Have you ever talked to someone so passionate about a project that you feel like you’re a part of that journey? That perfectly describes my feelings about “Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls” and the team behind this project. I wasn’t familiar with Smalls or his story until I started researching for my initial series of interviews in 2023.
Watch the original interview series here.
During SDCC ‘23, members of the creative team and I discussed Smalls’ story, the Kickstarter for the graphic novel, and the importance of authentically telling these true, American stories. Flash forward to 2025; the “Defiant” team returned to celebrate the successful June 19 release of the graphic novel with Stranger Comics. The initial print sold out at over 5000 copies. And, they shared a little about the feature film adaptation we couldn’t discuss in 2023, due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Michael B. Moore, great-great grandson of Robert Smalls and former Congressional candidate; Marvin Jones III, “Defiant” executive producer; and Rob Edwards, author of the graphic novel, shared their hopes and dreams for the next print run of the “Defiant” story, the process of adapting the graphic novel to a feature length film, and thoughts how how the project could continue by telling the stories of many other Black historical figures who came in and out of Smalls’ life. I also spoke with Chris Cooper, Legion M executive and producer on the “Defiant” film, about the importance of telling this story and the fan post that sparked the Legion M team to bring light to Smalls’ journey.
About Robert Smalls
“Defiant” will introduce Smalls and his story to many, as stories like this are often suppressed or omitted from history. Allow me to provide a little background on his life.
In 1862, Robert Smalls, who was born enslaved in South Carolina, became a hero during the Civil War. After the birth of his son, Smalls knew he had to work fast to keep his family together. His enslaver was struggling financially and would sell Smalls’ son if he knew about the recent birth.
Smalls commandeered the Confederate transport ship Planter, the vessel on which he worked, in Charleston Harbor. He disguised himself in a captain’s uniform and navigated past Confederate checkpoints with his family and other enslaved people onboard. Once they escaped Confederate territory, Smalls surrendered the vessel to Union forces. This act of heroism secured freedom for himself and his passengers.
Smalls went on to serve as the first Black naval captain in the Union, a South Carolina state legislator, and a five-term U.S. Congressman, who advocated for civil rights and public education during Reconstruction.
“My race needs no special defense, for the whole history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people, anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life,” Smalls said in 1895 when he served on panel writing the revised South Carolina Constitution. *
Smalls escaped oppression and challenged it by pursuing political power to build change for the next generation. Doesn’t this sound like a riveting graphic novel and the basis for a film highlighting Black resilience and legacy?
Creative Team Interviews
Michael B. Moore (“Defiant” Associate Producer and Great-great-grandson of Robert Smalls)
While discussing the success of the graphic novel, Moore shared what he hopes modern audiences will take away from this story. He said, “Allow yourself to dream big dreams and then don’t let anybody tell you anything otherwise. Just go for it.”
Marvin Jones III (“Defiant” Executive Producer)
While discussing the development of the feature length film, Jones provided insight on how they would ensure accuracy while translating from the graphic novel to the film. “When you have a graphic novel, you have to use your imagination to create the world. You’re seeing an image and a frontal view of the world, but you’re not seeing the entirety. With live action, we take the script and the graphic novel. The graphic novel serves as a storyboard to create the three dimensional world that you’ll see. And then, you got real people conveying the emotion, the intelligence, the passion. I think it’s just world building at that point….”
Chris Cooper (“Defiant” Associate Producer and Legion M Executive)
Cooper shared one of the reasons “Defiant” was a must-production project. “Our community (the Legion M community) actually brought this project to us and said you must produce this film. People love that we are a fan owned entertainment company. We said we are going to break down the doors of Hollywood and let ourselves in. This is the type of project we want to focus on.”
Rob Edwards (“Defiant” Writer and Graphic Novel Author)
When asked how he created the dialogue for the film from the narrative of the graphic novel, Edwards said, “Well it’s funny because every time you see these kinds of stories there’s a lot of ‘thees’ and ‘thous.’ There’s this really stiff talk. Then you go into some of the actual history and you find not everybody spoke like that. The Gentry did, but everybody didn’t. Can you tell the story in a way, in the dialogue specifically, that a kid could get what you’re saying? Can you give context to the lines? And can you say them in a way that is not quite modern colloquial, but somewhere between those two. My favorite line is ‘I stole me.’”
Order the graphic novel today. The second run of prints is now available. Visit www.defiantproject.com to order your copy of the graphic novel and to stay up to date on the pending feature film.
- *Source – Coastal Heritage Magazine: Trailblazers of the Reconstruction Era