Robert Edwards Is on a Mission to Make Sure You Know Robert Smalls’ Name

Robert Smalls was a real-life legend — an enslaved man who stole a Confederate ship, navigated it past enemy lines, and delivered freedom to himself, his family, and his crewmates. But his heroism didn’t end there. He went on to become a congressman, a fierce advocate for public education, and one of the most inspiring figures of the Reconstruction era. So why don’t more people know his name?

We had the opportunity to talk with author and screenwriter Robert Edwards about Defiant, the powerful new graphic novel that tells Smalls’ story like never before. From bold storytelling choices to the importance of generational legacy, Edwards shares why this project feels personal — and why now is the time to finally give Robert Smalls the spotlight he’s always deserved.

In Defiant, you tell the astonishing story of Robert Smalls — a daring heist, a Confederate ship, and an enslaved man’s journey to freedom under the threat of capture and death. Why do you think his story has remained relatively unknown despite its historical significance?

It’s a great question. Why isn’t this amazing, heroic, and inspirational story told in every high school in America today? I’d like to think it’s unintentional, but there are too many efforts to burn books on the subject of slavery to ignore. The good news is that we get to right this wrong — and we get to see the looks on people’s faces when they hear this story for the first time. We know we’re up against a history of silence, so we’re telling the story in as accessible a way as possible: we’ve divided the graphic novel into smaller bite-sized comic books that are easy to share. And I wrote each one to draw the reader into the next issue. Hopefully, it will open a door for people to explore some of the other inspirational stories from the Reconstruction era.

You begin the book with Smalls as an old man sharing the story of his escape with his grandson. Why did you start there? How important is it for Smalls’ accomplishments to be passed down through generations?

I’m glad you caught that. I’m doing three things there. One is to nudge people to share the story. Two is to let parents know that this is a story that a grandparent can share with a grandchild. It’s one of few stories that can be told without the triggering violence and cruelty you usually see in this genre. And three, it’s an homage to the great tradition of verbal storytelling in the black community. Robert was not able to read until his mid-20s, but he was such a great speaker that P.T. Barnum had him give speeches to standing-room-only crowds. As a spoiler, I’m planning to end the three volumes with a verbal passing of the torch from Robert’s grandson to his own grandson and on and on to the present day.

Defiant also details Small’s early life. How did his years as an enslaved child and as an entrepreneurial young adult trying to buy his own freedom set his trajectory?  

Robert’s childhood was unique in that he grew up in the backyard of the McKee family who owned him. From my research, he wasn’t a field slave or a house slave. Henry McKee, one of the richest men in South Carolina, took an almost parental interest in him — but he was still his slave. My guess is that Robert felt that his own possibilities were as limitless as Mr. McKee’s if he could just be free. It’s the most American story you could ever tell. What’s more “rags to riches” than a man born into slavery who ends up buying the mansion of the rich man who enslaved him?   

This graphic novel focuses on Smalls’ harrowing escape to freedom, but his life after the Civil War was just as remarkable — he went on to become a US congressman and spent his career advocating for public education in the South. How did these later achievements shape your approach to telling the first part of his story? 

Whenever I look at stories about people who are larger than life, I always ask myself a simple question: What drove them? The more I dug into the research, the more I realized that Captain Smalls was concerned that his wife’s owner would sell his son and destroy his family. He wanted to make a better world for his family and for others, so he advocated for public education because he was not allowed to read and knew how important that was. He published newspapers so people could take out classified ads and reunite with family members who had been sold off during slavery. He started a railroad to get around the discriminatory practices that made it hard for former slaves to support their families. It’s a shame that, after all this, you don’t see books about him wallpapering the public schools that he helped to create. Hopefully, this book will help change that.

You have written for television and film, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Princess and the Frog. What inspired you to turn to Smalls’ story? 

On The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, I loved helping introduce America to an affluent black family. In The Princess and the Frog, I helped create the first black Disney princess, and in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, I relished the chance to bring honor and dignity to a new Marvel hero. So, when Legion M introduced me to this project, my first thought was, “I’m your guy!” This is the kind of story I feel like I was born to tell and, frankly, I’m not sure if I could have told it as well before this moment. Captain Smalls is a real-life superhero and we’re telling his story in a way that I think he would be proud of. I only hope that it is as endearing and enduring as the other Princes, Princesses, and Captains. 

This project is being developed in partnership with the fan-owned entertainment company Legion M. How has the involvement of a crowd-sourced community influenced your creative process? Does writing for such an engaged audience feel different from your previous projects?  

What’s great about Legion M is that everything is by fans, for fans. Their members have been involved and engaged every step of the way. In fact, the entire Defiant project started when one of their members shared a meme with the rest of the community. Their members have been in full force at every Comic-Con and book signing, and I’ve gotten to know some of them quite well. At Disney, you work for years before the fans know what you’re doing. At Legion M they’re rooting you on every step of the way. It’s amazing.