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Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

Damian Duffy (Adapted by),

Octavia E. Butler,

John Jennings (Illustrations),

Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author) (Introduction)

4.19 · Rating details · 5,740 ratings · 1,034 reviews

I lost an arm on my last trip home.

Home is a new house with a loving husband in 1970s California that suddenly transformed in to the frightening world of the antebellum South.

Dana, a young black writer, can't explain how she is transported across time and space to a plantation in Maryland. But she does quickly understand why: to deal with the troubles of Rufus, a conflic ...more

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Hardcover, 240 pages

Published January 10th 2017 by Harry N. Abrams

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Average rating 4.19 ·

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· 5,740 ratings · 1,034 reviews

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Jan 10, 2017 Taryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-from-publisher, graphic-novels, netgalley

Kindred is the tale of a black woman who is repeatedly transported from her 1970s apartment to antebellum Maryland. The main reason I requested the adaptation was so that I would finally force myself to read the full-length novel. I'm so glad I did because it ended up being one of my favorites last year! Kindred makes such a great candidate for a graphic novel because there's much dialogue and historical fiction seems to work especially well in the format. John Jennings and Damian Duffy they did ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 Mariah Roze rated it really liked it

I have been wanting to read Octavia E. Butler's Kindred book forever! Well, I finally did... kind of! I read the graphic novel form. One of my friends posted a photo of them reading this on Instagram and I was shocked to see there was a graphic novel version. Thankfully the school that I teach at has an amazing graphic novel section and they had this book.

This book lead to the exploration of violence and the loss of humanity caused by slavery in the United States, and how it has had a lasting im ...more

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Sep 19, 2018 Dave Schaafsma rated it really liked it

Shelves: gn-lit-based, gn-race-ethnicity

I just reviewed Octavia Butler's 1979 novel that I read in 1980,

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

the first science fiction book I had read that deal with the issues of race and ethnicity. And slavery, as she depicts an African-American writer, Dana, in 1973 transported back to the nineteenth century South in order to intervene in the life of her progenitor, her great great grandfather, Rufus, who--could it be otherwise?--raped his slave, Alice, who would then become Dana's great great gr ...more

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Aug 01, 2017 Book Riot Community added it

I came late to Octavia Butler’s work and am making up for lost time. A friend in college suggested Parable of the Sower to me. I read that, really liked it… and then didn’t read any more of her work until recently. I was nervous going into this adaptation of Kindred— how on earth could the art do justice to the complexity (and violence) of the original? Reader, it did. The art is beautiful and captures the horror of slavery, Dana’s struggle, and the weird compression of time. At the same time, i ...more

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Mar 18, 2017 Tori (InToriLex) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: giveawaywin, sci-fi, graphic-novel, favorite, time-travel, comic, diverse-reads

Find this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex

I did not read the book, this graphic novel was adapted from first. I can't speak to any differences or similarities to the original novel. I can speak to the horror show of slavery, eloquently described with nuance throughout these pages. Slavery is apart of American History that most American's would rather forget. But this graphic novel makes you face the ugliness without kid gloves. I had to take breaks while reading because human beings being system Find this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex

I did not read the book, this graphic novel was adapted from first. I can't speak to any differences or similarities to the original novel. I can speak to the horror show of slavery, eloquently described with nuance throughout these pages. Slavery is apart of American History that most American's would rather forget. But this graphic novel makes you face the ugliness without kid gloves. I had to take breaks while reading because human beings being systematically oppressed, beaten, abused and mentally degraded brought to mind far too many examples of how minorities in America are being treated today. We have come a long way since slavery but the dregs and institutions that created it, persist in oppressing Black Americans through mass incarceration and police brutality.

"Slavery was a long slow process of dulling."

I was uncomfortable reading it, but happy there are no sappy story lines or helpful white saviors. Everyone in this novel has a role to play in racism. Even Dana and her white husband realize the far lasting consequences slavery has on a person's humanity. Dana is forced to travel through time whenever her white ancestor Rufus puts himself in danger. She helps him because her very existence depends on his survival. While the premise seems fantastical, helping people in power who don't have your best interest in mind is how large segments of America live.

"In his grief, Rufus seemed almost to want death. But he was afraid of dying alone."

Throughout Dana's experience back in time with her Ancestors she shatters all of the myths we tell ourselves to make slavery more palatable. She has to face how much of slavery can not be rationalized and the brutality of everyone involved. . It is a detrimental practice to strip human beings of power and ask them to be grateful for the experience. This graphic novel is a great reminder that not talking about a reality doesn't change it, race relations will continue to suffer while people can with a straight face say they don't see color. I would recommend this to everyone because you have to understand the nature of racism to grapple with how to change it. ...more

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May 20, 2019 Tammy rated it really liked it

I read this ages ago in the regular book format. I saw this graphic copy at the library and picked it up. Has very vivid pictures and was interesting to read in this context.

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Oct 14, 2017 Brian Burmeister rated it really liked it

Crowned the “grand dame of science fiction” by Essence, Octavia Butler was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed science fiction writers of the 20th century. Her career spanned over a dozen novels and, among her many awards and honors, Butler was the first science fiction writer to win a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, before being cut short. In 2006, she tragically passed away at the age of fifty-eight.

Thirty-eight years after its original publication, Butler’s best-sel Crowned the “grand dame of science fiction” by Essence, Octavia Butler was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed science fiction writers of the 20th century. Her career spanned over a dozen novels and, among her many awards and honors, Butler was the first science fiction writer to win a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, before being cut short. In 2006, she tragically passed away at the age of fifty-eight.

Thirty-eight years after its original publication, Butler’s best-selling novel, Kindred, and by extension Butler’s own voice and vision, has been given new life. Considered by many to be her most accessible work, the novel has been adapted into a graphic novel by cartoonist/writer Damian Duffy and editor/artist John Jennings.

Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, like the history it shares, is haunting. At its core, it is a story of pain, a tale of survival. A twenty-something writer from the year 1976, living in California, is mysteriously and repeatedly pulled through time and space to early 1800s Maryland. This protagonist, Dana Franklin, an African American, is thrust into the all-too-real, all-too-horrifying realities of the world of slavery.

The initial confusion Dana experiences is well felt by the reader. How did she get there? Why is this happening? As Kindred unfolds, Dana’s sanity and her very life are challenged.

The art of Kindred reinforces the terror and panic often felt by the narrator. The sometimes dark, often gritty images set a serious tone and an intensity that the story demands. Discomfort, frustration, and anger radiate from the book’s pages: the physical, often sexual violence is not just spoken of, but frequently shown. The art and story work collaboratively to make sure the reader is not okay with what is taking place.

Chiefly, Kindred is an ever-important reminder of how we think of and treat each other. The story explores not just the attitudes and actions of slave-owners and other whites towards their black slaves, and vice versa, but of slaves towards the educated black protagonist. The dynamics of these mindsets and the book’s events show the devastation that ignorance, jealousy, and sheer hatred can cause in the lives of many.

As Dana says at one point, “People don’t learn everything about the times that came before them.” We know slavery happened. But we don’t feel it. And, I suspect for many of us, we don’t like to think about it. To assist with the lessons Butler wants us to learn, Dana, who is very much her own character, functions in part as a proxy of the reader. Butler could have simply written a story set in 1800s Maryland, but by having the realities of slavery not just witnessed but lived by a protagonist from the modern era, we are forced to feel and think about that tragic era of our history as though it were happening to us.

Kindred does not ease that pain. Throughout its pages, the reader is confronted with brutal scenes. Whippings. Sexual assault. Rape. The violence depicted in Kindred is a necessary reminder of humanity at its worst. And the acceptance of these actions as “normal” by most of the characters is as troubling as the events themselves. One of the most haunting moments of the book shows two young child slaves playing pretend: these children—for fun—act out a slave auction. The buying and selling of humans is so normalized by these children that they even assign dollar values to their worth. A few pages later, Dana’s inner monologue addresses this horrifying scene poignantly: “I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery.”

Nearly four decades after its original printing, Kindred remains a valuable story and teaching tool. From its pages, we are reminded of the destructive consequences of prejudice. ...more

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Nov 27, 2016 Char rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: abuse, black-history, american-history, dark-fiction, graphic-novel, net-galley, crime

3.5/5 stars!

Kindred is a book I've been wanting to read for a while, but my hectic schedule, (read: my inability to stop requesting books from Net Galley), hasn't allowed me the time to squeeze it in. When I saw this graphic novel adaptation available on, (where else?), Net Galley, I had to have it. Luckily, they approved me and here we are.

I enjoyed the heck out of this story-as much as a story partly about slavery can be enjoyed. Dana, (a young black woman), through some unknown mechanism, ge 3.5/5 stars!

Kindred is a book I've been wanting to read for a while, but my hectic schedule, (read: my inability to stop requesting books from Net Galley), hasn't allowed me the time to squeeze it in. When I saw this graphic novel adaptation available on, (where else?), Net Galley, I had to have it. Luckily, they approved me and here we are.

I enjoyed the heck out of this story-as much as a story partly about slavery can be enjoyed. Dana, (a young black woman), through some unknown mechanism, gets pulled back in time every time young Rufus' life is in danger. She doesn't know Rufus from Adam, but he's in trouble and she comes to his aid. As the story goes on, we discover that Dana has been pulled from the 1970's back into the time of slavery. The time travel aspect is never explained, so I tried to accept it as a given. After a period of time, Dana is sucked back into her current time and into her white husband Kevin's, loving arms.

Upon her return, Dana explains to Kevin what happened. The next time it happens, Kevin is pulled into the past along with her and again, Rufus' life is saved. I don't want to say anymore about the plot because...spoilers. (In case there is anyone else out there who hasn't read the book, other than me.)

I liked the story and I did like Dana and Kevin. However, the characters back in the time of slavery were not as well developed as I would have liked. (Perhaps they are more developed in the novel itself?) My main problem with this graphic novel is the illustration. I was not all that fond of the graphics. I did end up getting used to the illustrator's style, but overall it didn't work that well for me. Perhaps the graphic novels that I have experience with all have superior illustrations, (The Sandman Series, Preacher, American Vampire) and that's why I was disappointed? Or perhaps these graphics were just a bit sub-par.

This was a great way to familiarize myself with the story so I'm not entirely ignorant anymore. It also did whet my appetite for the original tale. Overall, I would recommend this graphic novel to readers like me-ones that have a hard time fitting a long novel into their reading schedule. Just don't expect the graphics to knock your socks off and you'll be fine.

You can pre-order your copy here: Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

*Thanks to Net Galley and Abrams ComicArts for the e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!* ...more

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Apr 26, 2017 Donovan rated it liked it

Octavia E. Butler's Kindred is a weird blend of biography, science-fiction, and historical fiction.

Los Angeles, 1976. Dana and Kevin, black and white, wife and husband, begin teleporting/time traveling to the year 1819. The story mostly follows Dana's time on Maryland's Weylin Plantation, spent in the company of the owner's son Rufus and the other slaves.

As a time piece it's incredibly brutal and accurate, but to be honest it doesn't seem to say anything new. American slavery was an evil social plague that continues to fuel institutional racism and hyper-violent hatred today. 1819 was a terrible time of dehumanization, torture and death for blacks. And contrastingly, even 1976 maintained prejudice and social stigma against blacks as seen for Dana and Kevin who are a mixed race couple. But it's not really anything I haven't seen before on the subject.

More importantly, my problem is with the story's fundamental concepts and science-fiction. Dana's time travel ability isn't explained. In that sense it's fantasy, a mysterious plot device to facilitate a tour of early American slavery from a 20th century perspective. Dana also knows how to control her time travel yet allows herself to linger in the past beyond her comfort, which I don't understand. I also don't understand why the "method" of time travel is fueled by pain and fear of death other than it's fitting for the story. Another convenient plot device?

The primary reason we're told Dana continues to not only time travel but remain in the past is to assist Rufus, the plantation owner's son. But I have a hard time believing this motivation. It's explained that Dana was going to school to be a teacher and work in early development, teaching reading and writing, but she never finished school. So naturally she has this strong unfulfilled desire to work with children, which is obviously fitting for the story: when she travels back she's suddenly an unusually literate free black and she teaches Rufus and some of the slaves how to read. But why does she care for Rufus? He's rude, evil, and psychotic. He's a physically and verbally abusive rapist. My only speculative explanation is that Dana is suffering from Stockholm syndrome or PTSD and is trying to cure Rufus of the incurable. I don't know. Even that doesn't sit well with me.

The other reason Dana continues to time travel is that she and Kevin are eventually (and predictably) separated. She returns to 1976 and Kevin is stuck in the past. So naturally a search ensues. And you can guess how that plot thread resolves. This was far too predictable. Getting lost or stranded in time in a time travel story is practically grounds for a drinking game it's so expected.

At the "roots" this is a historically fictional, science-fiction biography of a black woman who time travels from prejudicial 1970s to slavery-era 1819. Because she's a smart, educated, modern woman, she gets in trouble and tries to historically revise the past and change its inhabitants. Which, as you can guess, goes horribly wrong. What's the moral of the story, what's the "why"? Racism is alive and it sucks. Slavery was awful. And even being educated and enlightened still isn't enough to survive in that brutal era. But the character's motivation seems lacking to me.

Admittedly, I read a free advance copy of this book so the quality of the unfinished artwork is pretty terrible, like legitimate storyboard sketches in places, so I can't accurately judge the artwork. I imagine that it could be wonderfully rough or impressionistic, like Jeff Lemire. This, however, was pretty hard to look at in its unfinished state.

All that said, Kindred is an interesting if mysteriously reasoned story. I strongly empathize with Dana and the blacks who died and suffered through slavery and continue to suffer hatred and violence, that goes without saying. But story wise I had a hard time connecting with Dana or other characters in this book because characterization and plot were lacking. And the artwork was a serious miss in this rough edition. ...more

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Jan 17, 2017 Arlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels-tpb-single-issues, readsoullit

Having just read the novel of this book, seeing it in graphic formation was just wonderful.

The comic rendition was drawn in a way that I feel keeps the feeling of the novel. It is shorter, but I feel it keeps true to the story nonetheless.

I like the color scheme and the lines, there's a picture and on page 174 (of the Kindle version) where you see Dana transported between time and I felt like that was exactly how I pictured it in my mind.

But of course since this is the graphic novel adaption ...more

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May 17, 2020 Renégade ♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, historical, survival-tales, scribd-and-or-hoopla, type-time-traveler, potential-triggers-or-rape-abuse

4 1/2 stars

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Aug 01, 2018 Susie rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-reads

It's hard to rate this without comparing it to Kindred, the novel. The source material is amazing. I enjoyed this adaptation, but it felt like in some ways like it was hitting bullet points.
...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Carol Flores rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels

This book is hard to rate because racism, bigotry and slavery are topics that are not easy to read. One would think that we’ve changed things, that we’ve made better decisions, but truth be told, we’re in the same place as in the 60s.

Kindred is sort of a time-travel story that has this woman who can go back in time, whenever this white guy is in danger. At first, when he’s just a kid, she helps him because he’s only a helpless kid that repeats what he listens and sees, but eventually, when she This book is hard to rate because racism, bigotry and slavery are topics that are not easy to read. One would think that we’ve changed things, that we’ve made better decisions, but truth be told, we’re in the same place as in the 60s.

Kindred is sort of a time-travel story that has this woman who can go back in time, whenever this white guy is in danger. At first, when he’s just a kid, she helps him because he’s only a helpless kid that repeats what he listens and sees, but eventually, when she goes back to her time period, she decides that she has to do something.

And what a terrible idea that is.

Sometimes she stays in the past for several months, as she works for this kid’s father in order to have a place to stay. And whilst she’s an educated woman, most of the people who work for this man are living in terrible conditions. The important subject here is that the author (as well as the illustrator and the editor) wanted to portray how people of color were treated a century ago, and how they’re still treated right now. Like I said, slavery is a topic that we must learn in order to stop ourselves from repeating the same mistakes.

Now, I could never understand (not really) the sorrow, the pain of losing a lover, a sibling, a parent, a friend, because they were sold as nothing but slaves. These people were treated worse than animals. I will never support the idea that people of color (and minorities in general) are ‘less’ than white folks. We all deserve the same rights and it’s certainly unfair that from the moment people are born, they are meant to be hated for something they cannot change.

This graphic novel made me cry out of frustration and anger. The past is something we cannot change, but we have to learn from it. We have to change our behavior in order to make things right, to let everyone know they can be safe. That we all have a place in the world and that we should be treated as equal.

Anyway, I haven’t read the actual novel written by Octavia but I think this graphic adaptation was really something everybody should read. But be aware that this isn’t a light-hearted reading.

Read it for the #FemmeFanTale Readathon. ...more

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Mar 12, 2017 Paul rated it really liked it

Shelves: z_archive17_librarygraphictrade2017, z_archive17_read-2017all

Kindred is one of my favorite books and it made a lasting impact on me when I read it last year. Reading the graphic novel version was a slightly different experience that I will try to explain. The first difference is that the story doesn't seem as personal as the actual book. The first person narration was much more complex in the novel, with no surprise, but I feel the graphic novel missed out on some possible great moments of introspection by Dana. Yes, all of the important scenes are in the ...more

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Jan 20, 2017 Dov Zeller rated it really liked it

Octavia Butler is something of a hero among several of my friends and I've been told many times over the years to read her. I've tried before without much success. The prose just doesn't pull me in. This winter I finally got a little deeper into two Butler novels, Fledgling and Kindred. Fledgling I listened to about half of and then for the rest read a synopsis. Kindred I listened to a few chapters of and then read this graphic adaptation, and I'm grateful to finally have a little more of a conn Octavia Butler is something of a hero among several of my friends and I've been told many times over the years to read her. I've tried before without much success. The prose just doesn't pull me in. This winter I finally got a little deeper into two Butler novels, Fledgling and Kindred. Fledgling I listened to about half of and then for the rest read a synopsis. Kindred I listened to a few chapters of and then read this graphic adaptation, and I'm grateful to finally have a little more of a connection to her work She's definitely not for me in terms of style, but as a philosopher and a social critic, she's brilliant.

Kindred is the story of a 'modern' biracial couple, Dana and Kevin, a black woman and a white man, that stumbles into a troubling dilemma. The woman is somehow time-connected with a white, slave-owning great grandfather whose life keeps falling into danger, and when it does, starting when he is a very young child, he somehow calls for her and she vanishes from her home and appears at his plantation. This puts her in all kinds of danger--a black woman of the 20th century landing on a plantation in the South in the 1830s. It's complicated by the fact that they find a way for Kevin to come with Dana, and his whiteness works sometimes as protection, but also puts them in some danger. And because he doesn't want to risk her traveling there without him, he winds up staying there while she returns home, where in contemporary minutes, years could go by in the time-travel-past.

Dana and Kevin watch as slaves are bought and sold and brutalized. They try to find ways of fitting in, resisting, learning, being a support to the slaves and also to Rufus, Dana's white great+++? grandfather. The relationship is complex in that Rufus is in some ways struggling to break away from a culture in which men are taught to exploit and abuse. He vacillates between abusive rages, predatory sexual behavior, and a sensitivity and affection that gives Dana room for hope.

All in all this book raises a lot of questions about relationships, history, responsibility and trust, and the ending is, I thought, brilliant, in terms of plot structure and resistance/courage.

The art in this book I feel ambivalent about. I think it's just about aesthetic preference in terms of storytelling. The art is beautiful, but the style I find to be distracting. There are a lot of extra lines, a lot of bright blues. There is one section where everything is washed in a light violet, which was kind of cool. There are different color schemes in different parts of the book (past/present, etc) but there is so much going on visually that it's hard for me to make sense of it. I thought some of the extreme close-ups were beautifully done. The style can be cartoony and caricature-ish but also some panels have the richness of a painting.

I found it hard to tolerate Kevin. I read him as arrogant and kind of uninteresting. I'm not sure if that is what Butler intended. If not, I wonder if it is the way he is portrayed in here. Or maybe Butler's fictional worlds value/have tolerance for characters I don't find appealing? Hard to say. I'm very curious what other people think of him--in this graphic version and/or in the prose novel.
...more

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Nov 07, 2016 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: slavery, science-fiction, netgalley, graphic-novels

Good books make you cry. Great books make you think. Fantastic books stay with you long after you read them, and haunt you with their story. This book, this book has all those factors. If the story is this good in graphic novel form, it makes me feels I should run right out and read the original.

I thought, when I got it, I would flip through a few pages, and then go back to work. Well, 200 something pages later, I had not gone back to work.

Very moving story of a young, black woman from 1976, goi ...more

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Jun 25, 2016 Sunny rated it really liked it

I got a free uncorrected proof at ALA. If you've read Kindred, you know that Octavia Butler's novel is not for the faint of heart. In interviews she mentions that she wrote the book to help modern people emotionally understand slavery but that she toned down the horrific realities of slavery. Reading the graphic novel is gutwrenching in a different way as you view Butler's storytelling unfold panel by panel. ...more

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Mar 19, 2019 Sahitya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, graphic-novels, 4-star, 2019-read, historical-fiction

I had heard a lot about Octavia Butler and I knew how much of a pioneer she is in the field of fantasy/sci-fi for black authors. But I’m also not much into reading classics and never thought I would be diving into her work. But, we chose Kindred as the March BOTM for our Stars and Sorcery book club and I decided to pick up the graphic novel adaptation. I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to feel after reading this but I know I’m better off for having had this experience and the insight into t I had heard a lot about Octavia Butler and I knew how much of a pioneer she is in the field of fantasy/sci-fi for black authors. But I’m also not much into reading classics and never thought I would be diving into her work. But, we chose Kindred as the March BOTM for our Stars and Sorcery book club and I decided to pick up the graphic novel adaptation. I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to feel after reading this but I know I’m better off for having had this experience and the insight into this wonderful author’s work.

This book really is a painful look at slavery and it’s lasting effects. Dana is a young, independent, modern woman but we see how easily she starts getting used to the oppression and horrific conditions in Antebellum south because her mind is on survival. Her whole family’s existence depends on her keeping Rufus alive, but that also means she has to tolerate his aggression, sexual violence and inhumane treatment of the slaves - all of which go against her own beliefs. This fight between her survival and her conscience is depicted in a very thoughtful manner but the abuses she or anyone else endures is never whitewashed. The author also shows us that just because the practice of slavery was abolished, it didn’t really end. It’s affects have lasted for generations (even till date) which is clearly reflected in the family’s reactions to Dana and Kevin’s interracial marriage. There is also a great parallel between the menial jobs that Dana has to work in the 70s to keep food on the table to the kind of jobs she is expecting to perform on the plantation.

The art style in this graphic novel is very unlike anything I’ve ever read before and it took sometime for me to acclimatize to the characters, but I think it suited the story. The illustrator uses a different color scheme to reflect the past vs the present and that definitely worked in the book’s favor. But I think the best (and probably the worst too) part of this adaptation was seeing the horrific depiction of slavery on page - the whippings, beatings and rapes - it’s very painful to read and I had to take breaks in between, but it also makes this book and the story feel much more real.

I think this is an important book to read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone, but just be aware of the graphic content. I also think this graphic novel is probably a good first foray into Octavia Butler’s work - this will definitely pique your interest and maybe help in your deep dive into the author’s other prolific works. I for sure am interested in trying to read the original Kindred sometime, hopefully soon. ...more

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Aug 31, 2018 Kay rated it really liked it

#RWLChallenge: A graphic novel with a POC

I like the storyline and am actually even more interested in reading the complete story. There are a lot of themes and I would love to see how they are fleshed out.

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Nov 17, 2016 Ivy Reisner rated it really liked it

I hate giving this story in any form less than five stars. It's one of the masterworks of speculative fiction, and one of the greatest novels of all time. I highly recommend the original.

The artwork cost it a star. It's just bad. There are these weird excess lines as if the face were drawn, then fixed, then the original line was just kind of left there. There are key points in the book (such as how she lost her arm -- no spoiler, that's mentioned in the first line) that are just unclear because I hate giving this story in any form less than five stars. It's one of the masterworks of speculative fiction, and one of the greatest novels of all time. I highly recommend the original.

The artwork cost it a star. It's just bad. There are these weird excess lines as if the face were drawn, then fixed, then the original line was just kind of left there. There are key points in the book (such as how she lost her arm -- no spoiler, that's mentioned in the first line) that are just unclear because of the way it's drawn and adapted.

The story on the surface involves a woman pulled back in time to keep rescuing her ancestor from all sorts of mortal peril. For those who aren't used to speculative fiction, but are coming at this because it's a brilliant story for fans of any genre (really, if you like books at all, read the original) normal time travel questions abound, such as "how could she go back to rescue him if he died the first time before siring her ancestress?" It's the issue with the trope. Just go with it.

The real story is of a plantation, as seen through modern eyes, as it passes hands and slaves are bought and sold, and put through the hell that is slavery. It shows the progression, and lack of progression, of a single slaveholder as he is torn between the norms of his time, his own weakness of will, and the greater angel that tries (sometimes successfully) to guide him.

It is the story of a modern woman forced to face head on the reality of her many times great grandmothers and grandfathers and in the process learn what freedom means, what trust means, and what love means. She finds her strength to never give in to the horror of slavery, and more, when she feels she should doubt the person she loves most, she finds the strength to give in to trust.

As a story, it is astonishing. As an adaptation, it falls shy. I guess I'm more used to the art style of Marvel and DC, but this looked clumsy. There are sections of prose thrown in directly from the book because the artist couldn't portray it in the comic form. There are sections made less clear in the comic than they were in the novel (it seems like she can't decide if she's trying to pass as Kevin's slave or a free woman in the beginning).

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jan 07, 2017 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, interracial-romance, ala16

3.5 stars

I’ve not read Kindred, but I want to get more into graphic novels again, so I couldn’t pass this up at ALA. I struggled a bit with Parable of the Sower, the one Butler novel I read, but the graphic novel format worked really well.

Reading an advance graphic novel is interesting. Take this review with a whole lot of salt, because the final graphic novel’s going to be in color, but the ARC is black and white and much of it isn’t close to final art. Towards the end, some panels are even jus 3.5 stars

I’ve not read Kindred, but I want to get more into graphic novels again, so I couldn’t pass this up at ALA. I struggled a bit with Parable of the Sower, the one Butler novel I read, but the graphic novel format worked really well.

Reading an advance graphic novel is interesting. Take this review with a whole lot of salt, because the final graphic novel’s going to be in color, but the ARC is black and white and much of it isn’t close to final art. Towards the end, some panels are even just very rough early sketches. The art wasn’t what I was excited about here, so that’s okay.

Kindred‘s another one of those stories that’s compelling but really painful to read. Everything’s terrible basically all of the time. I mean, it’s about a black woman mysteriously time traveling to a plantation during the era of slavery. Butler does an amazing job highlighting how toxic that time period was and just how easy it can be to get caught up in horrible patterns. The way that Dana, a modern woman, adjusts to slavery is terrifying, as is the way that those attitudes affect her white husband, Kevin, after he ends up trapped in the past for a while. And, realistically, they actually probably had a better time of it than they really would have, which makes everything scarier. This release is happening at a time when we all need the reminder of what we can’t let America be again.

There’s a sense at times that something’s missing. Particularly in the climax, there are a couple of panels where I’m not sure what actually happened. (view spoiler) The graphic novel’s much shorter than the actual book, and there’s less text, so obviously some things are simplified or removed. The story’s still effective, but I do rather want to read the actual book now and see what I missed and if some arcs work a bit better that way.

Kindred serves as a fast-paced, easy reading, ouch my feels introduction to Octavia Butler. After reading this, I very much want to try more of her novels. ...more

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Feb 15, 2017 Elizabeth A rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphix, 2017

I have only read one book by the author to date, and really disliked it. That book, in case you are wondering, is Dawn. It's not that I don't like sci-fi/fantasy, it's that when I read a book I expect to either learn something, or be entertained, so don't get me started on my issues with tentacles in Dawn. That experience did not encourage me to read any more of her books, and it's a shame as so many people think she's one of the sci-fi greats.

When I saw this graphic novel adaptation of one of h ...more

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Nov 04, 2018 Petra rated it it was ok

I haven't read Kindred and perhaps one should before reading this graphic novel. I feel that parts are missing that would have helped make this story smoother.
The graphics were okay. The faces seemed a bit course at times.
All in all, an interesting enough story but it had jumps in it that made the story seem disjointed.
...more

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Dec 07, 2016 Rachel Mans McKenny rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-nov-comics

Incredible version of this text. Instead of infantilizing Butler's work, this graphic novel elevates it. The images are stark and moody and the message still resonates. Some panels were chilling. A good partner with the original, but definitely not a substitute for it.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ...more

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Jan 21, 2017 Harper Miller rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2.5 stars. Kindred is my favorite book. It's royalty in the badass book hierarchy. I'd been anticipating this graphic novel for a long while, and I suppose my expectations were a bit too high. I wasn't thrilled with the illustration and some of the choices made by the editors. I wanted so much more from this but was left feeling unfulfilled. Super bummed. ...more

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Aug 18, 2017 Jean rated it liked it

Shelves: fantastical, graphic-novel

This graphic novel just did not do it for me. As most reviewers state, the artwork takes away from the story. It is truly distracting and not attractive at all. The graphic, in total, does not do Butler's book justice
as it does not present the depth or urgency of the times. ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 Emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I haven’t read the original novel but this was very powerful. The art work let it down.

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Aug 27, 2018 Anna rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantastique, historical-fiction, read-in-2018, 2017-booklist, own-and-read, graphic-novels

An almost perfect graphic adaptation of a truly amazing novel!

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Feb 08, 2017 Prince William Public Libraries rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, graphic-novel, fiction, sci-fi-fantasy

As a huge fan of Octavia Butler I picked up this graphic novel adaptation having never read the original text. After finishing “Kindred”, it’s definitely worth it to revisit the source material if you’re curious or just a completionist. However, this graphic novel has enough depth in its story to leave the casual reader completely satisfied. It’s unsettling, in a good way, making the reader question their own opinions towards slavery and why this graphic novel is particularly relevant today.

Dana As a huge fan of Octavia Butler I picked up this graphic novel adaptation having never read the original text. After finishing “Kindred”, it’s definitely worth it to revisit the source material if you’re curious or just a completionist. However, this graphic novel has enough depth in its story to leave the casual reader completely satisfied. It’s unsettling, in a good way, making the reader question their own opinions towards slavery and why this graphic novel is particularly relevant today.

Dana lives in California with her husband, Kevin, during the 1970s. They live a peaceful life as aspiring writers until Dana is suddenly transported back in time to the Antebellum South. Unable to even get her wits about her she’s thrust immediately into a situation where she witnesses a young boy drowning. Instinctively she jumps in the river to save him but her rescue efforts aren’t as appreciated as she might have imagined. When the boy’s parents arrive on the scene they’re horrified to discover a young black woman handling their child, especially one dressed in modern day clothing, and give their thanks by pointing a gun at her as she is transported once more, back to the future. Bewildered, Dana tries to explain to her husband what has just happened but finds she is unable to comprehend the situation herself. Who was the boy she saved? Why was she transported to that particular point in the past? As Dana’s trips back to the past become more frequent and harrowing, she comes to realize that the young boy’s identity is distinctly tied to her own and her own existence in the future. How can she survive in Antebellum south as a young black woman with a modern mind to make sure that her own progenitor survives as well?

Octavia’s Butler’s science fiction elements lend a unique spin to the story and allows the reader to to be transported back to times of slavery and see all the hardships each character faces while still being removed from it. The graphic novel’s use of sepia coloring is very minimal, making Dana’s bright blue aura stick out a bright beacon of the future but also making her more susceptible to scrutiny as she navigates the time, culture, and role of women on a Maryland plantation in the early 1800s, including daily beatings, slave auctions, families being torn apart, and the struggle to survive. Butler also creates her white, slave owning characters to be almost sympathetic as well the more Dana visits her ancestor, Rufus, and sees him grow up. Will Dana’s influence of modern times impact how Rufus treats his slaves or will he never be able to break free from the culture of his time? Such questions lend an extra level of moral quandary that the reader must face as the story unfolds goes on. This haunting tale is best suited of mature readers due to the graphic nature of its content.

Fans of this graphic novel would also do well to check out the rest of Octavia Butler’s repertoire, including her dystopian duo “Parable of the Sower” and “Parable of the Talents” and her story about a half vampire-half human named Shori in “Fledgling”. For a non-fiction tie-in, check out “12 Years a Slave” by Solomon Northup. Overall rating: 5 stars. This graphic novel is phenomenal and should be included as a tie-in for schools who use the original novel “Kindred” as required reading.

-Rosanne NJ

Click here to find the book at the Prince William County Public Library System. ...more

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Feb 27, 2017 Mimi.Y rated it really liked it

Shelves: comic-graphic-novel, african-american-author, southern, black-lit, african-american, science-fiction

At first.. I was reluctant because I didn't like the colors of the illustrations. I decided to give it a chance and at first it looked just to "yellow and cabin like". Over all it was a great read even in graphic novel and it was nice seeing it come to life in pictures. I still hope they make it into a movie. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Play Book Tag: Kindred: A Graphic Adaptation (Poll Ballot)	1	8	Jul 31, 2020 02:32PM
Play Book Tag: Kindred : A Graphic Novel Adaptation (Poll Ballot)	4	14	Jul 31, 2020 02:11PM
Play Book Tag: Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation/Damian Duffy/4.5 Stars	1	9	Jul 21, 2020 05:39AM
ABQ Graphic Novel...: July 2017 Kindred	2	8	Jul 16, 2017 02:18PM
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About Damian Duffy

Damian Duffy

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Damian Duffy is a cartoonist, scholar, writer, curator, lecturer, teacher, and Glyph Comics Award-winning graphic novelist. He holds a MS and PhD in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His many publications include academic essays (in comics form) on new media & learning and art books about underrepresentation in comics culture.

On his off hours he ...more