by Mike Favila, Senior Editor

If you’ve never heard of the 5 Worlds book series, you must be living under a rock. The story of Oona and her friends trying to save their multicolored world recalls a number of sci fi galaxies from decades past, but yet is visually and conceptually distinct. I still remember hearing about the first book (The Sand Warrior) through a press release from Random house in 2016 and thinking it might be a fun, one-off read for me and the kids. After my son read it once through, he was hooked and read it 4x more that week. When the release date for the final book in the 5 Worlds series, The Emerald Gate, was set, I knew we had to get at least one more chat in with this collaborative team to see how they felt about over 8 years of work coming to fruition, and what was next.

ComicsOnline: How does it feel to wrap up your epic? I’ve loved seeing how response to the 5 Worlds books has grown, even among my non comic reading friends and their children.

Mark Siegel (writer): Eight years of this adventure together, coming to a close—it’s quite a moment in our lives, and with each other. A little teary, a little celebratory! And the response from readers and fans has evolved greatly. Around the third book we started seeing a lot of fan art and some cosplay—they were making 5 Worlds their own.

Alexis Siegel (writer): Yes, it’s a bittersweet feeling to part ways (at least for now, in this medium 😉 ) with characters who have been our companions for so many years. I too have loved seeing the response to the 5 Worlds books grow, especially in the French-speaking world (I live in Geneva, Switzerland), where it’s a big hit (and almost everyone at least occasionally reads comics)—so many bookstore owners and staff have told me they’ve been recommending it as a story with meaning and heart that will reward multiple rereadings.

CO: Yeah, it’s really big here in Belgium too. I see 5 Worlds in all the bande dessinée shops, and I’ve been seeing it as gifts for Christmas here and there.

Boya Sun (artist): It’s satisfying to see readers’ reactions to the ending, especially from the ones who have grown up with the series. It gives me perspective on the work we did. While working on it, I could never imagine getting to the end, just getting used to it being part of our lives year after year, and suddenly we are here; it really feels amazing!

Xanthe Bouma (artist): It’s hard to fathom that the books are done! But seeing that same reaction from the kids that have followed the series makes it feel real to me, and I love seeing those responses. Working for so long on one project taught me more than I could have expected, I’ll miss having it be part of my daily life and problem-solving all together, but it’s gratifying to take a vacation too!

Matt Rockefeller (artist): It is completely unreal to be looking back, five books in hand, and seeing the reality of eight years of effort and collaboration. Nearly 1250 comic pages! The work was at times grueling, but always rewarding, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to grow and learn with the project and my four brilliant companions. I often joke that instead of going to grad school, I went to the 5 Worlds to learn comics, world building, and storytelling! It has been an adjustment not having them to return to each day, but I know that this is just the beginning of our partnership and a time we will look back on fondly.

CO: I know my son and his friends were all constantly asking me when The Emerald Gate was coming out! Did the ending change a lot from when you first started plotting it out? Was this always the number of books planned, or did it expand as readers reacted to it?

Mark: The ending evolved as our characters grew and started telling us the story. By book five, we had over a thousand pages of full color comics behind us, and some story developments took us all by surprise! So it wasn’t so much readers reacting that affected the story, so much as our five way collaboration deepening and the series revealing itself to us. It was always five books. Five beacons, five creators, 5 Worlds!

Alexis: We knew from the start that the series would involve journeying through each of the 5 Worlds as a main focus for a book, but there were surprises in each of the worlds as we delved into their distinct natures. And as the story grew, all of its threads spoke to us, until in books four and five it often felt like we were fulfilling and weaving, more than inventing.

Boya: I think the length of the series and how the story is going to start and end was planned out from the beginning. The details, characters, decisions all evolved as we evolved as artists and storytellers, and sometimes the characters took over.

Xanthe: On the art side, we definitely gained new ideas as we explored the worlds in the comic itself, especially with things like the beacon designs. I feel like when Mark and Alexis would break through on each book’s outline was when we’d really be able to envision how the beacons would look and behave. On a smaller scale, we’d figure out what we could in the visual development stage, but oftentimes things would pop up as we drew the pages—like what do you do when the oil spirit Ram Sam Sam gets arrested and has to be put in chains? He’s oil! How do you contain that? Design a funny jar, I guess.

Matt: One thing I’ll add is how the art itself has transformed from the first book to the last as our skills and sensibilities were honed and we came to love and understand each of the worlds and characters. Looking back on our original sketches, it’s as if we were uncovering a buried artifact. With each subsequent panel, page, book, we had a better and better idea of who these characters were and what the story was asking of them. The story/art revealed itself to us in many ways as we were making it, despite the years of planning and effort we put in at the outset.

CO: What’s next for the writing and art team? Will there be any future projects together?

Mark: Maybe…! 🙂 We’re involved in secret things in other media, which we hope to tell you more about later this year.

Alexis: We’ve loved our collaboration, and it does feel like there’s more in store for this team as a collective.

Boya: I have some personal projects planned, and always up for new collaborations and new ways to grow as an artist.

Xanthe: We’re onto our individual projects at the moment, but we are always keeping up with future 5 Worlds plans together! I want to make a concept art/early writing omnibus zine or something. And I always bother Matt and Boya to give me feedback on my other work, too. It’s habit by now!

Matt: I rely on my teammates often for story advice and feedback on my solo projects and other illustration endeavors—they’re all invaluable to my process! Xanthe, Boya, and I often discuss possibilities of future collaborations as well. I would love to revisit the 5 Worlds whether it’s in other media or explorations of the many untold stories we’d undoubtedly find if we did.

CO: Are you doing any shows/cons to promote 5 Worlds? I know it’s super challenging with COVID and doing our best to be safe.

Mark: As much as we can these days! We’ve loved meeting fans and sharing reveals at all kinds of cons large and small. Hope to do so again soon.

Alexis: We’re still hoping to have a chance to get the five of us together for an event that isn’t virtual!

Boya: Nothing planned for right now due to the pandemic. But when events open up and are safe to travel to and attend, we will be there!

Xanthe: We love doing cons and visiting bookstores to chat with people. We usually announce events like these on our 5W socials, and sometimes personal accounts too! Hopefully more events will arise when it’s safer to do so. I really miss comic conventions!

Matt: I can’t wait until it’s safe to return to these types of events! Meeting and talking with fans and other artists is one of my favorite parts of being a creator.

CO: I think we’re all missing seeing what’s new at cons and just getting to talk to people. What’s the best way for fans to reach you all in the interim? Is there a store to pick up any merch or artwork? I know some of these designs are just asking for a huge sticker on my laptop!

Mark: @5WorldsTeam on Instagram, Twitter and FB and also 5-worlds.com. And we do sell 5-Worlds artwork, zines, pins and other goodies there, too. I’m at @marksiegel2027 on Insta.

Boya: we have our individual social media accounts if you want to keep up with what we each are working on. Mine is @boya_sun on instagram and @boyaboyasun on twitter!

Xanthe: I’m @xoxobouma on twitter and @xoxoboh on instagram.

Matt: Mine is @mcrockefeller on both instagram and twitter! I share my illustration/animation work there as well as updates on my future solo GN projects.

There you have it folks.  An amazing insight into the cool minds that put 5 Worlds together. Though I’m sad that the series is wrapping up, everybody will always have the books to read and reread.  And maybe there will be more in the future?

For more amazing interviews with your favorite authors and artists, hit up ComicsOnline on twitter/FB/Instagram!