Simply put, Kate Beaton’s comics are so good, they will make you wish you paid more attention in History class. Filled with characters from history, literature, and pop-culture, her cartoons will make you laugh and cry-laughing.
While you might not recognize every character that graces the pages of this book, you’ll probably still get the joke, and I promise it’ll still be funny. But where Beaton truly shines is in the author’s notes below each comic. They provide small slices-of-life and bits of context that will draw you in to Beaton’s world and introduce you to the people behind her caricatures. Her understanding of history is deep, but her delivery is approachable. She’ll make you want to learn more about the people she references in six panels or less.
Whether you’re a fan of comics, literature, history, Canadian authors, or just silly pictures, Hark! A Vagrant is for you.
Author: Kate Beaton
Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
Publication year: 2011
Campbellton Centennial Library 