Jill Thompson Signs Four-book Deal with HarperCollins

This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on May 9, 2006 Sign up now!

by Heidi MacDonald, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 5/9/2006

Eisner Award-winning comics artist and children's book illustrator Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Dead Boy Detectives) has signed a four-book deal with HarperCollins to produce a series of graphic novels for young readers starring a young witch named Magic Trixie. The first book will appear in 2008. Each 94-page volume will be in full color.

Magic Trixie is a first-grade student at the Spectral Park Monstersorry School, and her friends are a sort of "monster Little Rascals," according to Thompson. The supporting cast includes a pair of vampire twins; Loupie Garou, a werewolf girl who excels at everything; Stitch Patch, the Frankenstein boy next door; Princess Nefi, a mummy who's the rich girl in the neighborhood; and Magic Trixie's little sister, Abby Cadabra. Their teacher is Ms. Spectre, a ghost who "haunts their brains with learning."

"Obviously, being a little witch, Magic Trixie doesn't know much magic," says Thompson. "Magic Trixie is always trying to impress the kids with the stuff she knows, but they've seen her tricks one too many times." In the first book, Show & Spell, Magic Trixie struggles to find something new to bring for show and tell.

Thompson previously hit the children's bestseller charts with Mick Foley's Halloween Madness, and her Scary Godmother graphic novel series was turned into a stageplay and two animated specials for the Cartoon Network. She had originally pitched Magic Trixie as a picture book, but she was delighted when HarperCollins said, " 'No, we want you to do what you do,'" Thompson reports. Her last two graphic novels were the manga-style At Death's Door and Dead Boy Detectives for Vertigo, both featuring character from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. Working in the more expansive manga storytelling style has definitely influenced her thinking: "Whereas before I might have told something in three panels, now I can spend more time doing silent storytelling."

The series idea is something she's been thinking about for a few years, and now that it's time to actually get to work, Thompson finds she almost has too much to say. "Starting to tell the story was intimidating. I was so happy to finally put a drawing down, but I have so much in my head I almost don't have the patience to tell it sequentially."

Thompson mentioned the new deal during her appearance at the recent Toronto Comic-con, where she was part of the Women of Comics symposium, which included more than 20 women in comics, from syndicated cartoonists to superhero writers to OEL manga creators. The symposium was based on an idea hatched during a conversation between Thompson and show organizer Peter Fisico, to showcase women creators, not merely within the confines of women issues, but as important creators with universal appeal.

The Toronto convention was itself a showcase for the city's busy cartooning scene. Anchored by such world-famous comics shops as the Beguiling and the Silver Snail, Toronto has an active scene for both graphic novel readers and creators. With the Women of Comics fete as a focus, the show provided a vibrant snapshot of indie comics as they move from comics publishers to the book world. While Thompson's announcement was a highlight, she was far from the only cartoonist on hand with a book deal. Artist Kean Soo was celebrating the announcement of Jellaby's move to Disney, and the buzz on the floor was that several other indie comics mainstays are about to announce deals with major New York houses.

Even given the average longevity of a publishing trend, it's clear that the graphic novel boom has legs for more years to come.

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