FRIENDS OF FLIGHT V: TALKING TO KAZU KIBUISHI

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

Rounding out Newsarama's "Friends of Flight" coverage, we’ve got an interview with the anthology's chief architect, cartoonist Kazu Kibuishi.

Over the course of three years and now four volumes, editor and cartoonist Kazu Kibuishi has guided the anthology title Flight from meager self-published begins to being published by Image, and now Random House books. Built on a style of cartooning that is outside the stereotypical American comics norm of the time, Flight has left an indelible impression on the comics industry in America. Although Flight didn't invent comic anthologies, it did reveal a modern appreciation for it that has led to several other anthology graphic novels to spring up in its wake.

Previously this week we spoke to some of the creators from the just-released fourth volume of Flight, and now we turn to Kazu to fill in the last piece of the puzzle.

Newsarama: First lets talk about progression, Kazu. Has the idea of Flight changed for you between now and when you started assembling the first volume?

Kazu Kibuishi: The core idea behind the project still has not changed: to tell honest stories in comics form and to get it in the hands of readers new to comics. What has changed, however, is the content of many of the stories. As the creators change and grow older, their viewpoints shift and they explore new territory, and as an editor, I can only really watch and encourage their growth. When I look at Flight 4, I see a much older book, especially when I read it next to Flight 1, a book that is more youthful in spirit. Since the project has been organic since its inception, these are the kinds of changes that can be expected, and I love seeing it happen.

NRAMA: You've said that Flight isn't bound by a particular theme, but as the editor, what do you look for that makes a creator and a story Flight-material?

KK: This is a tough one to answer, because it's just so hard for me to describe exactly who fits the mold. Though this isn't a summation of what makes a Flight artist, my clearest answer would be to say that I look for people who are generous in spirit. If I can tell they are doing work because of a love or passion for the craft and not just for peer or audience approval, then I know they are doing good work. It's a fine balance, and not everyone who becomes a part of this project will fit that description, but these are the artists I champion most.

NRAMA: From the sounds of it, your focus seems more on the creator instead of a particular story – is it something you learn from personal interaction, or is it solely based on the work they do and your opinion of it?

KK: It's a combination of both. I have very little control of the stories the artists are going to tell, so it generally does become a matter of picking artists on the strength of their character. An artist's work can tell you a lot about the person creating it, but I do tend to notice sometimes I can get it wrong, so meeting them and talking to them is always a nice way to get a better understanding of what they do.

NRAMA: Flight 4 is the second one released by mainstream book publisher Random House. Much was made of the jump from comics publisher to book publisher when it was announced several years back, and now that you have one new volume under your belt and one volume in stores imminently, now is a great time to look back on the change. How did your expectations match up with the reality?

KK: It's turned out just as well as I could have expected. Random House now has all four books under its Villard imprint, and I've been having a great time working with the people there. I didn't expect the books to sell multitudes simply because of the shift, but I sense that it did help broaden our readership. I'm just glad that we weathered the storm of the transition, and that we have a good system in place now (contracts, etc.) for the creation of these books thanks to the help of my agent Judy Hansen.

NRAMA: . In a recent interview at the blog Finder Wonderland, you said that the main goal of Flight from the beginning was "to do whatever it takes to create a financially viable venue for a new form of American comics". How do you think the success of Flight has done to further that goal?

KK: We're only still at the beginning. I think we could do a lot better. Though the artists get paid a decent amount for the work they do, I feel they deserve more for their efforts. When we've met that expectation, then I'll feel we're well on our way to meeting that goal.

NRAMA: Since the inception of Flight, there has arisen an informal family of cartoonists featured in it's pages. We've seen many of these get their own graphic novels since the first Flight. As the guy behind it all, how does that make you feel?

KK: Oh man, I love seeing it happen. It's been one of the goals from the beginning to give these artists a platform to branch out and try new things. In fact, several artists are working on stories within Flight that are intended to be reprinted in graphic novel form, which was one of the original goals as well. So long as we can create a nice big library of material made with general audiences in mind, I'll be happy.

NRAMA: I'm sure you get this at cons a lot, but I think it's a worthy question – when someone comes up to you and asks what's the best volume of Flight to start with, what do you say? Is there one that is perhaps more accessible for the average person than another?

KK: Hmm, that's difficult. Usually, my stock answer is to say that Volume Two would be a great entry point. It has the most content, and I think the artists really stepped it up for that one, however, I tend to gauge who I'm talking to when I make a recommendation. Flight 3 seems to be really popular among non-artists, and Flight 1 is really popular for budding young artists. Flight 2 and 4 seem to fall somewhere in between the other two.

NRAMA: How is the sister series, Flight Explorer, coming along?

KK: We're just wrapping up production on it. Most of the stories were finished for Flight 4, so the bulk of it is done, but a couple of stories are still being finished.

NRAMA: In your previous interview about Flight Explorer, you said that " When I initially put Flight 4 together, I felt there were actually two very different books crammed together as one. I had this feeling that these two distinct voices would be served well in their own separate books. In fact, when I pulled the stories out of the line-up to move over to Explorer, they were pretty much all grouped together already." With that in mind, does the separation of what was to be one mega volume into the main volume and the kid-friendly Flight Explorer shift the overall make-up of Flight 4? Perhaps by having more than expectant non-kid-friendly material?

KK: I think this book definitely skews older, though I wouldn't say any of it is non-kid-friendly. The content is appropriate for all ages, but the voices of the stories definitely tend to feel like they have older readers in mind.

Previously

Friends of Flight I: A Creators' Q&A

Friends of Flight II: A Creator's Friendly Chat

Friends of Flight III: Commentaries

Friends of Flight IV: A Post-Flight Check-In

[mymeridon]

I received all three Flight books from my brother for a birthday present. Outstanding material. Very fun to read.

Those who have read Bone will love the Flight series.

Will be buying next one shortly....great news "Flight" still has wings.

M

[Mike Thompson]

I would have preferred the central theme of the book(s) to actually be about flight, much like the AdHouse Project anthologies. I gave up after two volumes because the stories in general just did not appeal to me.