V.E. Schwab, renowned author of Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and much more has recently been staking her claim in the comic book world. In collaboration with Titan Comics, the Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince series has expanded the fantasy universe she created. As the Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince Vol. 1 graphic novel is released on March 5th, the acclaimed author speaks to us about her thoughts on expanding the lore, what the future has in store for the series, and her thoughts on one of her most popular Shades of Magic characters: Maxim Maresh.
V. E. Schwab On Maxim
Kevin Alvarez: “Was Maxim Maresh your first character choice for a Shades of Magic comic series?”
Kevin Alvarez: “Could new characters introduced in a comic book series like The Steel Prince find themselves in later novels?”
V.E. Schwab: “Possibly, but there’s nearly a 40 year lag between the Steel Prince comic and the next sequence of novels (Threads of Power), so a character would have to be quite young in the comics, or someone like Maris, the captain of the floating market in the books, who doesn’t age at a normal rate. But in a world with magic, best to never rule anything out.”
What’s on the horizon?
Kevin Alvarez: “Would you be interested in telling tales set in different London realms before they were closed off?”
V.E. Schwab: “This is the challenge of dealing with a very large world that is also moving forward in time, evolving magically and historically–there’s a massive temptation to go poking in every corner! So far I’ve only told stories from after the fall, so to speak, because that’s where my cast of characters and the tension of isolated/abandoned worlds comes in, but I wouldn’t be opposed to one day peaking behind the curtain of the past.”
Kevin Alvarez: “Would you ever consider having a crossover comic book (or novel) between Shades of Magic and The Villains series?”
V.E. Schwab: “My head spins at the thought of it! I’m not sure those rule systems are very compatible, but there is a fascinating fan theory that the events at the very end of A Conjuring of Light pave the way for the magic/supernatural systems in every other one of my books.”
