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Kings in Disguise book cover
Kings in Disguise
1990
First Published
3.88
Average Rating
195
Number of Pages

Part of Series

"One of the most moving and compelling human stories to emerge out of the graphic story medium."―Alan Moore This award-winning tale, set in the height of the Great Depression, received rave reviews long before graphic novels became the phenomenon they are today. Hailed as one of the top 100 comics of all time by The Comics Journal, Kings in Disguise now reemerges as a classic. It is January 1932, and movie-loving Freddie Bloch is trading his father's liquor bottles for the cost a matinee: "Dreams were only a dime, but empty bottles [only] brought a penny apiece." When his father disappears and his brother gets arrested, Freddie finds himself homeless and adrift, trying to survive during the Detroit labor riots and amid the furor of violent, anti-communist mobs. Winner of the Eisner Award and the Harvey Award for Best New Series and an additional Eisner Award for Best Single Issue.
Avg Rating
3.88
Number of Ratings
442
5 STARS
29%
4 STARS
41%
3 STARS
22%
2 STARS
7%
1 STARS
1%
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Authors

James Vance
James Vance
Author · 3 books

Award-winning writer whose career has embraced forms ranging from graphic novels to live theater and journalism. His 1988 graphic novel Kings in Disguise (with artist Dan Burr) was honored with the Eisner and Harvey awards -the Oscars of their field- and its reissue in 2006 was hailed as one of that year's ten top comics events by Time.com. His other comics work includes the whimsical Mr. Hero adventure series, and stories for the Batman, Aliens and Predator franchises. A multiple winner of national awards for playwriting, he was commissioned to write the drama "Halls of Ivory" as an official event of the Bicentennial Celebration of the United States Constitution. His play "Stations" was chosen to represent the United States at the International Theater Festival in Monte Carlo. He was commissioned to write a monograph in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution touring exhibit "Climbing Jacob's Ladder," and his script for the related television documentary "Hope is the Last Thing to Die" was honored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. In collaboration with his late wife Kate Worley, he has written a novel for the mystery market, and is presently at work on a new book in a similar vein. Working with artist Reed Waller, he is also shepherding Kate's all-new conclusion to the popular Omaha the Cat Dancer comics series into print. Once again working with Dan Burr, Vance is currently completing a sequel to Kings in Disguise. Titled On the Ropes, that sequel will be issued by W.W. Norton in the near future.

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