Kyle Baker’s <em>Nat Turner</em>

As a kid Kyle Baker was obsessed with comic books and built a career in kids’ animation working on shows like Loony Toons and Rugrats. Baker’s new book, “Nat Turner,” is the furthest thing from kid stuff. It’s a graphic retelling of the violent 1831 slave rebellion in Virginia. Drawn in black and white and shades of grey, Baker depicts the historic revolt with a vivid, pulpy intensity. Baker tells Kurt Andersen how he ended up telling this story.