Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Cardboard Kingdom
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.chadsellcomics.com
CITY: Chicago
STATE: IL
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
Best known for his illustrations of drag queens based on the reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2017072405 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017072405 |
| HEADING: | Sell, Chad |
| 000 | 00487nz a2200157n 450 |
| 001 | 10468872 |
| 005 | 20170602073640.0 |
| 008 | 170601n| azannaabn |n aaa c |
| 010 | __ |a no2017072405 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca10835106 |
| 040 | __ |a OU |b eng |e rda |c OU |
| 100 | 1_ |a Sell, Chad |
| 370 | __ |c United States |e Chicago (Ill.) |2 naf |
| 374 | __ |a Artists |2 lcsh |
| 670 | __ |a Shadow play, 2011: |b title page (Chad Sell) |
| 670 | __ |a Chad Sell website, viewed June 1, 2017 |b (Chad Sell; artist; lives in Chicago) |
PERSONAL
Male.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, cartoonist, comics artist, and graphic novelist.
AVOCATIONS:Cooking, video games, board games, reading.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Chad Sell is a writer, artist, and graphic novelist. He grew up in a small town in central Wisconsin, where his childhood was filled with imaginative adventure and creative play. He spent much of his time reading comics and drawing his own stories featuring characters he created. A writer on the Amazon website noted that as a youngster, Sell often preferred the villains in the comics because they were “powerful, confident, and got the best costumes.”
Sell’s graphic novel The Cardboard Kingdom is an “extraordinary linked anthology, seamlessly interweaving stories of unabashed joy and friendship,” commented a writer in Kirkus Reviews. The book consists of stories by Sell and ten writing partners, with Sell providing the artwork for all of the stories. It’s an “an inclusive collection of short stories that explores different aspects of childhood and growing up with compassion, humor, and playfulness, and Sell ties all these narratives together with vibrant, expressive artwork,” noted Oliver Sava in a review on the website AV Club.
The stories revolve around a group of children in a suburban neighborhood who gather together to play. They are aided in their imaginative games by costumes and gear they create out of cardboard. Their material of choice gives them almost limitless options for the types of helmets, masks, weapons, headgear, devices, and other material they create for their play. In one story, a rambunctious young girl who is constantly told she’s too loud creates a big, loud play identity. Other stories take on more serious themes, as one in which a boy creates a superhero identity to protect himself against his father. Identity and gender issues are also addressed, such as in the story where the mad scientist turns out to be a girl in a moustache, and the evil sorceress is revealed to be a boy in high heels and robes. In another tale, two young boys struggle to reconcile what they’ve been taught about traditional masculinity with their attraction to each other. “Imagination, these kids prove, can erase what seem like unbridgeable differences,” observed a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
In an interview with Aaron Long on the Comicosity website, Sell explained how the extensive collaboration between artist and writers took place. For the book, “we mostly interact[ed] in a private Facebook group. It’s great to bounce ideas back and forth all day! But obviously, for more in-depth work on a project, we switch to e-mail. For brainstorming story ideas, I *love* hashing things out over the phone. There’s something really magical about that process, how you can spin an entire story out of nowhere!,” sell told Long.
In the interview with Long, Sell remarked, “I love the magic of creating an entire world and filling it with engaging characters. I love that comics don’t need a huge Hollywood budget or a CGI team or a production crew—you can make a compelling story by yourself if you have the time and the talent.”
During another interview with Long on the Comicosity website, Sell provided some insight into the genesis of the graphic novel. “The central idea for The Cardboard Kingdom had been bouncing around in my head for nearly 10 years,” Sell commented. “I loved the idea of all these kids in a neighborhood brought together by creativity and fun cardboard costumes! But I struggled for a long time trying to come up with a single storyline that would fit the concept. So I set the project aside for quite a while, but I would occasionally find myself being drawn back to the characters I had created, and eventually it occurred to me that each of them should have their *own* story!”
In assessing The Cardboard Kingdom, the Kirkus Reviews writer stated, “A breath of fresh air, this tender and dynamic collection is a must-have” for personal and institutional graphic novel collections. “This easy-reading story offers—in a fun, engaging package—a meaningful commentary on the importance of childhood games,” commented Peter Blenski, writing in Booklist.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 15, 2018, Peter Blenski, review of The Cardboard Kingdom, p. 37.
Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2018, review of The Cardboard Kingdom.
Publishers Weekly, April 16, 2018, review of The Cardboard Kingdom, p. 95.
School Library Journal, April 6, 2018, Elizabeth Bird, review of The Cardboard Kingdom; April, 2018, Marissa Lieberman, review of The Cardboard Kingdom, p. 125.
ONLINE
Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/ (September 4, 2018), biography of Chad Sell.
American Booksellers Association website, https://www.bookweb.org/ (June 5, 2018), Destenie Fafard, “An Indies Introduce Q&A with Chad Sell.”
AV Club, https://www.avclub.com/ (May 24, 2018), Oliver Sawa, “Imagination Fuels Backyard Adventure in This Cardboard Kingdom Exclusive,” review of Cardboard Kingdom.
Chad Sell website, http://www.chadsellcomics.com (September 4, 2018).
Comicosity, http://www.comicosity.com (April 12, 2018), “MakeComics: Writer/Artist Chad Sell,” Aaron Long, interview with Chad Sell; (May 15, 2018), “Interview: Chad Sell and Team Take Readers to The Cardboard Kingdom,” interview with Chad Sell.
Multiversity Comics, http://www.multiversitycomics.com/ (June 12, 2018), Paul Lai, “Comics Suyllabus: Chad Sell on Cardboard Kingdom,” review of Cardboard Kingdom.
Teen Librarian Toolbox, http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/ (July 10, 2018), Amanda MacGregor, review of The Cardboard Kingdom.
Chad Sell grew up in a small town in central Wisconsin. He lived in a neighborhood much like the Cardboard Kingdom where he and his friends bounded through backyards in imaginative games and outfits! He also drew a lot and came up with all kinds of colorful characters. His favorites were often the villains, because despite being different and misunderstood, they were powerful, confident, and got the best costumes. Chad lives in Chicago with his husband and two cats.
Follow the creators of the kingdom on Twitter at @TheCardboardK.
MakeComics: Writer/Artist Chad Sell
#MakeComics Columns Interviews Special Features Top Stories
April 12, 2018
How do the pros #MakeComics? We’re here to tell you. Every second week, Comicosity is picking the brains of a pro who is killing it in the comics industry, and this week I was lucky enough to talk to Chad Sell! Chad is the cartoonist who brought together one of the most impressive graphic novels I have ever read, The Cardboard Kingdom, coming to bookstores on June 5 from Knopf Books. He also wrote and penciled The Cloud, which can be found on his website. Check out how he makes comics below:
What does a typical day in the life of Chad Sell look like?
I’m someone who likes structure and routine, which can be particularly important when you work at home! I get up pretty early to have coffee with my husband before he heads to work. Sometimes I’ll dive straight into some work, but more often than not, I’ll try to warm up my brain more gradually by reading about news and video games and drag queens.
My days vary quite a bit depending on whether I’m actively working on a big comic project, or if I’m more focused on smaller illustrations, but regardless, I’ll work on those through the afternoon. I like to take lots of breaks, and as restlessness sets in, I go for a nice long walk or work out at my local gym.
In the late afternoon, I often take care of business things like replying to e-mails, packaging up Etsy orders, all that stuff. And then I make dinner! (I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.)
One of the most important things about the self-employed lifestyle is to set limits and to set aside time to… live your life. I rarely let myself do work after dinner – I try to relax and enjoy some “couch time” with my husband and cats.
What time of day do you do your best work?
I can only write in the morning. Which is okay, given that I make comics. I try to write for 1-2 hours in the morning, and then I can spend the rest of the day drawing everything I’ve planned out! It works pretty well.
Comics is a collaborative medium. How do you work with your teammates on your projects?
For The Cardboard Kingdom, I had a team of 10 contributors, so we mostly interact in a private Facebook group. It’s great to bounce ideas back and forth all day! But obviously, for more in-depth work on a project, we switch to e-mail. For brainstorming story ideas, I *love* hashing things out over the phone. There’s something really magical about that process, how you can spin an entire story out of nowhere!
How do you manage your to-do list?
I have been using this app/website called Workflowy for years, and I love it. It’s basically an infinite to-do list that’s actually really easy to organize and stay on top of.
What is your workspace like?
It is utter chaos. Sheer madness. There are prints, packaging materials, and poster tubes everywhere! I try to limit the mess to my little corner of the apartment, but sometimes it spreads!
What tools are essential to your creative process?
Most of my work is digital, and I draw it on a Yiynova MSP19u monitor in Clip Studio Paint. I highly recommend both.
When I’m working with more traditional materials, I love Tombow Fudenosuke brush pens!
What do you love most about creating comics?
I love the magic of creating an entire world and filling it with engaging characters. I love that comics don’t need a huge Hollywood budget or a CGI team or a production crew – you can make a compelling story by yourself if you have the time and the talent.
What is your favourite phase of a project?
Comics are hard. There’s a ton of doubt and worry in the early phases where you’re not sure if all your grand plans are actually carrying through on the page. My favorite part is *after* all that hard stuff, when you’ve gotten together a rough draft for your story that has endured several rounds of revision, and you’re ready to go ahead with the final art. I love the feeling that my story is *worth* telling and then, page by page, day by day, bringing it into the world.
What do you listen to or watch while you work?
Way too many political podcasts. It’s a problem. I’ve been trying to fit more comedy and queer pop-cultural podcasts into my rotation to lighten things up! And sometimes, you just need to find the perfect song to match your mood and possibly dance around your workspace until you scare your cats. Possibly.
When you aren’t creating comics, how do you like to spend your time?
I like cooking. I like finding lowkey creative outlets where you can make stuff without the high stakes of it being your livelihood. I love videogames, but I rarely have the time for them. I’m pretty seriously into board games, and I lovvvvve reading. I… may not be a very exciting person.
Networking and meeting other creators is an important part of the business. What is your preferred way to network?
Hmm, that is a good question. Do you mind if I re-frame the question as: “How do you interact with other creators?” I love discovering new creators on Twitter and casually keeping up with my peers there. I’ve really enjoyed pledging to some artists on Patreon and getting a more in-depth look at their process there! Probably my very favorite thing is getting to actually meet other creators at comic conventions and talk shop, but those opportunities are few and far between!
What comics are you reading right now?
Because I’m getting into the kids’ comic world with The Cardboard Kingdom, I try to keep up to date with all the best new work coming out – like Jen Wang’s The Prince and the Dressmaker, which was so lovely and beautifully done. (Does anyone draw as expressive characters as Jen Wang??) And I’ve also been re-reading one of the classics: Bone. The artistry that Jeff Smith brought to that epic is truly staggering – every panel is such a delight!
What do you hope to see in the industry in the future?
Oh my, that’s a big question! Comics seem to be going through A LOT of changes right now. There’s so much debate about who should be making comics, what characters should be starring in them, and who reads them. And then there’s the looming question of business models, the direct market, and the growth of sales in the children’s book market. Throughout all of that, I hope I will see an increasingly diverse group of creators have the opportunity to tell engaging and inventive new stories in whatever format and mode of distribution works best for them! I hope that comics readers will embrace new creators rather than rally against them. There are so many stories worth telling.
Check out Chad’s work here and check back in 2 weeks for a new #MakeComics interview!
Authors
Aaron Long
Tags Chad Sell, The Cardboard Kingdom
Sell, Chad: THE CARDBOARD KINGDOM
Kirkus Reviews.
(Apr. 1, 2018): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Sell, Chad THE CARDBOARD KINGDOM Knopf (Children's Fiction) $20.99 6, 5 ISBN: 978-1-5247-1937-1
Comics creator and illustrator Sell teams up with 10 different authors to create an extraordinary linked anthology, seamlessly interweaving stories of unabashed joy and friendship.
In a suburban neighborhood, an ebulliently diverse group of children gathers with glee to create a vibrant world of pretend play, find themselves, and support one another. In the story written by Katie Schenkel, Sophie feels terrible that people say she's too loud until she crafts a Hulk-like play identity known as "The Big Banshee." Manuel Betancourt's Miguel loves fairy tales and is thrilled when Nate asks him to play in "The Prince"--only to discover he's actually been cast as the "magical pea" and not the romantic role he'd been dreaming of. Seth pretends to be a superhero to try to protect himself from his dad in Michael Cole's "The Gargoyle," while in Sell's sole authored tale, "The Army of Evil," Jack identifies as the Sorceress because "She's what I want to be... / Magical. And powerful. And amazing." Some neighborhood kids prefer STEM to fantasy while others build businesses; some have trouble making friends while others choose roles on the sidelines. Sell's cheerful, friendly artistic style, with bold borders and bright colors that unite all the stories, will appeal to fans of Victoria Jamieson. Thoughtful representation provides a true diversity of body shapes and sizes, races and ethnicities (the majority of the cast is kids of color), gender identities and expressions, sexualities, and family structures. Bios of all 11 contributors conclude the book.
A breath of fresh air, this tender and dynamic collection is a must-have for any graphic-novel collection. (Graphic fantasy. 9-13)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
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"Sell, Chad: THE CARDBOARD KINGDOM." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2018. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A532700412/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=9d26bc18. Accessed 9 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A532700412
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The Cardboard Kingdom
Peter Blenski
Booklist.
114.18 (May 15, 2018): p37. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
* The Cardboard Kingdom.
By Chad Sell. Illus. by the author.
June 2018. 288p. Knopf, $18.99 (9781524719371); paper, $12.99 (9781524719388). 741.5. Gr. 3-6.
In the Cardboard Kingdom, every kid can be whomever he or she wants to be! Evil or good, a superhero or a scientist, everyone is welcome among this gang of imaginative neighborhood friends. In Sell's episodic, short comics, each of the kids gets a chance to tell his or her story. Most are fairly standard middle-grade fare, such as a chapter about the bully who learns to play nice with others, but The Cardboard Kingdom really shines in its dissection of traditional gender roles: within the first few pages, readers learn that the Sorceress is a boy playing in high heels and robes, while the Mad Scientist is a girl who likes to wear a mustache. Though the kids rarely question these choices and often take on different personas, the parents at times are less accepting, and it's in these moments that Sell's themes of inclusivity and self-acceptance are truly driven home. Sell's playful, expressive, and boldly colored artwork always keeps the mood fun, quickly shifting between the real world and the kids' imagined scenes in the Cardboard Kingdom. The blocky figures have a great cartoon quality, and, with a wide range of skin tones, genders, and family types, every kid reading will have someone to relate to. This easy-reading story offers--in a fun, engaging package--a meaningful commentary on the importance of childhood games.--Peter Blenski
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Blenski, Peter. "The Cardboard Kingdom." Booklist, 15 May 2018, p. 37. Book Review Index
Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A541400871/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=af7d22fd. Accessed 9 Aug. 2018.
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Gale Document Number: GALE|A541400871
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The Cardboard Kingdom
Publishers Weekly.
265.16 (Apr. 16, 2018): p95. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Cardboard Kingdom
Chad Sell. Knopf, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-15247-1937-1
In his first title for young people, cartoonist Sell offers a story that unfolds in a neighborhood where children make elaborate cardboard costumes that let them try on new personas and powers. Vijay, his older sister Shikha, and their neighbor Sophie experiment first with masks that feature fangs and horns, and their adventures draw in diverse new kids, and issues of gender, class, and culture take center stage. Jack wants to be an evil sorceress; his mother doesn't mind the gown, but rejects the cruelty. Amanda's Spanish-speaking father doesn't want her wearing a mustache ("What would they say back home?"). While the proto-capitalist Alice seems unnecessarily ruthless ("I will get my customers back ... and I will crush you"), other characters are drawn with tenderness, including Miguel and Nate, who must balance traditional messages about masculinity with the attraction they feel for each other. Blocky panel artwork adds impact by flipping back and forth between what the kids envision (big monsters, epic battles) and what's actually happening (cardboard creations buckling under the onslaught of garden hoses). Imagination, these kids prove, can erase what seem like unbridgeable differences. Ages 9-12. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Cardboard Kingdom." Publishers Weekly, 16 Apr. 2018, p. 95. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536532804/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=3c163822. Accessed 9 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536532804
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SELL, Chad & others. The
Cardboard Kingdom
Marissa Lieberman
School Library Journal.
64.4 (Apr. 2018): p125+. From Book Review Index Plus.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Lieberman, Marissa. "SELL, Chad & others. The Cardboard Kingdom." School Library Journal,
Apr. 2018, p. 125+. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc /A533409055/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=d031b431. Accessed 9 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A533409055
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Imagination fuels backyard adventure in this Cardboard Kingdom exclusive
Oliver Sava
5/24/18 12:45pmFiled to: comic previews
3
2
Image: Knopf Books
So much of entertainment comes via screens nowadays, but when you’re a kid, there are few things as thrilling as getting together with a group of friends and going on an adventure built by your imaginations. The Cardboard Kingdom, a new children’s graphic novel from Knopf Books, has cartoonist Chad Sell working with 10 different writers to explore this idea with a young group of neighborhood kids who create magical worlds and characters out of cardboard. It’s an inclusive collection of short stories that explores different aspects of childhood and growing up with compassion, humor, and playfulness, and Sell ties all these narratives together with vibrant, expressive artwork. Sell is a friend of The A.V. Club—he drew a short comic for 2014’s Comics Week—and while he’s best known for his stunning portraits of RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants, The Cardboard Kingdom showcases how well his animated art style works for stories geared toward a younger audience.
This exclusive preview of The Cardboard Kingdom, on sale June 5, features the entirety of “The Huntress,” a story by Sell and David DeMeo that follows two siblings as they make friends in their new neighborhood. The personality of these kids leaps off the page, and Sell’s experience condensing big drag characters into single images brings a lot of life to the cast of this graphic novel. The pair of illustrations at the end of this excerpt shows how the kids’ activities are reinterpreted with full-on fantasy visuals when they really get in the zone, but “The Huntress” emphasizes the reality of the world by not making that shift and keeping the cardboard. Those cardboard costumes are simple enough that kids can recreate them on their own (if they can be trusted with a pair of scissors), and the interactive element of The Cardboard Kingdom makes it an even more engaging book for both kids and adults who want to tap into the joys of youth.
Image: Knopf Books
Image: Knopf Books
Image: Knopf Books
Image: Knopf Books
Image: Knopf Books
Image: Knopf Books
Image: Knopf Books
Image: Knopf Books
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Interview: Chad Sell and Team Take Readers to THE CARDBOARD KINGDOM
Interviews Representation Top Stories
May 15, 2018
June 5, get ready for your favourite book of 2018. That’s right, THE CARDBOARD KINGDOM IS COMING! Cartoonist Chad Sell has teamed up with Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez to take readers to the magical world that is a suburban neighbourhood in the summer, where imaginations run wild and fun times flow freely. This all-ages title is charming to say the least, and I was lucky enough to speak with Chad and his co-writers about this wonderful title below.
Aaron Long: Take me through how Cardboard Kingdom came togher…how long has it been in the works?
Chad Sell: The central idea for The Cardboard Kingdom had been bouncing around in my head for nearly 10 years. I loved the idea of all these kids in a neighborhood brought together by creativity and fun cardboard costumes! But I struggled for a long time trying to come up with a single storyline that would fit the concept. So I set the project aside for quite a while, but I would occasionally find myself being drawn back to the characters I had created, and eventually it occurred to me that each of them should have their *own* story!
I had been struggling with some of my own comic projects for a long time – when you’re writing and drawing something by yourself, it can be really hard to get any kind of perspective, like: “Does this make any sense? Is this any good??” So I was starting to wonder what it would be like to collaborate with someone else! My friend Jay Fuller does a wonderful LGBTQ+ kids comic called The Boy in Pink Earmuffs (http://www.boyinpinkearmuffs.com/), and I asked him if he’d want to work together on something. I described my idea for The Sorceress, a boy who dresses up like a glamorous, magical villain, and we developed her story together. The result was an early version of what you’ll see in the first chapter of The Cardboard Kingdom!
AL: When did you decide to make it an anthology? How did you assemble your team of co-writers?
Chad Sell: I was really inspired by the early successes that comics anthologies had on Kickstarter – I would see groups of like-minded creators coming together for a common purpose, and that seemed like such a cool thing to try!
However, I knew that The Cardboard Kingdom would be different. Each story in The Cardboard Kingdom follows a different kid in the same neighborhood, with tons of fun overlapping characters and plot elements throughout! (Not to mention the epic final chapter where all the heroes unite for one last adventure of the summer!!) A key part of the proposal was that I would illustrate all the stories and have a hand in shaping the stories to ensure a cohesive reading experience. I laid out all those ideas on my website, where anyone could submit their story ideas for a few months in early 2015!
It was *so* exciting to see the early story pitches come in, and over the course of a few months (lots of phone calls, e-mails, etc.) I put together our Cardboard Kingdom team! I mentioned earlier that I struggled a lot with my previous comic projects where I was the sole author. But with the CK stories, I knew that each one featured a character I already loved and was a story worth telling.
AL: What drew you to this project?
Jay Fuller: Chad actually approached me several years ago to work on what would become the first story in The Cardboard Kingdom, “The Sorceress,” which we eventually released as a standalone mini-comic. We were familiar with each other’s work online and both living in Chicago at the time. I was writing my all-ages, queer comic The Boy in Pink Earmuffs and I think Chad thought I could lend some of that sensibility to this project. We met for dinner, he pitched his outline for “The Sorceress”, and I was instantly hooked by the premise. I think I’m especially drawn to genderqueer stories about youth because there used to be so few examples. And of course I leapt at the chance to work with Chad.
Later, when he told me he was expanding the Cardboard Kingdom universe into a book, I was elated. I drew from my experiences as a kid making elaborate cardboard dioramas and Lego towns and pitched Megalopolis. I have a younger sister and two younger brothers, so I have plenty of experience trying to protect my creations from those wandering “kaiju.” We all used to watch the classic Godzilla movies with my Dad, so it seemed like a perfect fit to meld all those memories.
Manuel Betancourt: Chad. I’d been such a fan of his work that when he sent out his initial call for story submissions I was most drawn to potentially being invited to work alongside him. And then once we all began working together and I got to see everyone else’s stories I was even more excited to be part of a project that was such a celebration of the power of imagination.
Barbara Perez: At the time I found the open call for submissions, I was working on a middle grade novel and I thought it would be really interesting to explore that idea as a graphic novel instead. This was an ambitious project but I was excited to see where it could lead. Having multiple writers work together can be a daunting task, not to mention to keep the book at large cohesive was really important too. I think all of us learned a lot while working together and the book demonstrates really well how collective storytelling can be a trove of treasures!
David DeMeo: I had been following Chad’s Drag Race work for years. After visiting his website, I discovered all of his comic work which I adored, especially Manta-Man and Vreeland. I was consuming a lot of Chad’s comic work until one day I saw a post about a collaboration project called the Cardboard Kingdom. I read the accompanying story, the Sorceress Next Door, which really resonated with me because I was that kid; the only thing I wanted to be when I grew up was an evil sorceress. So I submitted my story pitches and the rest is history.
Vid Alliger: I had been following Chad on social media for a while, because I really admired his artwork. When he posted on Twitter that he was looking for collaborators, it sounded like an amazing opportunity to work with really talented individuals to help tell some meaningful stories.
Michael Cole: I had actually been a big fan of Chad’s for a while before the graphic novel project had come up. I love RuPaul’s Drag Race and had eagerly awaited to see Chad’s portraits of the queens each week. I even had some of his artwork already hanging in my house—both from Drag Race and some awesome X-Women prints he had done. So I already followed him on social media. When he posted the call for story submissions for a graphic anthology, I immediately had my story in mind. I think I’d even been considering already writing it out in prose. I knew that if I procrastinated, I’d talk myself out of it and so I sent him my story idea the first day he began taking submissions.
Cloud Jacobs: It sounded like a lot of fun. Coincidentally, I discovered Chad’s call for submissions while on break as an assistant in an elementary school library. Children’s literacy is a topic very near and dear to my heart so having the chance to participate in it as a writer was just excellent.
Molly Muldoon: Chad and I have a mutual friend (Terry Blas, who’s my co-writer on the YA comedy/murder mystery comic Dead Weight from Oni coming out April 24) so when I finally met Chad at ECCC one year, a few months before he started looking for CK contributors, we were already pals. I thought CK was such a great idea and I really wanted to be a part of it. I’m so happy that I am!
Katie Schenkel: The whole concept for The Cardboard Kingdom intrigued me from the very beginning. Chad’s hunt for cowriters came across my Twitter feed (I believe it was retweeted from Gail Simone, and I’m always grateful that she signal boosted it that day!), and I came up with the bones of the story within a few minutes. I remember typing up my idea, being so pumped to potentially be part of such a cool project. I’ve been a big believer in kids comics since I began writing comics criticism, and I’ve always believed in the power of stories to help kids better understand their world and themselves. Before he made his final collaborator picks, Chad and I had a phone conversation where we honed my story idea into what ultimately became The Big Banshee. I buzzing with energy by the time I got off the phone, my only thought was “Man, I really, really hope I get this gig.” And here we are three years later!
AL: What can you tell me about your short story(ies) in The Cardboard Kingdom?
Manuel Betancourt: My story is titled “The Prince.” It’s about how formative certain animated (coughDisneycough) films can be and how those of us who never quite get to see ourselves represented there find ways to bend and ship and queer what we see on screen. At its heart, though, it’s a riff on fairy tales for boys who blush when they’re around boys they like.
Barbara Perez: I wrote THE MAD SCIENTIST, which stars Amanda, a young Dominican American girl that is obsessed with fairy tales and science. She’s a little Dr. Frankenstein, who is stuck in an intersection many POCs will recognize: Living in two worlds. The story centers around what ways cultural expectations shape who we are and how sometimes those expectations could push us apart or closer from those around us.
David DeMeo: The Huntress was based on my babysitting experience as the oldest of three brothers. My mother was single and worked a lot, so babysitting my baby brother, Dylan, often fell to me. He wasn’t as wild as Vijay, the Beast Boy, but he was definitely a little escape artist. You would turn your head for a minute and the backdoor would be hanging opened and he would be gone.
I don’t want to say too much about the Bully because I don’t want to spoil his story, but I can tell you that his Nanna was based on my own grandmother, Josephine. Chad drew her off my description and she ended up looking just like her! It meant a lot to me to be able to include her in the story since she’s no longer with us.
Vid Alliger: My initial submission to Chad eventually became the chapter “The Blob.” It focuses on my character, Elijah, who just wants to get the attention of his older brother, Nate, and join in the cardboard fun. I wanted to tell a story about brotherhood, because it’s what I know. I have three awesome older brothers myself.
I also worked with Chad on the chapter titled “The Robot.” It’s about a girl named Connie who has a hard time relating to the other children in the neighborhood. When she sets out to have the grandest, most diabolical robot-themed birthday party ever, no one is quite sure what to expect.
Michael Cole: I know that we’re still supposed to be kind of protecting the spoilers of the stories a little bit, so, hopefully without being too vague, I’d say that my story, “The Gargoyle,” is about a little boy who responds to the anxiety and fear of his parents’ troubled divorce by adopting a superhero persona. At its heart, the story is supposed to be about this kid who tries to be brave and take responsibility for something that isn’t really his fight to fight—but that he’s pulled into regardless. Ha! That feels very vague.
Cloud Jacobs: My story is about a kid who has trouble making friends. I was lucky, when I was Egon’s age I had two very close friends to nerd out with while everyone else was playing sports at recess. Now that I’m a teacher, I see that this is a very real problem kids this age deal with. I hope Professor Everything can reassure them that there are kids out there just like you and that they’re not alone.
Molly Muldoon: There are two things you should know about the Animal Queen: She’s in charge and she’s not a princess, she’s the queen. She’s also six so this might be a bit of barking/biting situation. 🙂
Katie Schenkel: My main character Sophie has a big personality and a big voice. She gets snapped at by a visiting relative who tells her nice girls are quiet and well-behaved. While she believes this at first, Sophie ultimately creates the Big Banshee as a way to express herself and be as loud as she wants. I wanted Sophie’s alter ego to be unapologetically big, both in personality and size, because so often girls (especially black girls) are taught they shouldn’t take up space. The joy of the Big Banshee is in the freedom to be as big and bold as you want.
AL: Who do you identify with most from the neighbourhood?
Chad Sell: Wow, this is such a tough question! The most diplomatic thing to say is that the whole CK world is full of lovable, complicated characters, and I’m sure readers will relate to each of them!
BUT! Of course, The Sorceress is most deeply rooted in my own biographical details – As a kid, I revered the glamorous Disney villainesses like Maleficent and Cruella de Vil. And much of my professional life up ‘til now has been spent illustrating drag queens. So the Sorceress sprang out of my own exploration of what exactly drew me to those powerful female figures, and what it means when you try to embody one.
I also VERY MUCH relate to the Robot, who finds social interactions endlessly confusing, and so she prefers to hide behind a clunky cardboard Robot costume and speak in a loud monotone about world domination.
Jay Fuller: It’s difficult to choose one character because I see elements of my childhood reflected in all of them. Peter and his meticulousness, the Sorceress and her flair for drama, the adorable romance of Miguel and Nate…but I think I identify most with Alice from Kris Moore’s “The Alchemist and the Blacksmith.” At that age, instead of a lemonade stand, I actually used to try to sell rocks by the side of the road! I also tried pushing a potion I made from water and toothpaste and pens made from dirty seagull feathers. I had a ton of hairbrained schemes back then.
Manuel Betancourt: Is it too self-indulgent to say that I identify the most with Miguel (from “The Prince”)? He truly is the kid I wish I could be, if only because he’s able to turn those blushes into a lovely friendship. Though, like many of my collaborators, I have a soft spot for Alice who’s as by-the-rules ruthless as I was growing up.
Barbara Perez: Does it count if I choose my own character? Haha. I think I’m not alone in saying that some of the characters are based on very real parts of each of us. I know for myself, a lot of the things Amanda faces are things that happened to me as well. I hope the story offers a way in which some of those conflicts can (or should) be addressed to help kids flourish instead of retreat into themselves.
David DeMeo: I think it’s easy to see shades of yourself in all of these characters, which is one of the things that makes the story so special. But if I had to pick one, I would probably say the Sorceress. The Sorceress is epic and fabulous and powerful – the kind of character I always loved when I was a kid. I think a lot of young gay boys identify more with the female villains than any other characters. It was easier to relate to a fabulous outcast who gestured grandly and oozed charisma than it was to relate to the other perfect characters we were force-fed as children. This is why the Sorceress is such an important figure; she appeals to the super villain in me, but inside she is the little gay boy just trying to make his own way.
Vid Alliger: That’s a good question! Probably the Scribe, because I’ve always wanted to tell stories.
Michael Cole: I know it’s a cop-out, but I identify the most with Seth, the main character from “The Gargoyle.” It’s mentioned briefly in the author’s page of the book, but the story is inspired by my own childhood. Like I said, my parents’ divorce happened when I was very young and it was really an especially awful time for our family. As a kid, I nearly completely stopped sleeping because I was so obsessed with looking out for my family for a lot of reasons that I didn’t even understand until I was an adult, which was essentially where my story pitch came from. I think writing “The Gargoyle” was a way for me to work through a lot of that finally. And when we began discussing character designs, I think it was only kind of natural that Seth sort of ended up resembling me. Eerily, both of Seth’s parents also look very like my parents—so seeing people’s reactions to Seth’s story, which is in many ways my story, has really bonded the little guy to me as much as possible. (I even went out and got a tattoo of Seth’s helmet to commemorate it.)
Cloud Jacobs: Honestly, I identify most with my own character, Egon. He just wants to be a part of things but sometimes his thoughts and feelings get in the way of that. I feel like younger me and Egon would have been great friends.
Molly Muldoon: Like everyone else, I assume, my little girl was based on my own childhood. I don’t think I was quite as demanding as she is but I definitely had my own stuffed animal coterie that required each animal being introduced any new stuffed animal I got. There were a lot of parties with a lot of fake bowing. I’m also an only child so I did have to deal with a lot of finagling in relationships as a kid, realizing how to balance power dynamics and the ever dreaded ‘sharing’. I think I turned out alright and I think our little Queen is on her way.
Katie Schenkel: Since her story is based in part on my childhood experiences, I do identify most with Sophie. I was the girl who talked too loud and too much. I started equating quiet with nice — It took me longer than Sophie to realize I deserved to take up space and be myself. That’s one of the reasons I love readers get to see Sophie thrive in the Cardboard Kingdom, even after her main chapter. I got to give a loud girl a group of friends who supported her and liked her for who she is, which was exactly what I needed to see when I was that age.
Admittedly I also identify with Vid’s character “The Blob,” whose costume no one else gets at first. All my grand designs for crafts as a kid never looked right. I completely relate to the Blob not being quite as good at making costumes as the other kids. Cardboard construction is tricky!
AL: To say this is a special work is an understatement. The Cardboard Kingdom is a magical, joyful place. What was your favourite part of working in this world?
Chad Sell: It’s so wonderful to work on wonderful stories with wonderful people. I’ve said before that creativity and collaboration are the closest things to magic I’ve ever experienced in this world. And it’s true! The entire process of creating this project with my collaborators has felt magical, and it means so much that readers are finally able to explore the Kingdom, too!
Manuel Betancourt: The collaborative aspect of it. I won’t say I wasn’t wary about working with so many other talented writers but, just like the kids you see in the story, it became evident very early on that we were all giddy about building something together that embodied the spirit of community found in the Cardboard Kingdom. It’s been such a delight to be part of such a generous group of collaborators and it’ll remain my biggest takeaway: how there really is strength in numbers and that the more open you are to other voices the better your creative work will be.
Barbara Perez: Seeing the stories mesh together was probably the best part, suddenly all these isolated stories found themselves together and didn’t mind sharing the same world. They even uplifted each other’s own stories by way of being there!
David DeMeo: I think it’s mind-blowing how a group of people spread across the country, most of whom have never even met, were able to work together seamlessly to create this world together. The project has been touched by magic since the very beginning, and watching it come to life through Chad’s illustrations has always been my favorite part. Getting the original character sketches of my kids was probably the most exciting moment. Like, “This is really happening.”
Vid Alliger: Thank you, that’s so kind! I loved collaborating with so many talented people! I think each creator brought their own experiences and perspectives to the project, and I think it’s why the world of The Cardboard Kingdom feels so rich and full.
Michael Cole: By far, my favorite part was talking with Chad about what the world would look like. Every story is so vibrant and detailed. The words are just words, but seeing how Chad brought all of our stories to the page was completely surreal. With “The Gargoyle,” he took so much care to make that story distinct according to the tone—the daytime scenes are so saturated and the nighttime scenes are beautifully dark and rich, like that’s where it really comes alive. A lot of what Chad did mimicked theses ideas that were already in my head and it was a pleasant shock every time I got to see what he came up with.
Cloud Jacobs: My absolute favorite part of this project was seeing it come together. From scripts to finished product that I could hold in my hand, it’s been amazing to see this project take shape. I should also mention that everyone that is a part of this book has been so awesome, especially Chad for bringing us all together to work on something so cool.
Molly Muldoon: The best part of this whole experience was meeting and working with everyone. I was working on this and another graphic novel around the same time and while both were great, they were very different. DW was a small team of three and our editor so it was very intimate and closeknit. Meanwhile, CK was like taking the court with your whole football team. We had such a wide variety of experiences, everyone gave constructive, helpful feedback to each other and just the sheer enthusiasm brought to the project was delightful. We’ve got a private group where it seems like we’re gabbing with each other every other day or so and it’s just so nice to know I got to meet these great people who all believe in this book as much as I do and we made this together.
Katie Schenkel: Besides getting to craft Sophie’s story, my favorite part of this project has been the joy of getting to know all the characters of The Cardboard Kingdom and that element of our unique collaboration. It was one thing to write each of our own chapters, but watching our own protagonists showing up in the other chapters and being friends with each other made for a really fun creative process. All the characters in the book are just really good kids, so watching them develop friendships and support each other was really an extension of the co-creators supporting each other.
Plus, while we all made a point of signing off with each other when writing someone else’s character (“Would Shikha do this?” “Does this line of dialogue work for Nate?”), once in a while I wouldn’t know Sophie was going to show up in a particular scene. Chad would send us updates as he worked on the art, and discovering Sophie having a funny moment in the background of other kids’ chapters always made me smile.
AL: The Cardboard Kingdom addresses a ton of issues that affect childhood and society as a whole, while being completely all-ages friendly. Was it difficult striking a balance between taking on important topics and keeping the tone of the overall collection fun for kids?
Chad Sell: My guiding principle for this project was to tell meaningful, emotional stories rooted in the characters’ own struggles. A lot of my favorite children’s stories feature heavy topics with an emotional impact, and so I was happy to feature those kinds of stories in The Cardboard Kingdom! But one of the fabulous features of working with a team of ten people is that they each bring different personalities and life experiences to the project, and so there were several writers who brought a lighter, more comedic touch! We spent a lot of time trying to calibrate the flow of each story and fine-tune the flow between all of them so that reading The Cardboard Kingdom would be a rich, rewarding experience.
Manuel Betancourt: Honestly I think the fact that we never had conversations about how to make it “fun for kids” or “accessible to everyone” was probably key. We set out to write stories about kids that felt true to our experiences; those necessarily reflected broader (and sometimes darker) issues. But in not sanding those down I think we were able to get at something quite special. Also, that we embraced fantasy and sometimes quite silly characters and situations (a sassy sorceress! a cookie-hungry beast! a loud banshee) kept it all from being too dour. Oh. And here’s where I’ll also single out Chad’s distinctive style and his bright color palettes. He’a created such a sunny and colorful world that it keeps things breezy even when the subject matter can be a bit heavy.
Barbara Perez: I think as writers, we should always give the reader some credit. It was always important for us to keep the stories light but still pertinent and I think our job as creators is to find that balance without having to compromise either element.
David DeMeo: The beauty of working in a large group is that ideas have a lot of filters to pass through before making it into the final product. I would say it was pretty easy to balance the emotional elements of this book because of all the different voices involved in making it happen. Some of the stories are inherently more poignant than others, some are more comedic, all of them are hopeful. We had a good recipe.
Vid Alliger: I think striking that balance was something everyone tried to keep in mind, and I was surprised how skillfully Chad and some of my fellow collaborators wove stories that dealt with difficult subjects while still speaking to children. I don’t remember it ever being a major concern, though. I think we were all able to find age-appropriate ways to discuss the issues tackled in this book, and our main concern was creating something our audience would have fun reading.
Michael Cole: In some aspects, yes. I know that we had gone back and forth a few times with how to end “The Gargoyle,” which is the only story that I can really speak too personally on. I think originally, there was kind of an upbeat ending to it, and then we agreed that there was no reason to pull the punch. I remember worrying that my story could have been cut because it really does go to some dark places—I think I’d convinced myself it might be, haha. But the more time I’ve spent with The Cardboard Kingdom,the more I realized that I would have liked to have seen more of that realism—seen more children that were sometimes struggling like I was—when I was that age.
Cloud Jacobs: I wrote from personal experience, so it wasn’t that difficult for me to put it on the page. I think Chad did an excellent job of keeping everyone balanced so things didn’t feel too heavy but at the same time addressing these issues in a kid friendly way. I honestly think that some adults will identify with these children and maybe see things from a different point of view after reading.
Molly Muldoon: I was very cognizant of this when I was pitching my story. It would have been so easy for this to have gone very dark and heavy. I was lucky enough to have a happy childhood with no big obstacles to overcome (well, until middle school but we all went through middle school) and wanted to explore a bit of a lighter problem, since people with more relevant things to say could handle those other issues better. I know Chad said that he got some pretty dark submissions but overall, I think everyone did a really great job on dealing with heavy issues with a light touch which will still resonate with kids.
Katie Schenkel: One of the happy surprises about this unique creative process is all of the writers of the Cardboard Kingdom had very different visions for their sections of the book. You might think it would become too many cooks in the kitchen, but Chad wrangled and shepherded us so our stories all flowed while still varying in seriousness. We each brought our strengths to our parts of the book but we had the same larger message of acceptance and creativity, so it became this beautiful tapestry that made sense together. And none of us felt like our individual chapter needed to be everything to everyone. When we put them all together, the larger story was one that represented lots of different kinds of kids.
AL: Any final words for readers about The Cardboard Kingdom?
Chad Sell: The Cardboard Kingdom is all about embracing kids’ creativity and imagination, and I hope that extends beyond the boundaries of our little book! One of the things I’ve been most excited about is seeing kids cosplaying as our beloved characters or creating their own amazing cardboard costumes! The Cardboard Kingdom is vast, and everyone is welcome!
Jay Fuller: Just that it’s been such an honor to work on this project and that Chad deserves so much credit for pulling all these stories together and delivering some of the most beautiful artwork I’ve ever seen in a children’s book. I think it’s a really special project that tackles so many heady issues with a gentle, assured touch. We’ve all been so overjoyed to see all the positive early buzz. It’s been a surreal experience and I’m just so proud to be a part of it.
Manuel Betancourt: I cannot wait for everyone to get to visit the Cardboard Kingdom and to get to play in this little sandbox of ours. I just hope readers feel as welcome and as seen as we hope they will.
Barbara Perez: We hope you will find a little of yourself in this world and that it can help build opportunities for addressing some of these trickier subjects. You too are part of the Cardboard Kingdom, we hope it brings you many adventures!
David DeMeo: I hope you enjoy reading our book as much as we enjoyed writing it. Now go outside and play!
Vid Alliger: I hope you have as much fun entering the world of The Cardboard Kingdom and getting to know all of its colorful characters as we had creating this book for you!
Michael Cole: I know that every piece of art really captures something personal for the creator, but I am so incredibly proud of the work that this team but into The Cardboard Kingdom. Everyone just poured their hearts into these stories and I think it shows up on every page. This is the first big thing I’ve ever got to be a part of, and I don’t know if we just got lucky, but every single person who has touched this has been amazing to work with. Just depths of kindness and humor. I hope readers take the time to really follow the creators on this book, because I think they’re all going to do some amazing things.
Cloud Jacobs: I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed working on it!
Molly Muldoon: Welcome! 🙂
Katie Schenkel: The stories in The Cardboard Kingdom were the ones we desperately needed to read as kids ourselves. We hope the it resonates with adults who (like us) yearned for something like this book growing up, but ultimately we wrote it for the kids of today. The world is tough right now, and we want The Cardboard Kingdom to help kids feel a little less alone.
The Cardboard Kingdom hits stores June 5, 2018 from Knopf Books.
Authors
Aaron Long
Tags Barbara Perez Marquez, Chad Sell, Cloud Jacobs, David DeMeo, Jay Fuller, Katie Schenkel, Knopf Books, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Molly Muldoon, The Cardboard Kingdom, Vid Alliger
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An Indies Introduce Q&A With Chad Sell
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 05, 2018
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The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad SellChad Sell’s middle-grade graphic novel debut, The Cardboard Kingdom (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers), is an Indies Introduce Summer/Fall 2018 selection and a Summer 2018 Kids’ Indie Next List pick.
Sell is a Chicago-based comic artist best known for his illustrations of drag queens based on the reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race. The Cardboard Kingdom, which Sell collaborated on with a number of fellow authors and illustrators, follows a group of neighborhood kids through their summer break as they create cardboard alter-egos with intertwining storylines.
“This delightful graphic novel is a game of Dungeons & Dragons, a superhero story, and a kaiju match all in one,” said Destenie Fafard of Cellar Door Books in Riverside, California, who served on the bookseller panel that chose Sell’s book for the Indies Introduce program. “Any nerdy, imaginative kid will get a kick out of this read; plus, it boasts a truly diverse set of characters that deal with all sorts of problems but find solutions through their friendships and cardboard craft.”
Here, Fafard and Sell discuss the development of his idea for this graphic novel and the collaboration that went into creating the characters.
Destenie Fafard: In the age of parents who rely on cell phones and tablets to keep kids entertained, the stories told in The Cardboard Kingdom are about kids using their creativity and imagination to make elaborate worlds and costumes out of cardboard. Do you see the book as a response to this tech trend?
Chad Sell, author of The Cardboard KingdomChad Sell: I see the book as a celebration of creativity rather than a statement against anything. I think a lot of the characters’ creativity stems from my own childhood experiences and those of my collaborators, and we’re all old enough to have grown up in a world before smartphones!
DF: As a self-identified nerd, I loved the allusions to tabletop games (like Dungeons & Dragons), video games, comic books, and kaiju films. How much were you inspired by nerd culture? How do you hope kids who are a little nerdy will react to these stories?
CS: I am absolutely a nerd, too! And since I had a team of 10 other writers, they were all able to bring their own geeky interests into the mix. I wanted the Kingdom to feel like a patchwork world where superheroes, monsters, and every kind of fantastical creature could team up for wild adventures. And I’m hoping that kids respond to that and run with it — I would love to see cosplay, fan art, and custom cardboard creations!
DF: The Cardboard Kingdom has a list of contributing writers from many different walks of life, and the diversity of the book’s characters and the issues they navigate are hugely alluring. What was the process of writing this breadth of diversity like? And how did working with a team inform that process?
CS: The collaborative element behind The Cardboard Kingdom provided countless moments of pure creative magic throughout the years of making this book. It might sound corny, but it’s true! Each creator came to me with a short story pitch, and I was surprised how autobiographical some of them were. In the early stages of developing each story, I would have long phone calls and e-mail exchanges with the creators, asking them questions about their own experiences and their ideas for their stories. They brought so much perspective and emotional weight to the book, whether it’s from the point of view of a young boy wrestling with his parents’ scary separation, or a young girl struggling with conflicting advice from her Dominican father. And then, of course, they were able to offer valuable insight on each other’s work, too, and share in the enthusiasm and excitement of seeing the book make it out into the world!
DF: Graphic novels are not only gaining popularity but are crucial to literacy. What would you say to someone who has never picked up a graphic novel or to parents who are unconvinced of their merits?
CS: Although graphic novels might not cram as many words onto a page as a prose book, the combination of imagery with text can convey all kinds of complicated meanings and emotions. Comics aren’t necessarily simplistic or juvenile. The act of reading a comic can be a fairly sophisticated process, and I hope that readers find the stories in The Cardboard Kingdom to be moving, rich, and impactful.
DF: What would your cardboard alter-ego be?
CS: Oh, trust me, I’m fully expecting to show up at events dressed up as a variety of different characters from The Cardboard Kingdom — it’s too hard to pick just one! I’m excited to dress up as the superheroic Gargoyle, the scholarly Professor Everything, and the towering titan of terror: The Robot! I’ve even been working on a design for a cardboard bow tie to wear to formal events! (Hey, I already told you I’m a nerd!!)
Indies Introduce logos
The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 9781524719371, Middle Grade Graphic Novel, $20.99) On Sale Date: 6/5/2018.
Find out more about the author at chadsellcomics.com.
ABA member stores are invited to use this interview or any others in our series of Q&As with Indies Introduce debut authors in newsletters and social media and in online and in-store promotions. Please let us know if you do.
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Comics Syllabus: Chad Sell on “Cardboard Kingdom”
By Paul Lai | June 12th, 2018
Posted in Podcasts | 0 Comments
Or download the podcast episode here.
Chad Sell, the creator and artist of the wonderful new all-ages graphic novel, “The Cardboard Kingdom” (Penguin Random House), joins Paul to tell the inspiring origin story of the book, co-written with a team of contributors. Just as Chad and many other contributors lent their talents and perspectives to the craft of this book, the book itself is a tribute to the diverse imaginations and explorations of a neighborhood of kids, having fun and finding themselves through an extended universe of play. The kids take on roles like The Sorceress, the Big Banshee, and The Gargoyle, fashioning costumes and castles from cardboard and creativity. The graphic novel’s assembled short stories amass into an overarching tale of childhood fun, community formation, and identity development, enjoyable for young readers and adults too. Chad shares about the craft and process of putting together “The Cardboard Kingdom”… its inspiration from kids comics, drag queens, and coloring book contests. It’s a great conversation… don’t miss it!
Chad’s co-writers on the book include Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Manuel Betancourt, Molly Muldoon, Cloud Jacobs, Michael Cole, Barbara Perez Marquez, Vid Alliger, David Demeo, and Chad himself! Check out “The Cardboard Kingdom” at http://chadsellcomics.com/thecardboardkingdom/ or http://twitter.com/TheCardboardK and find Chad and his work at http://chadsellcomics.com/
(Oh, and check out the awesome papercraft designs for Cardboard Kingdom available through the book’s site: http://ntanos.co.uk/collections/the-cardboard-kingdom )
Subscribe and follow the Comics Syllabus podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Soundcloud, or copy this RSS feed to your podcatcher: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:235183739/sounds.rss or you can find archives for this podcast (previously named “Study Comics with Paul”) here: http://studycomics.club/
Join the discussion on the Comics Syllabus Facebook page: http://facebook.com/ComicsSyllabus or with Paul on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwoPlai or leave your comments here on the showpage.
Thanks for listening!
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Book Review: The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell and friends
July 10, 2018 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment
Publisher’s description
cardboard kingdomPerfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Awkward, and All’s Faire in Middle School, this graphic novel follows a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary cardboard into fantastical homemade costumes as they explore conflicts with friends, family, and their own identity.
Welcome to a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary boxes into colorful costumes, and their ordinary block into cardboard kingdom. This is the summer when sixteen kids encounter knights and rogues, robots and monsters—and their own inner demons—on one last quest before school starts again.
In the Cardboard Kingdom, you can be anything you want to be—imagine that!
The Cardboard Kingdom was created, organized, and drawn by Chad Sell with writing from ten other authors: Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez. The Cardboard Kingdom affirms the power of imagination and play during the most important years of adolescent identity-searching and emotional growth.
Amanda’s thoughts
I’m keeping track of what books I read for younger readers this summer and making a post-it note blog post about them, just like I post during the school year. But I loved this book so much that I wanted to single it out and make sure it gets seen so it can be added to all collections. There is a lot to like about this graphic novel. The vibrant, cheerful art is incredibly appealing, the large cast of characters all get their own little storylines and stand out as unique and memorable—not an easy task when looking at this many characters. I love the emphasis on creativity, imagination, and working together as well as the creative play that allows you to imagine yourself however you’d like to be—or to show the world how you really are. As the parent of a kid who still, at 12, loves nothing more than turning a cardboard box into the scene for some imagined battle, a kid who is generally outside in some kind of costume, I especially love it. The diversity of kids and home lives shown here is effortless, inclusive, and affirming. There’s a boy who lives with this grandmother while his mother is off somewhere else, and needs to learn to care for herself before he can go live with her again. There’s a young child, Jack, who loves the role of the sorceress because she is how he sees himself, how he’d like to be. His mother assures him that she’s okay with that, with him, and that he’s amazing. There’s Miguel who longs to be the romantic lead opposite a dashing prince. Seth’s parents are splitting up and he fears his father’s visits to their house. Some of the kids are the charismatic organizers while others hang back more and have to work a little harder to feel at ease with the group. This is a really excellent book with one of the most diverse groups of kids I’ve seen in a children’s book in a long time. A surefire hit with the graphic novel crowd.
ISBN-13: 9781524719388
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Publication date: 06/05/2018
Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Book reviews, Creativity, Diversity, Graphic Novels, Imagination, Play
Review of the Day: The Cardboard Kingdom, edited and illustrated by Chad Sell
April 6, 2018 by Elizabeth Bird
CardboardKingdomThe Cardboard Kingdom
Edited and Illustrated by Chad Sell
Written by Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez
Knopf (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
$12.99
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1937-1
Ages 9-12
On shelves June 5th
The other day I listened to a very interesting speaker as she defined in crystal clear terms the words “equality” and “equity”. Simply put, “equality” is leveling the playing field and “equity” is getting the same end results. And, as with all things, I turn to the world of children’s literature to see how this applies to the books we’re handing kids. We’re seeing a small increase in the number of books for children that feature groups that have been historically pushed to the side and/or ignored entirely in literature. And, inevitably, since we’re dealing with literature for children, a lot of that stuff is heavy-handed, didactic, and clunky with its messaging. Or, far far worse, not fun. There is no way to turn a child off a message faster than boring them to death with it. Do that and not only do you fail to instill in them any sense of the world in which we live, but you could turn them off of reading as well. How to face this foe? Enter comics to save the day! Specifically, enter The Cardboard Kingdom. You want inclusion? You want diversity? You want positive messages so wrapped up in a bubble of colorful high-octane fun that you swallow the whole pill with glee and beg for more? Chad Sell and his cadre of clever writers are here and they might just be the wave of the future we’ve been waiting for.
Consider the cardboard box. Easily accessible. Available. The perfect tool of children everywhere. Consider its applications. With a cardboard box you can cut and reform it into anything. The headdress of an evil enchanter. The enchanted sword of a knight. A monster. A dragon. The possibilities are endless. In a suburban neighborhood, a large group of children have created a whole other world. They can be anyone they want to be. The boy with a violent father becomes a nighttime vigilante, protecting his home. The girl with a big voice becomes a she-hulk of epic proportions. The boy in desperate need of becoming someone powerful and awesome transforms into a gorgeous sorceress. There are robots, scribes, mad scientists, beasts, anything you want to be is possible. Every home has its challenges. Even a world as beautiful as this has to deal with bullies. But in this little cardboard kingdom, every kid belongs. Particularly the ones reading this book.
When I was a kid I read a lot of old Doonesbury comic strip collections. And sure, I didn’t get a lot out of the sections involving the White House, but when it came to a group of friends living together in a commune, I was entranced. For me, this represented a kind of idealized world. Lots of friends living with you all the time, each person with their own particular quirks and kicks. I got a very similar feeling when I read The Cardboard Kingdom except instead of a 1970s commune, we’re dealing with an extended neighborhood filled to brimming with kids who are all approximately the same age. Even without the inclusion and diversity on show here (and it is present and accounted for), that is already an idealized situation. Because Sell’s art is so enticing, it would be easy to attribute this book’s success (no question, it will be successful) on just the art and the writing. Less obvious, but just as important, is the world it creates. Where kids create quests for other kids, cardboard is a substance that can pretty much be turned into anything, and no two children ever want to play the same character. Expect this book to be read, reread, re-re-read, and delved into on a pretty regular basis.
On a preliminary read I found myself puzzled by something I discovered at the beginning of each section. Chad Sell’s name is featured prominently on the cover of this book and is mentioned with each mini story inside. Yet there was often another name listed next to his. Why? Turns out, this book was co-written, after a fashion, with ten other people. That, in and of itself, isn’t too surprising. Such collaborations have happened before. The tone of the book stays the same throughout too. At first I thought this was because all eleven people aligned their writing styles to make the book the best possible product. Later I discovered it had more to do with the fact that Sell is the driving force behind the project and the other writers are helping him mold and shape the characters. Character is key in this book, and for good reason. More than anything else, The Cardboard Kingdom is a short story collection ala Ray Bradbury’s fellow ode to kids in the summer Dandelion Wine. Coming up with tales as consistently good as this (I can honestly say there’s not a weak one in the bunch) is no mean feat. Now to be fair, because you have so many different writers, there are some interesting tropes that perhaps would have been avoided if there had been a single author. For example, moms are almost universally understanding in this book. Dads and grandparents? Significantly less so, though I think it’s fair to say that with the possible exception of Seth’s dad, no grown-up is beyond hope (and even he knows when he’s beat).
But what’s going to draw kids in is the art. Chad Sell has this accessible style that’s inevitably going to be compared to Raina Telgemeier, what with its clean lines and bold colors (not sure who did the coloring on this book, but they should get extra points since they’re doing about 50% of the heavy lifting visually). You immediately grasp the internal logic of cardboard that can be turned into pretty much anything. This magical substance is without limit in Sell’s world, and we buy in completely. Couple that with the imaginative sequences. If you like the kids then you’ll LOVE their alter egos (particularly that sassy Sorceress with the hips that just won’t stop). But getting beyond the glitz and glamour, the real lure here is Sell’s artistry as a storyteller. You need only look at his wordless sequences (and there are a LOT packed in here). Sometimes a story with dialogue will turn into a tale without a word and the transition is seamless. “The Big Banshee” is a great example of this. When Sophie is sad, all words disappear. Sell even silently shows the grandmother that silenced her, taming down her magnificent hair, an act that speaks volumes without a single syllable. None of this would have worked without Sell putting his heart and soul into each storyline.
As with any anthology, it’s not like the book is flawless. That skill with wordless sequences I just lauded so highly does occasionally lead to confusion. The opening story with The Sorceress is a good example of this. It’s not essential, but it’s a pretty big point that The Sorceress is brought to life by a boy. This might partially account for why he’s so initially shocked and frightened when discovered by his neighbor. However, at that point in the book it’s easy to assume he’s a girl with short hair. To Sell’s credit this is quickly corrected in the second storyline, but it does speak to the problems that inevitably come up when you eschew words. Confusion is inevitable, but by no means a deal breaker.
There has never been a time when there has been as much widespread acceptance (or, at the very least, tolerance) of dressing up as your favorite creature or character. Walk into any comic convention and instantly you’re in a space where people feel safe to live out their fantasies in as flamboyant a fashion as possible. Of course, they learn from the best. Kids are the true geniuses when it comes to full immersion into an alternate world. And children’s literature has always been in love with those kids that could wholly give into those imaginings. Everything from Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson to Doll Bones by Holly Black. And now that comics for kids have gained widespread acceptance, we’re taking that to the next logical level. We can see their imaginings and get just as wrapped up in their storylines as they do. Costumes are, naturally, just a nice bonus. So is the fact that for many The Cardboard Kingdom has the potential to become the norm. Imagine that.
On shelves June 5th.
Source: Galley sent from publisher for review.
Like This? Then Try:
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Doll Bones by Holly Black
Filed Under: Best Books, Best Books of 2018, Reviews, Reviews 2018 Tagged With: 2018 graphic novels, 2018 reviews, Alfred A. Knopf, Barbara Perez Marquez, Chad Sell, Cloud Jacobs, David DeMeo, graphic novels, Jay Fuller, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, middle grade graphic novels, Molly Muldoon, Random House, Vid Alliger
About Elizabeth Bird
Elizabeth Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
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