Top Shelf Teams With Civil Rights Legend John Lewis To Publish New Graphic Novel ‘March’

Congressman John Lewis is a living legend. A more than 25 year veteran of the United States Congress, Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders. He's also the sole living member of the Big Six -- leaders of six of the significant civil rights organizations active during the height of the civil rights movement -- whose members included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lewis' story is a significant part of American history, and now he plans on sharing that story with a new generation, as Top Shelf has just announced March, an autobiographical graphic novel trilogy co-authored by Lewis and drawn by Nate Powell. The first book arrives in stores this August.

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights (including his key roles in the historic 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma-Montgomery March), meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

March is co-written by Congressman Lewis and Andrew Aydin, with art by industry veteran Powell, whose previous art credits include The Silence of Our Friends, a semi-autobiographical civil rights story set in Texas in 1967. In addition to the significance of being the story of a man who was a Keynote Speaker at the March on Washington, March marks a historic first for both comics publishing and the United States Congress, as it is the first time a sitting member of congress has authored a graphic novel.

March (Book One) is set to arrive in stores August 13th. For more information, visit Top Shelf's website.