Kings in Disguise
by James Vance (Author), Dan Burr (Illustrator)
Kings in Disguise (Collections and Selections — 1-6)
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Description
This award-winning tale, set in the height of the Great Depression, received rave reviews long before graphic novels became the phenomenon they are today. Hailed as one of the top 100 comics of all time by The Comics Journal, Kings in Disguise now reemerges as a classic. It is January 1932, and movie-loving Freddie Bloch is trading his father's liquor bottles for the cost a matinee: "Dreams were only a dime, but empty bottles [only] brought a penny apiece." When his father disappears and his show more brother gets arrested, Freddie finds himself homeless and adrift, trying to survive during the Detroit labor riots and amid the furor of violent, anti-communist mobs. Winner of the Eisner Award and the Harvey Award for Best New Series and an additional Eisner Award for Best Single Issue. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This is more of a 3.5 for me but I feel bad beating up on a book that's made professionally and sides with the angels. It's a rambling, disjointed account of a young boy's experiences as a hobo during the Great Depression—a story that ends up both fascinating and a bit paint-by-numbers. Train-hopping, bulls with billy clubs, communism and anti-communism, bean cans and newsboy hats. It's all sincere and filled with shades of compelling stories, but it never really gripped me. I partly blame the intrusive and not whole necessary narration, written in an overly florid style ill-fitting the rest of the book.
Dan Burr's art is very good illustration, but it's a fairly pedestrian take on the comic book medium. Much of it simply illustrates show more the plot more than it supplants or provides it.
Anyway, I'm an asshole for not absolutely loving this, I get it. show less
Dan Burr's art is very good illustration, but it's a fairly pedestrian take on the comic book medium. Much of it simply illustrates show more the plot more than it supplants or provides it.
Anyway, I'm an asshole for not absolutely loving this, I get it. show less
Another prime example of what a graphic novel is capable of doing once it takes off its spandex underwear and takes a turn for the serious. Set during the Great Depression in the United States, it tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who is left homeless and trekking across America. It's both tragic and inspiring, things not normally associated with the graphic format.
I have some minor complaints, admittedly. The faces of the characters aren't very consistent, and the story feels a little weak in certain sections as if they were rushed. I occasionally switched back a page, double checking to make sure I didn't skip anything as what was happening was a little unclear. These are secluded to a couple specific times during the book though, show more and overall it really is a very good graphic novel. show less
I have some minor complaints, admittedly. The faces of the characters aren't very consistent, and the story feels a little weak in certain sections as if they were rushed. I occasionally switched back a page, double checking to make sure I didn't skip anything as what was happening was a little unclear. These are secluded to a couple specific times during the book though, show more and overall it really is a very good graphic novel. show less
At twelve, Freddie Bloch finds the security of his family and home gone in the wake of the Great Depression, an alcoholic father, the untimely arrest of his brother and the promise that there are jobs "somewhere." In an effort to at least find his father again, Freddie sets out from California to Detroit in hopes of reunion and adventure.
Instead, Freddie finds a life not of adventure, but one of base survival and of quick life lessons. He meets a fellow hobo early on, Sam, who likes to call himself the King of Spain. Through Sam and Freddie's story, the Detroit Labor riots of 1932 are vividly recounted, the tension of anti-communist resentment, desperation for jobs, racism and Freddie's desire to find his father all coming to a head at show more once. The drawings of this incident are fantastic, recounting iconic photos from the day.
The book deals with the fallout after Freddie comes to realize he will never reunite with his father who may or may not have made it to Detroit in search of a job. The book shifts after Detroit, as most of the country is no longer optimistic about rumors of jobs, but rather has resigned themselves to finding a way to survive.
The black and white drawings are well-done and detailed, capturing mood and tone as an additional character in the book. This is no cartoon-cheery depiction of hard events - it's hard times and hard places for people who had not ever expected to know that kind of life. show less
Instead, Freddie finds a life not of adventure, but one of base survival and of quick life lessons. He meets a fellow hobo early on, Sam, who likes to call himself the King of Spain. Through Sam and Freddie's story, the Detroit Labor riots of 1932 are vividly recounted, the tension of anti-communist resentment, desperation for jobs, racism and Freddie's desire to find his father all coming to a head at show more once. The drawings of this incident are fantastic, recounting iconic photos from the day.
The book deals with the fallout after Freddie comes to realize he will never reunite with his father who may or may not have made it to Detroit in search of a job. The book shifts after Detroit, as most of the country is no longer optimistic about rumors of jobs, but rather has resigned themselves to finding a way to survive.
The black and white drawings are well-done and detailed, capturing mood and tone as an additional character in the book. This is no cartoon-cheery depiction of hard events - it's hard times and hard places for people who had not ever expected to know that kind of life. show less
Wow.
This is the kind of book that really gets you thinking about your life and the things that are truly important in it.
A peek into the life of "Freddie" from age twelve through a few years, we see how he attempts to stay alive while living life as a hobo in depression era america.
James Vance has created a truly incredible and poignant tale that stays with you long after you put the book down. And Dan's artwork is just perfect to take you into that world and make you feel like you're living it with the other characters.
A phenomenal work.
This is the kind of book that really gets you thinking about your life and the things that are truly important in it.
A peek into the life of "Freddie" from age twelve through a few years, we see how he attempts to stay alive while living life as a hobo in depression era america.
James Vance has created a truly incredible and poignant tale that stays with you long after you put the book down. And Dan's artwork is just perfect to take you into that world and make you feel like you're living it with the other characters.
A phenomenal work.
Again, I'd never read a novel about Depression-era hobos and labor riots in Detroit, but it's easy to learn about it all in graphic novel format.
too wordy...not something I'm into normaly anyways.
boy on quest during depression
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Kings in Disguise
- Original publication date
- 1990-10
- People/Characters
- Freddie Bloch; Al Bloch; Joker; Sam; Mary; Joe (show all 9); Snake; Jesse James; Leonard
- Important places
- Detroit, Michigan, USA; Marian, California, USA; Bugtown
- Important events
- Great Depression; Detroit Labor Riots (1932)
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated with thanks to Brenda, who was there at the beginning; with pride to our daughter, Brigid, who made life during its writing a joy -- and with all my heart to the memory of Kate, whose love remains my gr... (show all)eatest reward for having written Kings in Disguise.
- J.V.
I want to express my thanks to my wife, art assistant, and valued critic, Debbie Frieberg, who provided the excellent coloring for the color illustrations, and who continues to inspire and encourage me; to Dave Schreiner and ... (show all)Denis Kitchen for their support, patience, and belief in me; and to James Vance for his special vision and hard work, and or providing me with a wonderful script to interpret.
- D.B. - First words
- In the waning years of Eisenhower administration, I used to spend my preschool summers in the small town where my grandmother lived. (Preface)
This is a story about dreams:
Prophetic . . .
Heroic . . .
Hopeless
And Hopeful. - Quotations
- It no longer mattered who loved God the most. Like my mother, he was dead. The world he'd made had ended before my eyes.
Somewhere there were children who ate at a table, and went to school, and waved to the friendly town cop. They belonged, as I once had, and did not dream how fragile that state of belonging could be. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)So I took to the road once more - - on my own, yet accompanied by multitudes. There was another dream out there, and I knew that somewhere on that road, we would find it.
- Blurbers
- Evry, Ron; Gaiman, Neil; Moore, Alan
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- Collects material originally published in magazine form as Kings in Disguise #1-6 and a short story from Dark Horse Presents.
Classifications
- Genre
- Graphic Novels & Comics
- DDC/MDS
- 741.5973 — Arts & recreation Drawing & decorative arts Drawing Comic books, graphic novels, fotonovelas, cartoons, caricatures, comic strips History, geographic treatment, biography North American United States (General)
- LCC
- PN6727 .V36 .K56 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Collections of general literature Comic books, strips, etc.
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 155
- Popularity
- 211,223
- Reviews
- 9
- Rating
- (3.63)
- Languages
- English, French, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 9
