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Step Aside, Pops
168 pages
A delightfully unhinged romp through history and literature where revered figures are reimagined as petty, relatable weirdos.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like sitting in the back of a history class with your funniest, smartest friend, passing notes that ruthlessly roast the curriculum. The pace is incredibly brisk, driven by punchy, multi-panel comic strips that demand to be devoured in one sitting or savored in quick bursts. Beaton’s tone is a masterful blend of deep affection and sharp irreverence, creating an intellectually playful mood where no literary giant or historical icon is safe from her anachronistic wit. The expressive, kinetic art style perfectly complements the deadpan dialogue, turning stuffy textbook figures into chaotic, deeply human messes. It is an absolute delight for former English majors, history buffs, and anyone who appreciates a perfectly timed, fiercely feminist punchline.
- Mood
- joyful
- chaotic
- lighthearted
- intellectually playful
- Tone
- irreverent
- witty
- satirical
- affectionate
- absurd
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- historical absurdity · literary subversion · feminist critique · humanizing the past
- The writing
- Expressive, kinetic line work paired with sharp, anachronistic dialogue and deadpan punchlines.
- The arc
- A continuous loop of intellectual recognition followed by sudden, delighted laughter at the sheer absurdity of the past.
- Who it's for
- History nerds, former English majors, and anyone who loves seeing revered historical figures reduced to petty, relatable weirdos.
Content notes
- satirical depictions of historical sexism
About the book
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.
Description from Open Library.
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