After near-death experience, Kibuishi completes ‘Amulet’
More than two decades after first conceiving the graphic novel series “Amulet,” Kazu Kibuishi recently published the ninth and final installment, “Waverider.”
For readers, the conclusion of the fantasy and science-fiction saga — which involves the adventures of two young siblings, Emily and Navin, as they search for their kidnapped mother across a range of incredible places — was a long time coming from the Southern California native, who was born in Japan but grew up in Irvine and crafted the early books in the series while living in Alhambra before moving to Seattle and then San Antonio, Texas, where he and his family now reside.
While any number of setbacks could have delayed the completion of a sprawling multipart series written and drawn by one person, there was one compelling reason the “Amulet” books took as long as they did.
Kibuishi nearly died midway through making the series.
Kibuishi contracted bacterial meningitis, which he believes was caused by a dose of steroids he received while being treated for a broken hand.
“I’ll never be able to say for 100% sure,” says Kibuishi, who believes the dose may have been part of a 2012 outbreak of fungal infections tied to a batch of tainted medicine.
He recalls paramedics rushing him to San Gabriel Valley Medical Center.
“What they ended up having to do is give me a spinal tap, put me in a coma and just pump me full of antibiotics and hope for the best,” he says. “And it worked.”
But in the decade since his recovery, Kibuishi says he still feels the effects.
“It changed my life, for sure. That’s part of the reason why I can’t write as fast as I used to. I can definitely draw just as quickly; that’s just motor skill. But writing is really what takes the most time,” he says, adding his memory has been affected.
Since their 2008 launch, the “Amulet” books have sold 7 million copies and have been translated into 21 languages. What began as the story of a grieving family who move into the strange home of a mysterious and eccentric relative grew to encompass a large cast of characters featuring robots, elves, warriors, magical creatures, spaceships and enchanted stones.
The success of the series offered Kibuishi the opportunity to do other things like illustrate a new line of covers for the 15th anniversary of the “Harry Potter” books.
Upon the first book’s publication, some early reviews weren’t always kind, but Kibuishi stuck to his vision, thinking about the movies he loved, many of which had been critical failures upon release only to find an audience later.
“I thought this is one of those things that critics would probably lambaste, but the audience that would find it in the bargain bin somewhere are going to attach themselves to in the ways we did as kids watching ‘The NeverEnding Story’ or ‘The Last Starfighter’ or ‘Big Trouble in Little China.’ All three of those movies were boxoffice bombs and critical failures,” he says, citing the influence of those films on shows today like “Stranger Things.” “Here we are basically celebrating all that work now.”
In any case, Kibuishi knew who he was trying to reach. “I didn’t make it for critics,” he says. “I made it for the readers.”
So considering all those years and all that effort, does he really feel ready to let go of the story?
“It’s taken 16 years for publication,” says the 45-year-old artist. “Since the moment I signed the contract, it’s been 19 years. And since I started working on the project, I think it’s probably something like ... 27 years ago.”
“It’s the final book in the ‘Amulet’ series, as it is. There’s not going to be an ‘Amulet 10,’ per se. But I won’t rule out another series of ‘Amulet’ books with a different generation of characters. I’ve already thought about it. It’s been percolating, but there are other projects to do,” he says.
Kibuishi sees the now-complete series of “Amulet” books as something readers and fans know they can always return to.
“That’s what I’m hoping for, that people revisit the books like they’re like a theme park. Each one of the books is like a ride,” Kibuishi says. “They’ve got to have fun and ride through this thing, and then they’ll be back.”