kickass illustration of an american hero
- mangaka : David Crownson (story); Courtland L. Ellis, Joy Vazquez, Sylvain Repos, and others (art)
- Publisher : Kingwood Comics
- Style : action, supernatural, historical
- published : February 2022
You’ve probably heard the story of Harriet Tubman, an American abolitionist who freed herself and over 70 other people from slavery before the Civil War. But you’ve definitely never heard of that! Indie comics creator David Crownson has teamed up with a troupe of talented artists to bring us his version of Tubman’s story – one where her followers are dangerous not just because they’re armed…but because they There are vampires, werewolves and demons! Here’s our review of Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer, Volume 1.
It’s 1860, and on a plantation in South Carolina, a family escapes from their master’s house in the dark of night. The migration seems to be going well; Even when a group of slaves appear from behind the trees, the mother and father are ready with guns and quickly shoot them. But when the men slowly back up and their eyes start to turn red, it’s up to Harriet Tubman to swoop in and save the day! Wielding a two-handed silver katana and wooden stakes up her sleeve, the beautiful lady skillfully dispatches vampires and wins the trust of those she rescues. And so begins a journey toward freedom, though with increasing amounts of the paranormal on the group’s trail every day, it won’t be easy…
Based on that summary, you might think this graphic novel is a gimmicky mashup of “cool” concepts brought together to make you care about history, but it’s actually very well executed. Is. It’s certainly exciting to watch the action sequences, some of which feel like they’re straight out of a shonen anime, but there’s just as much attention paid to the cool character moments and world building. Even if you picked up the book to see Harriet Tubman bite the vampire while spouting icy one-liners (like we did), you can’t help but be pulled in by the father’s stoic honesty or a society of monsters. Will not be able to help. Living right under the gaze of ordinary citizens. We definitely want to see more of this world!
Why You Should Read Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer Vol. 1
1. Real History… Plus Vampires
Aside from the supernatural elements, Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer is more historically accurate than you might realize. The real Tubman had a gun that she wasn’t afraid to threaten people with, and she was also a spy and led an armed assault during the Civil War. After suffering a head injury when she was young, she often spoke of visions of God that serve as foreshadowings of the future in this story, and a $40,000 reward issued for her capture by Paranormal is a The legend is based on how much slave owners were willing to pay to get him back. There’s a reason Harriet Tubman saved so many lives, and it’s not because she was some shy woman. To be honest, this is probably the best way to portray his bullying to modern audiences!
2. Amazing art from many creators
Although this first volume only had its physical release last February, the series has actually been ongoing since 2017 through individual issues that were released digitally to Kickstarter backers. Perhaps that is why the chapters are created by different artists – each has its own unique style. It takes some getting used to, but the styles aren’t so disparate that you lose track of what you’re seeing, and it’s fascinating to see each artist’s interpretation of the characters and their monstrous enemies. We especially love Chapter 2, drawn by Joy Vazquez, for its bold lines and dynamic composition. And if you want even more iterations on the story concept, the last section of the book is full of different covers from all kinds of different comic creators.
Because this physical release was self-published, there are some printing issues like a page or two repeating and some blurriness in places, but the paper quality is solid and the colors are surprisingly vibrant. Hopefully Vol. 2 is even better!
At the end of the book, author David Crownson is quoted as saying, “I just wanted to make a comic about Harriet Tubman being murdered by racists.” And that’s exactly what he has done, more spectacularly than we can imagine. This book expertly blends anime-style fight scenes with real human drama to show just how incredible Tubman really was in so many aspects of her life. And if you want to see more, be sure to support Crownson’s work by visiting https://kingwoodcomics.com/!
What did you think about our article? Will you be picking up a copy of Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer? Tell us in the comments, and thanks so much for reading!
