Exclusive Preview | John Jennings + Damian Duffy + David Brame adapt Octavia E. Butler’s ‘The Parable of the Talents’

The timely graphic novel about a nation under the grip of a fascist regime arrives in stores this week.

Courtesy of Abrams ComicArts, we’re pleased to share a preview of The Parable of the Talents, an adaptation of the novel by Octavia E. Butler.

The graphic novel reunites John Jennings and Damian Duffy, who worked on the Hugo Award-winning adaptation of Butler’s The Parable of the Sower. They are joined by artist David Brame.

“Being chosen to adapt the Parable duology by Octavia E. Butler into a graphic novel is both an honor and a very serious responsibility,” said Jennings. “Those two books were so prescient and incredibly accurate with their forecasting that we are still amazed by the insightful creative acumen of Butler. It’s our hope that we did the story justice and that the underlying messages resonate through every word and every panel.”

The Parable of the Talents continues Butler’s story from the first volume, known collectively as the Earthseed series. Set on a war-torn continent under the control of a fascist state, the story follows Asha, who searches for answers about her own past while struggling to reconcile with her mother’s legacy. While Butler’s original novel was published in 1998, it feels very timely today — not only does it feature a country under the grip of a Christian fundamentalist denomination, but that group even used the slogan “Make America Great Again” in their propaganda.

The Parable of the Talents is available in stores this week. Check out the preview below.

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‘Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation’ wins the Hugo Award

Writer Damian Duffy and artist John Jennings adapted Octavia Butler’s dystopian novel into a graphic novel last year.

The graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower has won the Hugo Award for “Best Graphic Story or Comic.”

The book was adapted by writer Damian Duffy and artist John Jennings, and published by Abrams Books. The story is set in the year 2024 after unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social chaos. Lauren Olamina, a preacher’s daughter living in Los Angeles, sees a vision of the future and goes on to establish her own religion, Earthseed, and gathers a diverse community of believers.

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Nominees announced for the 2021 Hugo Awards

‘Monstress’ receives its fifth nomination in four years, and is joined by ‘Die,’ ‘Ghost Spider,’ and more.

The nominees were announced via YouTube today for the 2021 Hugo Awards, which includes a “Best Graphic Story or Comic” category.

Two of the six nominees were published by Image, while Dark Horse’s Berger Books imprint, Marvel, BOOM! Studios and Abrams each received one. Writer Kieron Gillen received two nominations this year in the category, while Seanan McGuire, nominated for writing Ghost Spider, was also nominated for her prose work in two other categories.

Presented annually since 1955, The Hugo Awards recognize the best science fiction in books, comics, movies, TV and more. The Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story has been awarded since 2009, with previous winners including volumes of Saga, Ms. Marvel, Girl Genius, Sandman: Overture and Monstress, which is up for the award again this year. LaGuardia won the category last year.

And the nominees for 2021 are:

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