Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection

Gr 10 Up—In this rollicking follow-up to her Hark! A Vagrant (Drawn & Quarterly, 2011) comic strip collection, Beaton continues to highlight obscure and well-known bits of history, popular culture, and literature. Using a loose line in each strip, most of which contain five to 10 panels, and introductory comments, the creator parodies subjects as diverse as Nancy Drew, the Founding Fathers, Wuthering Heights, the French Revolution, and Wonder Woman. The humor is biting, and the satire may fly over some teens' heads, but jokes and punch lines will inspire young adults to inquire after the source material. Especially funny are the comics inspired by vintage postcards, book covers, and broadsides. The retellings of "The Lady of Shallott" and "Cinderella" and the cheeky upheaval of sexist superhero comic tropes lend a feminist bent to the collection. Vignettes about strong, independent women from history, such as Dr. Josephine Baker, Ida B. Wells, and Katherine Sui Fun Cheung offer much-needed spotlights on their important contributions. The black-and-white sketches, which border on caricature, reflect the fun, lackadaisical feel of the original webcomics but reinforce the satirical leanings of the work. This volume would be perfect for browsing, writing prompts, or as a tie-in for a unit on political cartoons. Spurts of colorful language and some nudity make this title more appropriate for mature readers.