With March: Book Three, the final, searing installment of Congressman John Lewis’s graphic novel memoir, the series cements its place as a monumental achievement in American letters. This is not just the conclusion to a story; it is a work of staggering force and historical gravity, a testament to the staggering cost of progress and the resilience of the human spirit. The collaboration between Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell reaches its awe-inspiring zenith, delivering a book that is as profoundly necessary as it is deeply moving.
This volume guides the reader through the crucible. It opens in the devastating aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and marches unflinchingly through the perils of Freedom Summer in Mississippi, laying bare the immense risks and internal fractures of a movement pushed to its limits. The narrative builds with the inexorable tension of a great drama towards its climax on the bloody road from Selma to Montgomery. Lewis, a central figure on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, places us directly in the path of the billy clubs and tear gas, forcing us to bear witness to the televised brutality that would finally galvanize a nation.
Nate Powell’s virtuosic artwork transcends illustration to become a pure, visceral language of its own. His panels are a storm of feverish, expressive ink, capturing the chaos of mob violence, the quiet weight of grief, and the iconic power of a people marching for their own soul. He renders not just what happened, but what it felt like—the fear, the exhaustion, the fractured hope, and the defiant dignity. It is a haunting, masterful performance that confirms his status as one of the form’s most vital artists.
