Now Let Me Fly - by Ronald Wimberly (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A soaring graphic biography that casts new light on the first African-American fighter pilot. On the eve of World War I, Eugene Bullard was a refugee of the Jim Crow South who was determined to find a place where a Black man would be treated as a fellow human being. His search took him from rural Georgia to the streets of Paris, from the vaudeville stage to the boxing ring, and finally, from the muddy trenches to the open skies. In 1914, Bullard joined the fight to defend France--and made history as the world's first African American fighter pilot. In this candid but sensitive portrait of Bullard, author Ronald Wimberly balances the personal and the historical to interrogate concepts of cynicism, idealism, fear, glory, and the pervasiveness of anti-Black racism"--

Book Synopsis

From author Ronald Wimberly, creator of the viral comic Lighten Up, comes a soaring graphic biography that casts new light on the first African-American fighter pilot.

On the eve of World War I, Eugene Bullard was a refugee of the Jim Crow South who was determined to find a place where a Black man would be treated as a fellow human being. His search took him from rural Georgia to the streets of Paris, from the vaudeville stage to the boxing ring, and finally, from the muddy trenches to the open skies. In 1914, Bullard joined the fight to defend France--and made history as the world's first African American fighter pilot.

In this candid but sensitive portrait of Bullard, author Ronald Wimberly balances the personal and the historical to interrogate concepts of cynicism, idealism, fear, glory, and the pervasiveness of anti-Black racism.

Review Quotes

Listed as a Best New Comic of 2023 by the New York Public Library
A Junior Library Guild selection

"Wimberly's script navigates haunting scenes of racism and ultimate optimism and triumph. Revel (Guerillas) draws emotive faces and propulsive action, as fluidly rendering a boxing ring as a battlefield... [Now Let Me Fly] carries off the lift of a pulp adventure, while memorializing Bullard's warrior spirit." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Bullard's life was full of danger, adventure, and opportunities he created, and this fascinating story has very broad appeal. A great first purchase for all libraries."--School Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

Ronald Wimberly is an American cartoonist, illustrator, and designer. He has published several graphic novels, as well as shorter works for The New Yorker, DC/Vertigo, Nike, Marvel, The Nib, Hill and Wang, and Dark Horse Comics.

Brahm Revel is an American artist and writer best known for his creator-owned comic series GUERILLAS, published by Oni Press. He has also created comics for Marvel, Boom!, and most recently, IDW, where he helped develop the character Jennika for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle universe. This led to a nomination for a 2020 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika II. Brahm has also worked in the film and animation industries, most notably storyboarding for the animated show The Venture Bros. He currently lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.