PARABLE OF THE SOWER / AUTHOR: OCTAVIA BUTLER / ADAPTATION: DAMIAN DUFFY, JOHN JENNINGS / PUBLISHER: ABRAHS COMICARTS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Damian Duffy and John Jennings’ graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s seminal sci-fi novel drowns in the sound of its own voice. They take the dystopian flavour of the original novel to heart and bake a suitably chaotic visual layer on top of Butler’s text. The resulting graphic novel is an uneven read, sometimes artistically stunning, sometimes messy and always gargantuan in its sense of scope. Parable of the Sower, itself an interpretation of the text from the Bible story of the same name, centres on the angst-ridden efforts of teenager Lauren in setting up her own religion, Earthseed, on a futuristic and ravaged Earth.
Duffy’s overwrought storytelling quite often makes for heavy going, not helped by a sluggish sense of pace that makes every scene drag. The drama as the hyperempathetic Lauren, who shares in people’s pain, sets out on her quest is laid bare before us with palpable effect, as Lauren’s path of religious enlightenment is met with a fierce sense of introspection for her. This is all wildly emphasised by Jennings’ ragged line art and monstrous, unpredictable colours. He captures Butler and Duffy’s words in an endlessly violent style, sometimes to the point where it’s impenetrable to deduce what’s happening before our eyes. It’s a rough visual taste to comprehend.
This is neither the first nor the last time Jennings and Duffy will turn Butler’s work into comics, but we only hope they reign in their respective qualities. Parable of the Sower is a dense, sprawling piece of work that can’t be easily digested, due to its subject matter and that matter’s execution.
