David Lester

Under the Banner of King Death: Pirates of the Atlantic, a Graphic Novel David Lester

Featuring a cross-dressing woman, a person of color, and outcasts of all nations, an arresting graphic exploration of the resistance and unique vision of eighteenth-century pirates

This graphic, fictional reimagining of Marcus Redikers Villains of All Nations is a fresh and intersectional interpretation of pirates, emphasizing the democratic and egalitarian multi-racial world these outlaws created beneath the Jolly Roger. Exploring the 'Golden Age' of Atlantic piracy (1716-1726), this book reveals the infamous generation whose images underlie our modern, romanticized view of pirates. Rendered in energetic black and white drawings, Under the Banner of King Death is a visual, deeply researched contribution to lesser known histories of rebellion.

Marcus Rediker, Paul Buhl and David Lester follow a crew of pirates as they navigate social revolution. This rebel voyage tells the tales of an African American fugitive from bondage in South Carolina, a common seaman from Amsterdam and an American woman who went to sea defying stereotypes by dressing as a man.

While fictional, this historically informed story shows from the bottom up how sailors emerged from deadly working conditions on merchant and naval ships, turned pirate, and created a starkly different reality aboard their own ships, electing their officers, dividing their booty equitably, and maintaining a multinational social order. In a world of increasing authoritarianism, Under the Banner of King Death is an inspiring reminder of a time when those on the bottom fought back and achieved, against all odds, a democratic and egalitarian social order, if only for a short time.
show more