Its look and sense of humor became a defining aesthetic for a newly social, giddily exuberant online moment, as internet speeds increased, load times improved, and LiveJournal, Tumblr, and other blogging platforms turned into identity-defining scrapbooks, proudly curatorial and full of found images.Īt its height in the early 2010s, Beaton’s homepage for “Hark! A Vagrant” was getting half a million visitors a month. Francis, Robinson Crusoe, and the American Founding Fathers, its sharp, daffy feminism reframed familiar figures and stories in order to dwell on absurdities, hypocrisies, and endearing, irreducible human quirks. The online comic “Hark! A Vagrant” established Beaton as a defining voice of online humor in the late aughts. Later this year, it will almost certainly be joined by Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, Beaton’s new graphic memoir. I spot Beaton’s first book on a shelf downstairs: Hark! A Vagrant, a collection of her strange, charming webcomics. There are antique farm tools and jugs salvaged from century-old stills, which remind Beaton of the time her grandfather gathered enough moonshine for a party of farmers from 40 miles around only to find it all poured out after his son tasted it and assumed it was poison. Upstairs there are generations of school projects, including her own. There is a cane, the oldest thing in the museum, that belonged to a many-greats-grandfather. She spent a lot of hours alone here amid artifacts, much of them her family’s. Beaton worked in this museum when she was in high school, fielding questions from tourists and helping people sort through genealogies. And purchase her works here.In the second-floor room of a small local-history museum in Mabou, a very small village on the western coast of Canada’s already quite remote island of Cape Breton, cartoonist Kate Beaton tells me dozens of little stories. You can follow Kate Beaton’s webcomic here. Whether we are reading about Straw Feminists or what it would be like if the Founding Fathers visited a modern shopping mall, Step Aside, Pops is a definite read for those of us interested in smart humor which is tied to the history and classical literature we love and adore most. There is something very appeasing about Kate Beaton’s comics and humor. She tackles these issues tastefully, while remaining in her humorous dry-like tone throughout. She is remarkably funny without ever coming across grim or cold, which is why she must be so widely adored. Many of these are done by pointing out stereotypes in feminism or racism. In addition to poking at literature and history, Beaton addresses various tropes related to culture in our society today. Her historical and literary riffs are original and welcome readers who may be unfamiliar with these works to dive deeper into the stories and connect to the characters/historical figures. The strips reveal Beaton’s sense of humor at its finest. Other highlights include Beaton’s adaptation of various book covers (Edward Gorey and Nancy Drew), the history of Canada, and even more historical, literary, and contemporary figures. If you have ever found yourself wondering what an extended scene may look like in Wuthering Heights, or what may happen if The X-Files and Pride and Prejudice were brought together, these are both ideas that are explored in this collection. Step Aside, Pops combines several of her online comics which are inspired not only by major works of classical literature, but also of works in History and English. The collection comes with annotations from Beaton to accompany most of her strips and her comments are colloquial, fun, and always engaging. The radiant webcomic features quips with literary references ranging from Jane Austen to Greek mythology drawn in her clever-yet-simple cartoon style. Kate Beaton brings her webcomics to life through print in Step Aside, Pops, her sequel to the Hark! a Vagrant series. Every so often, we easily forget how much delight is packed into these small strips, and Kate Beaton pleasantly reminds us of the fun that is to be had in the act of reading them. Webcomics are the 21st century keeping with the traditional activity of cartooning. Come Dream With Me Tonight by Kate Beaton
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