Featuring an African American fugitive from bondage, an undercover woman, and ‘outcasts of all nations,’ an arresting graphic exploration of the resistance and radical vision of 18th-century piratesA tale of mutiny, bloody battle, and social revolution, Under the Banner of King Death novelizes for the first time the real pirates, an itinerant community of outsiders, behind our legends. This graphic novel breaks new ground in our understanding of piracy and pirate culture, giving us more reasons to love the rebellious and stouthearted marauders of the high seas.Set at the pinnacle of the “Golden Age” of Atlantic piracy, this novel follows three unlikely companions, who are sold into servitude on a merchant ship and unwittingly thrust into a voyage of rebellion.They are:
- John Gwin, an African American fugitive from bondage in South Carolina
- Ruben Dekker, a common seaman from Amsterdam
- Mark/Mary Reed, an American woman who defies stereotypes by dressing as a man.
Mutiny ensues against the tyrannical Captain Skinner, who is thrown overboard to make way for democracy aboard The Night Rambler. The crew’s new order provides radical social benefits, all based on real, documented practices of contemporary pirate ships: democratic decision-making, a social security net, health and disability insurance, and equal distribution of spoils taken from prize ships.It’s not long before the London elites enlist a war-hungry captain to take down The Night Rambler and start a war of high society versus high-seas pirates. Adapted from the scholarship and research of historian Marcus Rediker, Under the Banner of King Death will inspire readers with its tale of those on the bottom fighting back and achieving, against all odds, a democratic and egalitarian social order, if only for a short time.
“A concise, sharp tale of a multiethnic crew of disgruntled sailors who mutiny against miserable conditions and transform their ship into a kind of floating socialist republic with elected officers and equal shares of plunder.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A story which will have you yearning for freedom and rum like the hackneyed stereotypes of Jack Sparrow never could.”
—Freedom News (UK)
“Breaks new ground in our understanding of piracy and pirate culture, giving us more reasons to love the rebellious and stouthearted marauders of the high seas.”
—BoingBoing
“An engaging read.”
—Vancouver Sun
“A fascinating history and a sociopolitical explication of the reasons sailors became pirates and how they organized themselves once the brigandry had begun.”
—CounterPunch
- “Pirates: Our stateless heroes,” Fifth Estate, review and write-up
- “The Egalitarian World of Pirates,” Against the Grain (KPFA), interview
- “David Lester and Marcus Rediker, Under the Banner of King Death: Pirates of the Atlantic, a Graphic Novel,” New Books Network, interview
- “Our Flag on the High Seas Means Rebellion: Pirate Culture in Pop Culture,” Beacon Broadside, essay comparing Under the Banner of King Death with HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death
- “4 new graphic novels will make you picture the world differently,” Toronto Star, included in graphic novels roundup
- “PIRATES (w/ Marcus Rediker),” SRSLY Wrong, interview
- “Under the Banner of King Death,” History Hack, podcast interview
- “Under the Banner of King Death, Marcus Rediker and David Lester, Part 1,” Armchair Historians, podcast interview
- “20 Canadian comics to check out in the first half of 2023,” CBC Books, included in comics roundup
- “Under the Banner of King Death Tells the Story of What Piracy Was Really Like in the 18th Century,” Graphic Policy, video feature
- “Under the Banner of King Death - Marcus Rediker & David Lester,” The Pirate History Podcast, podcast interview
- “How We Brought the Radical History of Pirates to Life,” History News Network, essay
- “Why We Need Pirates,” YES Magazine, excerpt
- “Under The Banner Of King Death With David Lester And Marcus Rediker,” Ye Olde Crime, podcast interview
- “Progressive Pirates? Who Knew?” The Democratic Left (DSA), book trailer and piece by Paul Buhle
- “Saturday September 17, 2022,” North by Northwest (CBC), interview
- “LGBTQA Previews February 2023 Part 1,” The Gay League, included in list of recommended February 2023 comics
Under the Banner of King Death: Pirates of the Atlantic, A Graphic Novel
David Lester with Marcus Rediker and Paul Buhle
Readers’ Guide Discussion Questions
Download the readers’ guide.
- Under the Banner of King Death begins with John Gwin’s and Ruben Dekker’s compatriot Brownie on the gallows, railing against the conditions of work for honest sailors, which moved him to turn him pirate. While mourning their friend over ales, both survivors are then sold into servitude on the slave ship African Prince. Based on Brownie’s declarations about conditions and treatment aboard non-pirate ships, do you think the type of kidnapping experienced by John and Ruben was a frequent occurrence, since men might not voluntarily join crews?
- Ruben and John make a formal complaint to the Royal Africa Company about conditions and treatment aboard the ship. While they are found out and then punished for daring to do this, would their complaints have made a difference? Historically, how widespread do you imagine poor conditions and treatment to have been on ships at that time?
- After disembarking in Port Royal, before any real planning of a mutiny, the Prince’s crew did not simply disappear or find means to escape and instead returned to the ship. Why?
- Once John and the crew overthrew the ship’s captain and decided to “go upon the account,” they plundered a Dutch ship, overpowering the crew with ease and without bloodshed. Historically, would a bloodless plundering have been a regular occurrence? Why or why not?
- Mark revealed herself as Mary to John after the crew captured treasures from the Dutch ship. Considering Mary was a newer member of the crew, even if one of its informal leaders, why do you think she revealed herself to him rather than to the common pirates? Would it have made a difference to her shipmates if she told them earlier since her reputation was already established?
- Would it have been difficult for John and Mary to hide their relationship from the other crew? Why or why not?
- While the pirates on the Night Rambler practiced some form of democracy, when Captain Snelgrave was delivered to the ship, the testimony of only one man spared his life. That crewmember stated that when sailing with Snelgrave years before, he found Snelgrave to be an honest captain who treated his crew well. What may have changed with Snelgrave that led him to be the cruel captain who those on the African Prince/Night Rambler encountered? And why do you think the testimony of the lone crewmember wasn’t overridden by a majority in favor of well-deserved “pirate justice”?
- Is it any surprise that Captain Snelgrave didn’t afford the captured pirates the same mercy that he was given? Why or why not? Was it foolish of the crew to keep him alive, or could there have been another motive for them sparing his life rather than just mercy?
- Mary was spared hanging until after she gave birth to her and John’s child. What could have happened to that child? Is it a surprise that, as a woman of the time, Mary wasn’t granted leniency, despite being a pirate?
- The story of John Gwin and his crew takes place during the “Golden Age” of piracy, which lasted from about 1660 to 1730 and which Marcus Rediker discusses in his foreword. While not as prevalent in the West, piracy still exists today. How might the life of a modern-day pirate compare to that of one in the “Golden Age”?
- In his afterword, “Pirates We Have Seen: Footnotes from Popular Culture History,” Paul Buhle discusses how pirates were depicted by artists during the first decades of the Golden Age of piracy. Does their visual evolution over time from “gent” to rascal surprise you? If so, why?
- Under the Banner of King Death is a graphic adaption of Marcus Rediker’s nonfiction work Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Does a graphic novel provide a better glimpse into the life of pirates than a standard nonfiction book? Why or why not? Do David Lester’s illustrations reinforce or change your notion of pirates and the lives they led? How does a graphic novel enrich your understanding of history compared to a traditional prose book?