DEFIANT - The Story of Robert Smalls - Graphic Novel (HARDCOVER)
At 23 years old, Robert Smalls commandeered a Civil War steamship and carried his family and the families of several other people to freedom. Then he served five terms in public office and helped rewrite American history.
The definitive 128-page full-color graphic novel, written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Rob Edwards. NPR Books We Love 2025. Ships nationwide.
Who Was Robert Smalls of Beaufort, SC?
Robert Smalls was born into bondage in Beaufort, South Carolina on April 5, 1839. He died in the same Beaufort house 75 years later, a house he had bought with his own money after being held in it as a boy.
On May 13, 1862, Smalls commandeered the steamship Planter in Charleston Harbor under cover of darkness. He put on the captain's hat, gave the correct hand signals and whistle codes at five checkpoints, and carried his family and the families of several other people out of the harbor to freedom. He was 23 years old.
His voyage helped persuade Abraham Lincoln to allow Black soldiers into the Union Army. After the war he bought the Beaufort house where he had been held, started a newspaper, founded a railroad company, helped write South Carolina's Reconstruction constitution, and championed the first free and compulsory public school system in the country. He served five terms in public office. Joseph Rainey served longer, and we say so, because the real record is remarkable enough without inflating it.
What Makes This Different From Every Other Robert Smalls Book?
Most Robert Smalls books are written for scholars. This one is drawn. All 128 pages are full color, built by artists from Marvel and DC, so a reluctant twelve year old reader and a Civil War historian can both finish it in one sitting and get different things out of it.
It is also the only version made with the family in the room. Nothing in these pages is invented to make the story better, because the story does not need help.
What Do You Get in the Hardcover Edition?
This premium hardcover compiles all four original comic book issues into one volume, plus bonus content you cannot get in the single issues: creator statements, behind-the-scenes artwork, and historical notes on what actually happened versus what had to be compressed for the page.
It is the edition built to survive a classroom, a library shelf, or a coffee table for twenty years. If you are buying one copy of DEFIANT to keep, this is the one.
How Do You Order the Hardcover?
Add it to the cart above. Checkout takes a card, PayPal, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, and code DEFIANT20 takes 20 percent off the Defiant collection. Orders ship nationwide across the United States at standard shipping rates.
Ordering more than 10 books? Email chris@legionm.com for direct pricing. Educators and librarians buying classroom sets should get in touch the same way.
Why Should You Trust This Version of the Story?
DEFIANT was written by Rob Edwards, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter behind The Princess and the Frog and Captain America: Brave New World. Cover art is by Nikolas Draper-Ivey, who created the cover for Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther: The Album. Interior art comes from Ray-Anthony Height, Sean Damien Hill, and Alex Paterson, veterans of Marvel and DC.
Bill Duke is executive producer. Marvin "Krondon" Jones III is co-executive producer. Michael Boulware Moore, Robert Smalls' great-great-grandson and founding CEO of the International African American Museum in Charleston, served as family advisor, and Dr. Myisha Eatmon advised on the history.
Published by Stranger Comics and Legion M Entertainment. Legion M is the world's first fan-owned entertainment company, founded in 2016 and now powered by more than 50,000 investors. DEFIANT did not start in a boardroom. It started as a meme in the Legion M fan community, and the members asked for it.
Awards and Recognition
- NPR Books We Love 2025, selected from more than 380 staff-picked titles
- NAACP Image Award nominee, Outstanding Literary Work: Graphic Novel
- Amazon Best Seller in three categories
- Sold out a first print run of more than 5,000 copies in under a month
- Featured in Christian Science Monitor, Publishers Weekly, and Military.com
- Kickstarter raised $154,293 from 1,812 backers, funded in under 30 minutes against a $10,000 goal
- Featured at San Diego Comic-Con in 2023, 2024, and 2025