How we brought the radical history of pirates to life

The term graphic novel was first coined by artist Will Eisner for his 1978 book A Contract with God, a series of short graphic stories about impoverished Jews living in a tenement in New York City. The story Under the Banner of King Death: Pirates of the Atlantic, A Graphic Novel explores the subculture and resistance of early eighteenth-century pirates and how they created a democracy onboard their ships. Writing the script The process of writing Under the Banner of King Death began with Marcus Rediker’s detailed outline of the story based on his book Villains of All Nations. Most of my work in graphic novels has involved telling gritty, social justice history and for that I’ve used a raw, rough drawing technique that reflects the content. David Lester, along with Marcus Rediker and Paul Buhle created Prophet Against Slavery: Benjamin Lay, a graphic novel, and Under The Banner of King Death: Pirates of the Atlantic, A Graphic Novel.