Indiana author, cartoonist mixes parenting, political discourse, pop culture

For Nate Powell, the story begins, quite literally, on the morning after the 2016 election. The night before, he had told his then 4-year-old daughter that Donald Trump would never win the U.S. presidency, only to wake up to that very reality.

Powell didn't know it at the time, but this moment would later serve as the impetus to his latest release, "Save it for Later," an illustrated memoir combining political think pieces with his personal experiences as a child and later as a parent raising children.

Powell is an award-winning graphic novelist who, with his wife and two children, has resided in Bloomington for more than a decade. Powell's most acclaimed work, the "March" trilogy, follows the life of John Lewis, a leading figure in the civil rights movement who later became a U.S. congressman. The third book in the series won the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, becoming the first graphic novel to do so.

'March':Civil rights pioneer John Lewis continues to tell important stories

Around that same year, Powell began reading the "March" series with his young daughter. While she learned about the civil rights movement of the past, Powell found himself noticing similar ideas and iconography rising in the present day.

"I'm very much a ‘personal is political’ kind of person," Powell said. "A lot of the impetus for doing 'Save It For Later' was simply to work through some of these memories and experiences before I lost them."

Powell said he originally began writing the comics as a form of therapy and later found himself entangled in the ever-prevalent debate of how much children should know about or be involved in political discourse.

"As my family and I were adjusting (and) becoming civically engaged as a family unit, I recognized the limitations, like what considerations you should have for space, for safety, for appropriateness, (and) recognize that you as the parent can just straight up be wrong and should be ready to acknowledge that you're wrong," Powell said.

In a graphic novel that switches back and forth from autobiographical chapters to nonfiction essays, Powell's "Save It for Later" illustrates what it's like to be a parent during the Trump presidency, navigating the complications that arise from teaching one's children how to use their voices in an increasingly polarized world.

"'Save It for Later' is not a series of radical ideas, and it's not even particularly partisan. It's essentially the fact that we have and have had tools at our disposal to be able to apply the kinds of pressure we need to protect each other and maintain the fundamental structures of democracy. But if we lose those fundamental structures, we will not get them back," Powell said.

From confederate flags to Punisher skulls, a cartoonist's insight into casual extremism in Indiana

Self-described as "a G.I. Joe kid in a military family," Powell grew up in Arkansas in the 1980s, an era "saturated in this glorified, militarized America myth." His illustrated essay, "About Face," is first set in this era, addressing the questions Powell asked his own father about the military's haircut and dress requirements. Later in the comic, Powell pairs this memory with a modern day analysis of how other military aesthetics, such as the Punisher symbol, would eventually be co-opted by white supremacists.

"It's examining the dangerous normalization of fascist and paramilitary aesthetic through consumer goods," Powell described.

The essay was published on Popula in 2019, where it would eventually garner hundreds of thousands of views. Powell estimates it's his most viewed piece to date. It is included as part of six other comic essays in "Save It for Later."

Powell said he originally envisioned "Save It for Later" as two different projects: one of objective political essays and another of autobiographical material. But, within the first few months of writing, he realized he was writing about the same things, just from different angles.

"There wasn't an inciting incident that drew me to (this project). It was simply a deeper need to get some of these things down. Then along the way, I realized I had had some questions — like some of these questions I'd had since childhood — that remained unanswered. And those questions don't go away," Powell said.

He credited superhero comics of the 1980s and '90s for forming much of his own social consciousness at a young age.

"Especially growing up as a kid in pre-internet Arkansas, it was the X-Men that sort of gave me a lens to view the world around me in new ways and especially to understand different dimensions of racism, sexism, homophobia, nationalism, xenophobia — all this messed up stuff that I saw around me. I was able to kind of apply it to the world around me,” Powell said.

More:Graphic novelist's work evolved as he grew as a parent, artist

While many people may only associate political cartoons with the few panels featured in a daily newspaper, Powell emphasized the role comics can have in expressing political thought.

"I realized that using the unique strengths of comics as a visual medium, I had the ability to kind of explain a lot of observations I've made in terms of shifts in symbols, iconography, how that relates to pop culture, and how pop culture and consumer culture relate to these political shifts," Powell said.

While writing the novel, Powell made note of the iconography that was rising right here in Indiana — confederate flags, Spartan war helmets and assault rifles — that have been reportedly linked to white supremacy ideals.

"It's strange how it becomes this bubbling swamp of interbred symbols of authoritarianism and fascism. But they almost become memes unto themselves. If somebody with a profit motive can redesign and print new bumper stickers or new T-shirts, people are going to adopt those and fold those into popular culture," Powell said.

'Save It for Later': What's in a name?

According to Powell, "Save It For Later," has two meanings.

"The main two meanings of 'Save It for Later' are the dichotomy between literally showing up and being involved to save 'it,' meaning everything — saving democracy, saving a functional society, literally for later saving what we have for future generations, or it will be destroyed," Powell said. "The opposite meaning, which is also related, is sort of combatting the sense of casualness, the sense of sort of inevitability of social progress, which allows us to be like 'Well, I'll get around to later. I'll save that social cause for later. I'm sure I'll get back to it.'"

Powell said the book tackles parental hubris that minimizes a child's sense of awareness.

"A lot of parenthood is also recognizing when it's your turn to shut up and listen at a certain point, and recognizing that at a pretty young age, kids are definitely observing what's happening in the world around them. They're full of questions. It's a matter of whether or not parents are ready to hear those questions when they're asked and have a way to actually respond that's appropriate, helpful and constructive."

Powell describes the book as a general call to action, using tools such as protesting to wield a collective group's influence in the United States.

"It's not binary, where either you're a super activist or you're totally disengaged with politics and society. A lot of it is just recognizing that there's value in showing up. Other people are going to be covering for times where you can't show up, so it's your duty to show up for other people who can't," Powell said. "Just recognize that we have the tools we need to preserve democracy, but that window is closing. So showing up is the main takeaway from the book.”

Nate Powell's 'Save It for Later' signing at Morgenstern's Wednesday

The paperback edition of "Save It for Later," with expanded material, will be released this Tuesday. Attendees can listen to Powell talk more about "Save It for Later" at an upcoming book signing at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at Morgenstern Books, 849 S. Auto Mall Road.

Contact Rachel Smith at rksmith@heraldt.com or @RachelSmithNews on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Nate Powell talks protests, parenthood in new comic essay collection