From Powells.com
Our favorite books of the year.
Staff Pick
I dream of the day when all of our social studies textbooks are replaced by Kate Beaton's hilarious historical comics. Until that day comes, Step Aside, Pops, is the next best thing. From Wuthering Heights to Ida B. Wells, Beaton uses the full force of her comedic commentary to skewer the skewer-worthy and laud the laudable. Recommended By The Dot, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Ida B. Wells, the Black Prince, and Benito Juárez burst off the pages of Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection, armed with modern-sounding quips and amusingly on-point repartee. Kate
Beaton's second D+Q book brings her hysterically funny gaze to bear on
these and even more historical, literary, and contemporary figures.
Irreverently funny and carefully researched, no target is safe from
Beaton's incisive wit in these satirical strips.
Beaton began her infectiously popular web comic, Hark! A Vagrant, in
2007 and it quickly attracted the adoration of hundreds of thousands of
fans. It was an unequivocal hit with critics and fans alike, topping
best-of-the-year lists from E!, Amazon, Time,
and more. Now Beaton returns with a refined pen, ready to make jokes at
the expense of hunks, army generals, scientists, and Canadians in equal
measure. With a few carefully placed lines, she captures the
over-the-top evil of the straw feminists in the closet, the disgruntled
dismay of Heathcliff, and Wonder Woman's all-conquering ennui. Step Aside, Pops is sure to be the comedic hit of the year: sharp, insightful, and very funny.
Review
"Step Aside, Pops includes Beaton’s riffs on these Victorian drawings as well as her twisted take on classic literature, historical figures, and pop culture. The result is a fresh, side-splitting analysis of social standards." Laura Farmer, The Gazette
Review
"Beaton has a lovely eye
for this time-shift comedy. She skits on historical and literary
figures in the sharp, spry, short comic strips that make up Step Aside, Pops.
Byron, Wonder Woman, Cinderella and the Black Prince all turn up at
various points and all are mined lovingly for humour. She also draws a
great Janet Jackson. Recommended." Herald Scotland
About the Author
Kate Beaton is a Canadian cartoonist who appeared in the comics scene in
2007 with her online work Hark! A Vagrant! Since then, she has become a
fan favourite and has garnered a significant following, with
illustrations appearing in places like the New Yorker, Harper’s, and Marvel’s Strange Tales anthology. Her first book with D+Q, Hark! A Vagrant, spent five months on the New York Times bestseller list, and topped best of the year lists from Time, E!, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly.
Beaton's cartoons often display a wonderfully light touch on historical
and literary topics. The jokes are a knowing look at history through a
very modern perspective, and a campaign against anyone with the idea
that history is boring. Kate Beaton lives in Toronto, Canada.