Bringing Murderbot to Life: An Interview With Erica Schultz

Erica Schultz (Spawn: Rat City, Daredevil, Wolverine) is taking on a new mission with Murderbot: All Systems Red, a graphic novel adaptation of Martha Wells' award-winning science fiction series.

Working alongside artist Gary Erskine (Dan Dare, JSA: Strange Adventures, Hellblazer), colorist Yel Zamor, and letterer Simon Bowland, Erica collaborated with Wells to bring the beloved story to a new medium.

Kickstarter Creator Success Specialist Brandon Bloxdorf spoke with Erica about the challenges of adapting Murderbot, the creative freedom of crowdfunding, and which elements of science fiction she'd like to see become reality.

Murderbot: The First Graphic Novel is an adaptation of the book, which has also been adapted into an Apple TV+ series. What were some of the most exciting and daunting challenges of approaching a project like this?

ES: Because the novel has already been visually expressed in the TV show, we, as a creative team, have to ignore what the show has done (and the casting) to create something different. The power of novels is to allow the reader to create imagery in their own mind. That said, what I think something should look like can be wildly different from what others think it should be like. That's both daunting and exciting.

What was your first experience with the Murderbot novels, and how did you land the opportunity to adapt the story?

ES: I grew up in a very sci-fi household where any type of media in that genre was consumed. That's always been foundational for me. Editor, Paul Cornell, reached out to see if I would be interested in working on the project. I'm a fan of his work, and was very excited when he reached out with this opportunity.

The book is currently live on Kickstarter! Is crowdfunding something you'd like to explore more for future projects? What excites you most about bringing this book to Kickstarter?

ES: I've run a few Kickstarter campaigns for projects that I've written and been involved in. The most recent was Cristabel (a graphic novel re-interpretation of the poem Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge). The exciting prospect of Kickstarter is that you get the finished product straight to the people who are asking for it.

Pitching a publisher can be an arduous task, and you're often asked to change the story in order to fit with what that publisher deems is "marketable" for them. Crowdfunding allows you to find the audience and connect with them directly. For many creators, this is ideal.

There are several other novels in the Murderbot series. Could we see you return to adapt more of them?

ES: I don't know what tomorrow is going to hold, so I can't speak to that. The campaign for All Systems Red is fully funded, and we hope to hit some incredible stretch goals as the Kickstarter continues. If Martha Wells and Cosmic Lighthouse decide to do another adaptation—and they deem me worthy—I'll jump on for another ride.

Science fiction has a way of anticipating the future. What aspects of the Murderbot universe would you like to see become reality? And what would you rather leave in fiction?

ES: Well, having murderbots doesn't sound too pleasant, so I'll put that in the "no, thank you" category. Interplanetary travel sounds interesting. Using the technology that creates the murderbots to help amputees and other-abled people sounds really great for the world and society. Giant conglomerates that own and regulate everything in the universe can go in the bin, too.

If you could adapt any other science fiction novel into a graphic novel, what would you choose?

ES: That's difficult as there are so many fantastic sci-fi novels, and many of them have gotten the graphic novel treatment. Maybe The Real Story by Stephen Donaldson? The position of the three main characters and their point of view shifts back and forth, and it would be interesting to see that portrayed visually. Maybe with each one getting a certain palette? I don't know.

Explore Murderbot: The First Graphic Novel on Kickstarter