Rep. John Lewis and aide to pen graphic novel

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By Bob Keefe

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta already is considered a hero of the civil rights movement.

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U.S. Rep. John Lewis speaks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service on Jan.17, 2011 at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

John Spink, jspink@ajc.com U.S. Rep. John Lewis speaks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service on Jan.17, 2011 at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

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Could he soon become a comic book superhero, too?

Lewis and an aide have inked a deal with Atlanta-based comic book company Top Shelf Productions to produce a new graphic novel based on the congressman's experiences during the civil rights movement.

Tentatively called "March," the illustrated book is scheduled for release in 2012.

“This is something I really wanted to do some years ago and there is no better time to do it than now," Lewis said in announcing the deal. "It is not just a story of struggle; it is a story of involvement. It shows the ups, the downs, the ins and the outs of a movement."

According to Top Shelf, the publishing agreement is a first. It will mark the first time a sitting member of Congress has authored a graphic novel, and Top Shelf claims to be the only graphic novel publisher to be certified by the House Committee on Standards.

As a resident of Atlanta, Top Shelf founder Chris Staros said he knew of Lewis and his past. He didn't expect to do a graphic novel about the congressman's life, however, until he was approached recently by Lewis aide Andrew Aydin about the project.

"I knew it was a brilliant idea right off the bat," Staros said. He said he expects the book to be 160 to 200 pages long. He declined to disclose financial details, beyond saying that it will be royalty-based.

As chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1963-1966, Lewis led marches and sit-ins across the country to oppose Jim Crow laws and discrimination. He was considered -- along with Martin Luther King Jr. -- one of the Big Six leaders of the civil rights movement, and is the last living keynote speaker from King's March on Washington in August 1963.

In 1999, Lewis published a memoir recounting his role in the civil rights movement called "Walking With the Wind."

Later this month, the 13-term Democrat is scheduled to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, for his work during the civil rights movement.

While there may not be Batman-style action in the new Lewis book, there will likely be plenty of violent scenes.

During the 1960s, Lewis was beaten repeatedly by police and racists at bus stops and on city streets throughout the South, including a well-publicized beating by Alabama state troopers during a march across a Selma, Ala., bridge on March 7, 1965.

That incident, which became known as "Bloody Sunday," was considered a major turning point in the civil rights movement.