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Big Jim and the White Boy

An American Classic Reimagined

Author David F. Walker, Marcus Kwame Anderson
Ebook (EPUB FXL Image Based)
Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | Ten Speed Graphic
On sale Oct 15, 2024 | 288 Pages | 9781984857736
Grades 6-12 + AP/IB
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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.

ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST’S BEST GRAPHIC NOVELS OF THE YEAR

“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

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.
“One of the most profound, ambitious and emotionally hard-hitting graphic novels ever attempted.”—Forbes

“This phenomenal graphic novel doesn’t set out to replace Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but to add immeasurably valuable context that has historically been left out. Jim’s story deserves to be told . . .”—Bookpage

“Big Jim and the White Boy is terrifically ambitious—for its authors and their audience.”—The Washington Post Book Club

“A thought-provoking, profoundly moving adventure story. Not to be missed.”—Library Journal, starred review

“The book is an action-packed page-turner, with dastardly villains, narrow escapes, and a twist at the end that sheds a new light on the entire story.”—School Library Journal

“This book has a good story as well as some truths that need to be remembered.”—ICv2

“Big Jim and the White Boy is a marvel of the graphic novel format. Not only does the creative team expertly wrangle four different timelines, but they’ve given the book several narrators who use the power of oral storytelling to share stories through the generations until it reaches us, the reader.”—Women Write About Comics

“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.”—John Jennings, Hugo Award–winning comics creator

“Big Jim and the White Boy should be a part of every American high school English curriculum.”—Boing, Boing

“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.”—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

“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.”—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 . . . challenges readers’ assumptions about the nature of ancestry and memory.”—Ajuan Mance, author of Gender Studies and Living While Black

“A vital reconsideration of an American classic.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
© Elijah Hasan
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
Marcus Kwame Anderson View titles by Marcus Kwame Anderson

Discussion Guide for Big Jim and the White Boy

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

About

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.

ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST’S BEST GRAPHIC NOVELS OF THE YEAR

“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

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.

Reviews

“One of the most profound, ambitious and emotionally hard-hitting graphic novels ever attempted.”—Forbes

“This phenomenal graphic novel doesn’t set out to replace Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but to add immeasurably valuable context that has historically been left out. Jim’s story deserves to be told . . .”—Bookpage

“Big Jim and the White Boy is terrifically ambitious—for its authors and their audience.”—The Washington Post Book Club

“A thought-provoking, profoundly moving adventure story. Not to be missed.”—Library Journal, starred review

“The book is an action-packed page-turner, with dastardly villains, narrow escapes, and a twist at the end that sheds a new light on the entire story.”—School Library Journal

“This book has a good story as well as some truths that need to be remembered.”—ICv2

“Big Jim and the White Boy is a marvel of the graphic novel format. Not only does the creative team expertly wrangle four different timelines, but they’ve given the book several narrators who use the power of oral storytelling to share stories through the generations until it reaches us, the reader.”—Women Write About Comics

“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.”—John Jennings, Hugo Award–winning comics creator

“Big Jim and the White Boy should be a part of every American high school English curriculum.”—Boing, Boing

“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.”—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

“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.”—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 . . . challenges readers’ assumptions about the nature of ancestry and memory.”—Ajuan Mance, author of Gender Studies and Living While Black

“A vital reconsideration of an American classic.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Author

© Elijah Hasan
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
Marcus Kwame Anderson View titles by Marcus Kwame Anderson

Guides

Discussion Guide for Big Jim and the White Boy

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

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Other Books by this Author

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