Featuring an African American fugitive from bondage, an undercover woman, and ‘outcasts of all nations,’ an arresting graphic exploration of the resistance and radical vision of 18th-century pirates

A tale of mutiny, bloody battle, and social revolution, Under the Banner of King Death novelizes for the first time the real pirates, an itinerant community of outsiders, behind our legends. This graphic novel breaks new ground in our understanding of piracy and pirate culture, giving us more reasons to love the rebellious and stouthearted marauders of the high seas.

Set at the pinnacle of the “Golden Age” of Atlantic piracy, this novel follows three unlikely companions, who are sold into servitude on a merchant ship and unwittingly thrust into a voyage of rebellion.

They are:

• John Gwin, an African American fugitive from bondage in South Carolina
• Ruben Dekker, a common seaman from Amsterdam
• Mark/Mary Reed, an American woman who defies stereotypes by dressing as a man.

Mutiny ensues against the tyrannical Captain Skinner, who is thrown overboard to make way for democracy aboard The Night Rambler. The crew’s new order provides radical social benefits, all based on real, documented practices of contemporary pirate ships: democratic decision-making, a social security net, health and disability insurance, and equal distribution of spoils taken from prize ships.

It’s not long before the London elites enlist a war-hungry captain to take down The Night Rambler and start a war of high society versus high-seas pirates. Adapted from the scholarship and research of historian Marcus Rediker, Under the Banner of King Death will inspire readers with its tale of those on the bottom fighting back and achieving, against all odds, a democratic and egalitarian social order, if only for a short time.

David Lester is a musician, graphic designer and graphic novelist. His most recent book is Prophet Against Slavery: Benjamin Lay, A Graphic Novel (Beacon Press) created with Marcus Rediker and Paul Buhle. He also illustrated “1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike”, (published in English, German and French editions). 1919 was co-winner of the 2020 CAWLS Book Prize. Lester’s poster of anti-war protester Malachi Ritscher was exhibited at The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. He is guitarist in the rock duo Mecca Normal, cited as an influence on the founders of the feminist social movement Riot Grrrl. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.

David Lester's profile page

Marcus Rediker is an historian of the sea working in the “history from below” tradition. A Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh, Rediker is known for his animated histories of early modern piracy, slavery, and plebeian rebellion.

Marcus Rediker's profile page

Retired former senior lecturer at Brown University, Paul Buhle is a sixty-plus year veteran of social movements. He is the publisher of one of the first “alternative” comics in 1969 titled Radical America Komics. He has produced a number of non-fiction comics, including Wobblies! A Graphic History. He lives in Providence.

Paul Buhle's profile page

“A concise, sharp tale of a multiethnic crew of disgruntled sailors who mutiny against miserable conditions and transform their ship into a kind of floating socialist republic with elected officers and equal shares of plunder.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A swashbuckling high-seas adventure—with plenty of surprises.”
—Booklist

“A story which will have you yearning for freedom and rum like the hackneyed stereotypes of Jack Sparrow never could.”
—Freedom News (UK)

“Breaks new ground in our understanding of piracy and pirate culture, giving us more reasons to love the rebellious and stouthearted marauders of the high seas.”
—BoingBoing

“An engaging read.”
—Vancouver Sun

“...a real page-turner filled with sea battles, rescues, secret passion and unavoidable tragedy... all based in fact and Rediker’s historical research...Look out for this book: it’s a hidden treasure.”
—Toronto Star

“A fascinating history and a sociopolitical explication of the reasons sailors became pirates and how they organized themselves once the brigandry had begun.”
—CounterPunch