Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

Octavia Butler's  Kindred  is one of a handful of "must-read" books. The story - of a young woman in 1976 California who is inexplicably transported back in time to 19th century Maryland to (repeatedly) save the life of her distant ancestor - is a powerful commentary on race, how the institution of slavery has impacted America in the present, and asks readers to consider hard, uncomfortable questions about who we as a nation are, who we want to be, and how should we remember and consider the past. I am overjoyed that this work is finally a graphic novel.As with any story that is translated into another medium, there are gems and important plot points that are lost. Among those in _Kindred_ is the inter-racial nature of the protagonist's marriage, and many of the details of how each experiences the 19th century given their race. Sometimes these omissions and editorial decisions get in the way of the story or its impact. In the case of the graphic novel adaptation, there is still plenty of gut-wrenching material and thought-provoking issues raised that the spirit of the story remains true to what Butler wrote.Jenning's artwork cleverly brings Duffy's adaptation to life - the variations of color and shading as well as the illustrations of the characters themselves don't distract from the story, and in many respects add to it (particularly in "The Fight" and the Epilogue). For readers unfamiliar with Butler's work, I cannot recommend _Kindred_ highly enough. For fans of graphic novels (or those who prefer this medium to the source text), the themes, message and plot remain close to the book, with little interference (and some graphic assistance), making this a recommended read.

I read the novels years ago and it was intense because Butler dealt honestly about the nature of humanity and slavery, about misogyny and racism, and about United States history. This graphic novel takes the descriptions and feelings and puts them into the drawing and keeps the action going at a fast rate. It does not include everything in the novel but there is enough to cause most of us discomfort when reading and hopefully stir up interest in the topics to encourage people to do their own reading and take more classes on slavery in the USA.

Kindred is an amazing, important, groundbreaking novel. This graphic adaptation is appallingly terrible and I'm mystified by the accolades it received. The artwork is so bad. Amateurishly, awkwardly drawn by someone who just doesn't know how to draw. With all the talented under-employed artists out there, why did this get published? Looks like a middle school student drew it. A novel this amazing deserves a better artist.

I’ve been meaning to read Octavia Butler’s Kindred for years, so when I saw that it had just been adapted as a graphic novel I jumped at the opportunity to finally read it while continuing to feed my insatiable appetite for comics. Mind you, I’m not trying to claim that reading this version should serve as a substitute for reading the novel itself. However I do think that illustrating Butler’s story makes it all the more gut-wrenching. Kindred is the tale of a modern African-American woman’s repeated experience of being suddenly transported from her home in 1970s California back to the antebellum South. It’s a very powerful story of courageous survival, both that of Dana, a modern woman forced to adapt to life as a black person in the era of American slavery, as well as the people of the period, whose lives become intimately intertwined with Dana’s. By following Dana through her repeated and increasingly long and dangerous visits to an antebellum plantation in Maryland we form an emotional connection with her that serves to help modern day humans better comprehend the myriad horrors of slavery as well as the strength of those who endured and overcame it. It’s dark fantasy with a vital purpose and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Not entirely sure how to review this because I'm fairly new to graphic novels and this is my first ever novel-to-graphic-novel adaptation. It was good. The illustration style was viscerally colorful and energetic, which I think translated the feeling of the story really well. I read Kindred more than 2 years ago so this graphic novel served as a great brush up on the story for my book club. I thought Butler's Kindred was phenomenal and I recommend it to everyone I know. I don't think I would ever recommend someone reads this graphic novel adaptation instead of the original text. It's great but for me personally, I felt like I missed Butler's voice a little in this adaptation. However, if you prefer graphic novels and it's either don't read it or read this- then this is definitely the way to go because you should not skip this story. I am still interested in reading the graphic novel adaptation of Parable of the Sower because that is another one of my faves and I think I could get on board with this trend the more I engage with it.

Duffy is faithful and if anything this adaptation intensifies the impact of Octavia Butler's powerful story. This is NOT a comic book and is possibly too intense for children. However, this graphic novel is an indispensable tool for understanding the horrors of our history.

Kindred is a story of a black woman, Dana, who on her birthday jumps back in time, to early 1800s. She saves the life of a young boy, Rufus, who is a son of a plantation owner and, surprisingly, her ancestor. She keeps jumping between the modern day and the 1800s, seeing the reality of slavery. It's a story about loss of control: it drills down how completely the slaves' lives were dictated by their owners. It's about being afraid, and also about getting used to bad situation.I'm not completely sold on the drawing style of the comic, but from what I know, it seems to capture the essence of the Octavia E. Butler novel. I still get the feeling that as powerful as the comic is, it's still a barebones version of the original.

I really enjoyed the novel and I enjoyed this graphic novel but not quite as much as the novel. It may simply that I was just too familiar with the story. Both are really good but the novel just makes it for me. The artwork is really top rate. I would recommend this . It's good read.

A brilliant, beautiful adaptation of a great novel--highly recommended!

I chose this graphic novel because the original novel had great reviews and I was looking for short books to read before the year was over.I have it four stars because the ending did not explain some things clearly enough for my taste and also because the novel did not flow easily, it felt "choppy" to me. I guess these are consequences of the adaptation to graphic novel. Overall very good, intense, interesting. I read it in one go.

This graphic novel is a good entry point into slavery in the southern United States. Kids 13 and up would benefit from reading it, most especially ones that struggle with reading.

The themes in this book and they transport the reader back and forth from the time of slavery to the 1970s and the issues of the day are brilliant. Great great novel for a class read in 9th -12th grade.