When filmmaker Eric D. Howell’s screenplay The Revolution of Cassandra placed in the top three of the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest in 2018, he was excited to be recognized by the people behind the software he relied on every day. But what he didn’t know was that recognition would send him on a journey that would take his story beyond the screen and into the dazzling illustrated world of graphic novels. His story about belief, activism, and the power of sisterhood is now being published as a three-part comic book series. For Howell, this pivot wasn’t just about finding a new platform for The Revolution of Cassandra, it was about staying true to a story he believed the world needed to hear.
Sticking to the Story
Eric Howell can barely contain his excitement that his first time attending Comic-Com, the mega-celebration of pop culture where fans and creators get to connect over their favorite stories, will feature his graphic novel. It’s a new path for the director and stunt coordinator who has plenty of music videos, short and feature films along with TV projects listed on his IMDb page. But this one project stayed with him.
“I couldn’t get Cassandra out of my system,” Howell says. “Even though the screenplay got meetings and attention, I kept hearing that it had too much of an opinion. That it was too bold. But I didn’t write it to be safe. I wrote it to say something.”
Set in a fictional Central American country, The Revolution of Cassandra is the story of two Latina sisters, one a rebel, the other a cynic, caught in the crossfire of a political uprising. The tale is ultimately about finding your voice and using it to stand for something, not just against everything. But in a “pre-Barbie” Hollywood, as Howell describes it, the bold female-centered themes were seen as too risky, and the project was unable to get traction in Hollywood.
But he refused to let the story languish on his hard drive. Drawing on his experience making short films, Howell decided to treat Cassandra in the same way but explore a different platform: he raised funds through private investors, hired a team of living, breathing artists, and began the challenging process of adapting the screenplay into a graphic novel.
From Blocks of Dialogue to Panels with Speech Bubbles
Howell describes the adaptation process as a new experience. “It was very grassroots. I had to go from a screenplay to a panel-by-panel breakdown, basically sketching on the actual script in pencil to figure out which lines of dialogue fit in which visual beats.”
The process involved working with a layout artist, an inker, a colorist, and a letterer – each contributing their own element.
“It’s a highly collaborative art form,” he says, adding that it forced him to push the boundaries of his creativity. “Unlike film, where you can rely on actors and physical locations, everything in a graphic novel has to be imagined from scratch. What does this character look like? What’s her hairstyle? What’s the environment? Every detail has to be decided. It’s liberating and overwhelming.”
Big Break to Big Bliss (on Tap)
Howell credits Final Draft’s Big Break contest with validating the project and giving it the initial momentum it needed. “It brought exposure, meetings, and a renewed belief in the story,” he says. “When Final Draft recognized it, people started taking it seriously. That credibility opened doors, not just in Hollywood, but in publishing too.”
The project eventually caught the attention of indie comic publisher Bliss On Tap, who will headline The Revolution of Cassandra as the centerpiece of their booth (#5533) at San Diego Comic-Con later this month. “That’s a huge honor! And now there’s even renewed interest from the film world, ironically, after it’s already become something else,” he says.
Finding Your Voice and Format
All screenwriters want to have their stories turned into movies, but it’s an incredibly difficult and competitive business. If you really believe in the power of your story, that it’s expressing your true voice, Howell has a piece of advice that’s both spiritual and practical: “Don’t be so precious. The dream might be a feature film but listen to what the story wants. Maybe it’s a novel. Maybe it’s a YouTube series. Maybe it’s a graphic novel. Be like water, as Bruce Lee said: adaptable, persistent, able to take any shape.”
For writers struggling to find their voice, or even wondering if anyone wants to hear it, Howell offers a philosophy shaped by age and experience.
“At this point in my life, I’ve been around a little bit. And one of the things I’ve really tried to focus on is this: what is for me will find me. I don’t have to chase it. I just do what I do.”
That belief, he says, was reinforced by music producer Rick Rubin, whose words have stayed with him. In his book, The Creative Act, Rick Rubin famously says, “The audience doesn’t know what they want.” So Howell argues that it’s really none of a creative person’s business what the audience wants.
Instead, Howell says, “Your business is to get your story out and when it’s done, you’ll know because when you’re willing to share it, it’s probably done.”
Writing is Where the Magic Starts
Howell sees good, authentic writing as the foundation of everything. “I realized years ago that I couldn’t direct my way out of a bad script, so I had to learn how to write. That’s where the magic starts.”
While he continues to work in film and television, The Revolution of Cassandra is both a passion project and a symbol of creative resilience.
“This is a truly independent effort,” he says. “It’s self-financed, it pays artists fairly, and it’s trying to say something meaningful in a time when the world is overloaded with negativity.”
That’s some powerful magic.
Howell’s graphic novel series can be purchased at revolutionofcassandra.com or you can follow the project on IG @RevolutionOfCassandra. If you’re going to Comic-Con, you can visit Bliss on Tap booth #5533, July 24-27.