MAX BRALLIER AND THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH

24/10/2022

Hello Max, congratulations on releasing the brand new volume of The Last Kids on Earth. For the readers of the site who are unaware of the books, could you give an elevator pitch for them?

For sure. Other-dimensional portals open up – bringing zombies and giant monsters to our world. Jack Sullivan, the series’ middle school-aged hero, takes refuge in a tree house. His entire town is abandoned or zombified – and he decides to fight back. He puts together a team, gathering his best friend, Quint, and the school bully, Dirk, and his crush, June. And then they fight, fight, fight -- and have way more fun than they probably should.

The books emphasize fun and adventure over teenage angst and trauma etc. What made you decide to write the books with this slant?

The stuff that I read and the movies that I watch and the stuff that most inspires me and inspires the series – that stuff is all about fun and adventure. Angsty characters aren’t in my wheelhouse, really. I always want Last Kids to feel like an escape from real life – and that’s what fun and adventure is all about.

Were you ever tempted to shift the narrative tone to more YA Walking Dead?
Not really. I don’t read a lot of books that fall in the YA category – so I don’t think I’d know even know where to start. Also – I think YA tends to be more words. Whenever possible, I prefer writing less words.

I have to ask, should zombies, runners or shamblers?

Easy one! Shamblers. All day, every day. Dawn of the Dead is the movie that first got me into zombies and, in a big way, inspired Last Kids. I lived in Pittsburgh for a bit as a kid, and my dad’s family is from there – so I’m always going to be a Romero guy. There are a lot of runner-zombie things I love -- 28 Days Later, for sure – but that stuff falls into a totally different category for me.

You wake up in the universe of The Last Kids on Earth; what's the first thing you'd do that you wouldn't be able to do with the adults being around?

When I was 12? Hmm. Go to the video store and rent all the movies my parents wouldn’t allowed me to watch. Then the local go-kart track for real life Mario Kart through my hometown. That was such a big fantasy – I got to put it into the third Last Kids on Earth book, the Nightmare King, and it was so fun to write.

And what would be your go-to junk food/ drink combo?

Doritos and Mountain Dew, when I was a kid. These days… Plain nachos -- just tortilla chips and cheese – Cherry Coke Zero.

I love how your novels are set out; I haven't seen your approach of presenting them as a sort of graphic novel and prose combination before; what made you take this approach? And as a dyslexic and parent of dyslexic kids, I think these books are a breath of fresh air.

Thanks! Super happy to hear your kids enjoy reading them and like that format. The format – I call them “illustrated novels” but some people say graphic novels or just novels or something else -- exploded in popularity after Jeff Kinney released Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I’m not sure if he fully invented that format/style or not – but as a consumer, it felt like it. And then came really great stuff like Big Nate and Timmy Failure.

I fell in love with the format because it’s sorta built for the sort of comedy and jokes I enjoy – and like to write. I loved the way the text would set-up a joke – and then the art would deliver the punchline. When I started thinking about writing something like the Last Kids on Earth – my thought was – can this format be used to tell a big adventure story? And would it work if the writer wasn’t also the illustrator – because the titles I was familiar with, they were all author-illustrator. So, it was nerve-racking to try it – at times, I was convinced it wasn’t gonna work.

Booki Vivat uses the format super effectively – but she also mixes in lots of fun stuff like handdrawn text, multiple illustrations per page, little doodle asides, things like that. Terri Libenson’s Emmie & Friends series is also great. It’s just a really fun format to work in.

Talking of the illustrations, how did you come to work with Douglas Holgate?

I got really lucky. First, the series’ designer, Jim Hoover, has an amazing eye for artists – and he thought Doug would be perfect. Second, Doug was available and interested. So – luck! When Jim sent me Doug’s portfolio, I freaked out – he was just so perfect.

You clearly had visions of the character's looks; how did you and Douglas settle on the characters' final look and the book's graphic style?

99% of the kids’ look is Doug. For Jack, I wanted him to have swooping hair that would be recognizable in silhouette – I remember making that note. But I don’t recall giving many art direction/notes beyond that. When I write the manuscript, I know I have X number of illustrations I can use in the book – at the start of the series it was 150, now it’s more like 175. And I know I can’t go nuts and make all those big, epic, super-detailed images or the book will never get finished on time and Doug will kill me.

The book’s graphic style is really the vision of the series’ designer, Jim Hoover. He’s the reason it works. Once the manuscript is finished, he lays the whole thing out in Illustrator – and that’s no small task. He finds all sorts of creative ways to get the illustration and text working in a way that gives space for the big illustrations to be big, the smaller ones to be small, the 2-page spreads working so that they appear correctly on a page turn, things like that. All while making sure the book hits the allotted page count. There’s so much he has to take into account – when I picture him at his computer working, I sort of imagine that scene in Apollo 13 when Kevin Bacon is doing a dozen things at once to keep the ship from falling apart.

The latest novel is due for release in September; what can readers expect from The Last Kids On Earth and the Forbidden Fortress?

Scary stuff and weird stuff. This is the most intense book in the series so far. I think it’s gonna surprise some readers.

Films like the Goonies and Star Wars have significantly influenced you; what about these films in particular appeals to you so much?

So much. Been thinking about that a lot, recently. They’re escapist – they let you shut off your brain for a bit. I find that really important. There’s a big dream or hope at the heart of those movies – Luke dreaming about escaping his life on Tatooine, the kids in Goonies hoping they can somehow find a way to prevent the impossible and save their homes. And there’s a huge wish fulfillment aspect – watching those movies, you want to go on those adventures with those characters.

If you were one of the last kids, who would you pick to be in your gang, living or dead, actual or fictitious?

Ooh, good question. Tough. I’ll treat it like a fantasy draft or something, and pick some favorite fictional characters: Ash, Snake Plissken, Ellen Ripley, Axel Foley, Furiosa.

The series is hugely successful. Other than it being extremely well written and an excellent concept, why do you think The Last Kids on Earth, over any of your other projects, has taken off so well?

Luck and timing. And I guess timing is also just a part of luck, so luck and more luck. I wanted to make zombie stuff – movies, books, comics, I didn’t care – since middle school. Then, when I was in a place to pitch a book series like this, the zombie craze was still going on. I was worried it had passed, but it hadn’t – thankfully. Then I got lucky again by getting a great editor. And then lucky again getting a great designer. And then super lucky Doug – his art is so incredible and perfect. I continue to be stunned by his range: funny stuff, scary stuff, big stuff, action stuff – he’s able to do all of it.

There is even a video game. Did you have much input on the game's design?

I did! I was able to be involved from the start – which was ridiculously cool. I had input in the style of game, some of the mechanics, some of the dialogue, stuff like that.

And have you managed to complete it?

Yes! I’ve only completed the finished game once, though. I played so many different versions of it while it was in development that, once it came out, I was like, “Okay, I’m playing this thing through once, getting all the trophies, and then I’m done with it forever. Or until my daughter’s old enough to play it.”

It must be on every writer's wishlist to have their property picked up for a film or a TV series; how did The Last Kids on Earth get picked up?

A production company, Atomic Cartoons, emailed me. Totally out of the blue – it was a wonderful surprise. We chatted, we all liked each other, liked each other’s ideas – and then we went out and pitched it. And Netflix was into it!

And do you have any advice for other authors planning on pitching their stories?

A good agent and a good producing partner really helps. But also – and this is silly, coming from me – get good at pitching. I’m not good at it. But I’m trying to get better. A friend recently told me they watched Shonda Rhimes’ Masterclass and found the part about pitching hugely helpful.

The show has some exceptional vocal talent attached to it. Did you get to go to any table readings of the shows?

We didn’t do traditional table reads, because the cast was split between Los Angeles and Vancouver. But I was at a lot of the voice record sessions – either in person or remotely – and that was beyond cool.

With a successful series of books, computer games, TV shows and toy lines under your belt, what can possibly be next for you? A VFW sequel? I'd sell my soul for one if it helps to sway you.

Oh man, I wish we were working on a VFW sequel. I have a great idea for a sequel – truly, I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had. Not kidding. But getting that to happen would be tough – new ownership at Fangoria, now. But never say never! Beyond that – more Last Kids on Earth books, including a spin-off graphic novel series, The Last Comics on Earth. And a few other things that I have to be quiet about for a little while longer... But more soon!

The Last Kids on Earth and the Forbidden Fortress (The Last Kids on Earth)

Now an Emmy award-winning Netflix series!

The highly-anticipated new book from the New York Times bestselling series, with over 7 million copies in print

'Terrifyingly fun! Max Brallier's The Last Kids on Earth delivers big thrills and even bigger laughs.' Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

'Terrifyingly fun! Max Brallier's The Last Kids on Earth delivers big thrills and even bigger laughs.' Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Wimpy Kid meets The Walking Dead in this hilarious series packed with monsters and zombies.

The highly-anticipated eighth book in the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling series, with over 10 million copies in print!

Picking up after Quint and Dirk's Hero Quest, the Last Kids are happily reunited—but quickly faced with a monstrous new mission. Inside an other-dimensional fortress, the evil Thrull, alongside a vile new villain, is carrying out a sinister plan. Jack, Quint, June and Dirk must make their own plans to infiltrate the stronghold before Thrull gets any closer to completing the mysterious Tower, a structure that could ultimately spell doom for this dimension.

The Last Kids on Earth series:
The Last Kids on Earth
The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade
The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King
The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond
The Last Kids on Earth and the Midnight Blade
The Last Kids on Earth and the Skeleton Road
And don’t miss the full-colour graphic novel:
The Last Kids on Earth: Thrilling Tales from the Tree House

Max Brallier

Max Brallier is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His books and series include The Last Kids on Earth, Eerie Elementary, Mister Shivers, Galactic Hot Dogs, and Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? He is a writer and producer for Netflix's Emmy-award-winning adaptation of The Last Kids on Earth. Max lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. Visit him at MaxBrallier.com.