Synopses & Reviews
Kings in Disguise was praised by the likes of Art Spiegelman, Neil Gaiman, and Alan Moore. It won two Eisner Awards and has been hailed as one of the ten best graphic novels of all time (Guardian). This highly anticipated sequel tells the story of a young man’s coming of age in a world where the capacity to dream may be a fatal flaw. Set in 1937, On the Ropes continues the story of Fred Bloch, now apprenticed to escape artist Gordon Corey, a star attraction in a traveling WPA circus. Though damaged by the Depression and haunted by past mistakes, each man holds the key to the other’s salvation—but each also harbors a secret that could lead to their mutual destruction. Enacted against a backdrop of violent labor unrest and a nation’s faltering recovery, On the Ropes is a breathtaking visual achievement that delivers a powerful, timeless story.
Review
"[A] Depression-era story as layered and encompassing as the classics of Steinbeck or James M. Cain... The black-and-white art stylistically reflects the clean outlines and emphasis on faces found in classic EC comics. This informative, melodramatic story paints a vivid picture of a tumultuous era that fostered a political divisiveness that will be all too familiar to contemporary readers." Publishers Weekly
Review
"More than twenty years in its construction and worth every moment of the wait, James Vance and Dan Burr’s On the Ropes is that most rare of animals, a sequel that’s as powerful, as vital and as necessary as the work which it continues. The pair’s earlier study of depression-wracked America, the luminous Kings in Disguise, here sees its characters and themes magnificently resurrected in a mesmerising drama which, as surely as its predecessor, nails the era’s flat broke beating heart in all its pettiness, its torment and its awesome, overwhelming decency. A quietly epic human tale which beautifully and expertly employs the comic medium in its telling, On the Ropes is very possibly the most affecting graphic narrative that you will read in the next couple of decades. A shabby, footsore treasure that should be required reading here in the approach to our new dustbowl." Alan Moore
Synopsis
In this long-awaited sequel to the legendary graphic novel , a young circus hand gets involved in dangerous underground activity.
Synopsis
was praised by the likes of Art Spiegelman, Neil Gaiman, and Alan Moore. It won two Eisner Awards and has been hailed as one of the ten best graphic novels of all time (Guardian). This highly anticipated sequel tells the story of a young man's coming of age in a world where the capacity to dream may be a fatal flaw. Set in 1937, continues the story of Fred Bloch, now apprenticed to escape artist Gordon Corey, a star attraction in a traveling WPA circus. Though damaged by the Depression and haunted by past mistakes, each man holds the key to the other's salvation--but each also harbors a secret that could lead to their mutual destruction. Enacted against a backdrop of violent labor unrest and a nation's faltering recovery, is a breathtaking visual achievement that delivers a powerful, timeless story.
Video
About the Author
James Vance has written scripts for The Crow, The Spirit, and other popular comics. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.Dan E. Burr has been an illustrator for DC Comics's Big Book Series. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.