HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Kings in Disguise'' is a six-issue
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...
, published in 1988 by
Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...
. It was created by writer
Jim Vance James Howard Vance III (January 10, 1942 – July 22, 2017) was an American television news presenter in Washington, D.C. Early life Born on January 10, 1942,Heil, Emily, "5 minutes with Jim Vance", ''The Washington Post'', January 11, 201 ...
and artist Dan Burr. ''Kings in Disguise'' is a multiple Harvey and
Eisner award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...
s winner, and is considered one of the hundred best comic book stories of all time. It has been hailed by
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
,
Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...
,
Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ...
and
Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...
. Set during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, the story follows 13-year-old Freddie Bloch, a Jewish boy from the fictional town of Marian, California. When his father and brother are taken from him, Freddie takes to the rails as a
hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works. Et ...
. He soon meets Sammy ("the King of Spain"), a sickly older hobo who takes Freddie under his wing. Together, they travel through scarred-riddled America, searching for Freddie's father. Among other places, their travels take them through
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
during a period of
labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
revolt.


Publication history

''Kings in Disguise'' started out as James Vance's idea for a play called ''On the Ropes''. One of the central characters of ''On the Ropes'' was an 18-year-old communist activist named Freddie Bloch, whose background stated that he participated in the Ford Plant Strike of 1936. James Vance was friends with several people at Kitchen Sink Press, who suggested adapting the play as a graphic novel. Rather than adapt the play directly, Vance countered with an offer to produce a six issue mini-series ''Kings In Disguise'' that was a prequel to ''On the Ropes''. He worked with Dan Burr to create the six-issue limited series published by Kitchen Sink from 1988 to 1989. Though not a big seller, ''Kings In Disguise'' proved popular within the indie comic scene and James Vance was asked by Dark Horse Comics to produce further stories involving the characters from the mini-series. ''
Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...
'' #42 featured an interlude story that takes place between issues #2 and #3 of the mini-series. ''Kings in Disguise'' was issued in trade paperback by Kitchen Sink in 1990 with the ''Dark Horse Presents'' interlude inserted into the original story. It was re-issued by
W. W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly '' The Norton ...
with an introduction by
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
in 2006. It was translated into Italian in 1991 by Granata Press, and again in 2006 by Saldapress. The French publisher Vertige Graphic released a French edition in 2003. Swedish and Spanish translations are in the works. The long-awaited sequel, ''On the Ropes'', was published in 2013. ''On the Ropes'' has been positively reviewed by, among others, the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'',"On the Ropes,"
''Publishers Weekly'' (Aug. 27, 2012). and
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
."About,"
Dan Burr's official website. Accessed Jan. 17, 2014.


Plot

Freddie Blochs is a young 13-year-old boy in 1933 California, whose life falls apart when his single father abandons the family and his older brother is arrested for robbing a local store to provide for the two. Believing his father may have gone to Detroit to get work in the auto industry, Freddie becomes a hobo but quickly becomes aware of the dangerous life of traveling the rails when a group of hobos try to rob and sexually assault him. Freddie is saved by another hobo named Sam, who states he is the "King of Spain" traveling in disguise in the United States. Sam and Freddie become friends, traveling their way to Michigan to locate Freddie's father. When they reach Flint, Michigan, the Ford plant has been shut down, and striking workers and local communist organizers begin protesting the plant closure. Freddie and Sam befriend a local minister, who provides food and shelter to the homeless in Flint. However, the minister withholds food and resources (such as a place to sleep in his church) from those who refuse to attend the religious services as Freddie and Sam discover that the minister is suffering from a crisis in faith due to the rise of "godless communism" among the out-of-work homeless auto workers. They also befriend the leaders of the local communist cell, a married couple named John and Marie, who are organizing the local auto workers' protests but who remain naïve in their belief that Ford won't use violence against the protesters. When a major protest goes sideways due to the police using violence against the protesters, Sam is mortally wounded as Freddie becomes distracted and separated from him when he falsely believes he has spotted his father in the crowd. They are rescued by a rather nasty, cruel homeless man named "Snake" and his traveling companion, a young girl who has a crush on Freddie. As Snake and the local minister help Sam recover from his injuries, Snake reveals to Sam that he too used to be a preacher until he lost his faith. However, with help from the young girl he rescued from a cruel pimp, he has started to regain some of his faith in God as he convinces Sam that Freddie deserves better than the hobo life. Sam, once recovered, learns that Freddie wishes to stay in Flint and help John and Marie in their communist activities. Freddie also reveals to Sam that his father was an abusive drunkard and that during their time traveling together, Freddie now comes to consider Sam to be his "true father." Sam ultimately leaves Flint, with Freddie's narration stating that he never saw his friend again.


Awards

* 1989
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...
Best Single Issue/Story — ''Kings in Disguise'' #1 * 1989 Eisner Award Best New Series * 1989
Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...
Best New Series


Sources consulted


Notes


References

* {{Refend


External links


''Kings in Disguise'' page at James Vance's website
Kitchen Sink Press titles Comic book limited series Harvey Award winners for Best New Series 1988 comics debuts