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Original Essays | April 18, 2013

Jon Bell: IMG The Trails We've Tread

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They have been on the move for the past half-year or so now, starting from their longtime home in the downstairs closet, on to my desk, then to my... Continue »
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Hark! A Vagrant

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Hark! A Vagrant Cover

ISBN13: 9781770460607
ISBN10: 1770460608
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: None
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Awards

Staff Top 5s 2011 2011 Powell's Staff Top 5s
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A new collection by the web sensation and New Yorker cartoonist

Hark! A Vagrant takes readers on a romp through history and literature& — with dignity for few and cookies for all — with comic strips about famous authors, their characters, and political and historical figures, all drawn in Kate Beaton's pared-down, excitable style. This collection features favorite stories as well as new, previously unpublished content. Whether shes writing about Nikola Tesla, Napoleon, or Nancy Drew, Beaton brings a refined sense of the absurd to every situation.

In just four years, Beaton has taken the comics world by storm with her non sequiturs, cheeky comebacks, and irreverent punchlines. With 1.2 million monthly hits on her site — 500,000 of them unique — and comics appearing in Harpers Magazine, the National Post, and The New Yorker, her caricatures of historical and fictional figures filtered through a contemporary lens display a sharp, quick wit that knows no bounds.

Review:

"Recent comics sensation Beaton probably, definitely, knows more about history and literature than the average reader, and this collection of her webcomic — mostly collections of three-panel gag — shows it. But while her comics are pungent with the aroma of authentic knowledge, they wear it lightly, with a jittery humor that's surprisingly effective given the lashings of irony that Beaton layers on top. While she's perfectly content to base her cartoon strips around lesser-known figures (criminal 'masterminds' Burke and Hare, anyone?), most of her cartoons put people like the Brontë sisters or Jules Verne out there and wryly undercut them with mock pulp headlines and dishy asides. While the focus in Beaton's rip-quick and squiggly drawings is getting a good joke out of, say, the death of French general Montcalm or playing to the world's ignorance of even the most basic facets of Canadian history and culture, she also drops in some sharp literary criticism. If she had pushed her faux naïf outrageousness any further, Beaton might have ventured too far into Sarah Vowellesque flipness. But this is that rarest combination of literate irony and devastatingly funny humor — when was the last time you read a comic strip collection that not only has but needs an index?" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review:

"[Beaton's comics] are witty reinventions of literary and historical figures navigating modern times....A high-minded version of The Far Side that is at once of-the-moment and timeless." Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times

Review:

"Simply put, this is the most well-drawn, funniest comic that I've read in a while." Adrienne So, Wired

Review:

"[Beaton's] neat line work and terrific grasp of simple caricature and facial expression sells a lot of the best strips, including Sasaki Kojiro meeting an undignified end, Jane Austen and Nikola Tesla being pestered by their fans, and Lord Byron muttering 'Bitches, man' to a grieving Percy Bysshe Shelley. A-" The Onion, The A.V. Club
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About the Author

KATE BEATON grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada. She earned a bachelors degree in history and anthropology at Mount Allison University. She presently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 8 comments:
Max, August 5, 2012 (view all comments by Max)
This is a book of comics, like the kind you'd get in the Sunday paper, if your Sunday paper were political, quirky, feminist, and snarky. From Canadian historical figures to the Austen sisters, these pages are populated with historical figures (or time periods) that are gently satirized. Some of my favorites: what would happen if Sherlock Holmes made the competent Watson babysit one of the more bumbling depictions of Watson? Or the strip: Hipsters Ruin Everything, which discusses how hipsters from the 18th century ruined a political/fashion movement. I highly recommend this book for any history buffs as the best fun yet intellectual gift you'll give yourself.
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Dani Jones, August 4, 2012 (view all comments by Dani Jones)
In the world of web comics, Kate Beaton is a definite stand out. Her takes on history, literature, and pop culture are witty, clever, and above all else- hilarious! Her comics have the perfect mixture of smarts and silliness. She does a little bit of something for everyone. In her comics you'll find historical figures, story book characters, superheroes, fat ponies, butts, normal people, and lazy mystery solving teens! Honestly, there's a comic for every occasion. If I was still a kid, I'd say I wanted to be Kate Beaton when I grow up, but seeing as that's not the case, I'd love to be her friend. Maybe some of her sheer awesomeness would rub off on me.
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Julianna, January 19, 2012 (view all comments by Julianna)
I LOVE comics and I picked this up on a whim. I'm so glad I did, because Kate Beaton's knowledge of history and literature, coupled with her uncanny ability to capture the funny way people talk nowadays, makes these comics something like Gary Larson for the humanities student. However, I don't think that your English teacher could get away with putting any of them on his/her syllabus...
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781770460607
Author:
Beaton, Kate
Publisher:
Drawn & Quarterly
Subject:
Graphic Novels-Literary
Copyright:
2011
Publication Date:
20110931
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
160
Dimensions:
7.5 x 8.5 in
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Related Subjects

Arts and Entertainment » Humor » Cartoons » General
Featured Titles » General
Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » General
Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » Literary

Hark! A Vagrant Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$11.50 In Stock
Product details 160 pages Drawn & Quarterly - English 9781770460607 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Recent comics sensation Beaton probably, definitely, knows more about history and literature than the average reader, and this collection of her webcomic — mostly collections of three-panel gag — shows it. But while her comics are pungent with the aroma of authentic knowledge, they wear it lightly, with a jittery humor that's surprisingly effective given the lashings of irony that Beaton layers on top. While she's perfectly content to base her cartoon strips around lesser-known figures (criminal 'masterminds' Burke and Hare, anyone?), most of her cartoons put people like the Brontë sisters or Jules Verne out there and wryly undercut them with mock pulp headlines and dishy asides. While the focus in Beaton's rip-quick and squiggly drawings is getting a good joke out of, say, the death of French general Montcalm or playing to the world's ignorance of even the most basic facets of Canadian history and culture, she also drops in some sharp literary criticism. If she had pushed her faux naïf outrageousness any further, Beaton might have ventured too far into Sarah Vowellesque flipness. But this is that rarest combination of literate irony and devastatingly funny humor — when was the last time you read a comic strip collection that not only has but needs an index?" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
"Review" by , "[Beaton's comics] are witty reinventions of literary and historical figures navigating modern times....A high-minded version of The Far Side that is at once of-the-moment and timeless."
"Review" by , "Simply put, this is the most well-drawn, funniest comic that I've read in a while."
"Review" by , "[Beaton's] neat line work and terrific grasp of simple caricature and facial expression sells a lot of the best strips, including Sasaki Kojiro meeting an undignified end, Jane Austen and Nikola Tesla being pestered by their fans, and Lord Byron muttering 'Bitches, man' to a grieving Percy Bysshe Shelley. A-"
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