Declaration/Emancipation Illustrated

by R. Sikoryak

Genres: Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2026

Reviews

[Kristen Barenthaler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, I found it a bit too confusing going from one comic style to another, page by page. Picking one style and illustrating these documents may have been a better way to hold my attention.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 10 year old son to see how he thought of it. He said it explain alot to him and he loved being able to see all the different artists and characters.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this companion to his 2020 Constitution Illustrated, R. Sikoryak returns with a timely look at the Declaration of Independence, ingeniously told through his trademark spin on classic and modern comics. Of course, this famous document is quite a bit shorter than its descendent, so to fill out the pages, he’s made this title a double-sided book. Once we’ve gotten through the Declaration’s “List of Grievances”, we flip the book over to read the paired Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address, continuing with the same slightly irreverent but enlightening format. Taking inspiration from over 125 comics, ranging from the familiar to the obscure, Sikoryak divides the famous works into sentences and pairs each with one of his full-color illustrations that mimic the original, but with a twist. Fortunately, he’s also provided an annotated list at the end of each section that credits his sources. The inspired pairings are too numerous to mention but include the Powerpuff girls confronting a HIM-inspired King George, Dudley Do-Right contemplating the Quebec problem, characters from Gender Queer celebrating the "proposition that all men are created equal”, and Nubia, Queen of the Amazons, representing freedom for all enslaved people. Also included: a brief chronology of the events leading up to each document and a select bibliography. The highly legible (albeit small) hand-lettering that presents the famous sentences appears either in talk bubbles or text boxes and it’s a lot of fun to guess at why the cartoonist has connected specific lines with the images. Some are obvious, like Scar, Darth Vader, and Riff Raff (from Underdog) standing in for George III but others require more contemplation. A quirky and unique take on these inspirational works and one that may encourage readers to tackle them anew. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Peter Wolfley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this style of book. It's a great way for history to come alive.