pete’s Dragon.
