Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyWriters Guild Award and Inkpot Award-winning writer Marc Bernardin and acclaimed artist Ariela Kristantina’s highly anticipated original graphic novel Adora and The Distance will be available this June from comiXology Originals, the exclusive digital content line of comiXology, an Amazon company. Inspired by Bernardin’s daughter who was diagnosed with autism as a toddler, Adora and The Distance is a YA fantasy story about a brave young woman of color who lives in a fantastical world with underground pirates, giants, and ghosts who must confront a mysterious force called “The Distance” which threatens to destroy it all. Adora and The Distance will be available digitally on June 15, 2021, in time for Father’s Day, at no additional cost, for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited, and for purchase on the Amazon Kindle Store and comiXology.
Adora and The Distance is written by Bernardin (the award-winning television writer-producer and co-host of the popular podcast, Batman Beyond, with Kevin Smith), illustrated by Ariela Kristantina (the artist of Insexts and Mata Hari and the upcoming Chain, written by Scott Snyder), colored by Bryan Valenza, lettered by Bernardo Brice, and edited by legendary comics editor Will Dennis.
The book features a foreword by Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Damon Lindelof (Lost; Watchmen), who writes that “at the end of your journey, Dear Reader, I have no doubt you will feel closer to Adora . . . and by the deft magic and intimate honesty of the storytelling, you will feel closer to the very real person upon whom Adora is based. . . . And if you have anything resembling the same experience, I have no doubt you will emerge as I have . . . Triumphant and Transformed.”
Marc Bernardin has been developing Adora and The Distance for more than a decade. “According to the CDC, one in 54 children in America are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. That’s millions and millions of kids — and millions more parents and siblings who have someone with autism in their lives,” said Bernardin. “I didn’t want to tell a story about those of us who love their autistic friends or family members. Instead, I wanted to try and imagine the story one of those kids could be telling about themselves, about the adventures they’re taking inside their own mind. It’s the story I most want to hear.”
“Every creator-owned project is personal to its creator, but this book feels even more so,” said Kristantina, who is a single mother. “It’s a great book to give to young adults who may not read comics, but love fantasy stories. And it’s a great book for adults looking for a sense of hope, nostalgia, and reflection upon their own childhood.”
Ahead of release, Adora and The Distance is already gathering accolades:
“Adora and the Distance begins as a fantasy, all fun and brilliance, like a Game of Thrones for teenage girls, and then transmutes into something deeper and more moving, a reflection of an interior life that solves all the riddles it has propounded in a way that is both satisfying and heartbreaking. I’m so glad it exists.”
—Neil Gaiman, writer The Sandman, Coraline, American Gods
“A letter from a parent to a child with love so overflowing that it’s visible on every page.”
—Kelly Sue DeConnick, writer Captain Marvel, Bitch Planet
“Adora and the Distance is a magical tale that packs incredible heart, and tells
a wonderful story more grounded in our reality than it appears.”
—Joe Henderson, TV’s Lucifer, Skyward and Shadecraft
“An engrossing, enchanting tale of a difficult journey that expands outward until it’s landed in our own reality, giving us the most magical thing art has ever been able to: empathy.”
—Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick, Little America
“Gorgeously rendered and tenderly told, Adora and the Distance is the story of an extraordinary child–and the extraordinary people who love her. You cannot help but be moved.”
—G. Willow Wilson, Co-creator, Ms. Marvel
“Bernardin and Kristantina have pulled off a true magic trick. Adora and the Distance lures you in
with dazzling fantasy yet its true magic lies in its passionate, heartfelt exploration of
deeper truths about connection, understanding and forgiveness through love.
One of the most daring and heartfelt books I’ve read this year.”
—Scott Snyder, writer Batman, Nocterra
Adora and The Distance is the first YA graphic novel for both Bernardin and Kristantina. It’s a deeply personal story, full of dazzling designs, gorgeous imagery, whimsical storytelling, and hope.
