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"The must see adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's classic novel!"
Are you in the mood to have your heart torn in a bajillion different pieces while also learning about American history at the same time? Damian Duffy and John Jenning’s graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred takes readers on a multi-century journey of protagonist Dana, and her husband, Kevin. As Dana quickly realizes that her ties to her ancestry, specifically her great-great-great grandfather, Rufus, cause her to time travel, she quickly realizes that time is not on her side. In order to be able to continue living her life as a free woman in 1976 California, Dana has to consistently protect Rufus back in the nineteenth century South. With time consistently fleeting, Dana begins to question how much she is willing to give up for her ancestors. If you have any interest in time travel narratives that grapple with significant historical themes, I highly recommend this graphic novel. Because Duffy and Jennings are able to adapt Butler’s classic novel into a beautiful aesthetic interpretation of the text, readers are able to see Butler’s text come to life.
I would like to start out by noting that as someone who read the original version of this novel while in high school, I had created a world for these characters within my head. It was so cool being able to see an interpretation of Butler’s work laid out visually for readers. I recommend this graphic novel to anyone who has read Butler’s original novel, or anyone who is curious into reading the novel but has never gotten around to it. Having this story be played out as a graphic novel makes it all the more powerful, as readers are able to imagine how intense the life of an African American slave was during the nineteenth century.
The art of the graphic novel is absolutely breathtaking, from the vibrant colors, to the detailed drawings of the characters, to even the way the panels are laid on the page. Every page tells a story, inviting readers deeper and deeper into the plot. The graphic novel uses different color palettes to represent the different periods of time, allowing the readers to have a very clear sense of when Dana was in what different era. For example, on the first page of panels I included above when opening up this review, viewers can see how detailed Duffy and Jennings are. The authors take advantage of using the whole panels to tell the story, including a wide range of colors, and even sound noises such as “thump” to continue moving the story along in the most engaging way possible. The way the text bubbles are laid out on the page also clearly articulates which character is speaking, and the order in which we as readers should read the text bubbles in. I really appreciated this element of the graphic novel while reading because there have been some graphic novels where I had no idea what each character was saying, and the order I should be reading it in.
One of the most captivating elements of Butler’s story is the usage of such rich characters. One of my favorite examples is the story arc of Kevin, who is Dana’s husband. As Kevin, who is a white male, is able to time travel with Dana, he is able to see what the life of a free white man is like during the nineteenth century. And because of this, his character is tested into how much of this life as a free man in a slave world he is able to resist. Since Dana is an African American woman, Kevin begins to quickly struggle with their everchanging power dynamics in the nineteenth century South. I recommend this graphic novel alone if anyone is interested in seeing how his storyline plays out, as Duffy and Jennings illustrate his plot beautifully.
Beyond Kevin, Dana is an absolute powerhouse of a woman. Her bravery and persistence to not only try to keep herself safe, but also Kevin at the same time, is very admirable. Instead of hopelessly giving up, and even allowing herself to die in the slave world, she fights back and finds ways to fit into her forced secondary lifestyle. One of the main ways that this graphic novel is worth the read is to discover whether or not Dana is able to defeat odds and her lifetime traveling back to the nineteenth century. You also will get to see her continue to question her morals, and how much of the slave life she is willing to push back against, and how much she is willing to accept.
The way Butler builds the story of Kindred is absolutely mind-blowing. Butler immediately invites readers into the journey of Dana and Kevin in a very comprehensible way. As a reader, I had no trouble figuring out that Dana and Kevin would be jumping from their present day in 1976, to life in the South in the nineteenth century. Butler creates a slave world so realistic that it feels almost as if we as readers are traveling back to the life of slavery as well. A specific moment I really enjoyed reading was on pages 22 to 23 of the graphic novel, as readers get to see Dana travel back in time to meet Rufus for the second time. Readers get a clear sense of this jump not only through the way Dana is physically moving, but how the colors of the panels are quickly changing as well. As the color palette of the twentieth century has more neutral, red and pink undertones, the color palette of the nineteenth century, especially in this scene, is very vibrant, and bright yellow. In a way, even though this is a work of science fiction, it can be read as a historical artifact in some ways too. This graphic novel is a fabulous way for high school students (and up, as some of the scenes are pretty graphic) to understand elements of American history head first.
As this is a graphic novel, the storytelling of Kindred is definitely one of the most notable elements of the graphic novel. Duffy and Jennings' adaptation creates a world of Kindred that immediately grabs readers’ attention from the first page. By having the whole story read as either dialogue between the characters, or internal narration from Dana, readers can feel as if they are truly building relationships with the characters and the plot. Dana speaking directly to the readers allows for a more personable relationship, causing readers to become deeply invested with the story as early as the first chapter. When Dana is having an internal monologue, for example, authors Duffy and Jennings use a text box to show this contrast from the speech bubbles, helping readers to clearly be able to understand who exactly is speaking.
This graphic novel is absolutely worth Wake Forest students checking out if they have not had a chance to read Butler’s original version of Kindred, or if they just truly enjoy graphic novels! This story is worth it alone for the panels themselves, as they tell such a beautiful yet realistic manner in such a horrifying way at times. I believe that this graphic novel is a great reminder to us all of how far our nation has come within the last few centuries, and how far we still need to go. I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone who enjoys a mix of science fiction and historical artifacts.
After reading the graphic novel Kindred, I was so ready to write a review telling readers that the original version is better than the graphic novel; however, Duffy and Jennings' work absolutely blew me away! As someone who usually prefers to read the straightforward book version of any story, I believe that Kindred was meant to be turned into a graphic novel. The ways Duffy and Jennings are able to create a visual image for such a classic work of science fiction is truly breathtaking, from the visuals, to the story arc, to the pacing, and to even the way they create the character plotlines. I must say that Kindred the graphic novel is an absolute must read, and I recommend this version more than the original, as someone who has read both!
As acclaimed Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor writes in her introductory letter at the beginning of the graphic novel, “Kindred makes the old new, and in doing so brings back the sting. If you’ve read Kindred before, the graphic-novel format will renew the story. If you have not read Octavia Butler before, prepare yourself for an experience. You’ve chosen the perfect introduction to her work. Kindred will pull you right in.” And I could not agree more with Okorafor’s words! Kindred does pull you into the world of the story immediately, and I highly recommend it to anyone Wake Forest student and beyond! This is the type of story that needs to continue being discussed, as some of the major themes of the story are unfortunately never going away.
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