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nickiitay's review
4.0
February Graphic Novel Pick
4.5⭐️
I’ve never taken the opportunity to delve into the history of the Black Panther Party and this graphic novel was a wonderful introduction.
I really enjoyed the pages that highlighted the leaders amongst the movement, I just wish they would’ve spread the information out a teeny bit more, some pages were almost all text, hence the .5 off.
The illustrations themselves were amazing, the photorealism was incredible and didn’t make the serious topic comical in anyway. If anything I think it drove the history to be more intimate to the reader, so you can fully immerse yourself in each high and low of the Party from its rise in the 60’s to its decline in the 80’s.
Highly recommend.
”If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I’m also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are black people.” -Malcom X
4.5⭐️
I’ve never taken the opportunity to delve into the history of the Black Panther Party and this graphic novel was a wonderful introduction.
I really enjoyed the pages that highlighted the leaders amongst the movement, I just wish they would’ve spread the information out a teeny bit more, some pages were almost all text, hence the .5 off.
The illustrations themselves were amazing, the photorealism was incredible and didn’t make the serious topic comical in anyway. If anything I think it drove the history to be more intimate to the reader, so you can fully immerse yourself in each high and low of the Party from its rise in the 60’s to its decline in the 80’s.
Highly recommend.
”If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I’m also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are black people.” -Malcom X
neembeam's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
best primer on the bpp, if not solely bc it includes that bobby seale wrote a cookbook titled "barbeque'n with bobby."
justgrace's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I'm so glad I picked this up. The history of the Black Panthers is expertly told and illustrated here. I loved the moments when there was a scene that was so human in the midst of unimaginable circumstances (like when the Panthers got lost in the Capitol Building). Those moments held some humor in them and then were punctured by hatred (after the Panthers get lost, they accidentally walk into the main chamber of the assembly room only to have their weapons seized, be escorted out by police, and arrested for something that wasn't even their fault-- yet armed white supremacists can march on a state capitol with no repercussions in 2020 as the closing letter poignantly points out). It emphasized how human the members of the Black Panthers were and how great were the obstacles they faced, how quickly the worst was assumed of them.
The closing letter particularly hit home for me, the events of 2020-- particularly the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery-- are still fresh and not much has changed at all. The book leaves me wondering: What will create true and lasting change?
The closing letter particularly hit home for me, the events of 2020-- particularly the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery-- are still fresh and not much has changed at all. The book leaves me wondering: What will create true and lasting change?
janae's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Sad. DEVESTATED after finishing it. You definitely have to bring your critical thinking skills to process complex individuals and their actions. The images don’t make this less serious than a textual history, they make it more real, lifelike, and emotionally impactful. It’s almost 12 am so I can get much more together but might add more later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Death
e_money_the_cat's review
4.0
Good overview of the good the bad and the ugly regarding the BPP. The artwork was solid, but also clean (as in no blood or gore - even in a horrifying scene like Fred Hamptons murder). Tone is well articulated through contrast so you can feel the intense parts without needing it to be too heavy-handed.
Cointelpro is explained, some linkages between the black struggle and anti colonialism are mentioned, and parallels between the struggle of the 1960s and the struggle today are discussed.
Fred Hamptons quote is shortened in the inner sleeve, I thought that was weird. Fight fire with water, fight racism with solidarity, and fight *capitalism with socialism*. Unsure of the decision to omit that last bit.
Ultimately nothing new if you’re familiar with the BPP. More of an introduction to someone new to the topic or young that wants to get a quick look without reading a thousand pages. Or, as in my case, you want a quick review before jumping back into those thousand pages.
Cointelpro is explained, some linkages between the black struggle and anti colonialism are mentioned, and parallels between the struggle of the 1960s and the struggle today are discussed.
Fred Hamptons quote is shortened in the inner sleeve, I thought that was weird. Fight fire with water, fight racism with solidarity, and fight *capitalism with socialism*. Unsure of the decision to omit that last bit.
Ultimately nothing new if you’re familiar with the BPP. More of an introduction to someone new to the topic or young that wants to get a quick look without reading a thousand pages. Or, as in my case, you want a quick review before jumping back into those thousand pages.