Operation Legacy and Other Stories: Graphic Histories from Africa

Catalyst Press is publishing a collection of three comics depicting African historical narratives, two of which I illustrated. The first story in the collection is an adaptation of When Satiety Marries Avarice, Hunger is Born by Haddis Alemayehu, beautifully illustrated by Fanuel Leul.

From the press kit:

"A narrative of enslavement, a satire on colonialism, and a court battle for justice by those
tortured and detained during the fight for independence from colonial rule: three comics
depict key moments in African history."

 

"In one, readers are offered a translation of a short story, turned into a comic, that satirizes the
colonization of Africa by depicting Europeans as cats and Africans as mice. The cats wish to feast on the mice and so create an elaborate ruse by proclaiming that they can turn the inferior mice into cats via education and medication, a ruse that is finally discovered by the mice, who rise up against the cats.

In a second, readers are offered a deconstruction of a slave narrative, The Interesting Narrative
of Olaudah Equiano. Several historians weigh in to evaluate the memoirs of Olaudah Equiana and decipher whether his claims are true or false; nevertheless, despite some problematic aspects of his narrative and questions that remain as to its veracity, the effect it had on the abolitionist
movement is without question.

And finally, the third comic details how ordinary Kenyans who had been tortured and abused by
the British government during the Kenyan fight for independent from colonial rule were able to
obtain justice, decades later, from a British court of law."

The book, written by Trevor R. Getz and Audra A. Diptée, edited by Hewan Semon, will be released in August 2026. Find out more at the publisher's website: https://www.catalystpress.org/all-content/operation-legacy-and-other-stories

 

Article on Graphic Narratives and History in the Americas

 A rich and fascinating article about graphic narratives and histories in Latin America and North America, their use in education, and the history of comics themselves, features Kate Masur, author of Freedom Was In Sight, as one of the interviewees. Read it here: https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/130/1/231/8069659

Freedom Was In Sight nominated for awards

 Freedom Was In Sight was a finalist in the Nonfiction Graphic Novels category of the 2025 PROSE Awards, and is a finalist in the Graphic Novels and Comics category of the 2024 Foreword INDIES book awards.

Freedom Was In Sight talk

In November the National Museum of African American History and Culture hosted a fascinating panel discussion where author Kate Masur spoke about Freedom Was In Sight, and more generally about Reconstruction, teaching, and the people whose stories the book tells. Watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yssH5o9Ni5Q

New Graphic History: Oberbrechen

 The next title in the Oxford University Press Graphic History Series has just been published. Oberbrechen: A German Village Confronts its Nazi Past, written by Stefanie Fischer and Kim Wünschmann, looks at the Holocaust and its aftermath through the experiences of ordinary Jewish and non-Jewish Germans in a small rural village, exploring its impact on these communities and their relationship with each other during World War II and for many decades after, and the questions it continues to raise for Germans today.

Find out more about the book at the publisher's website.

New Graphic History: The First Black Marines

The First Black Marines: An Oral History is a graphic history written by Trevor R. Getz, Robert Willis, and Joseph H. Geeter III. The book is based on interviews with some of the first Black Marines, in which they shared their experiences of joining the Marines and training at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina during the Jim Crow era, and of serving in World War II and beyond.

The First Black Marines is the latest title published in the Oxford University Press Graphic History Series. Find out more about it at the publisher's website, or visit the book's own website at https://www.firstblackmarines.org/ where you can also watch the interviews with the veterans whose stories became the graphic history.

Freedom Was In Sight!

 Kate Masur's Freedom Was in Sight: A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C., Region is out now. Find out more about it and check out a preview of the book at The University of North Carolina Press website.

New Graphic History

Freedom Was In Sight! A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C., Region, written by Kate Masur and published by the University of North Carolina Press, is available for pre-order now. Its release date is October 2024.

If you order it from the UNC Press site, you can use code 01SOCIAL30 at checkout to save 30%!

All Rise article

 New Frame has a wonderful article about Richard Conyngham's All Rise: https://www.newframe.com/drawing-everyday-heroes-out-of-the-archive/

New Graphic History: All Rise

All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa 1910-1948 is an exciting new graphic history book that tells six diverse stories of working-class resistance from South Africa's past. It was written by Richard Conyngham, with each story illustrated by a different South African artist. I'm very proud to be one of those artists--I illustrated the chapter titled 'Come Gallows Grim', as well as the cover. All Rise is available for pre-order now.

In South Africa, the book is published by Jacana Media. You can read more about it and pre-order it from Loot

In the USA, the book is published by Catalyst Press, and available to pre-order from:

Bookshop 

Indiebound 

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

 

New Graphic History

The next book I've illustrated for the Oxford University Press Graphic History Series has just been published. Witness to the Age of Revolution: The Odyssey of Juan Bautista Tupac Amaru, written by Charles F. Walker, tells the story of Juan Bautista Tupac Amaru, the half-brother of the leader of the Tupac Amaru Rebellion that took place in 18th-century Peru. Based on Juan Bautista's memoir, the graphic history follows his experience of decades as a prisoner of Spain on three continents during the Age of Revolution.

Find out more from Oxford University Press or Amazon.

 

 Published: 1 September 2020

192 pages

ISBN: 9780190941154

A Foreign Shore 3: The Company of Women book trailer

The third book in Forrest Johnson's fantasy series A Foreign Shore has a wonderful animated trailer.

A Foreign Shore Book 3

The third book in Forrest Johnson's fantasy series, A Foreign Shore, was published in April. The author has set up a Pinterest board for the series, where you can see many of the illustrations and concept sketches I've done for the books, as well as Tania Kerins' cover art.

The third book, A Foreign Shore: The Company of Women, takes the characters to surprising, dark, and magical new places, facing demons, ancient mysteries, political intrigue, and
brutal warfare. Raeesha finds herself not only training and commanding a company of female soldiers as the last line of defense against a nomadic horde, but responsible for a decision that will determine the future of her homeland.

You can find out more about the book at its Amazon page.

The author of The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt graphic history, Michael G. Vann, did an interview for Freakonomics Radio in 2013, which is being broadcast on US public radio stations this week. "The Cobra Effect" is airing Thursday to Thursday, time dependent on location. You can also listen to the interview here.

Brad Lansky Audio Series wins awards

Brad Lansky and the Result War, the seventh episode in Protophonic's excellent series of SF audio plays, has won gold at this year's Mark Time Awards. Dieter Zimmermann, the man behind the series, as well as the voice of Brad Lansky, received a Grand Master Award. Congratulations to all the cast and crew!

New Graphic History

The latest book in the Oxford University Press Graphic History Series has been published. The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empire, Disease, and Modernity in French Colonial Vietnam by Michael G. Vann explores the conflicts, ironies, contradictions, and failures of French colonial Hanoi with dark humour, specifically exemplified by the story of the French colonial authorities' attempt to rid the city of rats. Find out more from Oxford University Press or Amazon.

Published: 01 June 2018
288 Pages
ISBN: 9780190602697

Brad Lansky Audio Series Episode 7

Protophonic has released a new episode in its excellent series of science fiction audio stories: Brad Lansky and the Result War.

Read the press release (with an image of the cover art), or visit http://www.protophonic.net/ for links to buy this and previous episodes. The protophonic website also has much more about the series, with interviews and extras, and the CD inserts, including the cover art.

We did things slightly differently for the illustration for the cover for episode 7--this time, I was provided with the image of a spaceship and integrated it into my painting. The finished cover reflects the attention to detail, the focus on science, adventure, and characters, and the willingness to experiment that have distinguished the stories in the series so far.

Earth was left at a critical turning point at the end of Brad Lansky and the Rogue Era. Find out what happens next in The Result War. Trailer on SoundCloud

Abina and the Important Men film wins awards, screens at more festivals

The animated film of Abina and the Important Men, directed by Soumyaa Behrens, has won in the animation category at the San Francisco Black Film Festival awards.

It has just been shown at Animaze - Montreal International Animation Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Feature Film.

It will be screened at International Images Film Festival for Women in Harare (26 August-2 September 2017) and at Raindance Film Festival in London (20 September-1 October).

New graphic history: Perpetua's Journey

The latest book in the Oxford University Press series of graphic history books has just been released.

Perpetua's Journey: Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire was written by Jennifer A. Rea, Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Florida. It presents a new translation of The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity in the form of a graphic novel alongside essays which place the Passion, a prison diary written by Vibia Perpetua before her death as a Christian martyr in Carthage in 203 CE, in historical and social context.

The story is not only fascinating because of the complex, challenging choices made by Perpetua and her fellow martyrs, and the personal and societal impact of those choices, but also because it allows us access to the words of a 22-year-old woman who lived during the time of the Roman Empire, yet whose experiences still feel immediate and relatable.

You can find out more about the book at the Oxford University Press website, or on Amazon.

 

Artwork from Perpetua's Journey:
Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire
Publication date: July 2017
ISBN: 9780190238711
232 pages
Artwork copyright Oxford University Press

Abina at the San Francisco Black Film Festival

The animated documentary of Abina and the Important Men, adapted from the book by Professor Trevor Getz, the Documentary Film Institute, and many talented people at San Francisco State University, has been selected to be screened at the San Francisco Black Film Festival 2017. The film, directed by Soumyaa Behrens, with lead animation by Daewon Kim, will be screened on 16 June at 6PM at the Koret Auditorium, de Young Museum. Read more about the event and see the film poster on the SFBFF website. You can watch the trailer below: