The literary legend of the influential writer Octavia Butler can propagate to a new type of basic fans with the introduction of a new graphic adaptation of “Parabe of the Talents”, initially published as a novel in 1998 and winner of the Nubula 2000 prize for the best novel.
Unveiled last Friday evening in Bookstore of the Octavia bookstore in PasadenaWith the illustrator John Jennings presents for a question and answer session, the adaptation will be published wide on Tuesday by Abrams Comicsarts. Created by the winners of Eisner-Award, Damian Duffy and Jennings, alongside the artist David Brame, “Talents” is a graphic novel according to their awarded adaptation Hugo of “Parabo of the Sower” of Butler and continues to paint an image of a state of the United States torn by the war under the control of a fundamentalist fascist state. While “Sower” follows the main character Lauren Olamina and his header religion in a dystopian version of the world, “talents” follows her daughter Asha more closely as she reconciles with the heritage of her mother.
Butler's “parabolic” novels are praised for their foreknowledge – they take place in the future (our present) where the main political power takes place under the familiar slogan “Make America Great Again” – and could reach a new audience by continuing to publish in this growing medium. Two adaptations of butler, “Sower” and “Kindred”, have already reached stands.
“I think it is an important part of our literary landscape and I like the normalization of graphic novels as a reading. But it is an organic push to meet people where they are and to understand that different forms of media help us to keep information. We are all different, ”explains Nikki High, owner of the Librisée d'Octavia.
Influenced by everyone, from Steve Ditko to Bill Sienkiewicz in Denys Cowan, and even the beautiful artists and engravings, Jennings is a professor of media and cultural studies at UC Riverside. During the event, he talked about his process in the visual adaptation of the volume (“I will listen to the audio books of the novel while drawing.”), Conversing with his collaborators (“We could find what is the best way to get his vision to this particular medium.”) And what effect the creation of the adaptation had on him (“It made me a much better researcher.
“When you look at the two books, there is much more white space in the second book (” Talent “),” said Jennings. “It looks more like a holographic projection. We are a little more dealing with technology.
Fans and criticisms have certainly approved. The graphic novels are “very appreciated” on Amazon, and those who have read his work seem to appreciate the same things in the adapted graphic novel which attracted them to the work of Butler in the first place.
“His character development and the different themes of his books aroused (my) interest. I loved “Kindred”, and it was revealing for me, “said Jennifer Ayo, graphic novel and Fan of Octavia Butler who attended the question and answer session.
“For all the others, it could certainly be a gateway in the genre and its different books.”
It may be an intimidating task adapting a beloved literary figure, but Jennings and Duffy have succeeded so far.
“It was extremely positive. I am sure that some people have problems, but the first book was the number one on the New York Times bestsellers list and won the Bram Stoker Prize and won the Eisner Prize. The second won the Hugo Prize. It seems that people think we are doing a fairly decent job.”
