SOMEONE PLS HELP ME WITH THIS ASSIGNMENT ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!
(Read this below to answer questions)
When the opportunity presented itself to pen a graphic novel about famed American historical figure, writer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, David F. Walker jumped at the chance.
Walker has already written some of the most prominent fictional black characters in comics for various publishers, including Shaft at Dynamite, Luke Cage at Marvel and Cyborg at DC Comics. With the story about Douglass, he saw the chance to finally break into historical nonfiction. As an admitted history buff, it was an opportunity to reconnect with a piece of American history that he felt would give him his most rewarding published work.
"Frederick Douglass: A Graphic Narrative of a Slave's Journey from Bondage to Freedom," written by Walker, illustrated by Damon Smyth and Marissa Louise and published by Ten Speed Press, arrived in bookstores last month.
Walker dove into every piece of work on Douglass that he could during his yearlong research, including multiple autobiographies; transcripts from Douglass' speeches; writings in the antislavery newspaper the North Star, which Douglass founded; and stories about his conversations with Abraham Lincoln.
"To me, Frederick Douglass, he's sort of the quintessential American," Walker said about the man who he thinks represents the country. "His story speaks to the American experience because the American experience is so directly tied to slavery — the fight against slavery and the ideology that allowed it to exist, the ideology that led to the Civil War, the ideology that contributed to the failure of Reconstruction. So, to me, Frederick Douglass is it. He is one of the greatest heroes in America."
Finding Inspiration And Strength In History
After being born into slavery in Maryland in the 1800s, Douglass escaped and went on to become one of the most respected minds of the 19th century for both his spoken and written work. Walker relived this black history journey by writing the tale from the first-person perspective of Douglass. He says writing as though he were Douglass enabled him to tell the story more emotionally and give readers a sense of the abolitionist at his most brave, flawed and inspirational moments.
Image 2. "The Life of Frederick Douglass: A Graphic Narrative of a Slave's Journey from Bondage to Freedom" Image: Ten Speed Press
"As much as I love pop entertainment, I think that we do [so] much escaping into popular culture that we run away from our own realities. We don't want to face the real demons that are out there," Walker said. "I wish that more people would sort of look toward history for inspiration and for strength because at the end of the day, Superman doesn't show up and save the day in real life."
Walker was also inspired by his artistic collaborator Smyth. Walker and Smyth had previously worked on "Where We Live," a collection from Image Comics that benefited survivors of the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017.
Like Walker, Smyth is biracial: Both are the sons of an African-American father and white mother. When they met at coffee shops for hours-long meetings to go over the graphic novel, they talked frequently about the likelihood that Douglass was a biracial black man, as well, probably the son of one of his family's slave owners.
The more Walker and Smyth talked, the more Walker realized Smyth, too, was a survivor, just like Douglass. Smyth, age 27, was arrested for robbery as a teenager in Portland, Oregon, the city where Walker also resides, and served three years in prison starting at age 16. During the eight months he spent illustrating pages, Smyth was shocked to see that the day he went away to jail, February 20, was the anniversary of the death of Douglass. He felt a parallel connection, and is proud that he's been able to create a second chance for himself through his art.
So Much To Learn About Douglass
"I got very deep into the script," Smyth said. "I found a lot of similarities between him and I."
Meanwhile, Walker had started to learn about Douglass growing up. He read history books and his family's collection of encyclopedias and black culture magazines. However, Walker now admits what he knew before was really next to nothing.
Rediscovering Douglass' autobiographies and the works of others who researched him have made Walker hopeful. He'd like to see the graphic novel he, Smyth and Louise made serve as a gateway for readers who might still be too young for a deep dive into one of the most influential African-Americans.
Stepping away from the world of superheroes, if only briefly, was eye-opening, Walker said.
"This isn't to take away from any of the fictional characters I've written, because they're all near and dear to my heart," Walker said. "But this is something that was so much more rewarding for me, and it has signaled a new direction in my career."