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by Alexander Lu

Story: Brian Wood

Art: Andrea Mutti

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Jared K. Fletcher

New Hampshire’s state motto, “Live Free or Die,” has always captivated me.  It’s raw and aggressive.  It’s frenetic and energetic in a way that captures the revolutionary feel of a newborn nation struggling to find its footing.  While Breaking Bad may recently brought the slogan back into the modern cultural discourse, Brian Wood’s (The Massive) and Andrea Mutti’s (Star Wars) historical narrative, Rebels, sets out to explore the history behind those four powerful words.

In its first issue, Wood and Mutti successfully lay the groundwork for a gripping historically-based narrative that explores the origin of The Green Mountain Boys, an American militia that captured Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War.  The story is told through the eyes of Seth Abbott, who is introduced to us in a beautifully scripted and drawn opening sequence where Seth, under the guidance of his generally distant father, finds the courage to open fire on a group of British soldiers attempting to take over farmers’ land in the Albany territory and thus blossoms into adulthood just as America begins to emerge an independent nation.  The story then cuts to show us Seth as an adult, quelling a conflict between British militiamen and disgruntled American farmers at a Pennsylvania courthouse.

Rebels is not an unbiased comic.  At one point, the team shows British soldiers opening fire on unarmed American protesters, clearly aiming to cast the Americans as martyrs and the redcoats as ruthless villains.  As the lead protagonist and a native resident of the colonies, Seth is definitely portrayed as an American patriot through and through.  At the same time, however, Wood’s script does a good job of making sure Seth doesn’t turn into a gun toting all-American “hero” who is out for British blood.  In the opening scene, Seth takes a long time to find his courage, and as an adult, even ends up becoming best friends with a former British army runner named Ezekiel.  Even after the British soldiers at the American protesters, Seth encourages peace.  He says: “Have patience.  They’ve lost the day.  Soon enough they’ll realize it.  Wouldn’t you rather they dig their own graves, rather than have your loved ones dig yours?”

Great, chilling stuff.

Mutti’s art in Rebels contributes a lot to the story.  His panels are filled to the brim with details.  The trees of the New Hampshire forests are rendered with great care, and when the action moves to the courthouse in Pennsylvania, Mutti fills every panel with countless Americans and British in meticulously illustrated period garb.  His linework particularly shines when it comes to faces, which express emotion with energy and zeal.

While Mutti’s work is fantastic in Rebels, Jordie Bellaire’s (Moon Knight) colors take this comic to the next level.  Most of the book uses muted earth tone pastels, creating a color scheme that unifies the American people with the American landscape.  The British Redcoats, staying true to their name, are what stand out from the rest of the color scheme.  Their bright red uniforms clash with the browns, blues, and greens of the American people, and really make them feel like invaders in the landscape of America and the comic page.

Ultimately, Rebels #1 lays out a solid foundation for what is sure to be a thrilling dive into a part of American Revolutionary history that isn’t often told.  Choosing to focus on a more localized topic that doesn’t span the entire nation or the entire war allows the team to focus on building characters, which is what makes Rebels more than just an illustrated history textbook— it’s a comic with heart.

A fascinating essay in today's New York Times reinforces my love for children's books and children's authors. A must read: a true fan piece spotlighting William Steig's world and the current exhibition of his work on display at The Jewish Museum here in New York. Better get thee to the exhibit soon as it ends March 16th. (Why do I feel as if I am the last to know all the good stuff?)

Things I didn't know: Steig was Brooklyn boy. (Instant rapport.) A Brooklyn Jewish boy. (Who knew?) That he sold his first cartoon to THE NEW YORKER magazine when he was 23 to help support his family. That he began publishing his children's books when he was 61 years old. (Okay. I am not giving away my age. All I am saying: there's hope, there's time, there's time! I feel better now.) ;}

Things I did know: some of his books have been my best friends as both a writer and children's book aficionado. The less-talked about, less seemingly impossible BRAVE IRENE was a story I read over and over again to my children-- and to myself. Irene was the girl I never thought I was, the girl who never gave up, despite the obstacles of the wind, the snowstorm, the darkness, the impossibilities...

If I couldn't be that girl when I was little, I am determined to be her now. {}

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From the William Steig website:


double click to enlarge

From ART KNOWLEDGE NEWS: “I often ask myself, ‘What would be an ideal life?’ – I think an ideal life would be just drawing,” William Steig said in 1992. He died in 2003 at the age of 95.

"I really can't stand most of the people I work with ... there's Guy Tomanty, who does the weather twice a day and thinks he's just about the funniest man in the world; he can't understand why the networks haven't lined up outside his door to put him on the Today show or something. He's so bitter, and everyone can see it when he tries to make us laugh." 

That's a spicy passage from Trudy Hopedale, a satirical dissection of the oblivious rich and powerful people who ran the Washington D.C. media scene at the turn of the century.

Novelist Jeffrey Frank has worn all the hats a writer can wear, and this week he's giving us an insider look at the mind of an editor and the heart of an author.

In addition to a career as a novelist, he's a senior editor at The New Yorker magazine and has worked as a journalist at The Washington Post.

This week he is sharing writing wisdom with us, part of my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jeffrey Frank:
I've thought a lot about that, and still do.