With the release of Dune: The Graphic Novel: The Complete 3-Book Boxed Set from Abrams ComicArts this week, we are delighted to be joined by Kevin J. Anderson. Kevin J. Anderson is the author of more than 50 bestsellers. Kevin is the co-author of the Dune prequel series with Brian Herbert.
Hi Kevin, it’s so great to have you here with us.
When did you discover Dune?
I first read DUNE when I was 11 years old. I was a budding science fiction fan and I wanted to be a writer. I had heard from several sources that DUNE was such a foundational work in the genre that everybody needed to read it. So I did. And I loved it. A great adventure of a young man stranded in the desert with his mother, and encountering giant sandworms. Then I read it again when I was 16 and I discovered so many deeper layers I had not noticed on my first read, all the politics, religion, philosophy, ecology, economics. Then I read it again when I was in college and saw another set of layers. It is an amazing novel.
Can you tell us about the origins of Dune: The Graphic Novel?
I had done a lot of work in comics and graphic novels, especially working in the spectacular Star Wars universe. DUNE is such a natural candidate for graphic novel adaptation, and many companies were interested. But we wanted to do it right. This is such a phenomenal story, we needed to find a graphic publisher that would make it a great literary work. We found that in Abrams Books.
What was it like working with Brian Herbert, adapting Dune into a graphic novel?
From the beginning, when “adapting” Frank Herbert’s masterpiece, we considered how we would change the story to fit better in comics format. In the novel, there are a lot of scenes of talking or internal dialog. But…DUNE is a masterpiece. Brian and I decided we did not feel we could “improve” on the original, and so we set out to adapt DUNE exactly as Frank wrote it, scene-by-scene, so that the graphic novel reader truly gets the experience of Frank Herbert’s DUNE.
As a medium, what is it about the comics medium that you enjoy writing for?
I love working with the artists and leaning on the ARTWORK as a storytelling tool. I have written a lot of novels (almost 200!) and I am used to describing and world building, But in this case, the artist is a true collaborator and does half the work. I love the result.
Do you have a favourite scene from Dune?
Wow, there are so many! I think Duke Leto is my favourite character, and I love his scenes with Paul, and I love his tragic end with the tooth, how he tries to take the Baron with him. I also love Paul’s first sand ride on the worm.
What is it about Dune that makes it beloved by readers around the world?
(I think I covered that in my first answer above)
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
I hope you will experience and enjoy Dune, in whatever form you prefer–whether the original novel, the graphic novel, or the films. I love and admire the story so much, I want everyone to have that experience!
We would like to say a big thank you to Kevin for chatting with us and wish him the best of luck with the release of Dune: The Graphic Novel: The Complete 3-Book Boxed Set.
