Reel Politik

by Nathan Gelgud, Tracy Hurren (editor)

An absurdist comic strip satire of cinephilia in the attention economy


A specter is haunting the cinema. A contrarian crew of small town theatre employees trade quips about directors, film criticism, and contemporary moviegoing, but underneath their banter and clashes with customers, an ideology begins to take shape. With the help of a dissatisfied cinephile and some witchy magic, the employees radicalize, take over the theatre, and seize the means of projection.

What starts out as a workplace comedy simmers and then explodes into an absurdist Marxist-Leninist cinema-focused tract. The Reel Politik revolutionaries demand that we ditch the small screens in our pockets for the big ones in the theater as they take on streaming services, phone addiction, algorithms, phony democracy, and the conventions of moviegoing etiquette. Does that mean they hijack the Criterion Closet van? You bet it does.

Cartoonist Nathan Gelgud both champions and lampoons the aspirations and failures of cinema and not a single sacred cinematic cow goes un-punched in this manifesto for revolution through film.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels, Film

172 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Ryan Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the funniest book I’ve read this year.

When my buddy Davis sent me one of Nathan Gelgud’s comic strips on Instagram, I felt like I was instantly hooked. Reel Politik is a hilarious send up of movie going culture in its current moment, mixing it with leftist politics. As a frequent Los Angeles rep theater attendee, i saw so so many types of people I know lovingly made fun of in this book. It’s like Nancy but for cinephiles.

[Lightmyacid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t tell if it was tankie or making fun of tankies and I couldn’t tell if it was cynical or just self critical but I saw myself and everyone I know in this, and I laughed at us, which is nice.

[Dr. Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the characters and their blatantly hypocritical stances.

Smart, funny, and tickles my inner cinephile. Can't wait for the next collection.

Long live Popgoblin.

[Dan P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grabbed this after seeing and enjoying some Reel Politik comic strips online that were mainly about left-leaning cinephiles making fun of themselves. This volume is much less funny than any of those individual strips. It really struggles with tone, energy, and coherence. But above all it's just not that interesting unfortunately!

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this; it has good points and gave me movies to look into, but it also turns pretty fast into a didactic polemic that doesn't explain some of its claims (and also in this current time promotes quotes by the anti-intellectual mass murderer Mao), and it's hard to tell if it's legitimately presenting arguments to its core theory in some comics or if those characters that disagree are just strawmen.

It's very funny, and clearly is meant for its audience. I get the wish-fulfilment element, especially since this covers the pedophile protector's second election; it just was too didactic for me, and maybe was pushed to publication before its overall arc was fully finished.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely pocket-sized collection of the comics that kept me sane on a daily basis for the past year. Genuinely funny and smart as hell.

[Kieran Westphal · Rating 3 out of 5]

not exactly what I’d call “funny”—occasionally a punch line lands well enough to elicit a brief, sharp exhale. perhaps my proximity to the material stifles the humor a little. as a guy who’s worked in arthouse cinemas for entirely too many years, and who spent his elective credits at clown college on film & labor studies, I suppose I’ve heard it all before. but then, if this book isn’t for me… who in the world is it for?

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great fusion of what are clearly Gelgud’s deep interest in and knowledge of cinema and revolutionary politics, with the humor to lovingly poke fun at each of them. Also has a lot of the structural pleasure of a funny pages strip with a gag at the end, and occasional digressions from the main plot (some of which were my favorite parts).

[Lillian Weber]

my two favorite things: revolutionary movies and revolutionary marxism


this could only be more about me if i had ever worked at a movie theater, which isn’t it kind of incredible that i never did? i feel like that should have been the job i was always applying for? wait, i did kinda run film screenings at the library so i guess kinda, yeah this is really about me

[Doug Downing · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of daily one-page comics gradually advance a seemingly improvised storyline. The gags are often corny. But there are some good characters and interesting ideas, making it engaging overall.

For movie nerds, culture lovers, and political revolutionaries.

[Michael Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Chris Brook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Some clever, niche jokes here (Godard! Letterboxd!)

[kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it enough to buy a copy for a friend - even though I'm not even close to a movie buff.

[Jon Hewelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contender for my top ten of 2026. Niche cinema jokes and revolutionary rhetoric: two severed bourgeois thumbs up!

[Katelyn Schreiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly little quick read

[Jason Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

A fun time at the movies! Not a very satisfying or complete narrative, but I suppose that narrative IS merely a tool of the bourgeoisie...