5 ms·

"Ducks,” the Canadian cartoonist Kate Beaton’s new graphic memoir

100 points by prismatic 4y ago

avador 4y ago
Just finished a reading. (Ordered after seeing this post.) It’s not my normal cup of tea. I will never forget it.
defrost 4y ago
Pretty realistic and frank memoir of being female in isolated and overbearingly male workspaces. Mining, military, etc.
- kleiba 4y ago
  I wonder what it would be like if I had to work in some remote place where the workspace is dominantly female. I cannot imagine it to be a wonderful experience.
  - defrost 4y ago
    You're concerned about gang rape with near zero support from management and a general culture of disinterest from law enforcement? Forty years on FiFo culture here is slowly changing, but it's been a hard road: https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/king/media-releases/sexual-harassment-and-assault-fifo-mining-industry-must-stop https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/king/media-re...
lubujackson 4y ago
https://archive.ph/FYpkL https://archive.ph/FYpkL
sp332 4y ago
The topics are heavy, but the book isn't trying to oppress you, the reader. The tone is downright conversational even when it's talking about terrible events or life-and-death decisions. And the pacing is perfect. I opened to the middle and read 60 pages before I looked up.
ZantaWB 4y ago
Read this as a fan of her work and a friend of several female geologists with stories from remote work camps. I was struck by the even-handedness of it. Really interesting exploration of labour, gender, and home. The artwork is also phenomenal at conveying the personality of the characters and the sheer scale of the jobsites.
mikessoft_gmail 4y ago
pavlov 4y ago
Kate Beaton must have a brilliant publicist. Over the past few weeks there’s been a “Ducks” blitz in the outlets I follow: email newsletters, websites, magazines. “Ducks” even made the front pages of Ars Technica and HN despite no obvious tech connection. I’m sure it’s a quality work and I actually look forward to reading it. But I’d also like to read the companion piece by her agency: “The Making of Ducks — how we got people who read about GPUs to care about a comic set in Alberta”
- steerpike 4y ago
  It's probably not that complicated nor really that related to an agency. The simple fact is probably more that for a certain type of nerd with a literary bent Kate Beaton and Hark a vagrant hold a similar place in our heart as Randall Munroe and XKCD.
  - pavlov 4y ago
    For this level of exposure, probably both? "Ducks" seems to be published simultaneously by Drawn & Quarterly in North America and Penguin Books in the UK. These two together have enough money and experience to mount a good PR campaign.
    - optimalsolver 4y ago
      What steerpike is trying to say is that you don't really need a major PR campaign for this. The people who work at those media outlets probably have a close attachment to Kate's previous works, so they'll gladly cover a new release without much prodding.
      - pavlov 4y ago
        The ideal situation is when it looks organic that way but is also a carefully orchestrated PR campaign behind the scenes.
- ZeroGravitas 4y ago
  I think you're suggesting they have a terrible publicist. A good publicist would get you in front of people who are interested in your work. I think that's what's happened here. You seem to think that they've shoved it in front of random people, which would be a waste of time.
probably_wrong 4y ago
Tangentially related: I can't imagine how hard writing this book must have been. Not only are the main topics heavy, but even some side characters and one-off jokes feel ominous knowing where life would take her. And then having to do media tours and interviews to relieve them all every other day? Oooff.
telesilla 4y ago
Her sensibility suits well the readership here. Enjoy her web comic archive - http://www.harkavagrant.com/archive.php http://www.harkavagrant.com/archive.php A favorite: http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=5 http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=5
- vanderZwan 4y ago
  Also, given the book title and its author: Aww Yiss, Kate Beaton's motha fuckin memoir http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=125 http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=125
- memalign 4y ago
  I had to look it up, and wow… Charles Babbage really did hate musicians… https://www.famousscientists.org/babbage-rage-musicians-revenge/ https://www.famousscientists.org/babbage-rage-musicians-reve...
  - Ntrails 4y ago
    I mean, that looks a lot like he hated buskers which is not the same thing. Indeed, it is an attitude I'm extremely sympathetic to. Noisy intrusive music that one cannot avoid is pretty damned unreasonable imo
stokesr 4y ago
Ordered the hardcover immediately, looking forward to spending a weekend chunking through it
dclowd9901 4y ago
Kate Beaton’s “Hark, a Vagrant!” is some seriously fun intellectualism and the historical references will only date you if you’re 300 years old. Such a fun book if you have some sense history.

100 points by prismatic 4y ago

avador 4y ago

Just finished a reading. (Ordered after seeing this post.) It’s not my normal cup of tea. I will never forget it.

defrost 4y ago

Pretty realistic and frank memoir of being female in isolated and overbearingly male workspaces. Mining, military, etc.

kleiba 4y ago
I wonder what it would be like if I had to work in some remote place where the workspace is dominantly female. I cannot imagine it to be a wonderful experience.
- defrost 4y ago
  You're concerned about gang rape with near zero support from management and a general culture of disinterest from law enforcement? Forty years on FiFo culture here is slowly changing, but it's been a hard road: https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/king/media-releases/sexual-harassment-and-assault-fifo-mining-industry-must-stop https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/king/media-re...

lubujackson 4y ago

https://archive.ph/FYpkL https://archive.ph/FYpkL

sp332 4y ago

The topics are heavy, but the book isn't trying to oppress you, the reader. The tone is downright conversational even when it's talking about terrible events or life-and-death decisions. And the pacing is perfect. I opened to the middle and read 60 pages before I looked up.

ZantaWB 4y ago

Read this as a fan of her work and a friend of several female geologists with stories from remote work camps. I was struck by the even-handedness of it. Really interesting exploration of labour, gender, and home. The artwork is also phenomenal at conveying the personality of the characters and the sheer scale of the jobsites.

mikessoft_gmail 4y ago

pavlov 4y ago

Kate Beaton must have a brilliant publicist. Over the past few weeks there’s been a “Ducks” blitz in the outlets I follow: email newsletters, websites, magazines. “Ducks” even made the front pages of Ars Technica and HN despite no obvious tech connection. I’m sure it’s a quality work and I actually look forward to reading it. But I’d also like to read the companion piece by her agency: “The Making of Ducks — how we got people who read about GPUs to care about a comic set in Alberta”

steerpike 4y ago
It's probably not that complicated nor really that related to an agency. The simple fact is probably more that for a certain type of nerd with a literary bent Kate Beaton and Hark a vagrant hold a similar place in our heart as Randall Munroe and XKCD.
- pavlov 4y ago
  For this level of exposure, probably both? "Ducks" seems to be published simultaneously by Drawn & Quarterly in North America and Penguin Books in the UK. These two together have enough money and experience to mount a good PR campaign.
  - optimalsolver 4y ago
    What steerpike is trying to say is that you don't really need a major PR campaign for this. The people who work at those media outlets probably have a close attachment to Kate's previous works, so they'll gladly cover a new release without much prodding.
    - pavlov 4y ago
      The ideal situation is when it looks organic that way but is also a carefully orchestrated PR campaign behind the scenes.
ZeroGravitas 4y ago
I think you're suggesting they have a terrible publicist. A good publicist would get you in front of people who are interested in your work. I think that's what's happened here. You seem to think that they've shoved it in front of random people, which would be a waste of time.

probably_wrong 4y ago

Tangentially related: I can't imagine how hard writing this book must have been. Not only are the main topics heavy, but even some side characters and one-off jokes feel ominous knowing where life would take her. And then having to do media tours and interviews to relieve them all every other day? Oooff.

telesilla 4y ago

Her sensibility suits well the readership here. Enjoy her web comic archive - http://www.harkavagrant.com/archive.php http://www.harkavagrant.com/archive.php A favorite: http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=5 http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=5

vanderZwan 4y ago
Also, given the book title and its author: Aww Yiss, Kate Beaton's motha fuckin memoir http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=125 http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=125
memalign 4y ago
I had to look it up, and wow… Charles Babbage really did hate musicians… https://www.famousscientists.org/babbage-rage-musicians-revenge/ https://www.famousscientists.org/babbage-rage-musicians-reve...
- Ntrails 4y ago
  I mean, that looks a lot like he hated buskers which is not the same thing. Indeed, it is an attitude I'm extremely sympathetic to. Noisy intrusive music that one cannot avoid is pretty damned unreasonable imo

stokesr 4y ago

Ordered the hardcover immediately, looking forward to spending a weekend chunking through it

dclowd9901 4y ago

Kate Beaton’s “Hark, a Vagrant!” is some seriously fun intellectualism and the historical references will only date you if you’re 300 years old. Such a fun book if you have some sense history.