It is easy to find Bligh in the history books–you just follow a breadcrumb trail of temper tantrums. I say old friend because you probably know him from Mutiny on the Bounty already, not because we are personal acquaintances (he is dead). So, if you know nothing about “The Rum Rebellion,” she’ll fill you in: There wasn’t much that I didn’t get in the collection, so I was a happy reader.īeaton explains some of her comics with snarky lines in regular type at the bottom of the page. I couldn’t grasp the humor because I don’t know the original material. Then again, Beaton is aiming for an educated audience that is going to snicker along with her, so if you are the reader she has in mind, Step Aside, Pops is a collection you will enjoy.

For instance, I didn’t understand anything in the “Kokoro” comic, which went on for 37 frames. The basis of the messages, however, comes from a place of knowledge. Beaton explains, “When I get asked to describe my comics, the easiest thing to say is that it is historical or literary or pop-culture parodies.” Therefore, if you don’t know what she is referencing, some of the comics will be lost on you–a potential downfall of the collection. Everything is fast and on a deadline, thus Beaton’s drawing style reflects that. The drawings are what some might call “cartoon-y” or haphazard, but the style fits the content in a way that emphasizes the playfulness of the messages, and the speedy nature of today’s society. The collection was published in 2015 by Drawn & Quarterly, though the webcomic started in 2007.īeaton’s collection is entirely in black and white. Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton is a collection of Hark! A Vagrant webcomics.

Hark a vagrant wuthering heights