Major Taylor

by Frederick Noland

Celebrating the history-making Black American who smashed world records and became a global cycling sensation!

Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor was one of the greatest American athletes of the early 20th century, setting records in regional bike races as a teen and winning his first world championship by the age of twenty. But Taylor was born in 1878 in Indianapolis and came of age during the height of the Jim Crow era, facing racism at every turn.

Cartoonist Frederick Noland is a cyclist himself and in this epic 400 page graphic biography of America's first Black world champion, he thrills in the records Taylor broke and the adoring public he found across North America, Europe, and Australia, all the while showing how the invention of the bicycle changed society. Yet Noland also documents how racism inflected Black life in the post Civil War era: cyclists would collude to injure Taylor, and he faced segregationist policies even in liberal cities such as San Francisco. And while Taylor found respite racing overseas, he soon found American-style racism exported internationally to sell tickets.

Noland pens a gorgeous, humane, graphic paean to Major Taylor, illustrating how the fastest man in America also had a deep well of integrity and fortitude not just to succeed, but to overcome the racist abuse he faced from fellow athletes and society at large. Major Taylor is a loving tribute to an exceptional American.

Genres: Comics

372 pages, Hardcover

Published September 8, 2026

Reviews

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major Taylor was a notable figure in sports at the turn of the 20th century. The bicycle as we know it today was becoming a popular racing vehicle and cyclists were international celebrities. Enter Marshall Taylor, a Black kid from Indiana. From his first race at age 13 in 1892, where he was dubbed Major by his mentor, he outshone all competitors, including adults. Various white entrepreneurs and cycling enthusiasts coached Taylor, who was easy to like and amenable to training hard, and he rose quickly in the ranks of American cyclists. It’s stunning to imagine how he was able to retain his legendary gentlemanly manners, perseverance and religious beliefs in the face of the sickening racism he encountered throughout the Jim Crow America he raced in. Other cyclists threatened him with violence and sometime colluded to injure him on the track; races were cancelled rather than allow a Black racer; he was denied entry at hotels and restaurants; at his victories, bands played the racist song Dixie instead of The Star Spangled Banner.

This is a well researched and absorbing sports biography that slyly exposes the deceptions of the so-called Progressive era. Noland does not stint on portraying the ugliness, so readers get to understand the full spectrum of Taylor’s experience, the good and the despicable. The artwork is exceptional at portraying personality in the many characters involved, and the use of black and white, limited palettes and full color illustration help to show flashbacks, historical details and moods quite effectively. There were many whites who treated him with respect, but there were just as many who demeaned him because of his race. Noland shows these people with considerable physical ugliness, allowing the reader to fully see behind the masks. It was fascinating to learn how much more equitable and respectful his reception was in Europe and Canada, and the author covers most if not all of his international travel, including intimate details like Taylor’s seasickness on the ships he took. It’s an intimate and loving portrait of “the fastest man alive,” and a study of an era in U.S. history which shows the best and worst of our country.

There’s an interesting short history of the bicycle’s evolution at the beginning; notes, sources and a bibliography at the end show that this book was deeply researched.

[Mamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to learn about Major Taylor, and it immediately stood out as a timely graphic biography of Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor, the groundbreaking Black American cycling champion whose remarkable racing career unfolded during the early 20th century. Frederick Noland combines Taylor’s sporting achievements with the social realities surrounding his career, including the racism and professional barriers he faced, while using visual storytelling to make the history accessible to a broad readership. The publisher describes the book as a graphic biography spanning Taylor’s records, international fame, and experiences with racism in the Jim Crow era. With 4.00 stars from 2 ratings and 1 review on Goodreads, the book is still at a very early stage of reader engagement, creating considerable room to establish its Goodreads presence and introduce it to cycling enthusiasts, history readers, graphic-novel audiences, educators, librarians, and readers interested in overlooked figures in American history.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic graphic novel, the fascinating story of Major Taylor. Highly recommend!