about the book
This graphic novel may seem like a cowboy tall tale but it is based on true events filled with action, honor, and the taming of the real Wild West. It is the first graphic novel in a series that looks at everyday African American heroes—and the real hero in this book may have inspired the stories of “The Lone Ranger!” The man, Bass Reeves, e was once the prize possession of a slave owner.
During Bass’s childhood, his master would not teach him to read or write but taught him how to shoot. Bass quickly became exceptionally skilled; even as a youngster, he took top prizes in shooting matches. He followed his master into the Civil War and eventually escaped to find freedom.
He fought for the North with the Irregulars and later spent years with Native Americans in Indian Territory, learning their language and customs. All along the way, Bass is plagued by bigotry. To portray racial slurs, the author/illustrator uses symbolism in the dialogue. For example, a menacing bird figure represents Jim Crow and a pickaninny caricature stands in for the n-word.
Judge Parker, the “Hanging Judge,” deputized Bass as the first African American Deputy of the U.S. Marshalls. Bass personally arrested more than three thousand outlaws!
Bass disguised himself as a vagabond, drunk, or even a woman to trick the criminals. Though he never learned to read or write, he was an exceptional detective. He was a rough and tough officer of the law with an unwavering and deep-seated sense of justice. His toughest case of all involved a wife murderer. The man was Bass’s own son.
Does he make this arrest? Read the book to find out!
about the author/illustrator
Joel Christian Gill is outspoken about a couple of subjects. He doesn’t need superheroes and he thinks Black History Month should be abandoned. Although honoring the famous men and women who fought for human rights is important, he feels twenty-eight days is just not enough time!
Joel believes we should be talking about the hard truths of our history 365 days a year—and not just about black history but all shared history…white, native American, Latino, LGBTQI, and women. He created #28daysarenotenough which has become his rallying cry. Joel’s life’s work is to uncover and share the untold stories of the quintessential American “pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstrap everybody type hero” and to use comics and graphic novels to teach history.
His first graphic novel was Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History. His newest series, Tales of the Talented Tenth is a reference to W.E.B. DuBois’s theory that a “talented tenth” of the African-American population could lead the rest to social change. He’s got dozens of more tales to share.
Joel is quick to tell you that he is the “chairman, CEO, president, director of development, majority and minority stock holder, manager, co-manager, regional manager, assistant to the regional manager, receptionist, senior black correspondent, and janitor of Strange Fruit Comics.” He is also the Dean of Students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.
Rumor has it Joel has a secret panel in the kitchen of his house in New Boston, New Hampshire, which leads to the secret lair where he writes. Do you think his wife, four children, talking dog, and two psychic cats know about the panel?
Sources:
Author biography: Huffington Post
Author interview: NPR
Author interview: Denver Post
Author video interview: YouTube
Also by Joel Christian Gill:
Strange Fruit : Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History (Book 1). Fulcrum. 2014.
read more!
Best Shot in the West : The Adventures of Nat Love by Patricia C. McKissack
Did you know that a quarter of the actual cowhands in the old West were African-Americans? Meet Nat Love. Now a lowly Pullman porter on the train, he once he was the most famous black cowpoke in the West. This graphic novel, based on his 1907 autobiography, chronicles his childhood, rise to fame, and his encounters with such personalities as Billy the Kid and Bat Masterson. It is a non-stop adventure of cattle drives and shooting contests!
Strange Fruit : Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History (Book 1) by Joel Christian Gill
This graphic novel chronicles the lives of nine African Americans from the early days of America, including the lawman Bass Reeves and the story of Henry “Box” Brown’s escape from slavery, as well as the story of Malaga Island in Maine and the tragedy that took place there.