Nick

My son killed my wife, so I never cared about being his father. I couldn't remember the last time such a small physical act like a hug, or even a tender touch on the boy's shoulder, came naturally or willfully. This basic skillset existed in other parents. I know because I've studied them at kindergarten drop off and pick up, but my own gestures with Savion felt forced like a skill that never properly developed. Even though my son never knew his mother, Imani, they somehow shared mannerisms like the way they each bite their lower lip when nervous, or how they always let a laugh linger longer than what seemed appropriate for the situation. In those moments, I’d be reminded of the life Savion stole and refuse to look at the boy. These states of emotional distance were selfish and unfair. I knew that, but it was so much easier to play a drunk hotel manager than a sober father. Please don’t think I was neglectful. I created daily routines and healed illnesses with chicken noodle soup. Savion never complained. I wasn’t happy but had learned a jaded version of contentment. For the longest time, I thought that nothing would ever change our relationship. Then, one night while putting Savion to bed, a simple inquiry forced me to reconsider our dynamic. It wasn’t so much the question’s context, rather Savion's intonation which did a poor job of masking a hurt I knew all too well. 

"Dad, how come there are no black superheroes?"

While a sense of urgency was emphasized on the word black, the way in which Savion said dad made me frown. The five-year old’s eyes pleaded for an answer. He looked winded as though it took great strength to utter the words. I had a rare urge to hold the child, but instead my arms lay dormant on the bed's edge. After a shared awkward silence, Savion rolled over while hugging a stuffed armadillo. I tried to think of an answer but there was no point. It wasn’t about comics. Something had happened at school. That’s when I remembered the newly purchased bottle of bourbon waiting in the kitchen. 

I thought about switching the lights off without acknowledging the question. No. I had to say something. I could choose to act differently. This one time, I'd offer more than a mundane response. I started conjuring images of men in costumes adorned with iconic chest logos. As my mind imagined various characters fighting villainous foes it occurred to me that while there were probably black superheroes the ones in the consciousness of 2005’s popular culture were white. 

"What’s this all about anyway?" I asked. 

Savion said nothing. 

"I don't read comic books, or graphic novels, or whatever they're called. I haven't even seen the new Batman movie with that Batmobile that looks like a tank yet. I don't know what to tell you. I'm sure there are some. Unfortunately, they're not well known."

Savion raised the armadillo to create a wall, perhaps pretending it held a resolution. 

I tapped the bedpost for a while before standing. "This is a waste of time. I can tell you're upset. This is clearly not about superheroes."

"Black superheroes."

"Okay, black superheroes. So, are you going to tell me what's really going on?"

"Forget it."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"I bet I could if you try. I’m ready to listen. Like always you shut down and-"

"I wish mommy was here."

"Well, she's not. She's dead."

END SAMPLE

THE ACT OF STORY STATEMENT

The book’s heart is the rekindling relationship of a white father (Ian) and his biracial son (Savion). After the loss of their wife/mother (Imani) shortly after childbirth, Ian blames Savion for her death. In the wake of grief, Ian keeps an emotional distance until he’s forced to confront Savion’s racial awakening. As a white man raising a bi-racial son, Ian must find ways to connect with Savion and teach the child how to navigate a world Ian doesn’t understand. Meanwhile, Savion lacks the vocabulary to understand microaggressions and feelings of isolation. With a father who’s attempts never quite resonate with his perception of the world, Savion will find other outlets to coupe with his changing identity. It is through comic books where Ian and Savion’s healing begins. 

THE ANTAGONIST PLOTS THE POINT

For both, Ian and Savion, their biggest obstacles are internal. They will each need to find spaces to share and be vulnerable. 

One of Ian’s external barriers is to overcome an addiction with alcohol. 

Savion has issues with a schoolteacher and popular classmate. 

The book has three aside narratives which are the creation of a Black superhero named Bison-Man. The stories evolve to confront the challenges Ian and Savion face in the real world. In the stories, the antagonists symbolize Savion’s understanding of race. 

In the first version of the comic, when Savion is five, Bison Man fights two evil henchmen trying to steal a magic potion. The antagonists are showcase Savion’s view of a traditional “bad guy.” Additionally, the henchmen mirror the Golden Age of Comics’ storylines.

It’s not until Savion is in high school that the father and son resurrect Bison-Man. In this version, Bison Man is fighting in a dystopic Washington DC. Bison-Man fights with a technologically advanced policeman named The Shackler. With a growing awareness of police brutality in the real world, and the politics of immigration, Ian and Savion’s newest version is a commentary on authority within their community. 

Just before leaving for college, Ian and Savion draft a final version of Bison-Man. After realizing that there are more complications beyond the police, their new comic depicts the crossroads of government and Black history. There is an organization called the Grand Eidolon which is responsible for the government’s history of suppressing Black people. This section is written in manuscript format. Ian and Savion see the injustices of Black people through a long and complicated history of various intersections on race, politics, and class. 

CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE

UNTIL IT’S FACED
SHELTERING WEIGHTLESSNESS
THE FORGOTTEN AND THE UNDONE

DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES

THE OTHER BLACK GIRL by Zakiya Dalila Harris
THE LAST WHITE MAN by Mohsin Hamid
IF I SURVIVE YOU by Jonathan Escoffery

CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT

Hookline: A widowed white father and his bi-racial son create a black superhero to bond over race, grief, and identity.

OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS

Ian suffers from an addiction to alcohol throughout the entire novel. Drinking was a coping mechanism after the death of his wife. While there are moments of sobriety, Ian is consistently pulled back to the bottle. At the end of the novel, after dropping Savion off at school, Ian visits a bar that used to be his local hangout with Imani. Feeling abandoned once more, Ian is tempted to fall back into old patterns. Instead, Ian decides to start dating again.  

At prom, Savion accidently spills a beer on his longtime bully Connor. While Savion doesn’t want to fight, the growing crowd around adds more pressure to do so. In a drunken state, Connor continues to antagonize Savion. When someone pushes Savion into Connor, they start throwing punches. 

THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING

The novel is set mostly in a suburb outside of Washington DC. The private schools that Savion attends are predominantly white. Savion feels the difference of being the only student of color. Other backdrops for the novel include neighborhood houses, a city park, Howard University, the DC Waterfront, The National Museum of the Native American, a Black Lives Matter rally, The Women’s March on Washington, and New York City.

The comic narratives have three distinct settings. The first iteration of Bison-Man takes place in at traveling circus. A dystopic new Ward 9 serves as the setting in the second version. Here certain citizens are detained from the rest of the city. The final version sees Bison-Man fight in the famous Moorland-Springarn Research center at Howard University. There are many parallels to Ian, Savion, and Imani’s life in the final comic.