Billi 99 is an intellectual property created by Tim Sale and myself in 1991. It was set in a nebulous near future.
1989 to 99%
It started with a meme. “Government is not the solution. Government is the problem.” This concept sidestepped the responsibilities of citizenship on every level. Our government, flawed as it has always been, is about governing ourselves, taking power and responsibility into our own hands. Not abdicating it for any reason. With the “power” of an old suit and sword thrust upon her, and her inheritance already gone, Billi strikes a stake in the ground, a commitment to end the tug of war taking us towards an abyss of despair.
The creation Of Billi 99
First written in 1989, Billi 99 was designed to express the coming reality of a worldwide economic war. Across those 30 years, we’ve been taught impossible magical thinking to stave off critical thinking and soothe national despair. Art can help us see the national withdrawal from The New Deal. More voices need to be heard. If the 10 richest people in the world own 90% of all there is, the game of capitalism stops, and no amount of rhetoric will start it up again. I am happy to say that seems to be common knowledge now.
Our hero had to be uniquely American, so she is both homeless and an heiress. She deserved her part of the nation’s bounty, but like almost all of us, she had none. She is ruthlessly hard on herself and desperate to live up to her father’s heroic image. She tries with all her heart, but she is naive. She is biracial. She is only 19. She starts out powerless and alone.
This is how Billi was born. Part fact, part fable… Billi is not exactly a superhero.
Perhaps more importantly, she is a human hero.
Tim and I hoped to give Billi 99 a historically prescient feel. If you notice the crumbling art deco in the background, you will find a nod to the roaring 20s – a tribute to the era of stock speculation which preceded the first Great Depression. I also have to say that I loved Tim’s work because unlike anyone else, he makes people of all colors, kinds, and shapes, and they are all beautiful. His work is very real. This book was a labor of love and a piece of activism by all of us.
The coming generation gives me hope. They are waking up before they can vote and not backing down! Remembering what it means to be American.
We face so many issues. We can organize, We can regroup, we can terraform, we can equalize, we can share, we can love.
We might just be ok.
