Book Review: "Incognegro"

Incognegro (2008, Vertigo), written by Mat Johnson with art by Warren Pleece, transports the reader to a world of segregation, unabashed racism, and lynchings -- where the color of your skin often foretold the comfort of the life you would lead. Enter Zane Pinchback an African-American man blessed (or cursed) with the appearance of a Caucasian-American. He uses his ability to blend into white society as a means of chronicling the horrific lynchings of Blacks as the journalist "Incognegro." It's a dangerous proposition for Zane, as if he is found out as being Black he'll be the one lynched.

In the beginning of the graphic novel the peril of continuing his work as Incognegro gets to Zane, causing him to reconsider his assignments. He gets pulled back into one last romp in the south to save the life of his falsely accused -- and soon to be lynched -- brother. Zane holds the philosophy that "Whites see what they want to see." Zane uses this to his advantage by successfully posing as a white reporter during lynchings. However, for Zane's brothers the results of this philosophy is that he's accused of murdering a white woman just because he was caught at the seen of the crime crying over the loss. But to white America at that time and place, they saw him lamenting the heinous crime he committed and being a stupid negro all Blacks are to them, he's too dumb to run away.

Besides the obvious expose on race relations, Incognegro makes the claim that America is a white man's world. Those that attempt to make a step up in society have to give something of themselves up -- their identity. This is the assimilation all minorities have to face: losing a part of themselves to fit in the heterosexual, Christian white male America that is the prominent demographic in this country. We do not live in the melting pot of acceptance and tolerance that American propaganda and ideology portrays to the rest of the world.

The artwork is realistic, making it easy to determine intent and emotion throughout the story. It goes well with the heinous subject matter and so-real-it's-surreal plot of the tale. This is a time period that America wants to cover up, to make disappear instead of owning up to it. In doing so we continue to media lynch those that do not fit in the vision of the white man's America. Though this is a fictional story, the real-life person Walter White did the same sort of dangerous work as Zane. I recommend biographies of Walter White as further reading.

Reviewed by A. Jarrell Hayes