TOON books has announced a new addition to its TOON Graphics line: Black Heroes of the Wild West, by James Otis Smith.  This nonfiction book focuses on three Black Americans who lived in the West during the Reconstruction era: Stagecoach driver Mary Fields, known as "Stagecoach Mary;" lawman Bass Reeves, the first black deputy marshal west of the Mississippi; and Bob Lemmons, who was famed for his skill at catching wild mustangs.

Smith was the artist for Showtime at the Apollo, which was published by Abrams in 2019.  Black Heroes of the Wild West is his first solo graphic novel.  The book features an introduction by Kadir Nelson, winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations for Kwame Alexander’s The Undefeated.

TOON Graphics titles are designed for readers age 8 and above.

Black Heroes of the Wild West will be released in September 2020 as a hardcover with an MSRP of $16.95 and simultaneously as a paperback with an MSRP of $9.99.