Malcolm X in Comics?

Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography, written by Andrew Helfer and Randy DuBurke, begins with a panel that copies Malcolm x's iconic picture holding a rifle. The original picture was published by Ebony, an African-American audience magazine, and it has been an icon of Malcolm X's defiance: he was prepared to defend himself "by any means necessary". When the graphic novel depicted this scene I immediately juxtaposed it in my mind with the original picture because I had seen it before. First, I thought that the picture was more clear than the comic and then I wondered why the author and illustrator of the comic copied the image.

I was unable to enjoy Malcolm X and I didn't know why. First I thought that it could be because I had seen movies about him, learn about him in class, and because I had rarely read biographical comics. I had read Art Spiegelman's Maus, yet this is a very unusual take on comics that is unforgettable to me. But my real problem with Malcolm X  was not that I felt like I had seen it all before in more illustrative, explanatory and soothing ways. It was that the comic took me panel to panel in a fast paced rhythm through the history of slavery on to Malcolm X's life without any panel striking to me. Not even the first, huge panel, that had Malcolm X holding a rifle, sticked in my mind. Ultimately, the panels were forgettable to me. They were facts posed in a linear order, but with no connection from one to the other.

The other comics I had read were about superheroes and I liked them much more than Malcolm X. To me, Watchmen brought Alan Moore's decayed view on the Cold War through the downfall of costumed heroes and vigilantes, while Sin City told Frank Miller's over the top neo-noir violent perversions, but to me Helfer's Malcolm X simply illustrated comics about important moments in Malcolm x's life. Thinking back on the panel where Malcolm X is holding his rifle, I see this is what strikes me from the graphic novel and the man's life: Malcolm X's conviction and defiance. And this is Helfer's intention, but for me it is easier to remember the actual Ebony picture than the panel.