Uncle Sam (Paperback)

~ Steve Darnall (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

This truly subversive graphic novelmore explicitly radical than anything else from DC Comics in recent memoryalmost makes up for the years of muscular patriotism and jingoistic violence that have long defined most of the companys product. Alex Ross, who recently provided the lush paintings for Superman: Peace on Earth, here flexes his illustrative skills in the service of Darnalls stunning text, a damning account of American political history that also affirms basic democratic ideals. From the first full-page illustration of Uncle Sam as a derelict reaching out to the reader, the visually rich narrative makes its overarching point: the spirit of everything great in American history is down on its luck. Uncle Sam, whose image here derives largely from James Montgomery Flaggs famous I Want You poster, stumbles through a dreamy landscape. In the foreground, hes an old nut, a psycho in the ER who spouts sound bites from presidential history and pop culture. Periodically, he finds himself elsewhere in time: preparing to fight the Revolutionary War; in Kennedys Dallas limo; at the Blackhawk Massacre of 1832; at Andersonville Prison; and at a labor protest in 1932; at a Louisiana lynching. Scenes blend into one another, demonstrating the continuity of American history; bedraggled present-day Sam interrupts a political rally exploiting his alter ego. The pictorial narrative here is so smart that political speeches are illustrated with voice-over balloons explicating the truth behind the double-talk. Supplemented with a fine essay on the iconography and legend of Uncle Sam, this portrait of a down-and-out American hero quotes visually from both fine art (e.g., Vermeer) and classic illustrationthe spirit of N.C.Wyeth is very much alive here. Among the most captivating examples of left-wing agitprop since the days of the Popular Front: Darnall and Rosss populist message comes draped in red, white, and true-blue. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563894823
• ISBN-13: 978-1563894824
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #787,433 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The American Experiment vs. Manifest Destiny, November 8, 2001

By	Jerome Neukirch "Jerome Neukirch" (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Uncle Sam (Hardcover)

Darnell and Ross have wrought a powerful tale in a slim little package. Both the prose and the pictures are so detailed and tactile that each time you pick up Uncle Sam it astounds. How can they can load it up with so much and still tell a short story that's so nice and tight? Alex Ross has captured Norman Rockwell's feel for Americana and morphed it into a gritty photo-realism that's immediate and on point.

My only problem with this historical allegory is none of those eye-opening quotes are footnoted. I know that's not a common comics criticism and obviously footnotes were avoided to hold the focus on the story, but we are dealing with some pretty obscure and volatile history here. Readers will want proof, more or both. Moreover, those quotes come from some fairly majestic texts that merit their own reading. Legitimate narrative concerns understandably won out, but it still teases the readers; so out of civic spirit, I'll provide some leads.

Here's a fuller version of that stunning Lincoln quote in the men's room scene (with citation):

"It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war." - Lincoln in a letter to William F. Elkins, Nov 21st, 1864

Major General Smedley Butler's words in Uncle Sam are no less startling. He bluntly admitted to having been "a gangster for capitalism" and lists each Marine incursion made for business interests masquerading as national concerns. The lines come from a blistering article against imperialism printed in "Common Sense". Portions of it can be found on the websites of Marines, pacifists, socialists and American Legionnaires. Unmentioned in Uncle Sam, is that in 1934 this two-time Congressional Medal of Honor recipient exposed a fascist plot by members of America's leading capitalist families to launch a coup against Roosevelt (Read all about it in Jules Archer's The Plot to Seize the White House, 1973.) Here is a true blue American hero if ever there was one. Now why the hell haven't we heard of him? I bet you can guess.

Most conservatives won't like Uncle Sam. They'll call it "one-sided" - as if the version of history taught in classrooms isn't essentially theirs, with a token pinch of diversity thrown in (and they fuss and moan about that too). They don't like any medicine in their sugar and they sure get ornery if you shoehorn any history into their mythology, however little. Uncle Sam can be bitter medicine, but it's essential to anyone who cares about America.

What makes Uncle Sam so important is that it reanimates a patriotism we can be proud of. In his latest screed, Nazi apologist Pat Buchanan accuses liberals of perverting patriotism from "a love of place into a love of process". That "process" is democracy and that love is precisely what defines us as Americans. As Ben Franklin said, "Where ever there is liberty, there is my country". Since September eleventh, both kinds of patriotism have reawakened with a vengeance and both the best and the worst of us have come to fore. It is high time we listened to what Lincoln called "the angels of our better nature" now that the "Culture War" has begun in earnest and our government's flirtation with fascism has progressed to heavy petting.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, but polarized story., July 25, 2001

By	Roger Burks (Riverside, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Uncle Sam (Hardcover)

Uncle Sam is a very good book. It is well-written, and the art is excellent, as fans of Alex Ross should expect. That said, it is also a work with strong political motives. It actually says more about modern liberal thought than it does about anything else. Conservatives will be offended by this book, while liberals will enjoy it immensely. People without strong political opinion will be introduced to one side of the "debate" between the two groups that has never really been a debate at all, but a series of unfriendly attacks from both sides, where history is treated as clay to shape and skew any way one pleases and one's own mistakes are ignored by conspicuous denial while the mistakes of the other side are constantly pointed out and intensely analyzed.

The final messages of this book are that unquestioning patriotism is a counterproductive mockery, while hope is a strong positive force; past mistakes ignored are doomed to be repeated, while an understanding of past mistakes better prepares one for a more successful future. In my opinion, both of those messages are true. I do not agree that the author fully understands historic patterns, and I feel that his exposition of mistakes is highly selective although the mistakes themselves were true mistakes. This story must be taken with a grain of salt and a healthy portion of critical thought, not with blind acceptance at all. Nevertheless, his intent is good and his story is worth reading even by those who feel that neither side in today's great political insult-fest is entirely praiseworthy.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stars and stripes forever, April 11, 2003

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Uncle Sam" rightfully takes its place next to "V for Vendetta," "Maus" and "I Saw It." It is a rare achievement in comics, for a major company to put forth a book that has something to say on a subject other than comics.

Speaking with a remarkable eloquence, "Uncle Sam" speaks of symbols and countries, and what it means to be patriotic, and to have faith in a symbol. The message is not an easy one to decipher, which is proper considering the complexity of the issue. There are layers here.

The art is, of course, incredible, as one comes to expect from Alex Ross. He has really outdone himself, and this is obviously a labor of love that goes above and beyond his fanboy's love of comics. He uses a variety of artistic influences and imagery. Like the storyline itself, a deeper knowledge of American art history aids the appreciation.

This book combines everything that is unique and relevant about the medium of comics. Words and pictures together, telling a story in a way impossible to either alone.