Rob Edwards (1) (1963–)

Robert Smalls was an enslaved man in South Carolina who was trained to pilot ships. During the American Civil War, Smalls commandeered the ship, picked up his family members and friends, and sailed the ship to Union lines, where he turned the ship and its weapons over to the U.S. Navy. After the war, Smalls was elected to the South Carolina legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.

This graphic biography is framed by the story of an older Smalls at his home in South Carolina show more (acquired from his former enslaver) surrounded by several generations of his family. He tells the story of his liberation to a young grandson. The story of Robert Smalls started circulating on social media about a decade ago and many people agreed that it would make a terrific movie. We're still waiting for the movie, but a superhero-style comic is a good start! show less

A gorgeous looking film that retains the Disney charm and humour and does a splendid job with the key Silver/Hawkins relationship from the novel, but is missing the little extra on the plot front to make it truly memorable. It thus falls short of the top echelon of Disney animated classics, but that is a very high bar to clear -- this film is well worth your time even so.

This is an great graphic novel that begins to share information about Robert Smalls. I admit I knew the name, but that was about all... and I taught American history. The book is well-designed, beautifully written and illustrated and accurate about a heroic individual who does not get enough exposure.

During the Civil War, Robert Smalls was forced to work on the Confederate steamer CSS Planter (slaves had no choice in their jobs) and when the white crew was ashore commandeered the ship, show more picked up his family (after making it through a variety of checkpoints), and surrendered the ship to the Union Navy. He was the first African American captain of a U.S. Navy vessel and all around amazing as he went on to a political career afterwards.

Is it a deep dive into history? Not really. Is it giving a little-known, amazing historical figure exposure in a format that many will read? Absolutely. show less

At just 23-years-old, Robert Smalls made one of the most spectacular escapes from slavery during the Civil War, commandeering a Confederate ship in secret and carrying his crewmates and family to freedom.

This dramatization of events amps up the excitement a bit in hopes of generating interest in a film adaptation but stays true to the spirit of the man and his amazing adventure. It also leaves open the door to a sequel that could depict Smalls' career in the Union Navy and his subsequent show more career in politics, which I'd really like to see.

If you want another take on the story in graphic novel form, I also recommend Robert Smalls: Tales of the Talented Tenth, No. 3.

(Best of 2025 Project: I'm reading all the graphic novels that made it onto one or more of these lists:

• Washington Post 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2025
• Publishers Weekly 2025 Graphic Novel Critics Poll
• NPR's Books We Love 2025: Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels

This book made the NPR list.)

FOR REFERENCE:

Contains material originally published in single magazine form as Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls #1-4.

Contents: Introduction / Legion M team -- Foreword / Michael B. Moore -- Chapters 1-4 / Rob Edwards, writer; Sean Damien Hill and Alex Paterson, illustrators -- Afterword / Rob Edwards show less