Story of the first African American fighter pilot against some gorgeous vintage tone art. Well worth read.

Now Let Me Fly is a deeply powerful graphic biography about the first African-American fighter pilot, Eugene Bullard. Born in Columbus (GA) under the oppression of Jim Crow laws, Bullard dreamt of Europe, especially France, where he heard black people are free, safe and treated as fellow human beings. The eve of World War 1, he realized his dream, and discovered Parisian life, before joining the fight in 1914 to defend France.

The artwork is incredible and the story is really interesting. I was fascinated by that forgotten page of history. Even if the graphic novel depicts a dark page of history, it is easy to read and the narrative is perfect. Eugene Bullard had an inspiring life, never letting go of his dreams : from a ride with the gypsies where he learned to ride horses, to England where he mastered boxing, up to France where he served with the 170th Moroccan Division at Verdun and after being wounded, joined the Lafayette Escadrille and became the first African American fighter pilot.

A wonderfully illustrated graphic novel that manages to be heartfelt, well-paced, and emotive. This was a real winner for me.

This is an excellent graphic novel that provides readers with some forgotten history. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Eugene Bullard's story and his service as a soldier. I know that my students will be drawn into this story immediately and even the most hesitant readers will be intrigued. I would love to see a sequel to this book.

A sterling example of graphic biography, one that highlights all the strengths of the form (and the immeasurable talents of Ronald Wimberly) while also expanding the boundaries of what the form can do. I learned about the life and travels of Eugene Bullard, but also about the global scale on which he moved, and how he navigated and defied the limits placed on him by an unfair society. A moving character study and an incisive piece of history writing.

Thank you First Second and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this amazing book. Not often you get to “meet” a war hero who had such an interesting, eventful life. I felt like I was “hearing” the story directly from Mr. Bullard. Great art and wonderful writing complete the storytelling experience. Highly recommend!

A beautiful graphic memoir about the first black fighter pilot, Eugene Bullard! The artwork is gorgeous, fluid, and lively and the story is wonderfully told. Wimberly's attention to detail and emotion will keep you on the edge of your seat while reading. I learned so much from reading this! This will be a great teaching aid for high school as well as college students.

I can't wait to add this to my library's collection!

I really enjoyed this insight into the story of America's first black fighter pilot. There was much to learn about bravery and what makes a place home. The illustrations were a wonderful compliment to the narrative, oftentimes progressing the story on their own. The characters felt alive. It made me want to learn more about this part of history.

This has clean lines and excellent use of the brown and black lines. It's a great way to tell the life of Eugene Bullard. Wimberley has a striking and captivity art style and the 2 page splash layouts were creatively used in the war scenes.

A beautiful and brutal look into the life of Eugene Bullard, one of the first African American military pilots. This stand alone graphic biography covers a portion of Bullard's life from childhood to his career as a pilot. Growing up under the oppressive Jim Crow laws, Eugene runs away at the age of 13 and joins a gypsy crew. He moves on to England where he makes a living by boxing and racing horses. After landing in Paris, France, Eugene joins France's army to help defend it during WWI. This story follows his life during the war, but the rest is left for another time.

A well done peek into Bullard's life and some of the amazing contributions he made during the war. The book teases at even more accomplishments after Bullard's military career. Maybe a part two?

This was a moving and powerful portrait of courage and determination. I loved hearing the story from his childhood to adulthood and wish there had been even more about his post-war life.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free graphic novel*

Eugene Bullard was one of the first American Black military pilots and this graphic novel traces his story from child to pilot. Through a framing device, Bullard works as an elevator operator later in his life, we see how a remarkable man is mostly forgotten. I would have loved to see more of Bullard's life as the ending of the graphic novel teasers at his even more interesting work saving people from White supremacy, but overall this was pretty cool. I'm not really interested in military stuff, but the graphic novel was well drawn and easy to consume.

4 stars

*Thanks to First Second for giving me the ARC of this graphic novel in exchange of a honest review*

Part of Eugene Bullard's biography turn graphic novel. I found it incredibly well told resuming his life experiences up until WWI and telling the reader there's more to come in the years following.

Brahm Revel's artwork is dynamic and limits the coloring to one tone, which isn't so bad for a +300 pages graphic novel. If it had full color i bet it'd be in production still.

Great book.

Now Let Me Fly is a graphic novel biography of Eugene Bullard that covers only part of his life. Bullard grew up in Columbus (GA) under the oppression of Jim Crow laws and white oppression. At 13, he ran away and joined the gypsies where he learned to ride horses. He then made his way to England where he survived by boxing and racing. But he found his favorite city in Paris, France. And when war broke out, he joined France's army to defend it. He served with the 170th Moroccan Division at Verdun and other battles. After being wounded, he joined the Lafayette Escadrille and became the first African American fighter pilot! What he did after World War I is another story still waiting to be told.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title.

This story was amazing, heart breaking at parts. This type of stories should be taught in schools. Great addition for a public library or school library. The artwork was beautiful.

This title, based on a true story/biography, was well presented. The story is bigger-than-life, but humbly told. However, information about what audience this book is intended for might be a good idea. In many ways this would be an excellent title for children, but the somewhat frequent use of swear words, the "n" word and variants, and a lynching (in a dream) might be too much for children and likely moves this into the realm of older grade levels or adults.

An AMAZING story of a black service members journeys and triumphs in life. Little known history is presented to readers in a highly palpable manner. A great and educational read!

This is a story that everyone needs to hear. Too many influential and historically impactful black Americans and black people in general have their stories forgotten. This story gripped me and I largely think that it may be because it’s in a graphic novel form. Beautiful story and now I need to know more. This book alone prompted me to go do my own research because this book is so well done.