Did not enjoy this format, although the book seems to be based on some interesting stories.  This format may be perfect for some children who struggle with conventional reading though.

Excellent storytelling to engage students in stories of the West focusing on lesser known figures.  While the book focuses on only three stories (telling them in a way that is intriguing and keeps the reader wanting more), the back-matter provided encourages even more research and exploration of the topics shared.  As a teacher, I have been looking for a book that would provide more diverse experiences of the Westward Expansion time period and this definitely fits the bill!  I can't wait to use it with students while teaching and learning about this time period in US history.

Title: Black Heroes of the Wild West  
Author: James Otis Smith
Genre: Comics, Children’s Non-Fiction
Pages: 60
Publication Date: 9/15/2020

Black Heroes of the Wild West is a collection of comics that feature three stories, Stagecoach Mary – a card shark, cigar-smoking coach driver who never missed a delivery, Bass Reeves - the first deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi, and Bob Lemons - a horse whispering cowboy. This comic is for children 9 to 12.  
 
What I loved:  
•I loved that there is a focus on black heroes in the Wild West. I do not feel like these stories are widely known.  Despite this being targeted at children, this was very informative for me!  
•The illustrations are vivid and gorgeous. 
•I loved the nonfiction information at the end of the story.  

What I did not like:  
•I would have loved to have a bit more depth in the stories.  For example, I feel like the comic told us a lot about Stagecoach Mary’s background but did not really go into what she became famous for her coach driving.  

I would highly recommend this to anyone with readers between 9-12 or school teachers trying to stock their libraries. Even though I was not the target demographic for this comic, I did enjoy it and learned from it!  

ARC provided to me by A Toon Graphic, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

#BlackHeroesoftheWildWestFeaturingStagecoachMaryBassReevesandBobLemmons #NetGalleyQOTD:  What would you rate your civics knowledge?

Love the actual photographs used in the end papers and the back matter. Stories are interesting and cover lesser-known people.  Wish the print was a little bigger on the back matter but there is so much I guess it had to be small to fit it all in.  Would love to see more people's stories told in this manner.

My library recently purchased this book since it was an award winner for the state of Texas. I think it did a great job of addressing a topic that's not often written about and the illustrations were gorgeous!

Nelson’s introduction rounds up an “average” American’s understanding of cowboys and the wild west, then gently unpacks how it got to be that way. At the conclusion, Smith pulls us into a scene of Mary Fields fighting off wolves in the dead of night, thirty degrees below zero, with mostly a torch and a knife. She was in her mid-60s.
	The remainder of the book follows this rhythm of excitement, grounded text, excitement, grounded text as it highlights a handful of Black icons from the brief period between emancipation and Jim Crow. It’s not so dramatized it feels like a History Channel documentary, but still succeeds in depicting these remarkable, exciting figures in remarkable, exciting ways. While it’s appropriately frank at points (i.e. the Catholic Missions being established primarily to displace and assimilate indigenous populations), it still succeeds as a brief but treasured moment to celebrate Black Americans as pioneers, inventors, and builders.
	Whereas a lot of media set in the Wild West tends to over-rely on dirt and grit to sell the scene, Smith avoids this temptation, instead using thick, expressive brushwork to capture crisp gestures and facial expressions. The cartoony approach feels bright and airy, perfect to not overwhelm the occasional paragraph or so of diegesis—or a middle-grade-and-up audience that might not dig the more “house-style” approach of mainstream comics. Francois Mouly's book design carries this through with generous images and negative space later on.
	Frank Reynoso's color deserves a spotlight, as well. Again, while most other stories around this topic are overwhelmingly brown, Smith pops in with powder blues, lavenders, rusty oranges, and the occasional rosy pink to round out his no-nonsense palettes. Some scenes are warm, some are cool, some sunlit, some at sunset—each vignette being framed in specific tones and times of day to make them feel distinct and real.
	Smith’s pacing as a writer is top-notch, and at the end of his responsibilities in the book, I was left so hungry for more that I wish it was three times longer. Thankfully, the book is endcapped with several pages of informative text with photos peppered in from libraries, universities, and private collections. It touches back on Nelson’s point about erasure—how entire races were left out from a culture they helped establish—so readers can compare that to current patterns in their communities. It’s framed easily enough for a young audience, but serves as a non-judgmental 101 for adult readers who may not have been exposed to these ideas before.
	At the end of it all is a section of eleven or so resources for further reading on the topic. Which is great, honestly—you’ll be wanting to learn more, I promise.

At last, we get a different perspective on life out west from voices who haven't had a chance to be spoken. Black Heroes of the Wild West is an introduction for students to learn about these amazing people who were just trying to make a living in a harsh world. Great read and I love how the graphic novel elements add movement and grit to these characters.

Black Heroes of the Wild West: Featuring Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons

My thoughts:
The look of this book reminds me of those old western dime novels. It just has a similar style, but the historic importance of these stories is to highlight the fake narrative around America's wild west. The American west was not, in fact, made up of white cowboys (the heroes and outlaws) and the "savage" Native Americans as the only two groups existing on the frontier. By resurrecting these hidden stories through text and graphics, readers are introduced to these unsung heroes and suddenly our American narrative is much more accurate,  rich, and diverse. I would definitely love to see an animated short on each of these historical figures. Thanks to the author, the ancestors seem ready to jump off the page into more adventures. 

These are stories that need to be shared in a genre and style that is also a talk back to the western dime novels of our American literary history.

5/5

***Special thanks to NetGalley and Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME... full disclosure I LOVE history. I was amazed that this book was able to mesh the world of history and comic book format so well. 

The artwork in this book was very well done, although it was not the best, most detail specific artwork, it did not distract from the actual text in the story which I appreciated.

I found this book so interesting. The Wild West is so often thought of as a sort of white, heterosexual, hypermasculine, environment, but in reality, there were so many other aspects to it. I loved learning about some of the fascinating black people who played important/prominent roles in this time period.

I would recommend this book to anyone, but would highly recommend that teachers encourage their students to read this book, especially the more reluctant readers.

What an amazing historical graphic novel! I love how graphic novels entice all sorts of readers, and this one does a great job of educating readers about not-so-well-known Black personalities in an exciting, rough and tumble era of our history. We learn about Mary Fields, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons in particular, with extensive back matter that recognizes the influence of Black and Indigenous peoples on the shaping of the American West. A history book that is engaging and a perspective long-overdue, I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see if more will come! Definitely purchasing this for my library!

I absolutely LOVED this graphic novel, or comics, picture book!!! As an elementary librarian I am always looking for books that introduce students to something they may not know a lot about in the hopes of piquing their interest and sending them on a journey to learn more. This is certainly a book I will use in my elementary library as a read aloud and a research resource. James Otis Smith does a wonderful job of introducing the reader to three African American people that settled in the Wild West. He also provides additional interesting facts at the end about other people and places of the wild west. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy.

-I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.-

I’ll admit, this book has been on my NetGalley shelf for a few weeks now. I’ve either had a reading slump or I was simply reading other books.

This book is exactly what the title suggests, Black heroes of the Wild West. As a teacher, I know many topics, people, and events get swept under the rug for *insert reason.* So, it makes sense why authors like James Otis Smith would write a book depicting Black heroes. It’s also timely during the Black Lives Matter movement. I read this book in one sitting, less than 15 minutes, to be exact. 

Oftentimes, we get stuck telling the “black people were slaves who eventually gained freedom” narrative. This book offers more. Smith offers specific people in specific times and shares their story. I’ll be honest, I haven’t heard of the people named in this story. Rest assured, I’ll be telling students about these people. In fact, I’ll be sharing this book with my students.

You’re probably wondering why I gave this book four stars rather than five? Well, I wish the book offered... more about the people depicted. Each historical person had at least 7-8 pages. It’s like... a cake is being baked in your kitchen by someone. You’re smelling it. Going dizzy with how scrumptious and inviting it looks and smells. Guess what! You found out that you can only have a teeny tiny piece. Smith kept the book simple enough and provided historical context in the book ends. However, he could have offered more details in the graphic novel portion.

Black Heroes of the Wild West is a fascinating, fun, and accessible book that tells the stories of Mary Fields, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons. Using an easy-to-follow comics style with solid illustrations, the book will appeal to even reluctant readers. The stories are important ones that give us a glimpse into the real lives of Black people in the Old West, a viewpoint that is sorely underrepresented elsewhere. While I was personally familiar with two out of three subjects (I had not previously read about Bob Lemmons), I suspect many readers will be learning of all three for the first time, and it serves as a great introduction. I was definitely surprised by some of what I learned regardless of what I knew beforehand. The introduction and the endnotes add some great context and some fascinating extra information, as do some of the real photographs that were included. 

Recommended!

'Black Heroes of the Wild West' by James Otis Smith is a graphic novel featuring three folks who made their mark in the old West.

First up is Stagecoach Mary who played cards and smoked cigars and made all her deliveries as well as looking out for those people around her.  Bass Reeves, goes undercover to capture some criminals before revealing he's a US Marshal.  Bob Lemmons was good at catching and taming horses through patience and observation. 

History is great and it's nice to see the people in this book remembered.  There is more history in the back for those who want to learn a bit more.  The art is great and these would be great stories for classroom learning or just for kids who like reading about larger than life people.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I'd had previous exposure to all three figures in this book but that doesn't make the reading any less cool. We need to learn more about important historical figures, people who stand out from the crowd. People with strong morals. And this scratched an old itch from my childhood obsession with cowboys. This book will make an excellent addition to any school or library collection.

Black Heroes of the Wild West: Featuring Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons is the comic we’ve all been longing for. Meet historical Black figures who come to life in an action-packed graphic novel.
This trio of biographical vignettes features fascinating stories from the American west. Though all were born enslaved, each legendary Black adventurer left southern roots and moved west to freedom in Montana, Arkansas, or Texas. Their stories are true tales of hard work, courage, resourcefulness, and grit. Nevertheless, he injects humor and intrigue into the narrative. Smith has done his homework, creating back matter that is chock full of information, period photographs, primary sources, timelines, and other informational graphics.
The color palette is predominantly earth tones, evoking the western setting. Each chapter begins with a full-page photo of the chapter’s subject. Includes an introduction by Kadir Nelson. ​
Stagecoach Mary
Mary Fields was a large, no-nonsense woman, packing an impressively fearsome rifle. Opening panels tell the well-known, almost mythical saga of one frigid Montana night in 1898 when mail clerk Mary Fields fought off a pack of vicious wolves.
Picture
Born about 1832 on a Tennessee plantation, she set out to find work following Emancipation in 1865. From chambermaid, to companion, mission laborer, and restaurant proprietor, Mary was a hard worker. She had a reputation as a whisky-drinking, card-playing, sharp-shooter. She was well-regarded for her years delivering mail by stagecoach. She was the second woman and the first African American woman to drive the Star Route. She never missed a delivery, even when she had to strap on snowshoes and slog through wet snow to complete a shipment. Mary was so revered by the people of Cascade Montana that each year school would close in honor of her birthday.
Bob Lemmons
Herds of wild mustangs, comprised of up to forty females and led by one stallion, roamed over a vast expanse of the Texas plains. They were fearless. The prevailing method to control the herd was to kill the stallion and force the females on long marches.
​​Bob Lemmons had another method. To the mustangs, he was perceived as a stallion. Traveling alone with his horse Warrior, he studied a herd’s habits and recognized individual mustangs by scent and scant. Bob never changed his clothes and waited to eat until his food had lost all human smell. He moved deliberately and cautiously until he was accepted as the leader of these wild horses. Only then would he lead this herd to a ranch. There the mustangs would follow him into a corral.
​He eventually established his own ranch. This Texas legend lived 99 years.
Picture
Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves was a clever lawman who employed unusual tactics to capture wanted felons. For example, the Clancy brothers of Arkansas were wanted criminals with a $5000 reward offered for their capture. One night a quiet hardworking Black man arrived at the Clancy homestead, offering to work for a meal. He quietly endured an evening of insults from the brothers. After dark, Bass set to work and handcuffed the outlaws while they slept. The fugitives woke the next morning in irons and under arrest. They learned that the quiet visitor was Bass Reeves, Deputy US Marshall.

Picture
Action. Intrigue. Humor. Fascinating tales well told. Kudos Mr. Smith. A must-have for library and school collections

Absolutely LOVED this comic and really hope there are more in the future!  This would be a great introduction for younger kids but is also a very beautiful short retelling for anyone older or anyone who isn't aware of these amazing historical figures.  The art is beautiful and the added information at the end about native American, Mexican, and black Indian figures is wonderful.  Definitely worth a purchase for your library or personal collections as well!

I had a great time reading this graphic novel. Each story was a blast to read, and gave me a glimpse into the lives of these historical figures. A part of me wishes the stories had been longer, but other than that I had a lot of fun reading them. This may not be a graphic novel for everyone, but some readers are sure to enjoy it.

Black Heroes of the Wild West: Featuring Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons by James Otis Smith is a nonfiction graphic novel currently scheduled for release on September 15 2020. This book celebrates the extraordinary true tales of three black heroes who took control of their destinies and stood up for their communities in the Old West. Born into slavery in Tennessee, Mary Fields became famous as “Stagecoach Mary,” a cigar-chomping, card playing coach driver who never missed a delivery. Bass Reeves, the first black Deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi, was one of the wiliest lawmen in the territories, bringing thousands of outlaws to justice with his smarts. Bob Lemmons lived to be 99 years old and was so good with horses that the wild mustangs on the plains of Texas took him for one of their own.

Black Heroes of the Wild West is a great start, or continuation, of learning the diverse history of he United States. Much of the history that includes people of color has been ignored or twisted, leaving us with an incomplete and sometimes very incorrect vision of what our past really looked like. I had read bits and pieces of the history included in this book before, but I found the information and artwork to be very well done and engaging for readers of all ages. It was inspiring to read about the odds these three people faced, and how they persevered and exceeded the expectations of those around them, particularly those that judged them based on race, gender, or both. I also liked the time line and further information about the history of cowboys and how people from a variety of heritages and cultures made a huge difference, and have been left out of much of the history we get taught in school and the most readily available texts. 

Black Heroes of the Wild West is a graphic novel that I highly recommend for public, school, and classroom libraries. It is very well done, and offers a look at real history that often gets ignored. I will be looking for more books like this for myself and my children.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone. Like many people, I was bored in history classes because of the endless memorization of details that did not reflect me and did not interest me. I’m sure I would’ve taken a keener interest in the past if I would’ve had something like this graphic novel back in the day. Although graphic stories are fun to read, I also appreciate that this medium can educate too.  

As expected, I learned a lot about the Wild West that I didn’t know. I loved the photographs from the frontier era. Even though the book clearly states that photography was not widely available at the time, seeing pictures is really compelling.

While I enjoyed the book, I do have a few granular suggestions:
The transition from the bottom of page 20 to the top of page 21 is rough. To be fair, I think it’s exacerbated by the page turn. The last panel on page 20 shows Mary at a poker game, so it’s a little jarring when the first panel on page 21 shows her mid-conversation with a nun. 

Mary Fields is always shown carrying a rifle, but the Gary Cooper quote on page 23 specifically mentions a .38. Maybe show her holding a .38 on that page? A quick illustration change would be to add a pistol tucked into her belt in addition to the rifle across her shoulders.

Using the entire page (33) to convey the passage of time seems like a waste of valuable real estate. You could’ve just as easily spread that over three panels at the top

On page 41, the description/explanation of the first two panels isn’t given until the 4th panel. I think it would work better to move “Bob learned to recognize individual hoof prints and scat,” up to a centered text block across the top two panels. I say this because I breezed right past the 1st panel thinking it was just a wide shot of grass leading up to the closeup on the scat in the next panel. I did not see the hoof prints until I went back to the 1st panel after reading the 4th panel.

On page 56, we read, “Many African Americans, like Bass Reeves and Bob Lemmons, took refuge there [in Native American communities] and became fluent in the languages of local communities.” This book is about those two characters, so why is that not part of their stories?

Rather than having pages 52-59 looking like a textbook--even an interesting textbook--I think you should divide those pages between the stories of Mary Fields, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons. A couple of pages of text between the stories would be more palatable than a larger chunk at the end which could intimidate or put off some readers.

However, I still think it’s an informative, fun read!