King Volumes 1 and 2
By Ho Che Anderson
Published by Fantagraphics Books
If the goal of humanizing Martin Luther King while dramatically portraying his struggle to bring freedom and equality to all Americans was the goal of creator Ho Che Anderson, I can say that these two volumes succeed on every level.
These two volumes in what I presume are a planned three-volume collection paint a portrait of King as a leader, but a flawed man with a large sexual appetite and an astoundingly deep passion for freedom. Anderson's stark black-and-white artwork is imbued with a sense of gravity and history, but the occasional panel or page that features colour transforms the narrative into a visceral, vital thing that demands attention.
Anderson uses a combination of third-person recollections and first-person storytelling, grounding the reader in the present day and ever reminding us that, tragically, we've not come far enough from the bigotry and ignorance that King and his contemporaries battled. The biography to date covers King's life from childhood up through marches and protests until just before the assassination of JFK, which of course pre-shadowed King's own death just a few years later.
I doubt everyone will be pleased with the blunt portrayal of King's weaknesses here, but I found that they lent even greater weight to the man's pursuit of justice and freedom. The similarities between King's appetites and JFK's are covered, but there's never any doubt that both men were primarily motivated to move the world past its own torpid, shameful ignorance.
I'm primarily interesed in autobiography when it comes to non-fiction comics, but Ho Che Anderson proves here that with the proper passion and subject matter, biography can be every bit as compelling. Grade: 4.5/5