Quennie Chan

Interview with: Quennie Chan
Job: Manga graphic novel Illustrator
Upcoming graphic novel: "House of Odd"
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication date: March 20th, 2012
Interviewed by: Allen Klingelhoets
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Allen: Welcome back Australian manga artist Queenie Chan to Jazma Online. I love reading Dean Koontz novels about Odd Thomas. I have also been reading manga stories about Odd Thomas. How are you feeling today Queenie Chan?

Queenie Chan: Pretty good! It's been a very busy couple of weeks, but I managed to get everything done on time and booted out the door as they're supposed to be. That has a great sense of satisfaction to it. Now I can concentrate on the next batch of work sitting in my inbox.

Allen: Tell me what word manga means to you?

Queenie Chan: Manga means "Comics", except in Japanese. Alot of people think it means "comics from Japan and Japan only", which I don't feel inclined to argue with, though I also think it's a style of story-telling. Most people assume I mean it's the "big eyes" when I say this, but what I really mean is the cinematic style of story-telling. Manga has always been closer to movies than to books, so its style is also a lot more visual than other styles of comics.

Allen: How many manga graphic novels are planned for Young Adult series about Odd Thomas?

Queenie Chan: So far, I've done three. There's no more plans at the moment to do more, though I believe there was a fourth book, one that I had to turn down because of scheduling conflicts. Right now the existing graphic novels for Odd Thomas is, in order, "In Odd We Trust", "Odd is On Our Side", and "House of Odd". The last one, "House of Odd" is coming out on the 20th March, so very soon!

Allen: I have "Odd is on Our Side" (vol. 2) ordered from library. I also have pre-ordered "House of Odd" (vol. 3)from library. I was able to get "In Odd We Trust" (vol. 1) off book shelf at library. How long did it take for you to draw all three Odd Thomas stories?

Queenie Chan: They were all 160 pages each, perhaps a little more than that, so they all took aound the same time to do. I had help in toning books 2 and 3, so I was able to kick back and relax a bit more for those 2 books. Generally, I would say they all took about 9 months to do, though the deadlines for some were a lot tighter than others.

Allen: Do you have much input from Dean Koontz while illustrating Odd Thomas stories?

Queenie Chan: Dean takes his characters very seriously, so he looks over everything and nothing goes ahead without his approval. I didn't get much direct input from Dean himself except for his notes, but truth is, between Dean and my editor, they didn't have THAT many changes to make to the story. Mostly, they seemed quite happy with what I was doing, so while I got input, most of it was pretty minor. It was like that from book 1, so I guess it was a working relationship that was pretty smooth. That carried over to the other books, so I was quite happy.

Allen: What was it like several years ago being with Dean Koontz at San Diego comic book convention?

Queenie Chan: Oh, it was great. He was the star of that particular SDCC, so I was lucky to be able to have a breakfast chat with him. Dean turned out to be a really nice, and really funny guy. I guess as a horror/suspense writer, I expected someone with a "darker" sort of personality, but it was not the case at all. He was amiable and had a lot of funny stories to tell. It seems that he's lived in California (close to L.A.) for a long time, so he knows a fair amount of people in the movie business. He was quite relate-able, and it was really good to meet him!

Allen: What sort of things can readers expect to see in "House of Odd" manga?

Queenie Chan: "House of Odd" is a haunted house story - about Odd and Stormy coming to investigate the strange goings-on at a mansion that is currently being refurbished. Odd gets a strange feeling at that mansion, and peculiarly enough, he doesn't encounter any ghosts of the conventional sort there. So one thing readers can expect is a different kind of supernatural menace!

Allen: Will "House of Odd" be new story or something seen in other Dean Koontz Odd Thomas novels? Will story be told in Pico Mundo?

Queenie Chan: The house is in Pico Mundo alright, but on the out-skirts. Due to the nature of the house and where it's located, you can say that it's like a little island unto itself. "House of Odd" is indeed a new story - like the other book, it's not an adaptation. Timeline wise, it takes place before the first novel "Odd Thomas", so Odd and Stormy are around 19 -20 years old in this story, like they were in the other books.

Allen: I just noticed at Amazon that Landry Q Walker is author for "House of Odd". How well do you think Landry has upheld Dean Koontz's vision of Odd Thomas?

Queenie Chan: I think he did quite a good job! Dean seemed happy to work with him, and I had no trouble adapting his script to manga/comic form. He a different kind of writer to Fred Van Lene (from the 2nd book), so it was interesting to compare the differences. They just each had their own approach to telling a story.

Allen: I hope Stormy Llewellyn will appear in "House of Odd". Will this happen Queenie?

Queenie Chan: Yes! She's Odd's constant companion through book 3 as well. I won't be the same without Stormy!

Allen: What are some things that you enjoy the most about being manga artist for Odd Thomas stories?

Queenie Chan: I like Odd Thomas as a character, and I like Stormy a lot too. I really liked the character designs I did for the series - not only did the fans like my take on the characters, but Dean did too. Despite the number of times I've had to draw Odd Thomas to date, I never feel tired of drawing him. He's such a great guy, I mean! He smiles so much. It's a joy drawing such a well-adjusted, happy, GOOD person.

Allen: What is Odd Thomas's present form of employment?

Queenie Chan: He's still a fry cook. This takes place before the first prose novel "Odd Thomas" after all.

Allen: I have had fun with way Odd Thomas can see ghosts. Please give couple examples of ghosts that have appeared in your Odd Thomas graphic manga stories.

Queenie Chan: Well, my favourites have been book 2, since it was a Halloween book. There's a little girl in a Halloween costume in it, which is just a blank bed sheet with 2 holes cut in it for the eyes. She had to be expressive, so that was pretty fun to make happen. The blank sheet was easy to draw alright - giving the blank sheet personality was an additional challenge though! And there's always Elvis, who looks different each time. I normally drew an older Elvis, but he's "Jailhouse Rock" young in book 3, so keep an eye out for that!

Allen: Are you able to sell any of your art pages for Odd Thomas?

Queenie Chan: It depends on the pages. I believe I can.

Allen: Will your illustrator schedule allow time for other Odd Thomas manga stories?

Queenie Chan: Right now, it depends on when the book is needed, because I'm working on another book. It depends on what Dean is looking to do as well, but for now, I don't think there's going to be another book for a while, at least not from me. You never know though!

Allen: What would you do if Dean Koontz asked you to play character in Odd Thomas movie? Also, which character would you like to play?

Queenie Chan: I think I might enjoy playing Stormy, but she's a babe of Mediterranean extract, and I just don't look the part. Maybe I can play a dead person - a zombie-like tortured ghost shuffling around town. Hehe, I think that would be pretty fun. No dialogue as a ghost after all.

Allen: Do you have any more convention appearances planned to promote "House of Odd"?

Queenie Chan: Not really, since that will call for me to be in the US. I'm going to Adelaide Comic-Con on the 31st March though, so I'll get a chance to chat about "House of Odd" there. It'll be out by then anyway.

Allen: What is the best way to get "House of Odd"? How many pages are in story of "House of Odd"?

Queenie Chan: There's 160 pages, and I think it best if people order it online from either Amazon.com or the Book Depository. Sadly, with the closure of a lot of bookstores, I can't reliably ask people to go to bookstores to buy their books anymore. It's tragic that bookstores have shrunk so much in number, but it's a sign of the times, I suppose. I guess as creators and publishers, you have to come up with new ways to reach your audiences.

Allen: Do you sign copies of your manga works for readers?

Queenie Chan: If anyone brings me a copy, I'll sign it! I've signed copies of the previous 2 Odd Thomas books.

Allen: Tell me about some of your upcoming projects with other publishers?

Queenie Chan: I'm currently working on a book called "Small Shen", with best-selling author Kylie Chan and publisher Harper Collins. Kylie's books are best-selling fantasy stories, and "Small Shen" is a prequel to her "White Tiger" series. It's coming out late 2012, probably in time for Xmas.

Allen: What are some other manga artists or writers that impress you?

Queenie Chan: Hmm, same old group of really talented people. Tezuka Osamu (Astro Boy), Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk), Kentarou Miura (Berserk), Eihiro Oda (One Piece), Takeshi Obata (Death Note), Hagio Moto (They Were Eleven), Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2)... there's many more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.

Allen: What are some of your favorite manga cartoons?

Queenie Chan: Haven't watched much recently, but I love anything from Studio Ghibli. And also "Neon Genesis Evangelion", and "Mononoke". They're classics.

Allen: What other kinds of comic books are you reading at present time?

Queenie Chan: Just "One Piece" at the moment, which I've been reading for years and is still my #1 favourite. Since I got iBooks on my iPhone, I've been reading a lot of stuff from Project Gutenberg. Hurray for books in the public domain!

Allen: Tell me about some of your present hobbies.

Queenie Chan: Crocheting! I always liked to do little arts and crafts, and my latest obsession is crocheting, since I'm making my own patterns and all. But I'm cycling back to doing a bit of sewing and gaming as we speak...

Allen: What is your website address? Also, what is the best way to contact you?

Queenie Chan: www.queeniechan.com is my website address, and I have a contact form on it.

Allen: What has been most enjoyable thing for you about working on Odd Thomas manga series?

Queenie Chan: Being able to work with some famously talented people. I feel I learned a lot from working with them! It's been an honour.

Allen: Thank you so very much Queenie Chan. I really enjoy doing interviews with you. Would you like to leave readers with any closing thoughts about your Odd Thomas manga stories?

Queenie Chan: If you buy "House of Odd", I hope you'll enjoy it! It'll be the last Odd Thomas book I do for a while, so it means something to me.

Allen Klingelhoets - I got permission from Queenie to also post this.