Description
On the morning of July 4, 1910, thousands of boxing fans stormed a newly built stadium in Reno, Nevada, to witness an epic showdown. Jack Johnson, the world's first Black heavyweight champion--and most infamous athlete in the world because of his race--was paired against Jim Jeffries, a former heavyweight champion then heralded as the "great white hope." It was the height of the Jim Crow era, and spectators were eager for Jeffries to restore the racial hierarchy that Johnson had pummeled with his quick fists.
Transporting readers directly into the ring, artist Youssef Daoudi and poet Adrian Matejka intersperse dramatic boxing action with vivid flashbacks to reveal how Johnson, the self-educated son of formerly enslaved parents, reached the pinnacle of sport--all while facing down a racist justice system. Through a combination of breathtaking illustrations and striking verse, Last on His Feet honors a contentious civil rights figure who has for more than a century been denied his proper due.
Product Details
| Publisher | Liveright Publishing Corporation |
| Publish Date | February 21, 2023 |
| Pages | 336 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781631495588 |
| Dimensions | 9.6 X 7.2 X 1.1 inches | 1.9 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
[A] dynamic and unforgettable collaboration between artist Youssef Daoudi and writer Adrian Matejka... Last on His Feet is a wonder of words and images. It could be called a graphic novel if that description didn't fail to fully capture its cinematically visual and literary substance... [A] masterpiece.--Rick Kogan "Chicago Tribune"
Daoudi and Matejka have crafted one of the most important historic graphic novels of the decade with Last on His Feet. It is a full exploration of how graphic narratives can tell stories and illuminate some of the often forgotten parts of history . . . Get excited. Get on your feet.-- "Drunken Odyssey"
Daoudi's art blends perfectly with Matejka's lyric voice . . . Last on His Feet is a powerful narrative.--Thomas Hauser "International Brotherhood of Prizefighters/The Sweet Science"
The new graphic biography Last on His Feet is a fascinating collaboration between poet Adrian Matejka and artist Youssef Daoudi, who fracture the timeline of Johnson's life and create a mosaic of a narrative pieced together around his most famous fight: In 1910, he faced off against James Jeffries in the fight of the century, an event imbued with cultural weight far greater than the two fighters' combined 450 pounds. For the starkness of the black and white in the book -- Matejka's text and Daoudi's ink -- theirs is a story radiantly told.--Andrew Dansby "Houston Chronicle"
Through a stylish mix of prose, blank verse and illustrations, Last on His Feet captures these tensions with unsparing poignancy.--Brandon Tensley "Smithsonian"
A desert boxing match becomes an epic, a tragic symbol, and a thunderous encapsulation of America's bloody racial history in this passionately told graphic history from Daoudi (Monk!) and Matejka (The Big Smoke) about America's first Black heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson (1878-1946) . . . This is a big brawl of a book that, like the greatest boxing matches, finds the poetry in the violence.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
Lyrical narration and powerfully evocative black-and-white illustration combine for an uncommonly propulsive, completely immersive biography.--Library Journal, starred review
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