U.S. Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam #1-2

by Steve Darnall, Alex Ross (Illustrator), Todd Klein (Illustrator)

A ragged vagrant named Sam struggles to remember his true identity as voices in his head set off time-traveling visions that drag him through his nation's darkest moments and set him on a collision course with a formidable foe.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Politics, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man who may or may not be Uncle Sam (US) wakes up and takes a time traveling trip through American history. What he sees and the individuals who confront him make him question if he wants to be US. As we follow him on his trip we see a side of 'US' that is often hidden. Fantastic art by Alex Ross.

[Katie.dorny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really called out all the bullshit. It made me examine a lot. Not just about America but about governing and society in general. I really enjoyed it.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do you hate America?
Do you see it ONLY for its flaws, mistakes & problems, dismissing literally EVERYTHING ELSE about the nation?
Do you think you're better & smarter than everyone else in the world?
Do you think the former two are a consequence of the latter?
Well, then this is for you.
All the rest of us can just lament the fact that Alex Ross contributed his beautiful art to this screed.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thought provoking book. I cannot understand why that this mini-series didn't get the attention that it deserved.This isn't a superhero book at all. It is about America and how we as a nation have forgotten what we are supposed to stand for. This book is brutally honest about both Sexism,Racism, and Imperialism. In one of the pages, a Native American tells Uncle Sam that "You ought to be careful who you call savages" in reference to the broken treaties that America has made with Native American tribes which in actuality to use genocide to obtain their land.

Another example is a stereotypical wooden stick that was used to demean African Americans in the past shows Uncle Sam an African American man who is about to be lynched in the South. When asked "But we gave you your freedom, I mean eventually".The statue stated that "Oh, did you? Did you really? Free to enter through the servant's enterance at hotels? Free to get my ass beaten for having the nerve to want to vote? Well thank you suh! Thank god almighty I'm free at last!! When there were wars, we fought with you-In the name of freedom. And when the war was over, we watched you slip the chains and the nooses back on us. And when our cries got too loud, well, there was Amos and Andy and Aunt Jemima. They never sassed back at you." Uncle Sam finally asks "Why-Why are you telling me this? With a look on his face, the statue replied "Because you need to know! That's why! Because you have a tendency to FORGET these things".

And it also mentions other things that still affect America today especially with what is happening in our political climate today. I hightly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be both entertained and to be challenged. Very well written and the art by Alex Ross is amazing following the success of Kingdom Come in 1996.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic work with timeless art. While some have called this book liberal leaning or leftist, as someone who identifies as a registered Republican, I did not so readily find this work that way, but rather an acknowledgement of reality. Through beautiful art and strong story telling, Uncle Sam, or a homeless man depending on how you wish to run it, goes on a quest through our history - finding hypocritical behavior from slavery, Union soldiers being given maggot filled bread, greed, corruption and a host of other issues. Thus acknowledgment of historical facts should not be viewed as political, but rather historical. Finally, while there is a climax that involves the protagonist battling a warped version of himself, I find it no more political than anything else. I did not automatically see the villain as a Republican figure.

Whatever one's political leaning, you should consider this work. It issues challenges, but no more than a thought provoking work should. I did not feel it attacked or lessened anything I stood for or believed relevant. Perhaps it is because I am a more centrist type of guy, but I was not offended, but rather engaged - because the story is positive, it ends with the realization that, regardless of politics or affiliations, we can still have a great country, we can still all work together, and that our best days do not have to be in some revisionist past, but can still lay ahead of us if we do not i dust on being divided and unfocused.

This work is a thing of beauty, a work that examine history and stance, and like many great works, also examines the baggage you bring to it as a reader. It is not for everyone, but do try it as it will impact you and cause a response as all great art should.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mostly depressing, unfair, backwards-looking attempt at satire that stumbles over itself for its entire 2-issue span, only staying readable thanks to the incredible, detailed art of Alex Ross. Ross carries this thing on his shoulders, bringing some pretty bland, uninspired commentary to life with utterly gorgeous paintings that I think may be some of his best work. But, that can't really save this story from being not much of a story at all.

I'm not 100% sure what Steve Darnall thinks about America after reading this. It feels a lot like an old man shaking his fist at the sky, yelling "Things ain't as good as they used to be!" While it does acknowledge that America has had its troubles in the past (for instance: slavery, various massacres, unfounded wars, you know, those kinds of fun things), the major point Darnall seems to be making is that, back then, America paid for its problems, but now, Americans just want to ignore their problems by consuming too much media. This logic feels, to me, incredibly stupid.

This book doesn't read like a rant, but it certainly feels like there's one bubbling underneath. There's just this "kids these days" undertone to the whole thing. Yes, America is more media obsessed now than it was during World War II. But that is because there are more media to obsess over. It doesn't mean we're dumber, or lazier, or barreling towards oblivion any faster than we were when we were, say, capturing people and forcing them to live their entire lives enslaved. That was some PRETTY BAD SHIT, man. I don't need to hear that "too many channels" is the worst thing that ever happened to America. I mean, there's a section where an evil politician subliminally calls out the American public for "fearing change," but as I read this, I kind of felt like Steve Darnall makes a great representative for the United States Association of Change Fearers.

Now, as I'm saying this, I should clarify that this is what I took away from this book. This could very well not be what Darnall is saying. However, the writing in this is so dense, all over the place, and difficult to follow, that I really have no idea what the overall message is. It's pretty poorly written. There's so much symbolism that the symbols lose meaning and coherence. I'm just saying, the climax of the book seems to imply that America needs to embrace how great it was in the past to continue moving forward. Well, I say screw that. We need to forge ahead and not get caught up in how "American" something is, but rather how "good" it is. Not just for us, for the world.

So, I really didn't like this book. As I said, Alex Ross's art is incredible, and kept me going even when I hated this the most. There are a couple of moments here and there where Darnall makes some decent, small points, but in general I feel like his larger point nullifies all of it.

Also, don't read this on the 4th of July. It's not worth it. Go watch some fireworks and eat a hot dog instead.

[Matt Lohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Darnall and Alex Ross's UNCLE SAM is, quite simply, one of the most powerful graphic novels ever created. A ripped-from-the-pages-of-history phantasmagoria in a photorealistic Winslow Homer style, this tale follows the ramblings, both metaphysical and mental, of a disheveled homeless man in the garb of a familiar American icon. We witness his struggles to come to grips with his identity as he encounters phantoms from the past that seem to mock his self-belief at every turn: the grinning faces of a Louisiana lynch mob, the double-talking double-chinned senator who burlesques Sam at a massive rally; the "American" policemen gunning down protesting 1930s auto workers; and most potently, the farmers and former soldiers who were deemed American traitors as they marched for their rights during the largely forgotten 1780s Shays' Rebellion. As Sam encounters these events, the familiar sound-bite phrases that fill his dialogue grow increasingly hollow and hysterical...just as they have in actual life. Darnall's writing is potent and politically astute, and Ross's artwork conveys both a timeless and mythic quality to this tale of a nation coming to terms with what it has done and trying to figure out what it can then possibly still do. This overwhelming read put a lump in my throat more than once. It's every bit the equal of MAUS in translating complicated and probing political material into the comics medium. It's your duty as an American to read this book.

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give the story a 2 here, the artwork a 5, as Alex Ross is simply better than anyone else at what he does.

I can't curse the story completely - while I want to dislike it solely because it uses a classic comics character (and American icon) to run off a laundry list of ideological left wing complaints about society, that's not fair. There may be some basis for it in the classic stories or even the 1970s reintroduction that I'm completely unfamiliar with. The issue is that the story is very quick, with a generally unsatisfying ending. I don't really know. I expected something else, I guess.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alex Ross does a phenomenal job here. I'm not much a fan of his work, but do recognize his talent. Steve Darnall's writing leaves something to be desired. Perhaps 7 years ago this story would seem a radical piece of literature but it's very uninteresting in today's political climate, where both pro and con arguments about the spirit of the U.S. choke airwaves and bandwidth. One measure of an artwork's quality is the ability to remain relevant. This book doesn't meet that measure.

[Russell Sadowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the seventies, The Freedom Fighters came out with their own comic. Loved it and especially the character of Uncle Sam. This Uncle Sam bears little in common to the "superhero" I crew up with. I found this story hard to read because of style and context. I also got tired of the lopsided political bent to this book which could have handled the same material with out choosing modern political sides. I can not recommend this book.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated tale of the reality of the American dream circa 1997. It's even more depressing knowing now how much worse it would get just a few years later. A seriously amazing graphic novel that really shows the power of the medium. Howard Zinn's incredible A People's History of The United States was used as reference!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 for art, 2 for story, it balances out to a 4? A little heavy handed. Apparently this author was raised on newspaper editorial comics growing up, and he thought that the Nazis were literally shaped like menacing swastikas. That would explain a lot.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this classic DC graphic novel today. In 10 years' time, doing so might be considered an act of sedition.

[Saz Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly incredible. I never thought I'd read a graphic novel as politically biting as V for Vendetta but this is close. Really extraordinary.

[Alex Fyffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I have seen some condemn this work as a leftist anti-American screed, I ultimately found Uncle Sam to be surprisingly deft at both acknowledging the many ways our country has gone against its ideals and passionately arguing why these ideals are still worth fighting for despite everything. Like the nation itself, the character of Uncle Sam is divided against himself, awakening into the awareness of both the good and bad that he has represented, and longing to come to terms with it all. By the end of the book, the message is just as patriotic and America-loving as you could care for, despite those who rate it a one because it makes them face those dark aspects of the American psyche that so many wish they could just avoid. They argue that a book like this is simply "whining" or "complaining" about the country, when in fact, it is maturely facing what it means to be an American, for better and for worse. And only by acknowledging the shadow side can we hope to keep improving our relationship with ourself as a nation. We ignore the heart of darkness at the expense of a better future.

[Xander Fraum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love educational comic books, and this is a great one. It's a comic book adaptation of The People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn where the main character, a old homeless man who's the spirit of America, wanders the streets encountering his own disturbing history through hallucinatory flashbacks. If this type of stuff is your cup of tea, you'll love this book. It's worth reading multiple times.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a piece of junk!

Steve Darnall writes a slanted, sardonic view of the comic book hero Uncle Sam. Basically this story brings the caricature of the history of the United States of America warts and all... and its not pretty.

Mostly its drivel from the point of view of a radical, liberal perspective of the history of the United States. This was a terrible read, though based on history its disgusting and hateful.

F

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little hard to follow at times, the overall meaning still comes through and the individual episodes are visceral and powerful. It takes for granted the reader has some background knowledge of the atrocities that have been committed in the name of patriotism but whether you know the specifics or not, it still calls the reader to consider when and how we might choose a different path for our country. Sadly, two decades after publication, we’ve not yet reached that point.

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange and lyrical and deeply horrific, Steve Darnall's "Uncle Sam" attempts to reconcile the many faces of America, to make a peace with its mistakes, or at least to own them. It's too much to deal with, and it doesn't entirely succeed - but then, how could it? To read it now, more than twenty years since it was published, is odd. It feels as timely and as timeless as ever, and yet it's now an under-appreciated relic of a time when DC comics were ambitious and experimental.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read this again. It's so well-done and an incendiary account of what it means to be American, while simultaneously propositioning that America doesn't have to be this way. Very Howard Zinn-esque. Highly recommend to anyone who appreciates hidden, glossed-over American history. And comics. But the art is very un-comic-y- so really, very approachable.

[Dereck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Darnall's Story and Alex Ross's art make this a spectaculat graphic novel for all ages. It's political, it's historical, it's dramatic, it's thought provoking, and it's by no means history class.

[Michael Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book and a must read for all Americans, even more relevant now, than when first published. Steve Darnall doesn't shirk hard truths and Alex Ross's art illustrates the humanity between our ideals and how short we fall of them.

[Andrew Buckle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book from Vertigo using the symbol of America from Quality Comics. The story moved back and forth through the history of America, the good and the bad. The artwork was superlative from Alex Ross. A good selection of bonus material with the history of Uncle Sam as well as sketches etc.

[Bradford D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a graphic novel for the hidden patriot within all of us cynics. It's a hard look at America's history that pulls no punches, a cathartic journey into the spark of freedom that was ignited over two centuries ago. 

[Alonso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember when it seemed like Alex Ross was getting experimental and was going to balance his superhero work with more independent, personal work?

Yeah, seems like a long time ago.

[Nathan Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great commentary on our great american society. It's actually a GREAT read!

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale about a nation having an identity crisis. How can a person resolve patriotic feeling with historical reality? Great story.

[Eric Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional visual plea for America to stop and take a look at our society!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so subversive and anarchic. I loved it.

[Stephanie Kochay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is beautiful, the subject felt challenging and well-handled, and the themes were kind of what I was expecting for a dark anti-American-Exceptionalism book written before September 11, 2001.