Kwame Mbalia’s dazzling tale of Tristan Strong returns to book format in a stunning visual treat from Robert Venditti with illustrations by Olivia Stephens. The graphic novel is shorter than the original text, but readers will be amazed with the visual pairings to Mbalia’s masterful story.
Tristan Strong is on his way to his grandparents’ farm for a visit. Recovering from the death of his friend Eddie. Tristan is isolated and alone with only his best friend’s journal as a memory. Blaming himself for not being able to save Eddie, Tristan is awoken one night on the farm to a talking doll named Gum Baby, who is stealing Eddie’s journal.
Giving chase, Tristan catches up to Gum Baby at the farm’s bottle tree, where after smashing one of the bottles an evil ghostly spirit is let free, and Tristan and Gum Baby plunge into another world. When he awakes, Tristan has landed in the world of Alke, where African gods and mythical black heroes exist.
Tristan is in awe of the people who he now interacts with, who were characters in stories told by his grandmother. Now after listening to people like John Henry, Brer Fox and Rabbit, Tristan realizes that he punched the hole in the sky of their world after smashing the bottle on the tree. Tristan is plunged into a deadly and dangerous journey helping the heroes of folklore save their world, and uniting with the likes of High John, Nyame, and others in hopes of bartering with the god Anansi, who could mend the tear in the sky. Tristan will also learn that he is an anansesem, a storyteller.
The battles will be intense, and through this rectifying of his actions and helping Alke, Tristan may gain some closure from the loss of Eddie.
When I first read the original book, I thought Tristan Strong was an incredible tale that would not only inspire readers of all ages but also engage older readers to learn more about history as well as the mythological characters that are portrayed in Mbalia’s prolific work. Having read through the graphic novel adaptation, I am even more convinced that the next television show for Disney+ should be an adaptation of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky.
This is such an incredible narrative that is beautifully written with themes and characters that everyone will identify with. Not only is the story entertaining but readers will get a fresher, truer perspective on characters they are familiar with.
One way to rediscover a book you love is to see how someone else adapts it in graphic novel form. Robert Venditti has condensed the original story considerably, but he chose the most important pieces of the book to help tell the visual tale. The story is fast paced but conveys the heart of the original tale that Mbalia created perfectly.
Olivia Stephens has and incredibly difficult job trying to bring to life in visual format the words of Kwame Mbalia. Stephens has not only successfully given a face to Mbalia’s story, from Tristan’s car ride with his grandparents, to the first arrival in Alke, Stephens continues to elevate the story with her finely drawn images. You feel more for Tristan’s struggle because of the accompanying visuals. Her choice of presentation compliments the narrative of Mbalia and makes the story even more powerful.
The graphic novel form of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky faces two significant challenges to be faithful representation of the original book. Robert Venditti must pair down the text which requires the removal of a majority of Mbalia’s original work, while at the same time, he must recount the story while not losing the heart of the book. Venditti rises to the challenge with his pairing of the story, and by maintaining the loss that Tristan felt over the death of Eddie. In the original book, readers feel the heartache that Tristan has. In the graphic novel, his grief is obvious and is on his mind throughout his journey in Alke.
Olivia Stephens has given readers a visual to this fantastical world that captures the heart and the emotion of Mbalia’s text. Furthermore, Stephens’ ability to switch up the scenery like when Tristan is talking to Uncle C and then thrust back into Alke, enables the readers to embrace the different events that are happening at the same time. The incredible use of changing color scheme by Laura Langston and lettering by Ariana Maher further contributes to enhancing and building on the original story.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is an epic novel with some of the most compelling characters to come to the page in my lifetime. I loved the trilogy, and I am so excited to rediscover the series again through the graphic novel form. Fans of the original book must add the graphic novel to their collection and new readers will enjoy meeting Tristan Strong for the first time through this visual medium.