Mr. Block: The Subversive Comics and Writings of Ernest Riebe
Before the Golden Age of comic books there was Mr. Block: a bumbling, boss-loving, anti-union blockhead, brought to life by subversive cartoonist Ernest Riebe. A labour activist and member of the Industrial Workers of the World, Riebe’s iconic, union-hating anti-hero satirized conservative workers’ faith in the capitalist system exploiting them.
Join us for an in-person book talk for Mr Block: The Subversive Comics and Writings of Ernest Riebe by the Graphic History Collective, at the Workers Arts and Heritage Museum in Hamilton. This wickedly funny anthology is a treasure trove of radical 20th-century art and an essential addition to the bookshelves of comics lovers, historians, and labour activists alike.
Joining us from the Graphic History Collective:
JULIA SMITH is a historian who researches labour and working-class history, gender and women’s studies, and political economy. She has written about women, work, and union organizing, particularly in the service, office, and retail sectors, and she enjoys studying and sharing the history of working peoples.
SEAN CARLETON is a historian who has written about comics and critical pedagogy for both academic and popular audiences. His research examines the history of education, colonialism, and capitalism in Canada.
Register here on Eventbrite.