May 21, 2009


For more information:
Frank R. Scatoni
619-807-1887
frank at ventureliterary.com

"No Kill Date"

Venture Literary Sells a Fascinating Graphic Re-telling of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to HarperCollins


On May 21, 2009, Frank R. Scatoni of Venture Literary sold the North American rights to Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell’s The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation to Maura DiPreta at HarperCollins.

In The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation, Hennessey and McConnell—authors of The U.S. Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation—bring to life one of history’s most profound speeches in a masterful and entertaining way. Using vivid illustrations and a compelling narrative, the graphic tale explores all of the nuances in Lincoln’s words and contextualizes them in a rich chronology of the entire Civil War. Readers of the book come away with not only a fuller understanding of the Gettysburg Address, but also the institution of slavery, competing visions of America’s founding ideology, military maneuvers from Sumter to Appomattox, intimate biographical details of Abraham Lincoln, and the histories of the Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Era. This unique and deeply layered interpretation of the eloquent address conveys the vast themes and ideas that have made this famous speech as powerful then as it is today.

With the renewed interest in Abraham Lincoln, the debut of this book could not be more timely. The 200th anniversary of his birth, the wellspring of historical parallels with President Barack Obama that have the media abuzz, and the forthcoming Steven Spielberg/Tony Kushner Hollywood blockbuster Lincoln have all contributed to this spark of interest in one of our most beloved presidents. Mainstream readers along with history buffs, comic lovers, and high school or junior-high history students will love this fresh and compelling take on such a pivotal moment in our nation’s history.

JONATHAN HENNESSEY is the coauthor of The U.S. Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation and a magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University. He has lectured at the National Constitution Center and the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, and has appeared on panels at New York Comic-Con and on the nationally syndicated talk shows The Rachel Maddow Show and The John Batchelor Show. A ten-year veteran of the Hollywood film and television industry, he has worked as a story and screenplay analyst for Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Phoenix Pictures, and has worked behind the scenes on films such as Spy Kids and Rushmore.

AARON MCCONNELL is an award-winning freelance illustrator and comics creator, and the coauthor of The U.S. Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation. He received an MFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, in 2002, and is currently a member of Periscope Studio, a collective of freelance illustrators in Portland, Oregon. For more than two years he has worked in uncredited obscurity for both Marvel and DC Comics as a background penciller and inker on such titles as Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and Batman/Superman.



To learn more about Venture Literary, visit: www.ventureliterary.com.
To learn more about HarperCollins, visit: www.harpercollins.com
To learn more about Hennessey and McConnell’s The U.S. Constitution, visit: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41900813144