The Amulet series is a popular graphic novel series written and illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi. It follows the adventures of a young girl named Emily, who discovers a powerful amulet and must navigate a magical world filled with strange creatures and hidden dangers. The series has gained a devoted fan following and has been praised for its engaging storytelling and stunning artwork. **As of now, there are a total of 9 books in the Amulet series**. Each book builds upon the previous ones, revealing more about the characters and the world they inhabit. The series is known for its mix of action, fantasy, and emotional depth, making it appealing to readers of all ages.
In 2003, I pitched an animated movie called Let’s Get Francis to Walt Disney Feature Animation and they optioned the rights to make it. I was brought on board as co-director and writer of the film. Having done extensive research on films with long development processes, I had a pretty good sense I was not going to get a chance to direct this movie. Already several years out of college, time was of the essence and I was looking to gain storytelling experience, so I signed away the rights to the movie and left my job in animation to focus my efforts on graphic novels.
I was a sophomore Film and Media Studies major at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1997 when I read the graphic novel series Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki for the first time. Having done extensive research on films with long development processes, I had a pretty good sense I was not going to get a chance to direct this movie.
The series is known for its mix of action, fantasy, and emotional depth, making it appealing to readers of all ages. The Amulet series continues to captivate readers and stands as a testament to the power of storytelling in graphic novel format..
Amulet
Amulet is a project I have thought about since I was 19 years old. I was a sophomore Film and Media Studies major at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1997 when I read the graphic novel series Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki for the first time. It left me emotionally overwhelmed. Soon after, I read Bone by Jeff Smith and felt equally inspired. To me, these books represented some of the highest forms of literature- like The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia but with the addition of worlds and characters fully illustrated by the authors- and the stories within the pages were told in the form of comics! I immediately knew I wanted to make something like these books, so I set a goal to create a graphic novel series that could deserve to stand on the bookshelf next to the works of these masters.
The comic below represents my first attempt at writing and drawing the story. It depicts early versions of the characters Trellis (Trelly the Thief), Leon Redbeard (Leod the Cat), and a cat named Riley. At the end of this series of pages, a few panels of Emily and Navin were drawn before they go on their journey to Alledia, and Miskit is seen as a regular stuffed animal. By the end of drawing these pages, I was already burned out, I felt the results were disappointing, and the prospect of drawing thousands more pages seemed an unacceptable amount of work for a hobby project.
Making Amulet was a personal goal, not a career ambition, so I set the project aside to focus on developing job skills. Sketches and notes for Amulet slowly developed over the years while I worked as a graphic designer in architecture and later as a writer/director/3D animator for a small animation studio in Pasadena, California.
In 2003, I pitched an animated movie called Let’s Get Francis to Walt Disney Feature Animation and they optioned the rights to make it. I was brought on board as co-director and writer of the film. Having done extensive research on films with long development processes, I had a pretty good sense I was not going to get a chance to direct this movie. Already several years out of college, time was of the essence and I was looking to gain storytelling experience, so I signed away the rights to the movie and left my job in animation to focus my efforts on graphic novels.
Early efforts during this time included Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, a comic book mini-series published by Viper Comics, and the graphic novel anthology Flight, published by Image Comics (and later by Ballantine/Villard Books at Random House). They were both released to critical acclaim in 2004, while my webcomic Copper was growing in popularity online. Around this time, Scholastic sent me an email to inquire about new projects. With two published books under my belt, I decided to return to Amulet and give it another try. In 2005, I pitched Amulet to Scholastic Creative Director David Saylor and Editor Janna Morishima at Scholastic’s new Graphix Books imprint. Along with a short synopsis, I showed them the pages displayed below. Scholastic Graphix signed on to publish the first two books.
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Reviews for "Unveiling the books in the Amulet series: An in-depth exploration"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really looking forward to reading "What is the total number of books in the amulet series" as I have been a fan of the Amulet series. However, I was disappointed with the book. The storyline felt forced and lacked the originality and excitement that I have come to expect from the series. The characters also seemed flat and underdeveloped. Overall, it just didn't live up to my expectations.
2. Mark - 1 star - I cannot understand why "What is the total number of books in the amulet series" has received such positive reviews. The writing is poorly done, with numerous grammatical errors and awkward sentence structures. The plot is confusing and disjointed, making it difficult to follow. Additionally, the characters are unlikable and unrelatable. I was extremely disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to anyone.
3. Emily - 2 stars - "What is the total number of books in the amulet series" was a letdown for me. The pacing of the story was incredibly slow, making it hard to stay engaged. The plot itself felt unoriginal and clichéd, lacking any surprises or twists. The dialogue was also stilted and unnatural, further detracting from the overall reading experience. I wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.
4. David - 2 stars - As a longtime fan of the Amulet series, I was excited to read "What is the total number of books in the amulet series." However, I ultimately found it to be a disappointment. The story felt repetitive, with recycled plot points and character arcs. It lacked the freshness and originality of the previous books in the series. Additionally, the pacing was uneven, leading to a lack of engagement and interest. Overall, I was left underwhelmed by this installment.