CATCHING UP WITH LES DABEL

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Dabel Brothers Productions was founded in 2001 by brothers Ernst, Les, Pascal, and David to focus on comic adaptations of popular fantasy novels of the time. It's first major hit was 2003's The Hedge Knight miniseries, based on a short story by acclaimed prose novelist George R.R. Martin. With that success, Dabel Brothers delved deeper into fantasy novel adaptations and followed up with adaptations of books by authors such as Robert Silverberg, Raymond E. Feist and Tad Williams. As with many new companies, growing pains were experienced with brief partnerships with Image Comics, Devil's Due, Alias Enterprises, and Red Eagle Entertainment before the company announced it was going independent to publish its books.

That announcement was short-lived when at the Diamond Retailers Summit on September 11, 2006, Marvel Comics Publisher Dan Buckley announced a partnership with Dabel Brothers Productions to publish the company's comics as an imprint under the Marvel banner. While Dabel Brothers Productions remains an independently owned company, Marvel's partnership is intended to serve as a superhero-alternative imprint for Marvel in a similar way as DC's Vertigo imprint. With this new partnership providing the distribution and marketing might of a major comics company, Dabel Brothers Productions found itself on a bigger stage and with sturdier footing which allowed it to quickly expand to publishing three ongoing series and various minis. Employing a staff of 10, the company remains a family affair with several members of the extended Dabel family participating in the six-year old company.

Newsarama.com spoke with co-founder and comics creator Les Dabel about the company and it's future.

Newsarama: Dabel Brothers Productions has quickly blossomed with its publishing of licensed adaptations of popular fantasy and SF novels working directly with the writers themselves. How did this strategy come about, and can you tell us about any uniqueness in dealing with novelists and adaptation work rather than traditional comic creators?

Les Dabel: I blame The Hedge Knight. [laughs]

Seriously, when we started out, we approached many fantasy and sci-fi authors about licensing their work, and none of them took us very seriously. George R. R. Martin eventually decided to give us a chance with a novella he’d written for a [prose] anthology called Legends, and we went on to create The Hedge Knight, which helped us attract the attention of a lot of people in the industry. So many of the authors who contributed to Legends were impressed with what we accomplished that they wanted to see their stories brought to life as well. That was how we picked up Raymond E. Feist (The Wood Boy, Magician Apprentice), Tad Williams (The Burning Man), Robert Silverberg (The Seventh Shrine) and Robert Jordan (New Spring). Eventually, Orson Scott Card, who was also a contributor to Legends, licensed Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker and Wyrms to us as well.

Why did we decide to adapt these titles instead of creating comic book spinoffs? Well, my brother Ernst and I are big fantasy fans, and we’ve been dying to see a lot of these books get made into movies so we can experience them visually the same way we’ve been able to see The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter come to life. But movies are expensive, and time consuming to get produced; they also require the author to make many compromises. Comic books, on the other hand, stand in the chasm between novels and films. They use words to tell a story, like a novel, but they also use images, like a film. They’re perfect for visual adaptations of these long-running fantasy novels, and they don’t require many compromises for us to tell the whole story.

And since many of these series have millions of fans worldwide, we have a wonderful group of people who are ready to buy these books and support the cause…

NRAMA: What would you say the company's mission statement is?

LD: Simply put, “To become the literary arm of the comic book industry.” We love the medium, and we love most of what it has to offer!

NRAMA: When the partnership with Marvel was announced, Les Dabel said one of the biggest benefits was "access to Marvel's artists and writers." Can you tell us in particular any artists/writers who Dabel Brothers Productions has brought over from Marvel, or people you'd like to work with?

LD: We aren’t working with anyone specifically at this time, but we have talked to some of the writers and artists familiar to Marvel fans about projects “down the road.” We’ve also used Leinil Yu for a cover for The Sworn Sword and Greg Horn for a variant cover for Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter.

I won’t tease you with any wish lists. That could be cruel.
NRAMA: I suppose it's cruel that I even mentioned wish lists. Sorry, readers. Moving on, you’re several months into your partnership with Marvel – how has the partnership been so far?
LD: Excellent! Both sides are very happy with our partnership, and we’ve been appreciative of all the advice and support we’ve received from the industry’s biggest and best publisher.

David Gabriel, Jim McCann, and Dan Buckley, as well as the rest of the crew at Marvel, have all been fantastic friends to us all!

NRAMA: You currently have three ongoing series (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, Red Prophet, Magician: Apprentice) and one miniseries (Wyrms) publishing. What's the future look like?

LD: When Wyrms wraps up, we’ll prepare for the launch of Kinley MacGregor’s Lords of Avalon: Sword of Darkness. We’re also launching George R. R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight II: The Sworn Sword, this summer.

NRAMA: Dabel has announced plans for original comics work that wasn't licensed. Can you tell us more about that?

LD: We’ve had a few titles in the works, all created and developed by our staff. One of these titles, Bill Tortolini’s Marshal, saw its debut issue in 2006, and another title, mine and Ernst’s Imperial Dragons, had an issue released back in 2005. We’re hoping to re-release (and, in the case of Imperial Dragons, revise) both, and release them again down the road. We also have a really promising book from Sean J. Jordan called Minus World that will turn a lot of heads when we are finally able to publish it!

We’ve also helped to publish two original titles lately, one adapted from Hollywood producer and screenwriter Michael Lent’s screenplay, Prey: Origin of the Species, and another from Park Cooper, Barb Lien-Cooper, and James Bott called Half Dead.

NRAMA: One of your stand-out titles in recent months has been the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. What do you have planned after the conclusion of the first Anita Blake series?

LD: Another Anita Blake series! Following issue #6, we’ll take a break for a few weeks and then return with Anita Blake: The First Death, a story written by Laurell K. Hamilton herself specifically for this comic book series.

NRAMA: Just to clarify, this isn't an adaptation but an all-new story, correct?

LD: Yes. It’s a prequel series, and the hardcover collection of Anita Blake Vampire Hunter in Guilty Pleasures, which collects the first six issues of the story and includes an original 8-page extra comic. From there, we’ll move into issue #7, which will begin the second half of our adaptation of the first novel.

NRAMA: At New York Comic-Con this year it was announced that in addition to licensed adaptations of novels, you were expanding with original stories by novelists of their prose novels such as the just-mentioned Laurell K. Hamilton Anita Blake: The First Death and also with Orson Scott Card doing an Enderverse story exclusive to comics. Do you have plans to do more of this type of thing?

LD: The Orson Scott Card story, Gold Bugis actually a bonus comic being included in the collected hardcover edition of Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker, so it’s not our normal sort of adaptation since it’s based on an all-new, never before seen original story that Mr. Card recently wrote.

As for our other authors, I’m sure we’ll see more down of this sort of story down the road.

[Nathan Jewell]

You guys really need to get Terry Goodkind on board.

[bcondray]

Any word on the completion/restart of New Spring...and the rest of Robert Jordan's WoT?

I'm loving the Anita Blake and Magician series....

[deathmasterj]

My only question:

XIII - Volume 2.. when???



Actually, two questions: What's The Hedge Knight like? I love good old fashioned Knights in shining armour stories, will I like this?

[darthdad]

loving anita blake, and i can't wait to read the original stories coming next month. hope they do her next novel at the completion of guilty pleasures

[Jed Saxon]

Many of our customers are still waiting for "The Wheel of Time" series to wrap up. But I guess that's not gonna happen, is it?

[Egg]

I am enjoying the Dabel's output! Their comics always make it to the top of my reading pile.

[LikeaPhoenix]

Wow, The Dabel Bros Pro. and Marvel are coming out with some cool interesting looking stuff-reminding me of CrossGen.

That's one cool Leneil Yu cover! Who's doing the art on the red and blue dragons cover? Brett Booth has come along way since Image and taking over for Jim Lee on FF Reborn!

[larrya]

Hey Les,

How about using the Black Knight from Marvel in an original series? He would seem a good fit for you guys. Anyway, I am looking forward to Hedge Knight and Lords of Avalon.

Good Luck!

[Duke Jupiter]

Man, it'd be great if that Leinil cover at the top of the article was a little bigger so I could make it a screen saver. That's a mighty fine piece o' work.

- DJ

[c_andrew_s]

Awesome stuff!

I recently bought and downloaded Anita Blake from http://www.DriveThruComics.com

Anita Blake Issues 1-6 for $9.99

It's an awesome deal

[NoPrize]

How about an Anita Blake/ Blade crossover, maybe a one shot!

[5-0]

Originally Posted by Nathan Jewell

You guys really need to get Terry Goodkind on board.

No, please, anyone but Goodkind. Plus I don't think he would want his "masterworks" in such a lowly medium as comics. Poor us.

[Charlie Hustle]

Yeesh booth is still terrible.

I like the Dabel Bros. books well enough but their release schedules are really hard for me to keep track of.

[stvnhthr]

Dabel Bros. Pro is just gettting rolling. Wait 'til you hear who they have signed next. Good Times ahead.

[Slayton]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hustle

Yeesh booth is still terrible.

I like the Dabel Bros. books well enough but their release schedules are really hard for me to keep track of.

One look at my Avatar should tell you my position on Brett Booth. I got back into comics because of his art and I started picking up Dabel Bros stuff because of him. Brett is awesome. Ever seen his dinosaurs?

[Derek Ruiz]

Originally Posted by Duke Jupiter

Man, it'd be great if that Leinil cover at the top of the article was a little bigger so I could make it a screen saver. That's a mighty fine piece o' work.

- DJ

You can check our site www.dabelbrothers.com for larger images and wallpapers.

[Blackbeard]

Excellent interview, Les!

Can't wait to see what DBPro does next!

[Derek Ruiz]

Originally Posted by darthdad

loving anita blake, and i can't wait to read the original stories coming next month. hope they do her next novel at the completion of guilty pleasures

That's the plan.

[chompachomp7]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hustle

Yeesh booth is still terrible.

I like the Dabel Bros. books well enough but their release schedules are really hard for me to keep track of.

haha,,,i only read the postings to see what was said about the awfull art in the anita blake series,,,,lol..how in gods name did booth land the job? office politics? cheap wages? does he have polaroids of one of the editors engaged in illegal activities?

[Scarlet Mage]

Yes, Booth isn't a horrible artist but I have to agree that he's the wrong artist for Anita Blake. Is Gene Colan still alive? He'd be my first choice on the series.

[Jeremy Williams]

Bret Booth has always been an underrated artist with his own style. I think he works better outside of super-hero books. So fantasy and horror are ideal for him.

[stvnhthr]

Originally Posted by Scarlet Mage

Yes, Booth isn't a horrible artist but I have to agree that he's the wrong artist for Anita Blake. Is Gene Colan still alive? He'd be my first choice on the series.

Laurell K. Hamilton's first pick for Anita Blake was Brett Booth, so your free to voice your opinion but it doesn't match the author's. Gene "the Dean" Colan would have been a fantastic choice at least thirty years ago, but he is 81 and not in the best of shape for a monthly book. Brett and his wife Jess actually are huge fans of the novels, they know the stories and the characters inside and out, you aren't going to find a better creative team.

[benavery]

Originally Posted by deathmasterj

Actually, two questions: What's The Hedge Knight like? I love good old fashioned Knights in shining armour stories, will I like this?

Yes.

And then some.

Hedge Knight is everything you love about the chivalrous tales of knights and knighthood. With some modern sensibilities . . . but surprisingly, those modern sensibilities don't take away from the fun.

Or, at least, it's everything I love about the chivalrous tales of knights and knighthood!

Ben

[Derek Ruiz]

Originally Posted by benavery

Yes.

And then some.

Hedge Knight is everything you love about the chivalrous tales of knights and knighthood. With some modern sensibilities . . . but surprisingly, those modern sensibilities don't take away from the fun.

Or, at least, it's everything I love about the chivalrous tales of knights and knighthood!

Ben

And if you read it you will be come addicted to the George R. R. Martin Universe.