Incognegro Cover

When Jon Vankin and Karen Berger at Vertigo were planning the cover for Incognegro, they decided that a photo of an undercover mulatto done in an early 20th century style would go a long way to convey the idea of the book. The thing is, while these mixed race African Americans are ever present in black literature, actual high yellow negroes who can "pass" for white are rather rare. Conveniently, I am one of them. So they asked me to model for the cover. I was a bit apprehensive — I don't like putting my persona in front of my work — but it seemed like the right way for this project should go. So I agreed.

One day last April, I got out of the shower and shaved off the light beard I've worn in one form or another for almost 20 years, reducing my facial hair down to a cheesy, 1930s style mustache. The results were rather dramatic. When I came out of the bathroom, my 18 month old daughter immediately broke into tears, wondering who this drifter was walking through her house.

My little girl wasn't the only one. My own mother's response to the photo was, "That's nice, but why didn't they just use you as the model?"

My thanks to the charming Stephen John Phillips, who created the above picture. I always loved Vertigo's photo-surrealistic covers when I was reading Sandman and Sandman Mystery Theater. To actually have my own image in a Vertigo cover is an honor I never anticipated.

How to Pitch a Graphic Novel: The Incognegro Story

Vertigo Comics, the mature audience house at DC Comics, will be publishing my creator-owned original graphic novel in February 2008. In response to those who have asked how the hell something like that happens, I offer the following.

Growing up as mulatto pups, my cousin Ben and I used to joke about those other mixed breeds who would pretend to be white or, as we named it, went incognegro. Apparently (I just found this out), Ludacris had an album of the same title, but for the record I was using this word long before that, and budding etymologists may search for an article on “passing” I did for Time Out-New York that I’m pretty sure pre-dates the rapper’s usage. And I doubt I was the first to use the word (nor my cousin Ben).

Anyway, as an appropriately poor selling mid-list author, I often joke that all I would have to do to have a bestseller would be to write a commercial suspense book called Incognegro. Given the press’s desire to make the personal history of the artist and art the same thing, it was sure to be a hit. But it would have been a shitty, cynical book, so I wasn’t interested.

Fast forward. I started doing work with Vertigo, specifically on a Hellblazer mini-series that was a bit of fun. After that, I started looking at the idea of doing more. The graphic novels gave me the opportunity to write exciting, plot-driven pieces while not betraying the type of poetic, character-driven prose I enjoy. Many literary writers have written scripts for movies (really, really shitty movies too), the only difference here was that my script would be drawn instead of shot.

Sure, there would be those who’s pretensions would lead them to condemn me for doing any form of commercial work, but I wanted to do it anyway. If anything, doing genre-influenced scripts on the graphic side has inspired me to push the creative boundaries of prose further to the edge. Today, I have no expectation of money or readership for my novels at this point. Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. It means I get tell the truth, and not have to worry if anybody wants to hear it. (I say this now, but if I don’t get a million dollars and readers for my next novel, Pym, somebody’s getting shot.)

So I gave Vertigo this pitch. It’s short, but based on just these words, I sold them the idea and movie rights. I wrote the whole thing while living in Philly for the summer, and now it’s being drawn by Warren Pleece. I’m looking forward to seeing it, and I hope to put some sample images here over the next few months.

The Incognegro Pitch