​Renee Naultwas chosen by authorMargaret Atwoodto adapt & illustrateAtwood's 1985classic dystopian novel. Each page ishand-painted in vivid watercolor.It’s hard to imagine a more colourful, more ironically vivid, dystopia than theRepublic of Gileadin the hands ofRenee Nault. The 38-year-oldVancouverartist has turnedThe Handmaid’s Tale, the most protean ofMargaret Atwood’snovels—already refashioned as a feature film, opera, radio drama, stage play & ongoing TV series—into a strikingly beautiful graphic novel.Dystopias, places of ash & toxicity both physically & mentally, tend to be illustrated in shades of grey,Naultallows in an interview, “and that works, obviously—I used those tones a lot for the background. But I really wanted to pare down to the colours assigned to people’s social positions.Gileadis such a rigid, role-based society, & the novel has so much to say about gender roles as seen throughwomen’s perspectives, that the first thing anyone notices about anyone else is whatcolourthey’re wearing. Often, it’s the only thing, because those limited roles are all that matters in that society.”The artist “really liked” doing the wild scenes at the ruling elite’s private bordello, “because I got to draw these crazy costumes & colours,” including old cheerleader uniforms, ragged underwear & swimsuits, & an on-its-last-legsPlayboy Bunnyoutfit, complete with busted right ear. “They weren’t set out in the novel,” laughsNault. “All it says is that the costumes were old or scavenged from other things.” Those scenes were a closer fit withNault’snatural style, as displayed in her ongoing webcomic,Witchling. “My temptation is always to make everything really lush & beautiful because that’s what I like to draw. ButHandmaid’s Taleis definitely a lot moreminimalist.Naultmade what she calls a“movie-style” script, which described each page & what it would look like,...