 | Black Panther Party : a graphic novel history Author: Walker, David | |
| Price: $16.39 | ||
Summary:
Founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was a radical political organization that stood in defiant contrast to the mainstream civil rights movement. This gripping graphic novel history explores the impact and significance of the Black Panther Party, from their social, educational, and healthcare programs that were designed to uplift the Black community to their battle against police brutality through citizen patrols and frequent clashes with the FBI.
| Illustrator: | Anderson, Marcus Kwame |
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 01/01/2021 *Starred Review* Containing the informational density of a textbook and the brisk page compositions, dramatic framing, characterful art, and rich colors of a comic book, Walker and Anderson's work covers the titular organization’s history as revolutionary group and its less-documented dedication to community service. They begin with the first use of black panther imagery by a regional political party in Lowndes County, Alabama; the inception of the Black Power movement; and the foundational relationship of Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale; and carry us through to the party's fractious unravelling and slow, dwindling death in 1982 (though there are currently more than a dozen members still incarcerated). Along the way, they spotlight notable exploits; infrastructure; FBI's counter-intelligence programs; the creation of the crucial Black Panther newspaper; and the party’s progressive community outreach, serving as crossing guards, opening “liberation schools,” and providing breakfast for school kids, among their many “survival programs.” Wisely, though, the tale is told mainly through portrayals of the people at the organization’s heart, including a section devoted to its female members. Though clearly sympathetic, the book hews close to the facts—unflattering ones included—and offers insight through quotes, conjectured conversations, statistics, and images, shedding light on the motives, events, and social currents that brought the Black Panthers crashing like a tidal wave into the System, a conflict that remains tragically and urgently relevant. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.
