We chat with Ross and Darnall about their 1997 comic and why it's both a relief and a horror to read in 2024.
Sneak into any comic book geek's home, and you'll probably find copies of Marvels and Kingdom Come. What about Uncle Sam, though? The series hit shops in 1997 from DC's Vertigo label, and it sparked provocative thought from those who read it, but for whatever reason, it did not resonate as soundly within the direct market crowd as Alex Ross' more recognizably superheroic collaborations.
It's time to reconsider Uncle Sam, just in time. We're months away from a critical American election as of this writing. The stakes are high. Our fears are even more so. Democracy is under threat and as fragile as it always has been. There is the America we tell people about and the America we actually live inside. There is the dream, and there are the dreamers. Uncle Sam, written by Steve Darnall and illustrated by Alex Ross, challenges its readers to accept our America and its violent history while encouraging us to shape it into what we want it to be.
Alex Ross and Steve Darnall Activate Hope in Uncle Sam
Yes, it's depressing to encounter a tale published in 1997 that's relevant to 2024 readers. The depression is the point. Democracy is a neverending battle; the only cure for exhaustion and apathy is action. Uncle Sam is what filmmaker Boots Riley would call a "rallying cry." Let's circle it, make community, and do something. Hope is not passive; it's active.
We're beyond delighted to have Alex Ross back on the podcast this week. This time, he's joined by his writing partner, Steve Darnall, and we dig deep into Uncle Sam. What was their compulsion to explore this icon, why are they fighting to bring their book back into bookstores, and how would they write Uncle Sam today?
In our introduction, we also celebrate the life of artist John Cassaday, who left us far too soon at 52. Cassaday profoundly impacted our early comic reading relationship, bringing us together and launching our Graphic Novel Book Club, which we consider Comic Book Couples Counseling Version 1.0. The artist represents the best of what this medium can do, and his legacy lives on in us, his readers, and those who create in his wake. Our heart breaks for his friends and his family, and we offer them our love and gratitude for sharing John with us while they could.
Uncle Sam is now available from Abrams Comic Arts and DC's Black Label.
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