Overview

A thrilling graphic novel reimagining of 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. Athrillinggraphic novel reimagining of 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. ""A brilliant remix of history, politics, satire, and passion filtered through the comics medium by two masters of storytelling.""-John Jennings, Hugo Award-winning comics creator ""This book, beautifully illustrated and superbly written, expands an American classic by adding rich and important cultural nuances.""-Joel Christian Gill, author of Fights and chair of the MFA in Visual Narrative at Boston University Commonly regarded as one of the great American novels, 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 2020s, 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.

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9781984857729

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Reviews

“Big Jim and the White Boy is a brilliant remix of history, politics, satire, and passion filtered through the comics medium by two masters of storytelling. David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson have done it again with this instant classic!”—John Jennings, Hugo Award–winning comics creator “Big Jim and the White Boy is a stunning inversion of any reader’s expectations: a breathtaking adventure that disassembles a literary classic, a well-researched reckoning with the legacies of enslavement and liberation, and a genuinely heart-swelling exploration of love, time, and memory. David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson playfully smash genre limitations to highlight both the closeness of history’s shadow and fiction’s role in illuminating it.”—Nate Powell, award-winning cartoonist of the March trilogy and Save It for Later “Big Jim and The White Boy is a riveting story that really turns the original Huck Finn story on its head. To see this tale through Jim’s eyes is thought provoking and impactful. Definitely a must read!”—Regine Sawyer, comic book writer and coordinator and founder of WinC International “What these brothers have created is fire! David F. Walker has given Jim a voice beyond the superstitious, passive slave and Marcus Kwame Anderson has made him real and not a cultural cliche. This book, beautifully illustrated and superbly written, expands an American classic by adding rich and important cultural nuances.”—Joel Christian Gill, author of Fights and chair of the MFA in Visual Narrative at Boston University   “David F. Walker is one of the most imaginative and bold storytellers out there, and Marcus Kwame Anderson’s beautiful art is the perfect complement for the retelling of this most important American story.”—Erika Alexander, cocreator and writer of Concrete Park   “Big Jim and the White Boy is simultaneously a page turner and a thoughtful exploration. Its twists and turns are worthy of a classic mystery novel, while its deep engagement with the role of storytelling in preserving and transmitting lost histories challenges readers’ assumptions about the nature of ancestry and memory. The beautifully drawn pages prompt us and give us the space to see enslaved Black people, their families, and their communities in all their humanity, complexity, and strength.”—Ajuan Mance, author of Gender Studies and Living While Black

“One of the most profound, ambitious and emotionally hard-hitting graphic novels ever attempted.”—Forbes “Big Jim and the White Boy is a brilliant remix of history, politics, satire, and passion filtered through the comics medium by two masters of storytelling. David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson have done it again with this instant classic!”—John Jennings, Hugo Award–winning comics creator “Big Jim and the White Boy is a stunning inversion of any reader’s expectations: a breathtaking adventure that disassembles a literary classic, a well-researched reckoning with the legacies of enslavement and liberation, and a genuinely heart-swelling exploration of love, time, and memory. David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson playfully smash genre limitations to highlight both the closeness of history’s shadow and fiction’s role in illuminating it.”—Nate Powell, award-winning cartoonist of the March trilogy and Save It for Later “Big Jim and The White Boy is a riveting story that really turns the original Huck Finn story on its head. To see this tale through Jim’s eyes is thought-provoking and impactful. Definitely a must-read!”—Regine Sawyer, comic book writer and coordinator and founder of WinC International “What these brothers have created is fire! David F. Walker has given Jim a voice beyond the superstitious, passive slave and Marcus Kwame Anderson has made him real and not a cultural cliche. This book, beautifully illustrated and superbly written, expands an American classic by adding rich and important cultural nuances.”—Joel Christian Gill, author of Fights and chair of the MFA in Visual Narrative at Boston University   “David F. Walker is one of the most imaginative and bold storytellers out there, and Marcus Kwame Anderson’s beautiful art is the perfect complement for the retelling of this most important American story.”—Erika Alexander, cocreator and writer of Concrete Park   “Big Jim and the White Boy is simultaneously a page turner and a thoughtful exploration. Its twists and turns are worthy of a classic mystery novel, while its deep engagement with the role of storytelling in preserving and transmitting lost histories challenges readers’ assumptions about the nature of ancestry and memory. The beautifully drawn pages prompt us and give us the space to see enslaved Black people, their families, and their communities in all their humanity, complexity, and strength.”—Ajuan Mance, author of Gender Studies and Living While Black

“Big Jim and the White Boy is a brilliant remix of history, politics, satire, and passion filtered through the comics medium by two masters of storytelling. David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson have done it again with this instant classic!”—John Jennings, Hugo Award–winning comics creator “What these brothers have created is fire! David F. Walker has given Jim a voice beyond the superstitious passive slave and Marcus Kwame Anderson has made him real and not a cultural cliche. This book, beautifully illustrated and superbly written, expands an American classic by adding rich and important cultural nuances.”—Joel Christian Gill, author of Fights, chair of MFA in Visual Narrative at Boston University “David F. Walker is one of the most imaginative and bold storytellers out there, and Marcus Kwame Anderson’s beautiful art is the perfect complement for the retelling of this most important American story.”—Erika Alexander, cocreator and writer of Concrete Park “Big Jim and the White Boy is simultaneously a page turner and a thoughtful exploration. Its twists and turns are worthy of a classic mystery novel, even as its deep engagement with the role of storytelling in preserving and transmitting lost histories challenges readers’ assumptions about the nature of ancestry and memory. The beautifully drawn pages prompt us and give us the space to see enslaved Black people, their families, and their communities in all their humanity, complexity, and strength.”—Ajuan Mance, author of Gender Studies and Living While Black

“Big Jim and the White Boy is a brilliant remix of history, politics, satire, and passion filtered through the comics medium by two masters of storytelling. David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson have done it again with this instant classic!”—John Jennings, Hugo Award–winning comics creator “What these brothers have created is fire! David F. Walker has given Jim a voice beyond the superstitious, passive slave and Marcus Kwame Anderson has made him real and not a cultural cliche. This book, beautifully illustrated and superbly written, expands an American classic by adding rich and important cultural nuances.”—Joel Christian Gill, author of Fights and chair of the MFA in Visual Narrative at Boston University   “David F. Walker is one of the most imaginative and bold storytellers out there, and Marcus Kwame Anderson’s beautiful art is the perfect complement for the retelling of this most important American story.”—Erika Alexander, cocreator and writer of Concrete Park   “Big Jim and the White Boy is simultaneously a page turner and a thoughtful exploration. Its twists and turns are worthy of a classic mystery novel, while its deep engagement with the role of storytelling in preserving and transmitting lost histories challenges readers’ assumptions about the nature of ancestry and memory. The beautifully drawn pages prompt us and give us the space to see enslaved Black people, their families, and their communities in all their humanity, complexity, and strength.”—Ajuan Mance, author of Gender Studies and Living While Black

Author Information

David F. Walker is an award-winning comic book writer, author, filmmaker, journalist, and educator. His work in comic books includes Shaft, winner of the Glyph Award for Story of the Year; Power Man and Iron Fist, Nighthawk, Fury, Secret Wars- Battleworld, Cyborg, The Army of Dr. Moreau, and Number 13. He is also the creator of the critically-acclaimed YA series The Adventures of Darius Logan and the author of the Eisner-winning The Black Panther Party and Bitter Root. Recognized as a leading scholar expert of African American cinema, Walker produced one of the definitive documentaries on the topic of Blaxploitation films, Macked, Hammered, Slaughtered, and Shafted. Marcus Kwame Anderson is an illustrator and fine artist. Much of his work explores the beauty and diversity of the African diaspora and often incorporates social commentary. He graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a degree in illustration. Anderson is the Eisner-winning co-creator of The Black Panther Party, the co-creator of the comic book series Snow Daze, and has illustrated stories in Action Lab's Cash and Carrie and F.O.R.C.E.

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