Keith Knight has put out a second collection of his (th)ink comics. Where The K Chronicles are multi-paneled and typically biographical, (th)ink much more closely resembles editorial cartoons. They’re single panels that directly address political issues. and they’re darned funny!
The material in Are We feeling safer Yet? is typically raw, but I can’t argue with the points made and the anger he’s expressing. I doubt any of the cartoons would convince someone who disagreed; instead, these are rallying cries, giving those upset about the us being involved in an unjust, unwinnable war, for instance, much more ammunition.
The panels go straight for flesh, aiming to wound deeply, as when a homeless war vet is stepped over on the street without even being seen. Knight typically directly addresses the country’s racism. even when it’s not his explicit subject, you won’t typically see strips with as numerous black characters elsewhere, a situation that subtly points out how whitewashed much of the comic page is. I in some cases don’t understand the references, a feeling I don’t typically get in comics, but that’s another pointer of my privileged viewpoint.
The images are powerful, and they’re typically required to make the point. This isn’t one of those “just read the words, the images are superfluous” editorial strips. Knight’s grown into being quite a talented cartoonist, and his childlike giggling Bush makes the president’s violent stupidity all the much more uncomfortable to see.
Other issues dealt with include election fraud, the enhancing desperation of the situation in Iraq, the racism of government officials, the media, and corporations, and oddities of black culture. This book probably sounds like a bummer, but I found it eye-opening, and there is a lot of much more light-hearted material. For instance…
More information is available at Knight’s website. (A complimentary copy for this review was offered by the publisher.)
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