by Kate Beaton
First published 2011
Kate Beaton's "Hark! A Vagrant" is a hilarious romp through history and literature, seen through the sharp, contemporary lens of a New Yorker cartoonist. From Brahms to Napoleon, Beaton skewers the revolutionaries, leaders, and heroes the West holds dear, revealing the absurdity and indignity beneath their vaunted status. With a refined sense of the absurd, she deftly points out what really happened when the greats fell asleep, got dressed, or faced a crisis of identity. Beaton's pared-down, excitable style breathes new life into the past, granting cookies and dignity to few.
Genres: satire, art, humor, 21st-century, comics, graphic-novels-comics
Vibes: thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: satire
Setting: New York
Period: 21st-century
166 pages · Hardcover · Drawn and Quarterly