Reviews

Shadowland by Kim Deitch

ktina619's review

3.0

Enjoyed the themes, artwork and writing but the racist drawings were just too much. Felt very jarring with no context or explanation or purpose as to why the non-white characters were either not present but still ridiculed (blackface), or present but depicted in brute, ugly caricatures. Overall, if the cartoon depictions were trying to be satirical or whatever, it didn't seem the author really got this message through to the audience if that was the goal. Might be a sign of the times but still... I'd rather spend time reading stories and looking at artwork from those who value different cultures instead of using them as jokes, props, or insults...

saidtheraina's review

2.0

The less accessible of the Deitch books I read. A lot of the same themes and characters as some of his other stuff. So, so wacky. Downright bizarre at times.

hypops's review

4.0

A collection of short, interrelated stories about a showman/conman from the turn of the twentieth century, his clown-faced son, and his crew of assorted show-people. Visually, this book combines an underground sensibility with "old timey" carnival posters and early-twentieth-century wordless novels (Lynd Ward, et al). Narratively, it blends medieval dream visions, fairy stories, oddball lewdness, and pop-culture. Lots of fun.