Mr. Block: The Enduring Relevance of Ernest Riebe’s Subversive Comics and Writings
“Bosses Know Best” - Mr. Block is still your co-worker from hell.
Join us for a virtual panel discussion on Ernest Riebe’s labor cartoon anti-hero Mr. Block, and find out why his exploits still resonate today.
“Bosses Know Best” is the slogan of Mr. Block: a bumbling, boss-loving, anti-union blockhead, brought to life over a hundred years ago by subversive cartoonist and IWW activist Ernest Riebe. Mr. Block has written himself into labor history as the working class’s biggest blockhead. Why? Because he believes that the wage system is basically good and the bosses have his best interests at heart.
In this panel, the authors of two new books on the legacy of Mr. Block will discuss the enduring lessons from Riebe’s subversive comics and satirical writings poking fun at conservative workers’ faith in the capitalist system that exploits them.
Panelists:
Sean Carleton and Julia Smith of the Graphic History Collective, editors of Mr. Block: The Subversive Comics and Writings of Ernest Riebe
Joseph Grim Feinberg, author of the play Praise Boss! The Erotic Adventures of Mr. Block
Anna Hoyles, author of the Introduction to Praise Boss! and “The Rise and Fall of the First World War Gullible Worker as a Counterculture” in Comics and the World Wars.
Moderator:
Paul Durica is the Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum. For seven years he ran a series of free, participatory walks, talks, and reenactments focused on Chicago’s past, collectively called Pocket Guide to Hell. The series included a full-scale reenactment of the Haymarket story, on the actual site, to mark the 125th anniversary in 2011.
Date and time:
Wednesday, January 25th at 13:00 CST (Winnipeg/Chicago) / 14:00 EST (Toronto) / 19:00 GMT (London) / 20:00 CET (Prague)
Register for the event on Eventbrite. Stream the panel on our YouTube channel.
This online event is co-hosted by Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company and Between the Lines book press.