By Patrick Guilford
Andre R. Frattino, SCAD alumnus, illustrated the Florida history classic,“A Land Remembered” by Patrick Smith, into a graphic novel adaptation for the next generation of fans.
“I realized that the book was [a] generational book. I mean it has been given from grandfather to grandson. I came to the publishers one day and I said, ‘Look, I want my next book project to be ‘A Land Remembered’.’ They were just about to celebrate their 30th anniversary, and said, ‘As this book is generational, we need to prepare it for the next generation… most kids are reading graphic novels starting off.’” It took a couple years of convincing, but Pineapple Press gave him the green light in 2016.
Illustration credit: Andre Frattino
Adapting a novel is very different from creating completely original material. “[I tried] to visualize what these characters look like and then adapted the scenes as I saw them in my mind, but more importantly how other people saw it in their mind,” said Frattino.
To properly adapt any setting, Frattino believes referencing and research are key. “While I was in Florida, everywhere I went, I photographed. I went to state parks, I went to historical recreation houses such as the Morning Side Nature Park, Dudley Farms. I grew up in Gainesville, Fl, and that’s actually where the majority of the book takes place… I tried to immerse myself in the history as much as possible.”
Adapting the novel was a challenge to Frattino as and artist for many reasons. “A Land Remembered: The Graphic Novel” is the largest book he has completed, which he did in about two years. It was also the first book that had a dedicated fan base before he had page one completed. Keeping the quality high was Frattino’s biggest priority.
“I didn’t want anybody to read my graphic novel and feel like it was cheaper version of the story,” he said. “You want to make sure you’re respectful to the source material, [and be] willing to bring your own imagination to it, and that’s a tricky place.”
‘A Land Remembered’ was released May 1 and is available through Amazon.
