A lot has happened since the last time I posted to this blog. The widespread shutdowns in the wake of the COVID-19 virus, George Floyd's murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, the ensuing demonstrations and riots and, here in Richmond VA, the defacing and subsequent removal of several monuments to various "heroes" of The Lost Cause, as so many Southerners like to think of the American Civil War.
As a history buff, and lifelong Richmond-area resident, I have mixed feelings about the statues. I recognize that it is well past time for anyone to be celebrating any aspect of the War Between the States - other than the fact that the Union won. The unique American experiment survived its first real challenge. For that, I am thankful. Even so, as an artist, I understand the beauty and majesty of the artwork involved in several of the statues. In particular, those along Monument Avenue that portrayed Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart and Robert E Lee (whose statue has not been removed yet because of a pending lawsuit). It is my hope that these and the other statues that have come down will find proper homes in history museums or National Battlefield Parks.
I have read some of Harry Turtledove's alternate history stories wherein the basic premise is victory by the Confederacy. Though they are well-written (Turtledove is always a good read), I have always felt that they are a bit too optimistic as to events following the war. The South has been romanticized to the point where it's often hard to tell where history ends and wishful thinking begins. Make no mistake: while the rallying cry of the Confederate states was "states' rights", the intent of the Confederacy was to continue the vile practice of slavery.
Yes, the struggle to determine where the federal government's authority ends and the states' begins (and vice versa) was very real and involved issues other than slavery; however, the issue that was repeatedly the sticking point, the one where often it seemed that there could be no compromise, was slavery. No man (or woman) should own another. Ever. End of story.
Or it should be. But in the years following the war, the United Daughters of the Confederacy worked doggedly to put forth a narrative that at times was blatantly false. On monuments, in textbooks, in historical fiction and what was purportedly nonfiction. Today, they feature on their website a disclaimer that states the following, "The United Daughters of the Confederacy totally denounces any individual
or group that promotes racial divisiveness or white supremacy. And we
call on these people to cease using Confederate symbols for their
abhorrent and reprehensible purposes." Good for them.
But the damage was done a century or more ago. Southerners, especially white Southerners, bought into the whitewashed version of history that they made sure was the "official" version. Even black Southerners, and Northerners both black and white, believed some of the myths
I like to think the best of people. I believe that most people have good intentions. But often those good intentions take a wrong turn because the course of action was not carefully considered. I'm sure that most of the ladies of the UDC believe their statement I quoted above. Like most of us white folk, they would be mortified to find that they were themselves racists. And I'm sure that many of their predecessors a hundred or so years ago had good intentions. "Let's protect the children from the ugliness of the past." "Well, Lincoln and Grant thought that Lee was an honorable man, so let's portray him in the best light." Wrong-headed ideas, but likely well-intentioned.
About forty years ago, Steve Martin released an LP entitled "Comedy is Not Pretty". Well, folks, neither is hiistory. The thing that makes history compelling and interesting is that it is ugly and messy. When we try to clean up the story to make it palatable for kids or "polite company" or to make it politically correct for today's sensibilities, we do a disservice to the actual history, to our audience and to ourselves.
So, let's be real. The Civil War was an awful thing.We should not celebrate it, and we certainly should not celebrate the Confederacy, but there is a lot we can learn from it. While we remove scads of statues from their prominent points of display, let's remember the history that they represent, lest we - with all our best intentions - repeat it.
All that introduction to announce a webcomic.
As you might have read in the title to this blog, ANGELS AND HEROES will debut in September. I'm presently lettering chapter one of the book. My plan is to publish at least one page per week in black and white every Wednesday beginning the week of Labor Day. That'll be September 9th. I'll have more details as we get closer to the date.
All that introduction was, I think, necessary since I started writing and drawing the book late last year, before the world changed so dramatically. The story is based mainly in Richmond VA, so I've had to consider what changes I might need to make due to current events. I thought about making it a period piece and setting it in the eighties (which is when I came up with the original concept and even drew large parts of what comprises the first chapter), but that seemed too easy, and these days I appear to be all about challenging myself. God only knows why. I had already decided that this would not not quite be the Richmond of our reality, just so that I could include some blasts from the past in this 21st century story. I thought about ignoring the whole first half of 2020 in my storytelling, but that seemed dishonest. In reviewing the script, I found that I really didn't need to make any substantial changes to the first two chapters, but subsequent chapters are shaping up to deal with the consequences of the events we're living through now as well as the fictitious events of the first two chapters.
At a page a week, it would take a couple of years for me to get through the first story arc, so I plan to publish two or even three pages whenever I can. I just turned sixty-four this month and, although I've long told everyone who'll listen that I intend to reach 100 like my granddad did, there's no guarantee. And I really don't know how long I'll be able to draw. I have tremors. I had a stroke four years ago and have neuropathy, mostly in my left side and shoulder (and, yes, I am left-handed). And I ain't getting any younger. Silly me for waiting until now to get down to doing what I've always wanted to do since I was about three - make comics.
Once we've done this first story arc, I hope to publish the entire graphic novel in color as an actual, honest-to-goodness physical hold-it-in-your-hands-and-turn-the-pages book. So tell your friends about this. Shoot, if your enemies like comics, tell them about it. Tell strangers that you meet. Tell your doctor, your pastor, your mailman. I know that this comic won't change the world, but my hope is that it reflects the world well enough that maybe we can see ourselves a little more clearly. It's got angels, superheroes, demons, politicians (some of you will think that was redundant), TV journalists, aliens, terrorists, assassins, and more! And for those of you who know Richmond, there will be a few fun Easter eggs for you along the way.
I hope you'll tag along for the ride. It may be rocky at times, but that's what makes good fiction: trouble, mistakes and consequences. As I said a few months ago, I'm drawing better than I ever have in my entire 64 years. So, while I may not be Al Williamson or Jack Kirby or Steve Rude, I hope you'll find that Robert Blaylock ain't half bad.
Remember: September 9, 2020.
See y'all soon! Be safe!
