A novel based on a true tale of heroism and invention in the tunnels beneath Lake Erie in 1916 This original graphic novel imagines the lives of blue-collar workers involved in the real-life Lake Erie tunnel disaster of 1916 in Cleveland. Author Scott MacGregor and illustrator Gary Dumm tell the intersecting stories of a brilliant African American inventor, Ben Beltran (based on the real-life Garrett Morgan, Sr.), desperate immigrants tunneling beneath Lake Erie, and corrupt overseers who risk countless lives for profit. As historical fiction, Fire on the Water sheds light not only on one of America's earliest man-made ecological disasters but also on racism and the economic disparity between classes in the Midwest at the turn of the century.

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Fire on the Water
Publisher: Abrams
Publication Date: 2020
Language: English
ISBN 10: 1419741160
ISBN 13: 9781419741166
Binding: Hardback
Illustrator: Dumm, Gary
Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

A gripping tale of disaster, injustice, and resistance in America’s industrial age.

Set against the backdrop of one of the nation’s earliest man-made ecological catastrophes, Fire on the Water is a powerful historical fiction graphic novel that exposes the racial and economic divides of the early 20th-century Midwest.

Written by Scott MacGregor and illustrated by Gary Dumm, this graphic novel brings to life the harrowing events surrounding the 1916 East Ohio Gas explosion in Cleveland, Ohio—an industrial tragedy that devastated a working-class neighborhood and revealed the stark inequalities of the era.

Through vivid storytelling and expressive artwork, the book follows the lives of those affected by the disaster, weaving together themes of corporate negligence, environmental recklessness, and the resilience of marginalized communities. Fire on the Water is not just a chronicle of a forgotten tragedy—it’s a searing commentary on the costs of progress and the voices too often left out of history.

Perfect for fans of socially conscious graphic novels and readers of historical nonfiction, this is a haunting and timely reminder of the human toll behind industrial ambition.

About the Author

Scott MacGregor has been writing comic book stories for over 30 years. This is his first full-length graphic novel. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Gary Dumm is a lifelong resident of Cleveland and an artist who worked extensively with Harvey Pekar on American Splendor. Dumm’s cartoons have also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, the New York Times, the Village Voice, and Le Monde.

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