On the Ropes by writer James Vance and artist Dan Burr is a sequel to their classic '80s book Kings in Disguise, one of
my all-time favorite comics. Taking place in the '30s during the worst of the
depression, young Fred Bloch is now apprenticed to escape artist Gordon Corey,
a star attraction in a traveling government-sponsored circus. He has joined the
communist party and is delivering secret messages for the unions. Union
breakers have hired two murderous thugs to find and kill people like Fred. This
is a true novel, with characters who grow and change, real human beings with
emotions and secrets and a fast moving, thrill-packed plot. As the thugs create a
swath of destruction (and bodies) looking for Fred, he doesn't even know
they're after him. I have no sympathy for communism and I'm not much on unions,
but Vance makes those choices an organic part of the story and the character.
He doesn't hit readers over the head with their "correctness," as most
modern comics writers do. This is an incredible story about human experiences,
and not everyone has a happy ending. On the Ropes leaves readers pondering its events and themes long after the last page is turned.
Rating: ****1/2 stars out of 5
The best stories ask a lot of questions and only answer a few. Which is just like life.
ReplyDeleteWords of Iron, my friend!
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