Marc Bernardin has written about many things in his career as a journalist. Recently, he wrote a cover story for EW about Black Panther‘s journey to becoming a cultural phenomenon and major Oscar contender (it eventually scored Marvel Studios’ first Oscars, though not the big ones). But his new comic, Adora and the Distance, tackles a topic he never thought he’d write about: His daughter’s life with autism.
“There are millions of parents of kids on the autism spectrum and there are millions of children with siblings on the spectrum,” Bernardin says in a statement. “This isn’t a book about how hard it is to be a parent or a sibling, it’s one that imagines the unknowable: What’s going on inside the mind of a loved one who has never been able to tell us?”
Adora and the Distance — which is illustrated by Ariela Kristantina, colored by Jessica Kholinne, and lettered by Bernardo Brice — focuses on the titular young girl Adora, a brave young woman who lives in a fantasy world filled with underground pirates, ghosts, and “The Distance.” As suggested by its placement in the title, The Distance is a mysterious force that is set to play a major role in Adora’s life.
Below, check out exclusive preview pages of the graphic novel, which will debut digitally on Comixology Originals this winter. You can also read Bernardin’s author note about how and why he decided to tackle this story in this way.
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