Graphic Novels Bring Black History to Life
RSSBrigid Alverson
History is more than just names and dates, it's the story of how people lived—what they said, how they thought, and the small details of everyday life. Each of these nine novels captures a particular historical setting and tells a story through the eyes of an African-American protagonist. LAGOS, Alexander and Joseph. The Sons of Liberty. Illustrated by Steve Walker and Oren Kramek. Random. May 2010. HC. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85670-9. Gr 5 Up—During Colonial times, two teenage slaves escape from their plantation and end up in the lab of Peter Franklin (Benjamin's son), who zaps them with electricity, accidentally giving them super powers. Then Quaker abolitionist Benjamin Lay teaches them African martial arts. The result? Two 18th-century black superheroes, kicking slave-hunter butt. There's also a second volume, and an accompanying website to help interested readers sort fact from fiction. Gr 5 Up—Sharecropper Emmet Wilson was a professional ballplayer until he injured his knee in a game pitched by Satchel Paige. Wilson returns to Tuckawilla, AL, and the humiliations of Jim Crow, but this quiet book builds to a satisfying denouement when Paige comes to town to pitch against the all-white local team—and teaches them a lesson in respect. Gr 7 Up—This slim volume contains 23 adaptations of stories and poems by African-American writers, including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and W. E. B. DuBois. The stories range from tragedy to comedy to inspiration, and each tale is well told. The dialect used in some stories may sound off to modern readers, but the graphic novel format softens that a bit, by breaking it up and adding visual cues. Gr 7 Up—Nat Love was born a slave but left Tennessee in 1869 for the Wild West. This action-packed graphic novel, drawn from his memoir, tells of his adventures as a cowboy, driving and herding cattle and getting into the occasional gunfight. Lively illustrations done in a painterly style bring the action to life. Readers who want to know more can read Love's autobiography online. Gr 10 Up—A white reporter in Houston, Texas, becomes friends with a black activist during a time of racial tension in 1968. Based on writer Long's memories of his own father, this evocative graphic novel is framed by the larger events of the time (some of which are fictional), but its true focus is on friendship, betrayal, and the courage it takes to stand up against an entire culture. Gr 10 Up—A straightforward biography of bluesman Robert Johnson, who allegedly sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to become the world's greatest bluesman, takes a fanciful turn when the author teams him up with Clyde Barrow (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) for a series of strange adventures. Hiramoto never finished the series (there's just a second volume), but the first volume stands well on its own. BAKER, Kyle. Nat Turner. Abrams. 2008. Pap. $14.95. ISBN: 978-0810972278. Gr 10 Up—Beautifully drawn wordless panels tell the story of Nat Turner's short life, with excerpts from his "Confessions" as the only text. Baker is unsparing in his depiction of the violence of slavery as well as the uprising led by Turner, who led a group of slaves to murder 55 white people. Gr 11 Up—Strikingly illustrated in a clear-lined, graphic style, this book contrasts the many versions of the blues song "Stagger Lee" with the facts of the actual murder it's based on. The authors mix history and sociology into their story and depict the complicated racial politics of St. Louis, MO, in the 1890s. The complexity of the storytelling, as well as some sexual situations, makes this book most suited to older teens. Gr 11 Up—A light-skinned black reporter passes as white to report on lynchings in the South, but his biggest story is a murder to which he has a personal connection. Based on the real-life writer Walter White, this is an intriguing mystery that touches on the many aspects of "passing" and racial identity. Want to be the smartest person on the block when it comes to graphic novels for your young readers? Visit Brigid and her blogging cohorts at Good Comics for Kids! This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
STURM, James. Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. Illustrated by Rich Tommaso. Hyperion. 2007. HC. $16.99. ISBN: 0-7868-3900-7.
POMPLUN, Tom, and Lance Tooks, eds. African-American Classics (Graphic Classics, vol. 22). Eureka Productions. 2011. Pap. $17.95. ISBN: 978-0-9825630-4-5.
MCKISSACK, Patricia, and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr. Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love. Illustrated by Randy DuBurke. Chronicle. February 2012. HC. $19.99. ISBN: 978-0-8118-5749-9.
LONG, Mark, and Jim Demonakos. The Silence of Our Friends. Illustrated by Nate Powell. First Second. January 2012. Pap. $16.99. ISBN: 978-1-59643-618-3.
HIRAMOTO, Akira. Me and the Devil Blues, vol. 1. Del Rey. 2008. Pap. $19.95. ISBN: 978-0345499264.
MCCULLOCH, Derek. Stagger Lee. Illustrated by Shepherd Hendrix. Image Comics. 2006. Pap. $17.99. ISBN: 978-1582406077.
JOHNSON, Mat. Incognegro. Illustrated by Warren Pleece. Vertigo. 2009. Pap. $14.99. ISBN: 978-1401210984.
