We has the pleasure of chatting with the team behind Phineas and Ferb’s A-MAZE-ing Creature Double Feature – Vol. 1 by Joshua Pruett and Scott Peterson, to talk about the new graphic novel and what makes it such a fun ride. They told us how classic drive-in monster movies shaped the two-story setup, why Dr. Doofenshmirtz ends up right in the spotlight, and what readers can expect from a 1950s creature-feature twist plus a backyard maze that spirals way out of control.
Tell us about Phineas and Ferb’s A-MAZE-ing Creature Double Feature
Disney’s Phineas and Ferb’s A-MAZE-ing Creature Double Feature is a brand-new graphic novel featuring two full-length stories full of comedy, action, and creepy creatures. When we (writers Scott Peterson and Joshua Pruett) were kids, we loved the creature double features at the drive-in movie theaters with the strange monsters and radioactive creatures, and wanted to bring that feeling to the world of Phineas and Ferb with these two wild stories.
What can fans expect to see?
New readers and fans of Phineas and Ferb will see all their favorite characters in two all-new stories with exciting adventures that take our heroes where they’ve never been before.
The first story takes our characters out of their normal continuity, imagining what they might be like in the 1950s, when black-and-white movie monsters reigned on the big screen, and Phineas and Ferb must face down real-life monstrous creatures in Danville… with the help of late-night movie marathon host, Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
In the second half, set in our everyday backyard world, Phineas and the gang invent a maze to get lost in, but Doofenshmirtz’s ELONG-inator makes it so big that it absorbs all of Danville, and now everyone ELSE is lost too! Our heroes must invent their way out while Agent P stops Doof from exploiting the maze to take over the entire Tri-State area!
Can those who are not familiar with Phineas and Ferb dive into this adventure as well?
These stories are for everyone, diehard fans as well as people who’ve never seen the show… but there are a lot of fun Easter eggs for those long-time viewers to find. Plus, this OGN gives us the chance as writers to open up the world of the series and do things we couldn’t do on TV!
Tell us about Dr. Doofenshmirtz in this graphic novel
Both of these stories put Dr. Doofenshmirtz front and center for two wildly different adventures.
In the first story, we reimagine Dr. Doofenshmirtz as the host of a late-night creature feature show on TV, forced to show and comment on old monster movies in a job he has grown to loathe. When two excited kids, Phineas and Ferb, come to him for help with ACTUAL monsters, he is unprepared for the danger and excitement that awaits him.
In the second story, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is once again attempting to take over the entire Tri-State Area, like he always does, this time by exploiting the gigantic maze that Phineas and Ferb have constructed, elongating it across Danville, and only Perry the Platypus can stop him. Some of the fun when writing Doof is how petty and small he can be, and in this case, he’s motivated by feeling jealous of his brother Roger for always being taller than him, being taller on purpose, which is, of course, impossible, but very much the sort of thing Doof would be mad about.
What advice would you give someone who wants to create their own graphic novel?
The best advice we have if you want to create your own graphic novel is to just start doing it. You learn the most in the process of doing it, so maybe your first one won’t be everything you hoped it would be, but you’ll gain so much insight along the way that you’ll be twice as skilled to start your second one. Finishing projects, even small projects, is the key!
Start with an idea that you’d actually enjoy reading, something that you would love to see on the shelf of your local comic store, and likely pick up yourself. If you are excited about it, odds are good that other people will be too. It may help to put together a simple outline before you start drawing so you have a basic idea of where the story is going and how to build to an exciting conclusion. Or, teaming up with friends who have different skills; if you are a writer, collaborate with an artist, and vice versa. Or, if you wanna do both, jump in and try smaller comics to practice before you move on to bigger projects.
Today’s graphic novels have all kinds of different art styles, from realistic to abstract, and from very minimal cartoony drawings to incredibly detailed ones. Don’t worry if your drawings don’t look like someone else’s artwork; just do what you like and let your own style emerge. The main thing is to make things and show them to people, then keep doing that over and over again.
For those familiar with the story, what characters can they expect to see in this graphic novel?
Fans of Phineas and Ferb will see all their favorite characters—Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Buford, Baljeet, Candace, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Perry the Platypus, and more—plus more than a few giant creepy creatures to keep things interesting!
Where can folks support and purchase Phineas and Ferb’s A-MAZE-ing Creature Double Feature?
While Disney’s Phineas and Ferb’s A-MAZE-ing Creature Double Feature should soon be in a comic store near you, we know that it is currently available online at the websites for Papercutz, Simon & Schuster, and all your favorite retailers. We also encourage folks to request it from their local library; librarians love putting graphic novels into kids’ hands. In terms of supporting the book, just spread the word! If you like the comic, tell your friends! We want to make lots more Phineas comics (we have such plans!). But we need folks to read this one first! Thanks all, and carpe diem!
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