Harlem, the Graphic Novel

It was a vice, but the numbers game run by notorious crime boss Stephanie “Queenie” St. Clair was on the level. She also argued that it was homegrown and the proceeds were re-invested back into the neighborhood. St. Clair probably offered a better return than future state lotteries. Regardless, the numbers game and her quasi-legal policy banking were the only businesses she wanted to be in. However, the outside gangs that moved in on her territory also had narcotics-trade ambitions as well. St. Clair fights for her territory, because it is her neighborhood in artist-author Mikael’s Harlem, which is now on-sale for last minute Christmas shoppers.

Getting shot at by two-bit hoods and then having the crooked cops arrest her instead was all in a night’s work for Madame St. Clair. It happens again in the opening pages, but this time it is witnessed by Robert Bishop, a naïve liberal cub newspaper reporter. He hopes to tell her story, because he is impressed by St. Clair’s community spirit and her public criticism of police corruption. He also thinks he has an “in,” since he is one of her friend Tillie Douglas’s many white lovers (indeed, he is probably the one she really digs, since he has no money). Instead, St. Clair hires Bishop to copy-edit her new column for the Amsterdam News, to make it sound properly polished for influential readers.

Unfortunately, a turf-battle is brewing. Dutch Schultz wants to take over Harlem. He figures a show of force will intimidate St. Clair, but he gravely underestimates her. Instead, her chief lieutenant (and eventual successor) Bumpy Johnson prepares for war. Lucky Luciano and the Italian mafia have no love for Schultz, but they also have their eyes on Harlem. Yet, they further recognize the prospect of raging gunfire on the streets of Harlem would be bad for everyone’s business.

Mikael presents an incredibly atmospheric vision of 1930s New York. Although there are few explicit references to jazz, jazz musicians often appear in the background. He also explores Tammany Hall’s grotesque corruption, which St. Clair helped expose. Clearly, Mikael’s narrative reflects thorough research of the era, while his elegant art visually recreates the grandeur of vintage Harlem architecture and fashion. Indeed, the vibe of his illustrations appropriately harken back to the sophisticated style of the 1920s and 1930s.

This is also a morally complex tale. Trying to do the right thing often leads to perversely disastrous results. While Mikael always sympathizes with St. Clair, he builds her into a tragically heroic figure, whose hubris inevitably contributes to her downfall. That’s the stuff of high drama.

Mikael’s Harlem is a vivid reminder of the lawlessness of New York, pre-La Guardia and pre-Thomas Dewey. It is also richly stylish. Recommended for anyone who appreciates the Harlem Renaissance and a good gangster story, Harlem is now on-sale where books and comics are sold.