It’s a rainy day here and one of my first thoughts was, “Am I ready to stand out in the rain if it’s like this on Election Day?” And just yesterday the absentee ballots for my Mom and Dad arrived at their house. They’ll get them into the mail ASAP. It’s that kind of season. I think we’re all planning ahead on how to ensure that our vote counts.
Everywhere there seems to be a focus on it. Even in this past Sunday’s Prince Valiant. The classic newspaper strip was created by Hal Foster and now capably continued by Mark Schultz and Thomas Yeates. In this week’s adventure, Aleta, Queen of the Misty Isles, remarks upon a unique form of government she had heard about. It’s an idea where self-rule by the common folks.
“Oh, Demokratia!”, she exclaims. And they she remembers that the Greeks “tried it that centuries ago! It worked well for a time…but then the people grew lazy and timid, and decided to just let a tyrant do their thinking for them.”
Which brings me up a few centuries to the latest book from Clover Press and YOE Books: Voting is Your Super Power. It’s a fun collection of old comics focused on teaching Americans about voting. The wildly creative Craig Yoe is the editor, and he has pulled together quite the collection of old comics. I was quite impressed how he discusses and dissects them in his robust forward/essay.
These old stories are wonky. They are fun and upbeat, and in some cases, they seem more relevant to today’s’ issues than one would have imagined they would be. But the story titles seem timeless: “Your Vote is Vital”, “Your Future Rests in Your Hands”, “The Man Whole Stole the Vote”, and “The Street Where You Live.”
There is a distinct lack of diversity in these stories, and Yoe addresses that right away in a very forward-thinking but sober manner.
But there’s news stuff too. Julie Newmar, known, in part, for bringing comic women to life (i.e. Catwoman and Stupifyn’ Jones) contributed the introduction. She’s witty and inspiring.
Artist Sanford Greene illustrated a new character for the cover. Here’s some of the sell copy from the publisher:
And this exciting buzz-worthy book is hosted by a new super hero for our times… General Election. In her first appearance, General Election is ablaze with voting power on our special cover by Eisner nominee Sanford Greene, the fan-favorite artist of Bitter Root.
I just had to reach out to editor Craig Yoe to find out more. “There’s nothing important than voting,” said Yoe, “and nothing cooler than vintage comics to deliver that message. So, we proudly made this book.”
“Of all the comic books that we reprint in Voting Is Your Super Power”, continued Yoe, “I am the most excited showing the groundbreaking discovery of the first Black superhero to have his own comic: Voteman!”
All in all, what a great addition to every coffee table in America this would be!
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And don’t let Russian interference keep this out of your hands. You can get yours today from Clover Press right here!
