by Kate Beaton
[volumes 1 and 2]
I have to admit, this is less of a review and more blatant and shameless admiration for these wonderful comics. I was at first simply content to leave both Hark! A Vagrant collections five stars on Goodreads and let that be that, but dammit I just cannot keep quiet about them. Kate Beaton, a history buff and cartoonist, collects favorites of her online comic strip series “Hark! A Vagrant” in these two delightful volumes, both of which I simply never wanted to end.
A considerable amount of Beaton’s cartoons focus on historical characters or events, both the famous (Napoleon, the French Revolution) and the obscure (figures of Canadian history, sorry Canada*), but even if you don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge, the comics are still tremendously funny – and Beaton often provides helpful footnotes with some background (which are also, you guessed it, just as funny). In the first volume’s introduction Beaton shares her true belief that history is simply hilarious, you just have to read it that way – and she makes a compelling case.
*I am Canadian and allowed to make this joke as well as apologize for it.
Liszt and Chopin, America’s founding fathers, Mary Shelly and Lord Byron, Lester Pearson and so many more are given the Beaton treatment, not just emphasizing the parts of their personalities that made them interesting and funny (such as Liszt and Chopin’s respectively enormous egos), but also with a dash of modern relativity. (Some of my favorite strips included the founding fathers at an amusement park and a mall.) Beaton’s characters are tremendously expressive and she creates such an interesting balance of accuracy and over the top silliness in her work. It takes a special kind of author to go straight from some excellent butt jokes to Ida B Wells’ experience of racism among the suffragettes. (An extremely important part of American feminist history we can’t forget, especially us white women.)
Beaton’s cartoons aren’t just historical – she also has some phenomenal riffs on book and superhero parodies. The series on Jane Eyre was terribly funny, (I’m sure her Wuthering Heights one is too, but I haven’t read the book, sooo) and she completely eviscerates Edward, as one SHOULD. He is basically the prototype for another Edward whom everyone seems to fawn over but is just a terrible person.
But I have to say my absolute favorites were Lois Lane, Black Canary and Wonder Woman, as perhaps my favorite incarnations of all time – exasperated and giving absolutely zero shits. Lois in particular has no time for Superman/Clark, and at one point basically shouts at him, YOU’RE IN MY GODDAMN WAY. This isn’t just a great feminist reading of Lois – it’s probably how Lois, if she were an actual person and daring, sharp reporter, would actually react to Clark. Additionally, Wonder Woman loves to smoke and poor Storm has to drive out a feral Wolverine from the mansion – he’s tearing up the couches.
It seems that everyone has tried to do some sort of superhero parody, what with all its recent success, but just like her historical comic strips, Beaton’s approach is fresh and genuinely funny, and also historical in their own right. She understands the characters well enough to get at the essence of what makes them funny – or when it comes to the women characters, staring right through what has held them back this whole time.
On that note, Beaton writes Batman the way he is MEANT to be written, silly as all hell (read all the strips here). It’s why I can’t bring myself to read any more Snyder or start King’s Batman run, who try to make Batman all DARK and BROODING when in fact he should be prancing around in a garter. Give Kate Beaton the Batman ongoing immediately and return him to his former Adam West glory where he belongs.
But enough about Batman. Beaton’s overall focus on women – both historical and fictional – create a wonderful opportunity to not only learn more about forgotten or underrated women of history, which can hopefully lead you to several rewarding moments on Wikipedia, as it did me. Sacagawea, Rosalind Franklin, and Ida B Wells are just a few of the many women celebrated in Beaton’s comic, most of whom with more than a little exasperation (a la Lois) towards their male counterparts. But also Beaton puts them on equal, ridiculous footing along with everyone else – the Bronte sisters are just as selfish and silly as Napoleon. Regardless the book feels very feminist while at the same time honoring under appreciated history…especially contributions of women.
The other series in Beaton’s two books that I simply adore (told you this would be unabashed) is completely unique to Beaton, as far as I know, where she riffs on old book covers or theater posters, showing them in the first panel and taking it completely out of context in the next three. Often weird or ridiculous – this is where Beaton really let her imagination go wild – and always, always funny.
Beaton’s style is just like her art – flexible, expressive, at once stretching the bounds of reality while still maintaining a sense of accuracy. There are also some comic strips that are clearly delicate and took an additional level of work and care – such as this one about Nero and Agrippina. (Check out below the promo image Beaton did for AGO’s Turner exhibit to see another side of her work.)
Where her art really gets me is the comedic timing. How do you create comedic timing in a comic? I have no idea, and she is certainly not the first person to be good at it, but Beaton has it down to a science – an expression, the size or placement of the punchline dialogue, knowing exactly how long it takes to take your eyes from one panel to another. I don’t know how she does it, and more than once after laughing I had to just admire how Beaton made it happen.
READ THE BOOKS!
Reading Art 