Posted in: Comics, Current News, NYCC | Tagged: Agent, Ann Petry, graphic novel, Harriet Tubman, Joe Illidge, new york comic con

Harriet Tubman: Conductor On The Underground Railroad Graphic Novel

Joe Illidge and Marcus Kwame Anderson adapt the late Ann Petry's Harriet Tubman: Conductor On The Underground Railroad as a graphic novel.

Published Sun, 15 Oct 2023 05:57:07 -0500

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Sun, 15 Oct 2023 06:46:46 -0500

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Joe Illidge and Marcus Kwame Anderson are to adapt the late Ann Petry's Harriet Tubman: Conductor On The Underground Railroad, as a graphic novel, to be published by Tara Weikum at Harper Alley, in the winter of 2026. Joe Illidge's agent Gordon Warnock at Fuse Literary; Marcus Kwame Anderson's agent Alex Glass at Glass Literary Management; and the estate of Ann Petry's agent, Jesseca Salky, at Salky Literary Management, negotiated the deal for North American rights. This is the Amazon listing for the original:

The quintessential biography for middle grade readers of Harriet Tubman, the anti-slavery hero who is expected to be the face of the new $20 bill. The New Yorker praised this book as "an evocative portrait," and the Chicago Tribune called it "superb." Harriet Tubman was born a slave and dreamed of being free. She was willing to risk everything—including her own life—to see that dream come true. After her daring escape, Harriet became a conductor on the secret Underground Railroad, helping others make the dangerous journey to freedom. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is an accessible portrait of the woman who guided more than 300 slaves to freedom. This award-winning introduction to the late abolitionist is an ALA Notable Book and a New York Times Outstanding Book. This book also includes an index.

Joseph Illidge Xtweeted "Announcing my new project: writing the official middle grade graphic novel of Ann Petry's HARRIET TUBMAN: CONDUCTOR ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD for @HarperCollins ! Looking forward to working with @marcuskwame on this story of a real-life Black hero. Kudos to reps @FuseLiterary"

Ann Petry was an American writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 debut novel The Street became the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a million copies. She wrote Harriet Tubman: Conductor On The Underground Railroad in 1960, and died in 1997.

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