This comic was released a couple of weeks ago, but copies were recalled when a printing error was discovered. I'm impressed with Baker and Diamond's quick turnaround in getting the corrected version out so efficiently. Furthermore, it was certainly worth the effort. Nat Turner isn't just an engaging and beautiful comic book; it's an important one as well, and it's important for a number of reasons. Most obvious is the historical significance of the subject matter. We're so far removed from the notion of slavery in the modern Western world that the depths of that horror really eludes us, and Baker shows us the nightmare. Furthermore, Baker demonstrates how silent storytelling can be more compelling and effective than scripted comic art.
An idyllic African village sees its peace shattered when armed raiders on horseback storm through the community. Men and women are shot and killed, and survivors scatter, running into the jungle seeking a safe place to hide. There is no hiding from the invaders, though, and the captured villagers are taken to a market, sold and then transported across the ocean to become slaves. Unspeakable crimes of neglect occur below the deck of the ship taking these men and women to lives of despair, and one father decides that his son will be spared such a fate -- at any cost.
This is some of the best art I've seen from Baker. There's a more realistic approach at play here, but the more exaggerated tone in his style still shines through. It's looks as though the artist employed charcoal to bring the story to life, and the rougher quality around the edges reinforces the sense of the historical while also driving home the harsh nature of the events that unfold. Baker conveys the majesty of the Africans' home, and it makes for a powerful contrast with the cramped, dank boat on which they find themselves at the end of the issue.
There's a nice juxtaposition of imagery in the book. At one point, we see a woman choosing to jump off of a cliff to avoid capture, but her plan fails. Later, we see an infant falling, and again, it's part of an escape plan. The latter -- though tragic -- works, but it's an uglier moment. The first is graceful and beautiful in its own way, but the latter is primal and nasty and disturbing. The goal is the same, though. What's interesting is that the latter succeeds. Perhaps the reason is that it's not one person's effort to escape, but another's twisted action to spare a loved one.
In a way, this comic makes the notion of slavery seem even more puzzling and alien to me. Baker does such an excellent job of bringing out these characters' humanity in the all-too-briefly peaceful scene that serves to open the story. Love, pride and a sense of community is apparent in the eyes of the villagers, and it's incomprehensible how the slavers could have seen them as less than human, as animals to be bought and sold.
There's practically no text to speak of in this book. No dialogue, no narration and not even sound effects, and while Baker isn't the first one to use this approach, he certainly pulls it off incredibly well. I can't think of a time when silent storytelling was more effective or more appropriate. 10/10
