A Graphic Novel Becomes a Graphic Novel

Octavia Butler's Kindred: a Graphic Novel Adaptation by Damian Duffy and John Jennings
New York : Abrams Comicarts, 2017.
vi, 240 p. : chiefly col. ill. ; 25 cm.

Almost two years ago, I read Butler's novel Kindred for the first time, and as I noted then, I loved it.   Therefore, about a year ago, I was excited to learn that two comics artists [Damian Duffy who lives in Urbana and John Jennings who used to live here] were in the middle of creating a graphic novel version of Butler's classic.  

If you are unfamiliar with Butler's novel, its hero is a black woman in the 1970s who finds herself suddenly dragged back in time to the antebellum enslaved world of Maryland - where she becomes tangled up with slaves and enslavers that are family connections from the past.  It is a brutal and dangerous world which she quickly has to figure out as she bounces back and forth from present to past.

Duffy and Jennings faced great challenges converting the novel to a graphic novel format, but they really have outdone themselves - and the reception to their work has been extremely positive - landing them on the NYT bestseller list.  With shifting uses of color and skilled condensing of narrative, they have preserved the power of Butler's work, while opening it up to a new generation of readers and fans of graphic novels.

The publisher Abrams has a nice page web page for the novel - allowing you to see samples of the gorgeous artwork of Duffy and Jennings.

This is a work that I will definitely be recommending.

A Slave to Time Traveling

Kindred by Octavia Butler
Boston : Beacon Press, [2004], c1979.
287 p. ; 21 cm.

Kindred is a great novel.  I had to state that before saying anything else about Butler's novel, such as how it is  very creative science-fiction, well thought-out historical fiction, and an exciting read.  It really is a wonderful book.

The premise of the plot involves an African-American woman in the 1970s who is suddenly and involuntarily thrown back into the early 1800s where she has to navigate the incredibly dangerous world of antebellum slavery in Maryland.  She bounces back and forth several times, usually against her will, and the duration of time is very different in the past and present dimensions. I don't want to give away much more since many of the details of the time-travel are tightly woven into the plot of the novel.

It was serendipitous that I picked this book right after reading Twelve Years a Slave - they make perfect reading companions.  The book, though written in the 1970s, is very timely with it's deep exploration of US slavery - exploring its effects on society, family, the psyche, ethics, and relationships.

Butler's accomplishment is to create a thrilling, fascinating and deeply disturbing story that is hard to put down.  It's well-written, engaging, creative and...well, like I said, a great novel.