Kindred: A graphic novel adaptation won a Bram Stoker Award

By Damian Duffy on

I really don’t care about the Oscars. I say that every year, generally avoid the awards show, but of course I catch the highlights online the next day, when it seems less hypocritical to admit to myself that, okay, sure, I guess I care a little, for some reason. But this year, I really don’t care about the Oscars, because that bald gold Silver Surfer wannabe has been fully and completely eclipsed. Because last night, Kindred: A graphic novel adaptation won a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel from the Horror Writers Association!

I cannot communicate to you how surprised I am about this. Not because of my low self esteem, which I’m working on, okay? But just because of the hugely amazingly unspeakably awesome murderer’s row (pun! I guess!) we were up against. 

And since, unfortunately, neither John nor I could be at the awards ceremony, I’d like to resurrect this zombified blog to pretend like I was there, and actually had an acceptance speech prepared.

So..

I… Thank you! This is such a surprise! <pulls out five foot long scroll of names>

Thank you first and foremost and always to Octavia E. Butler and the Butler Estate, who have given us the enormous privilege and honor of adapting Octavia’s work, for new readers and new readings. Thank you to John Jennings for always being my partner in comics madness. Thank you to Sheila Keenan for making it all happen! Thank you to Charlie Kochman, Maya Bradford, Melissa Esner, Pamela Notarantonio, and everyone at Abrams ComicArts! 

And, above all, thank you to my wife, kids, and mom for supporting me in all the things, and for not mentioning that I looked like the walking/lettering dead during that last week of production on this, until well after the fact. And for putting up with me trading sleep and sanity for hitting deadlines. 

Okay, they’re trying to play me off, but no! NO! THIS IS MY MOMENT! Thanks to my dad for buying me way more comics than was healthy when I was a kid! Thanks to all our color flatters! Thanks to the creative writing professor who recommended I read Kindred a couple decades back! I DON’T CARE THAT THE BAND IS PLAYING! I CAN TALK LOUDER THAN YOUR PIPE ORGAN AND THEREMIN! AND BY THE WAY, WHAT A WEIRD CHOICE OF BAND BRAM STOKER AWARDS!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE CONGRATULATING US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! THANK YOU TO THE–whoa, they have an actual Frankenstein’s Monster bouncer! Shouldn’t that be at the Mary Shelley Awards?

ACK!!!

 

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