Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World (Paperback)

~ (Editor), Nicole Schulman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Imagine being a workers' rights activist at the time of the Industrial Revolution. As shown in Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World, you had to have resolve as steely as anything produced on the factory floor. It's slightly ironic, then, to have these heroic, life-and-death tales of class warfare captured in the ephemeral medium of a comic book. Created as a collaboration between historians and graphic novelists, it is an engaging, informative, and sometimes uneven look at a time of violent social upheaval. The editors of this collection assume that their readers are at least somewhat familiar with the history of the Wobblies--this is not a children's primer. Many entries are similar, filled with pedantic text, but two in particular are superb, harnessing the potential power of the graphic novel form to great emotional effect. "Strike! (Lawrence 1912)," by Seth Tobocman, tells of ruling-class cruelty against striking workers with a ghostly grace born from its wood-cut graphical style. Nicole Schulman's "Mourn Not the Dead" strikes the right balance between storytelling and artistry, bringing the terrible reality of the Cook County Prison--where Wobblies died from mistreatment behind bars--to unforgettable reality. These entries alone fulfill the promise of a book that seeks to make the often overlooked history of the Wobblies relevant again. --Jennifer Buckendorff

From Publishers Weekly

The Wobblies, as members of the Industrial Workers of the World were known, were influential in the labor movement at the dawn of the 20th century. A grassroots organization that fought for equality and safe working conditions, the Wobblies also had ties to women's rights and socialism. This book attempts to encapsulate the rich history of the movement through comics (and connective essays) by such contributors as Peter Kuper, Harvey Pekar and Seth Tobocman. It's a colorful story, from Chicago's Haymarket riot in 1886 through epic strikes in Lawrence, Mass., and Patterson, N.J., to the controversial 1915 execution of folk singer Joe Hill. Peripheral characters include a parade of activists, including Margaret Sanger and "Mother" Jones. Though the group was most active from the turn of the century through the 1920s, later chapters address the Wobbly influence up to the present-day (noting, for example, its protests against Starbucks). The materials are assembled in as anarchic a manner as the substance of the source material, and all the lynchings and riots can start to run together. The loose structure and sometimes crude artwork do succeed in capturing the energy and emotion of the movement, however, and its spirit of activism, which continues today. (Apr.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Verso; illustrated edition edition (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844675254
• ISBN-13: 978-1844675258
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #304,884 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I know no East or West, North or South, when it comes to my, March 23, 2005

By	Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

fighting the battle for justice." Mother Jones

This sentiment from one of the founders of the International Workers of the World ("IWW") better known to the world as the Wobblies captures the underlying spirit that permeated the Wobblies. It also captures the spirit of the entertaining and informative "Wobblies! A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World". For those not familiar with the Wobblies, some brief background information may be helpful.

The IWW was created at a convention in Chicago in June 1905. In attendance were some of the leading figures in the American labor movement, including Big Bill Haywood, Eugene V. Debs, Daniel De Leon, and the above mentioned Mother Jones to name a few. The disparate groups who came together to form the IWW shared two common bonds: a disdain for the elite, seemingly pro-capitalist craft unions that made up the American Federation of Labor (AFL); and a belief in the necessity of `the class struggle'. Membership in the IWW was open to all workers. This stood in stark contrast to the tough entry requirements of the AFL's craft unions. The IWW, unlike the AFL, welcomed both women and racial minorities into its ranks. As a result, the IWW may be said to have created the first `rainbow coalition' of American political thought. There were socialists, anarchists, communists, syndicalists, and just about every type of `ist' one can imagine in the IWW. Membership grew rapidly in the early days of the movement and the IWW became much feared by the corporations they did battle with and loomed large in the public imagination. John Dos Passos captured the IWW beautifully in his landmark USA Trilogy. At the same time, the fragmented ideology of its membership resulted in quite a bit of internal strife and the somewhat anarchic nature of the IWW as an organization created some difficulties for it. The IWW's growth reached its peak in the days leading up to the 1917 entrance of the United States into the First World War. The war and the subsequent `Red Square' following the Russian Revolution led to a series of federal legislative and judicial measures that hampered severely the IWW's organizing activities.


"Wobblies!" is at once both an entertaining and informative graphic history of the IWW. This is not a full blown, chronological history. Edited by Paul Buhle and Nicole Schulman, both of whom have deep connections to what may be called the American Left, Wobblies! consists of a series of illustrated vignettes of notable events in the history of the IWW. Virtually all the writers and graphic artists who contributed to Wobblies!, perhaps the most well-known being Harvey Pekar, have roots in or sympathy with contemporary radical political action groups. I found the simple story lines to be coherent and I found the graphic artwork to be excellent.

The stories seem a bit random and the narrative lacks a certain element of continuity at times. Yet these elements struck me as being fully consistent with the rather chaotic nature of the IWW itself and I found it to be amusing rather than annoying. Further, as its title indicates, this is a graphic history. The reliance on graphics seemed to be an appropriate vehicle to tell the story of the IWW. Significant portions of its membership were immigrants who either did not speak English or who were illiterate. The IWW relied heavily on oral (songs) and visual (street theater) means to promote itself. With that in mind the use of graphics to tell the story of the Wobblies seemed perfect.

The year 2005 marks the centenary of the founding of the IWW and this book may be viewed as an admittedly admiring commemoration. Having said that, it should be noted that the fondness the contributors have for the IWW does not lessen the quality of the graphics or the quality of the breezy, informative narration. This book may only find favor with readers politically pre-disposed to the IWW. In a sense that would be a shame. I think the graphics and the information contained in Wobblies! could appeal to a wider audience who either like graphic artwork generally or who are interested in a work that happens to tell some stories in a compelling manner of a by gone era.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Don't mourn, organize!", August 31, 2005

By	Mark Newbold (Pittsburg, KS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is one of the most enjoyable books on the hidden and suppressed labor history of American workers. Made all the more enjoyable by the variety of people's artists/cartoonists that have contributed to what is surely a labor of love. This is not what you're going to be taught in schools or colleges. This book portrays clearly that long memorable struggle for dignity among the working class that continues to the present day.
The Wobblies held to a grass roots approach of organizing workers, prefering "crude vigor to polished banality", a system of priorites too little seen in these waning days of capitalism. Each young person, parent and school should have this information available to them, for any soul not born with a silver spoon wedged in their mouth will come away from this history with a lump in your throat and a new spring in your step. In light of encroaching globalism (that is no friend to worker's anywhere) this is a handbook to inspire and encourage a new generation to take control of their own destiny.
Solidarity Forever!
P.S.- Check out the recordings of Utah Phillips, the modern troubadour/sage of the Wobblies.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars for Buhle's "Wobblies!", March 30, 2005

By	Senia "Senia" (Hackensack, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

As a youth activist, organizer, and scholar, I find Paul Buhle's "Wobblies!" to be a refreshing and unique reminder of the revolutionary tradition of the Industrial Workers of the World. Combined with amazing graphics and informative texts, "Wobblies!" is not just *any* graphic novel--it's a historical testament to the creative, inspirational, and rebellious struggle for freedom and justice that the Wobs fought (and continue to fight!) for. From the Paterson and Lawrence Strikes, Free Speech Fights, various interesting graphic-biographies of Rebel Girl Elizabeth Gurley, Ralph Chaplin, and Joe Hill, to the role of Black and Mexican Wobblies--usually not the focus of most scholarship--this book is a treasure to all and anyone interested in, as Mike Davis writes, "REPLANTING THE SEEDS OF REBELLION."

I recommend this book with utmost sincerity. You won't be disappointed!




"Perhaps some fading flower then
would come to life and bloom again"
--from Joe Hill's last will ["WOBBLIES"!]