Shout out to this GN by a POC. I came to Greenlight bookstore in Brooklyn, NY in April and I let myself get one treat: Nat Turner by Kyle Baker. There are many things I like about this GN, and the intro is actually at the top of the list. I love a motivating intro to any project where the creator/author gets real with their audience.
Kyle Baker has worked with DC Comics, Nickelodeon, HBO, The Voice and more. He’s done all this and he is into self publishing? Cool. Damn cool. Because I find self-publishing to be a very empowering act. Especially for populations and communities whose stories aren’t told in the mainstream. The best way is for you and your community to make space to tell your story or an over looked story from the past… Or future 😉 No doubt Mr. Baker has access to some friends that also know a lot about publishing but still I found his words empowering.
One of my favorite frames when little Nat Turner is learning about the Egyptians through reading.
Nate Turner is a powerful figure in history. He was a slave who led a rebellion in Virginia on August 21, 1831. Read this graphic novel to learn more, or read The Confessions of Nat Turner -as recorded by Thomas R. Gray. I wonder if the slave population of Virginia (and consequently Mr. Turner) had been influenced by the African and Indian Nations allegiances formed during the French and Indian War, where both Indians and Blacks took part in an armed resistance to whites in 1727. What do you think?
I enjoy diving into less told/heard stories in the Graphic Novel form. Join me for more adventures!
A Graphic Lens 