Middle Passage: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
Charles Johnson
Oct 2026 · Abrams
Ebook
144
Pages
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infoThis book will become available on October 6, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
A powerful graphic novel adaptation of the Charles R. Johnson’s National Book Award–winning American classic Middle Passage, which deftly weaves intensely researched history of the American slave trade and speculative fiction with the traditions of classic adventure tales
A riveting and raw parable of the Black experience in America, this graphic novel adaptation of Charles R. Johnson’s National Book Award–winning novel, Middle Passage, tells the story of the recently freed slave Rutherford Calhoun.
Living the life of a petty thief in 1830 New Orleans, Calhoun’s bad decisions begin to catch up to him. Blackmailed into an engagement to a Boston school teacher who promises to pay his debt to Calhoun’s creditor if he marries her, Rutherford will do anything to escape his nuptial fate, including stowing away on a ship called The Republic.
Unbeknown to him, this ship happens to be headed to Africa to capture the mystical Allmuseri tribe and bring them back to America to sell as slaves.
Adapted by Reginald Hudlin and illustrated by Denys Cowan and Don Hudson, the part speculative fiction, part action-adventure story that unfolds is one of harrowing depths, exploring the cruelty and resilience of the human spirit.
A riveting and raw parable of the Black experience in America, this graphic novel adaptation of Charles R. Johnson’s National Book Award–winning novel, Middle Passage, tells the story of the recently freed slave Rutherford Calhoun.
Living the life of a petty thief in 1830 New Orleans, Calhoun’s bad decisions begin to catch up to him. Blackmailed into an engagement to a Boston school teacher who promises to pay his debt to Calhoun’s creditor if he marries her, Rutherford will do anything to escape his nuptial fate, including stowing away on a ship called The Republic.
Unbeknown to him, this ship happens to be headed to Africa to capture the mystical Allmuseri tribe and bring them back to America to sell as slaves.
Adapted by Reginald Hudlin and illustrated by Denys Cowan and Don Hudson, the part speculative fiction, part action-adventure story that unfolds is one of harrowing depths, exploring the cruelty and resilience of the human spirit.
About the author
Dr. Charles Johnson, University of Washington (Seattle) professor emeritus and the author of 27 books, is a novelist, philosopher, essayist, literary scholar, short story writer, cartoonist and illustrator, an author of children’s literature, and a screen-and-teleplay writer based in Chicago. A MacArthur fellow, Johnson has received a 2002 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Literature, a 1990 National Book Award for his novel Middle Passage, a 1985 Writers Guild award for his PBS teleplay Booker, the 2016 W.E.B. Du Bois Award at the National Black Writers Conference, and many other awards. In February 2020, Lifeline Theater in Chicago debuted its play adaptation of Middle Passage. Reginald Hudlin is an American film screenwriter, director, and producer based in Los Angeles. He and his older brother and creative partner Warrington Hudlin are known as the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was president of entertainment for Black Entertainment Television (BET). Hudlin has also written numerous graphic novels. He co-produced the 88th Academy Awards ceremony in 2016 as well as other TV specials. Hudlin’s breakout film was 1990’s House Party, and he worked as a producer on Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film, Django Unchained, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Hudlin is also an extremely accomplished comic book and graphic novel writer and creator. This includes a groundbreaking run on Marvel’s Black Panther character. Denys B. Cowan is an American comics artist, television producer, and one of the cofounders of Milestone Media. Based in Los Angeles, Cowan gained prominence as the primary artist on The Question, a comic book series written by Dennis O’Neil and published by DC beginning in February 1987. Cowan cofounded Milestone Media in 1993 with McDuffie, Michael Davis, and Derek Dingle, and later worked as a producer on the animated series Static Shock, based on the Milestone character. As senior vice president of animation at BET, Cowan was responsible for the creation, development, and production of animated programming for the entire network, including the cultural phenomenon The Boondocks. Don Hudson started his life in comic art and illustration as a high school intern, learning from established, older professionals to become skilled draftsman. After 30 years in the business, he has worked in advertising, on Broadway—Jersey Boys—and drawn thousands of pages of comic book art for Marvel, DC, Image, and Zuiker Press. He is based in Los Angeles. Want to know more? Please visit attackatdon.blogspot.com.
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