DC's diversity-minded series Represent! returns on February 1 with the first of five new 10-page stories about (and by) underrepresented voices, "spotlighting personal stories outside the regular comic book medium," according to the mostly superhero-driven publisher.
February 1's Represent! chapter 2 will be a semi-autobiographical story by C-SPAN host Jesse J. Holland and illustrated by Doug Braithwaite.
"'Heritage' is based on Holland's Mississippi farm, which has been in his family since their first ancestor was freed from slavery - tended by his grandfather and his father before him," reads DC's description of the story.
"But as Jesse grows into a man, he's unsure if a patch of land in the Piney Woods and a life of tilling soil is his true destiny. But destiny can mean so much more than dirt and a tractor…"
Here are Braithwaite's raw pencils of four pages from the 10-page story:
Future installments will publish weekly on Mondays through March 1, and will include as described by DC:
- Chapter 3: 'Believe You' by writer Nadira Jamerson and artist Brittney Williams
- Chapter 4: 'My Granny was a Hero,' by writer Tara Robert and artist Yancey Labat
- Chapter 5: 'The Lesson' by writer/artist Dominike 'Domo' Stanton
Future installments will publish weekly on Mondays through March 1, and will include as described by DC:
Book Three: 'Food for Thought,' written by Regine Sawyer, art by Eric Battle.
Sawyer, founder of Women in Comics Collective International and artist Battle tell the story of Lanice, "whose passion for cooking and desire for a career in the culinary arts is challenged by the source of her inspiration—her father—who is concerned about his only daughter working in a kitchen, like so many Black Americans before her."
Book Four: 'Believe You,' written by Nadira Jamerson, art by Brittney Williams.
"A young mother, Mai, has been struggling with her health ever since the birth of her daughter, Dira. She's exhausted, gaining weight, and experiencing shooting pain through her legs, and she wakes up with numbness spreading across her entire body. She is in constant agony. But the doctors don't think anything is wrong with her—she's stressed, she's a hypochondriac, it's just fatigue—and despite everything Mai does to make herself better, she still feels alone. Until she finally finds a way to advocate for her health and finds an ally who does more than prescribe…they listen."
Book Five: 'My Granny Was A Hero,' written by Tara Roberts, art by Yancey Labat.
"A little girl with Afro puffs, a potbelly, and a gap-toothed smile dreams of being a hero. She reads adventure books voraciously; she practices sword strokes and judo kicks in her bedroom in case she ever has to fight a dragon; she devours superhero movies, cartoons, and popcorn with big eyes. And every night, she looks out of her window and wishes upon the moon with all her heart to be called upon to help someone in a big way…when she discovers the story of her great-grandmother Cocu, and how Cocu's superpower led to a heroic struggle for freedom."
Book Six: 'The Lesson,” written and drawn by Dominike 'DOMO' Stanton.
"Stanton's protagonist Dom got his butt kicked in school a lot…like…a lot a lot…for no reason. He got caught up in fights that had nothing to do with him or would get jumped simply walking the halls of his school or waiting for the bus home. Fed up and angry, he decides to join a local gym and learn how to box. But what starts out as a mission to fight back turns into something greater, and Dom is given the opportunity to stand up for himself in more ways than one."
"Represent! is the kind of innovative and personal storytelling I've always believed in," says DC editor-in-chief Marie Javins. "Throughout history, stories have been catalysts to expand hearts, minds, and culture; having the chance to do so with this group of talented writers and artists has been invigorating and has been embraced throughout DC."
Represent! is currently a digital-exclusive series, with no announced plans for a print edition. The anthology will be available on comiXology, Apple, Amazon Kindle, Google Books, and other participating digital platforms.
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