Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: David F. Walker, Huckleberry Finn, Marcus Kwame Anderson, mark twain

David F. Walker & Marcus Kwame Anderson Retell Huckleberry Finn

David F. Walker & Marcus Kwame Anderson rewrite Huckleberry Finn as a new graphic novel, Big Jim and the White Boy.

Big Jim and the White Boy: A Graphic Novel Retelling of an American Classic is an upcoming graphic novel reworking of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by big comic book names David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson, along different racial themes than when it was first published.

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, first published in 1884 as a sequel by Mark Twain to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is firmly set in the pre-abolition USA. The story follows a river journey involving Huckleberry and Jim, a Black man escaping a life of slavery. While the book has sometimes been hailed as a condemnation of racist values, Mark Twain's depiction of Jim has faced increased scrutiny in recent years, especially Huckberry Finn's use of the N-word to refer to Jim throughout. This graphic novel intends to tell Jim's story.

"A thrilling graphic novel reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that follows Jim, an enslaved man on a journey towards freedom, and his sidekick, Huck, in the antebellum South—from the team behind the Eisner Award–winning The Black Panther Party.

"Commonly regarded as one of the great American novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has captured the hearts and imaginations of readers since 1885. But since its publication, critics have rightfully condemned Mark Twain's troubling portrayal of Black Americans as stereotypes and caricatures, with contemporary fans searching for a modern update to this iconic tale.

"Big Jim and the White Boy is a radical retelling of this American classic, centering the experiences of Jim, an enslaved Black man in search of his kidnapped wife and children, along with his cheeky sidekick, Huckleberry Finn. Jim and Huck's high-stakes adventures take them on an epic voyage across the antebellum South and Midwest, through Confederate war camps and runaway safe houses, into Old West standoffs, and on the road as covert Underground Railroad agents. Intertwined into the story of Jim and Huck are the stories of Jim's descendants in the 1930s, 1980s, and 2010s, making this a multigenerational family epic as well as an adventure story. Big Jim and the White Boy takes readers on a journey through Jim and Huck's past, present, and future, delving into their incredible friendship and years of adventures—a bond that transcends the gruesome racism of the Civil War era.

"With compelling artwork and riveting storytelling, David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson push the boundaries of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in this incredible graphic novel, exploring the triumphs and tribulations of Jim and his family, and finally giving his due as a hero of American literature."

Big Jim and the White Boy will be published by Ten Speed Graphic on the 15th of October. David F. Walker is an author, filmmaker, journalist, and educator whose comic book work includes Shaft, Power Man and Iron Fist, Nighthawk, Fury, Secret Wars: Battleworld, Cyborg, The Army of Dr. Moreau, and Number 13, as well as YA series The Adventures of Darius Logan and author of Eisner winning comic books The Black Panther Party and Bitter Root. Marcus Kwame Anderson is the other creator of The Black Panther Party, as well as comic books Harriet Tubman: Conductor On The Underground Railroad, Snow Daze, and Action Lab's Cash and Carrie and F.O.R.C.E.

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