Under the Banner of King Death

Under the Banner of King Death is a graphic novel adaptation of Marcus Rediker’s non-fiction book Villains of All Nations. It presents a fascinating, overlooked history of pirates. It shows them, not as simply plunderers as they’ve been depicted by pop culture for decades, but as working class people fighting against oppressive systems. In doing so, the book shows how pirates established more equitable and democratic communities aboard their ships in a time when such systems were only available to the privileged few. David Lester’s artwork is great and fits the story well. I wouldn’t have minded if the book had been even longer to flesh out the characters and further develop the ideas it introduces. But otherwise I highly recommend the book.