Strange but fresh fruit: A review

Writers:        Mark Waid, J.G Jones Publisher:    Boom! Reviewer:     Abdulkareem Baba Aminu When legendary writer Mark Waid teamed up with superstar artist J.G Jones to tell a story, it turned out to be rather strange, but refreshing.   Last year at Comic-Con in San Diego, there was a bit of buzz about a certain project. OK, maybe […]

Writers:        Mark Waid, J.G Jones
Publisher:    Boom!
Reviewer:     Abdulkareem Baba Aminu
When legendary writer Mark Waid teamed up with superstar artist J.G Jones to tell a story, it turned out to be rather strange, but refreshing.  
Last year at Comic-Con in San Diego, there was a bit of buzz about a certain project. OK, maybe a lot of buzz. But then, what would you expect from an impending book written by superstars Mark Waid and J.G Jones? (Oh, and by the way, Jones is painting the whole thing). As if that’s not enough of a selling point, the comic – called Strange Fruit, strangely – is set in a famous, historical period of American history, the Great Mississippi flood of 1927.
The fact that it is set in the Jim Crow South is where ‘normal’ or ‘regular’ ends for the story. Beastly plantation owners? Check. Angry, overworked slaves? Check. Torch-wielding, blood-lustin’ Klansmen? Check. Strange, black, and possibly super-powered being? Check. The stage is set perfectly by the writers, who establish the characters early on, showing from the beginning that this is obviously an unusual book that will certainly deliver a provocative, thrilling story.
Based on characters and events in the fictional, rainy town of Chatterlee, Mississippi, a strange, silent giant makes an appearance whose nature angers the local KKK. Now, he’s a super-strong colossus of a man whose skin is black, so you can imagine the resulting drama. By the time I tore through the pages, I was breathless. Or at least I thought I was, until I saw what the aforementioned mysterious, major character used the second Confederate national flag for. This is the same flag known as ‘the stainless banner’ in reference to the white field that comprised a large part of its design elements, which designer William T. Thompson now-infamously declared symbolized the “supremacy of the white man”. Also, the word ‘nigger’ is tossed around casually like a greeting.
But in Waid and Jones’ defense, you’re reading a book which has rich dialogue like: “White folk ain’t much gonna cotton to yo running ‘round with yo Johnson hangin’ out!” And that’s just one moment, of many, during which a reader would be reminded that he or she’s not simply reading the latest blockbuster book by heavyweight, big-name creators but something special.
Having been longtime friends, Waid (Superman: Birthright, Daredevil) and Jones (Y: The Last Man, Wanted) had been trying to find the perfect duet all these years. With both of them being Southern natives who grew up during the Civil Rights wars, they certainly had a personal story to tell. They had actually begun work on Strange Fruit about a decade ago, having discussed it one way or another since Jones shared the basic idea with Waid. The writing duo was born and while it took a while to put the project together, they utilized the waiting time to get contracts finalized and ruminate on what direction they were heading.
The wait paid off, big time, as early views at the art have proven to be awe-inspiring. Jones’ painted work has its own individual style and energy. And boy, does it sizzle! Ordinary bar scenes are elevated to things of beauty while conversations come positively alive. And don’t get me started about the action scenes. The settings are all well-realized, as evidenced by the obviously painstaking research done on clothes and buildings of the ’20s. The artist says he checks even the simplest things like the type of lamp in a certain room, whatever style of hat was current at the time and so on. It paid off, seeing me flip to the beginning many times.
Still on the art, Jones is one of the few artists who can convincingly shift from a farm scene to outer space without sacrificing tone or mood. Even Waid has confessed to having to up his game, describing his co-creator as a brilliant, born storyteller. The pair work very closely on every page, bounce outlines back and forth, painstakingly go over scripts before the art is done and afterwards. 
It was mentioned earlier that both creators have said Strange Fruit is a personal work for them both, but just how so is it? They had experienced the racial clashes firsthand as youngsters. Jones says while he finds it sad and infuriating that the issues within remain topical nearly a century after, it shows the nation has not travelled as far down the road as hoped. The writer/artist had been thinking about weaving a wider tale set in the 20th century and his mom gave him a book about the 1927 Mississippi Delta flood, leading to the birth of the idea for Strange Fruit.
Inspiration for Strange Fruit, the creators say, also came from the original American tall tales which starred Paul Bunyan and other American folk story mainstays. Of course, every fan knows about Waid’s love for Superman stories, as well. While it’s not a super-hero book, there are sci-fi elements ingrained throughout.
Waid says while they are having a blast writing the language of the time the story is set in, the natural disaster which forms their story’s backdrop was one of the toughest patches in the history of the United States.
If some readers find the name of the comic book ‘Strange Fruit’ familiar, it is because it is a song first performed by Billie Holiday in 1939, written by teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem. It protested – you guessed it – racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans and is considered a classic. The creators have said racism is very much a part of the story, which made it as thrilling to work on, as it was terrifying. From what I have seen of Waid and Jones’ masterpiece so far, their labour’s fruit is set to be a modern classic, and while it is also strange, it most definitely is fresh.