Humble Punch & Pie, by Michael Davis – Straight No Chaser #318 | @MDWorld
July 26, 2013 Michael Davis 8 Comments
Me, humble?
GETHEFUCKOUTOFHERE!
I’ve been called a lot of things, but humble is not one of them. I’m loud and arrogant to those who don’t like the way I operate.
I’m brilliant and an innovator to those that do.
I’m an uppity nigger to racist assholes on the far right.
I’m a mentor and a teacher to some of the biggest names in the comics industry.
I’m a lucky bastard and a con man to those who refuse to believe it’s my intelligence, talent, and business savvy that allows me to roll like I do.
I’ve been called all of the above and more. Humble? No one has ever called me that until now.
Who says I’m humble?
I do.
When I met Congressman John Lewis at Comic Con I was so humbled in his presence that for the second time at the convention I broke down and cried like a little girl.
From his bio:
Often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls “The Beloved Community” in America. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress.
That’s from his official Bio. But to me and to millions of other Black people in this country I’d sum him up this way: John Lewis is quite literally one of the reasons I’m allow the freedoms that I have today.
The GOP is trying to take away those freedoms, but that’s something John Lewis will never allow to happen.
Comic Con 2013 was one of the greatest moments in my life, and that was before I met Mr. Lewis. If not for that meeting, this article would be all about just how wonderful this convention was to me.
I’m not kidding when I say SDCC 2013 was ONE OF THE GREATEST TIMES OF MY LIFE.
It was indeed a dream come true.
However, if not for the effort of John Lewis and his fellow freedom fighters, I would not have been allowed to even have that dream.
I stood humbled in the presence of true greatness and I’m a better man for it.
Martha Thomases
July 26, 2013 - 5:10 am
It was my honor to meet John Lewis at BEA. He was signing at the Top Shelf booth, and I had a total fangirl moment, standing in the aisle and gasping. There was no one in line to see him, so I got to geek out to him directly.
What a privilege. And the book looks amazing.
Neil C.
July 26, 2013 - 6:20 am
You da MOTU! 🙂 Your John Lewis story reminds me an incident at work: one of our writers accidently typoed “Martian Luther King” in a story, so one of our black copy editors decided to have fun with him. He went up to the writer and did his Eddie Murphy-Mr. Robinson voice and went “Yo man, that’s not cool,” and the writer was nervous while other editors tried to stop from laughing. He concluded with “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t even be able to work with you!” And as the shaken writer left the room, another writer said “No, (name deleted), don’t chase after him!” although the editor was still at his desk. The writer spent about the next six months apologizing, though the editor was just kidding.
Russ Rogers
July 26, 2013 - 9:12 am
John Lewis is a great man. He’s a great Congressman. And I’m looking forward to the release of “March: Book One,” his first Graphic Novel! After all, that’s why he was at ComicCon! Were you able to pick up a copy, MOTU? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1603093001/comi0a-20/
Motu
July 26, 2013 - 12:45 pm
I was given a hard cover copy..,SIGNED!!!! How Freaking Cool Is THAT??
Whitney
July 26, 2013 - 2:38 pm
Wow…WOW!
Jerry Brice
July 26, 2013 - 7:28 pm
Who would have guessed one of our greatest Civil Rights leaders and senior congressman was such a fan of comic books, and cartoon artist?LOL..
I saw him at a distance from the corner of my eye in the convention center lobby while talking to political cartoonist David Brown, and I just broke and ran full speed over to him, probably scaring the people he was walking with, but even with such an awkward approach by me, he was very affable and engaging to talk to.
He came off to me to be a big time fan of what we do, gave me his book, and later that day, I was able to hit him with one of my fliers, that he really seemed to be interested in.
I agree with you Michael, outside of seeing and hanging with you and the Milestone crew, meeting Congressman Lewis and talking cartoons with him was a rare honor, not to be forgotten…I mean, this man shed blood in the fight for our freedom, and Civil Rights, and I had to let him know, that his blood will not have been shed in vain.
I look forward to meeting him again, and his comic is really well done!
Tony Puryear
July 26, 2013 - 10:22 pm
He is an American hero. And there I was, buying his graphic novel, and I asked him to pose with me, and he graciously agreed, and… IPhone freeze! The dreaded black screen of death! I’ve heard tell Michael Davis carries TWO phones for just such occurrences. Damn, damn, damn!
Reg
July 27, 2013 - 9:18 am
TRUTH – – > He is an American Hero.