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.
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.
DAVID F. WALKER is an award-winning comic book writer, filmmaker, journalist, and educator. Walker is best known for his work in comics, including Shaft: A Complicated Man (Dynamite Entertainment), winner of the 2015 Glyph Award for Story of the Year, and its sequel, Shaft: Imitation of Life. His work for Marvel Comics includes Luke Cage, Occupy Avengers, Power Man and Iron Fist, Nighthawk,Fury, and Deadpool. He's also worked for DC Comics (Cyborg), Boom! (Planet of the Apes), and IDW/Monkeybrain (The Army of Dr. Moreau). He is the creator of the prose YA series The Adventures of Darius Logan, and author of the novel Shaft's Revenge, the first new novel starring the iconic black detective in more than forty years.
View titles by David F. Walker
“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
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.
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.
DAVID F. WALKER is an award-winning comic book writer, filmmaker, journalist, and educator. Walker is best known for his work in comics, including Shaft: A Complicated Man (Dynamite Entertainment), winner of the 2015 Glyph Award for Story of the Year, and its sequel, Shaft: Imitation of Life. His work for Marvel Comics includes Luke Cage, Occupy Avengers, Power Man and Iron Fist, Nighthawk,Fury, and Deadpool. He's also worked for DC Comics (Cyborg), Boom! (Planet of the Apes), and IDW/Monkeybrain (The Army of Dr. Moreau). He is the creator of the prose YA series The Adventures of Darius Logan, and author of the novel Shaft's Revenge, the first new novel starring the iconic black detective in more than forty years.
View titles by David F. Walker
“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
