Thank you to RAE Comics for the gifted copy!
This review is spoiler-free!

Mansa Musa was deemed the world’s wealthiest man across history. A prominent Muslim and philanthropist, his wealth was never fully understood by historians, but for a better understanding, he traveled to make Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage) and spent 18 tons of gold through trade, generosity, or building mosques. In this graphic novel, however, it tells the story of Musa, but with a twist.

T.J. Sterling and his team at RAE Comics focus on publishing stories about underrepresented characters and changing narratives about lack, POC, and other diverse heroes. While this is not RAE Comic’s first release, it is so refreshing to see so many Black creatives working to put us in different mediums (see other interviews here!). Their Kickstarter was successfully funded, and you can still pledge for available rewards here!

Synopsis:

14th Century. The Kingdom of Mali. 

A young Musa Keita along with his brother Suleyman serve their uncle the great King AbuBakari. Musa as the sword of the Empire and Suleyman it’s noble tactician and statesman. Through war and strategy King AbuBakari has begun the work of uniting of all Alkebulan under one banner. 

But as a sinister force rises from the shadows, a new kind of evil threatens Alkebulan and its people: one of AbuBakari’s own making. For the proud and fierce Musa, his greatest challenge is yet to come.

Will he be able to thwart the machinations of the greedy and the powerful or will he fall to the pages of history?

[Taken from Musa: Lion of Mali’s Kickstarter]

To start with the art, the linework and colors are absolutely stunning. You can see the love and time poured into this graphic novel. Each battle was felt through the page. The intricate architectural interior and exterior design of the buildings and marketplace was absolutely spot on. Showing the movement and community of the market was something I loved seeing. The only thing I’ve come close to experiencing that in real life are bazaars during Eid and random festivals at local mosques.

The scenes showcasing their magic felt almost tangible to me. Musa’s shock at his own power has me excited for how he grows into it all. There is a scene between Musa and another character namesWhite Aminata that really sets the tone for the rest of the graphic novel.

Each character is so fleshed out and thought through. I found myself forming different outcomes at every changing moment, and with every page, my opinion of them changed. While that sounds like any other well-written story, from beginning to end, I found myself growing more excited for the next page and now the next volume. By the end of this 120-page journey, I knew I was going to be following this story until the very end.

Musa already shown such growth in this volume. He was not the same person he appeared to be in the beginning. This story also inspired me to look into the real story of the great Mansa Musa. His story is so much more than his wealth! If you’d like to know more about this great leader, I implore you to look into him and the history and legacy of Mali.

Thank you again to T.J. Sterling and the RAE Comics team for this copy and for allowing us to review!