March: Book One – Something Special
I discuss March: Book One which tells the story of the civil rights movement and John Lewis for Black History Month.
Tag Archives: nate powell
Check out Rep. John Lewis’ March this MLK Day
The three-volume graphic novel series March chronicles Rep. John Lewis‘ experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. All three volumes have been released and you can read my review of the first volume and the second volume and third volume. Short version, they’re amazing.
Reception has been so good IDW Publishing and Top Shelf have released a collection of all three volumes in a special slipcase not to mention the numerous awards the graphic novel has received including a history-making National Book Award.
The three-volume graphic novel recounts Lewis’ experiences during the Civil Rights Movement, but it also reminds us to experience freedom we have to be willing to risk everything, including our lives and fight for it.
The graphic novels perfectly bookend history by focusing not just on his experiences in the Civil Rights Movement but reflecting them against his being a Congressman about to witness the inauguration of the country’s first Black President, the graphic novels are history in its raw unflinching form. There’s good. There’s bad. There’s honesty. There’s truth.
And 50 years later Cong. Lewis is still fighting speaking up against our incoming President that he views as illegitimate and who will likely set this country back in too many ways to fully comprehend. It’ll also remind you the reader the need to stand up and fight, especially in these coming trying years.
March is an amazing graphic novel. Not only does it entertain, but it brings real history to life recounting the amazing experiences of Congressman Lewis and everything he fought for. I can’t stress enough how good it is. You can pick up a copy of the first volume here, the second volume here, and third volume.
If/Then: If You Liked Hidden Figures Then Check Out These Comics!
When it comes to suggesting comics for individuals to check out, it’s often good to start with what they like in other media like television, movies, books, or video games. Enter If/Then, where we’ll throw out suggestions for you to check out! First up, the film Hidden Figures which opens in wide release this coming weekend!
Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)-brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
If you enjoyed the film, or interested by the subject matter, here’s five comics for you to check out and why!
March – The celebrated and award-winning graphic novel by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell recounts Cong. Lewis’ experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. A first-hand account of pivotal history brought to life through graphic art, the graphic novels consist of three volumes taking you through the turbulent times and delivering an educational and emotional read.
Each volume seems to improve on the next not just taking you through history, but is presented in such a fashion that’ll leave you speechless as you ride through the emotional roller coaster within.
This is a prime example of the power of comics and graphic novels in helping preserve and teach history.
Buy it Now! Digitally Vol. 1 Vol. 2 Vol. 3 | Physical
CBLDF Presents: She Changed Comics – If you want to learn some history about women in comics, check out CBLDF Presents: She Changed Comics which was put together by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
She Changed Comics is the definitive history of the women who changed free expression in comics, with profiles of more than 60 groundbreaking female professionals and interviews with the women who are changing today’s medium, including Raina Telgemeier, Noelle Stevenson, G. Willow Wilson, and more! She Changed Comics also examines the plights of women imprisoned and threatened for making comics and explores the work of women whose work is being banned here in the United States.
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has also put together a web page as a resource where you can find out more about women in the comic book history.
Buy it Now! Digitally Digitally | Physical
The Unstoppable Wasp #1 – A superhero comic might feel like an odd choice for this one, but hear me out as to why. Written by Jeremy Whitley with art by Elsa Charretier, the comic features the newest Wasp, Nadia Pym, as she attempts to find her way in the superhero world.
What makes this comic make the list is the focus on STEM, women in science, and smashing the patriarchy. The comic has Nadia finding her role and throws it out there that until recently the Marvel Universe was dominated by men (and mostly white men) until recently and it’s time to get some women recognized when it comes to the smartest people in the Marvel Universe.
What’s also great is each issue will feature real women who work in STEM fields in real life through a Q&A. The comic not only entertains but also hopefully will encourage more women to enter this world for a career.
Read our review and our ten reasons to get the first issue.
Buy it Now! Digitally Digitally | Physical Physical
Captain Marvel Vol. 1: In Pursuit of Flight – Ace pilot. Legendary Avenger. One hundred percent pure bad-^&*. Carol Danvers has a new name, a new mission – and all the power she needs to make her own life a living hell. As the new Captain Marvel, Carol is forging from a challenge from her past! It’s a firefight in the sky as the Banshee Squadron debut – but who are the Prowlers, and where has Carol seen them before? And how does secret NASA training program Mercury 13 fit in? Witness Captain Marvel in blazing battlefield action that just may change the course of history! Avengers Time Travel Protocols: engage!
Written by Kelly Sue Deconnick with art by Dexter Soy and Emma Rios, the story is fun action, but also explores the little known history of the women who attempted to join the Apollo program.
Buy it Now! Digitally | Physical
Laika – Laika was the abandoned puppy destined to become Earth’s first space traveler. This is her journey.
Nick Abadzis masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika’s health and life. This intense triangle is rendered with the pitch-perfect emotionality of classics like Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh, and Old Yeller.
Abadzis gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind history.
While the graphic novel isn’t perfect when it comes to the history it’s a great introduction to this part of history of space flight and great for kids who may be interested in learning about it and being entertained.
Buy it Now! Digitally | Physical
What did we miss in our suggestions? What would you suggest? Add yours in the comments!
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March: Book Three Makes History and Wins the National Book Award
Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell received an unprecedented honor last night, as their book March: Book Three became the first graphic novel to ever receive the National Book Award.
The March trilogy, published by Top Shelf Productions/IDW Publishing, depicts Lewis’s firsthand account of the Civil Rights Movement, reflecting on the role of young people in the “nonviolent revolution” of the 1960s and its direct legacy in the modern day. Its previous honors include the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Eisner Award, two Harvey Awards, and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor. March is rapidly being adopted by universities and public school systems from New York to San Francisco, and recently spent six continuous weeks holding the top 3 spots on the New York Times Bestseller List.
After receiving the award from Katherine Paterson, chair of the Young People’s Literature award jury, Congressman Lewis said:
This is unbelievable. His voice shook with obvious emotion as he recalled a childhood visit to the public library in rural Alabama, where we were told that the library was for whites only and not for coloreds. Now, to come here and receive this award, with these two… it’s too much.
Nate Powell dedicated the award to his children “and their generation that will inherit this earth,” as well as to the incoming president of the United States, expressing a wish that it might transform his heart.
Andrew Aydin said:
There are two important lessons from this. One is that the story of the Movement must be told. We all must know it, if we are to understand the politics of today. And two: let the prejudice against comic books be buried once and for all.
You can watch the archived video of the ceremony’s livestream:
The three volumes of March are available wherever books are sold, separately as well as together in a slipcase set.
John Lewis’ March: Book Three is a National Book Award Finalist!
This morning the National Book Foundation announced the finalists for the 67th Annual National Book Awards — including, for the first time since 1957, a sitting member of Congress.
Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell are now National Book Award finalists in the Young People’s Literature category, for the concluding volume of their bestselling graphic novel trilogy March. The autobiographical series, which depicts Lewis’s firsthand account of the Civil Rights Movement, has previously won such honors as the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Eisner Award, two Harvey Awards, and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor. It is rapidly being adopted by universities and public school systems from New York to San Francisco, and recently spent six continuous weeks holding the top 3 spots on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Few graphic novels have previously reached NBA Finalist status, including such acclaimed works as American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang, Stitches by David Small, and Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. Other notable finalists include The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Profiles in Courage by Senator John F. Kennedy, who is himself a character in March.
The March team will travel to New York City to join this year’s other finalists for two days of festivities November 15th and 16th.
Black Hammer Gets a the Super Treatment and Giant-Sized Annual
Jeff Lemire’s superhero comic series is getting the super treatment: Dark Horse has announced that Black Hammer will have an oversized anthology issue in early 2017.
Black Hammer Giant-Sized Annual features an all-star slate of guest artists illustrating five stories by Jeff Lemire. Dustin Nguyen, Emi Lenox, Nate Powell, Matt Kindt, Ray Fawkes, and Dave Stewart bring Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Barbalien, and Madame Dragonfly to life.
The forty-page Black Hammer Giant-Sized Annual will be available on January 18, 2017.
Black Hammer is currently available as an ongoing comic series from Dark Horse. The popular series is from the prodigious brain of Lemire and brought to life by Ormston, with colors by none other than Eisner Award–winning veteran Dave Stewart.
Dragon Con 2016: One Last Time with Team “March”
For the third year in a row, the team behind the critically acclaimed and award winning March trilogy came to Dragon Con to discuss the book and the real life inspirations behind it. This year was particularly auspicious since not only was it following the release of the third and final volume, but it was also artist Nate Powell’s first ever Dragon Con. A drop in the bucket compared to co-writer Andrew Aydin’s nineteen, but it was still a welcome sight to see the entire team Aydin, Powell and Representative John Lewis together at the con for the very first time.
A big theme at the start of the panel was happiness and relief. The series has been in the works since about 2009 and to have all three volumes out and to be so well received has been nothing short of “euphoric” according to Aydin. There was a great amount of pressure the two felt to get not just the story of Lewis right, but of everyone else involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Powell especially talked about the devil of the details in some of the more extremely well documented events such as the March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery marches and how doing right by the people who were there means getting the details of what they were wearing that day right.
As for Lewis, he is extremely happy with having the third book finally be out and was practically kissing it when it was in hand. He credits Aydin and Powell so much with getting the story out there into the world, calling them his “young brothers” and praising their ability to “make the words dance and sing.”
A lot of what has come up for March in these panels over the past three years is how resonant the story still is in our current social and political climate. That was purposeful according to the team, with the idea that the book would not only tell a story that Lewis feels responsible to tell as the last living member of the Big Six, but as a guide for the future of the movement. Lewis still absolutely believes in nonviolence and that if it can be done right in America, maybe we can be a model for the rest of the world. As for Aydin’s view on tackling the weight of that history, it boils down to seven words: “Follow your heart, and follow John Lewis.”
With the story of March expanding past Lewis’ life in later volumes, the team took a focus on bringing up two major parts that don’t get brought up in history books a lot: the political maneuvering that happened behind the scenes and the importance of the women who were on the front lines. The political maneuvering was something of a challenge for Aydin and Powell, who were trying to effectively portray it in a graphic format. It did lead to particular artistic choices though, with Powell taking pride in a panel in Book Three where he drew the cords of the phones spoken on during the Mississippi Freedom Summer as a twisted spider-web of maneuvering and intrigue.
When it comes to the women, Book Three focuses particularly on activists Annie Cooper, Amelia Boynton and Fannie Lou Hamer, who Lewis names as “the soul of the Mississippi movement” in the book and whose televised testimony at the Convention’s Credentials Committee in 1964 was famously cut off by an emergency press conference by President Johnson specifically to divert the press away from her words. When asked about writing about Hamer and the other women involved during the movement, Lewis was point blank on the why. “Women did a lot of the dirty work and never get the credit.”
As the panel came to a conclusion, Lewis did a lot to emphasize his faith in today’s youth for carrying the movement forward in ways they weren’t able to back then and even giving credit to his younger colleagues in the House for being able to use Periscope and Twitter to broadcast their gun violence sit in earlier this year when the CSPAN cameras were cut off. Towards the end, he told the story of going to another convention where a second-grade girl asked him a very simple question: “Representative Lewis, how are you so awesome?”
By the end of the panel, I was asking myself the same question.
Small Press Expo Announces Special Guests Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, Co-Creators of the March Trilogy
The Small Press Expo has announced it has added Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell as guests to this year’s show. SPX takes place September 17-18 and will have over 650 creators, 280 exhibitors, and 22 programming slots.
Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell collaborated with Civil Rights legend Congressman John Lewis on one of the most powerful graphic novel series in the history of the medium. The award winning March series documents Congress Lewis’ experiences in the early Civil Rights movement, culminating with the March on Selma in 1965.
The final book in the series, March: Book 3, was released this past June to numerous accolades from across the literary and political spectrum. In July, March: Book 2 won the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work, and in August, the March trilogy was in the top three spots on the New York Times Graphic Novel Bestseller List.
Special guests Andrew and Nate will be at the Top Shelf table signing copies of their collaboration, as well as being on a panel discussion about the series as part of SPX 2016 slate of programming. They are in addition to previously announced special guests Daniel Clowes, Lisa Hanawalt, Jeffrey Brown, Trina Robbins, Charles Burns, Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez, Sarah Glidden Carol Tyler, Jim Woodring, Drew Friedman, Sophie Goldstein, Ed Piskor, and a rare festival appearance by Joe Sacco.
International special guests for SPX 2016 are Tom Gauld, Roger Langridge, Aimée de Jongh, Pascal Girard, Cyril Pedrosa, Steffen Kverneland, Santiago García, Ana Galvañ, David Rubín, Javier Olivares and José Domingo.
Andrew Aydin serves as Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Congressman John Lewis in Washington, D.C., with whom he co-wrote the March series. While studying at Georgetown University in Washington, Andrew wrote his master’s thesis on the history and impact of Martin Luther King & The Montgomery Story. As March has grown into a bona fide phenomenon, Andrew continues to publish and lecture about the history of comics in the civil rights movement — including giving talks at the headquarters of both Google and Apple.
Nate Powell, the artist behind the March series, graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2000. After a decade of working with adults with developmental disabilities, Nate devoted himself full-time to writing and drawing comics. In addition to the March series, his work includes You Don’t Say, Any Empire, Swallow Me Whole, The Silence of Our Friends, and The Year of the Beasts. Nate’s work has received copious honors, including the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination, and four “Great Graphic Novels for Teens” from the American Library Association.
March Takes the Top Three Spots on New York Times Bestseller List
March: Book Three has been selling out all over and the demand is so high the printing facility for it ran out of paper! It should be no surprise then that the biographical trilogy by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell has taken the top three spots on The New York Times paperback graphic novel bestseller list.
March: Book Three debuted in the top spot followed by March: Book One which has spent an entire year on the list. March: Book Two was third and has been on the list for 13 weeks.
Congrats to everyone!
Review: March Trilogy
When I first heard that Congressman John Lewis was working on a set of graphic novels that encompassed his experiences during the civil rights movement, I was excited to see how this part of history would be translated into comic form. As certainly in recent comics history there have been biographical comics written about Martin Luther king and Malcolm X, but both graphic novelizations lacked the personal perspective, that one would have love to see in nonfiction comics. That is why my skepticism leaked into reading this trio of books, but when I heard that they were being implemented into schools, I had a feeling that they were more than just the typical nonfiction comic book. These were more like time capsules, of a time and place not long ago, as it shows progress have truly not happened, as was seen in the movie, Selma.
In Book One, we meet the young John Lewis as he is part of the first march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge, in Selma Alabama, as he ponders on whether he can swim, if needs to, just in case, as we find an unsure young man, who has doubts not only of himself and his purpose, but also of the civil rights movement. The reader gets a first row seat into a world where discrimination and inequity was much more in the open and the reader sees exactly what the Freedom Riders and the many lunch counter sit-ins all encompassed. In Book Two, the price of protest, is even more evident in this part of the story, as he gets arrested and the response to the movement’s commitment to nonviolence becomes increasingly difficult to uphold. In this book, his personal life and his life as part of the movement clash in the most unexpected ways.
In the final book of the trilogy, Book Three, he catches the reader up to the church bombing that killed those 4 little Girls, in Birmingham,, Alabama. The Civil Right Movement, is picking up momentum and influence, as Lewis officially joins Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ’s inner circle. The book’s penultimate moment was with the final march from Selma to Montgomery to speak at the state capitol’s steps, and where Dr.King introduces Rosa Parks. The book ends with the Civil Rights of 1965 being enacted into law.
Overall, a strong trilogy, not just in content alone, but also in the way the story is told. This slice of Congressman John Lewis’s life is more than a monument to the Civil Rights Movement, but a beautiful sequential art that illustrates the actual sacrifices that were taken. The art and storytelling, are more than competent, they are as integral as the real story itself. In ending, this trilogy of books deserves every accolade it has received and more, as it not only tells of a time in America but how that time very much reflects right now.
Story: John Lewis and Andrew Aydin Art: Nate Powell
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy
Top Shelf provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
