The Adventures of Unemployed Man

Last updated
The Adventures of Unemployed Man
The Adventures of Unemployed Man.jpeg
AuthorErich Origen, Gan Golan
IllustratorRamona Fradon, Rick Veitch, Terry Beatty, Shawn Martinbrough, Thomas Yeates, Tom Orzechowsk, Gan Golan
Cover artistGan Golan
GenreGraphic novel, parody
Publisher Little, Brown & Company
Publication date
October 18, 2010
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages80 pages
ISBN 978-0-316-09882-3

The Adventures of Unemployed Man is a 2010 parody comic book created by Erich Origen and Gan Golan. [1] The book was published on October 18, 2010, through Little, Brown & Company. [2]

Contents

Origen and Golan stated that they came up with the idea of using the comic book as a medium as a "dose of emergency comic relief" and because they saw the idea of "ordinary people" dealing with large issues such as unemployment as "not that far" from the idea of superheroes battling large villains. [3] [4]

The book brought together many living artists from classic eras of comics, including Ramona Fradon, one of the first women artists to work in the industry, as well as Rick Veitch, Thomas Yeates, Terry Beatty, Josef Rubenstein, Benton Jew, Michael Netzer, Shawn Martinbrough, with lettering by Clem Robins and Tom Orzechowski, and colors by Lee Loughridge.

Synopsis

The book follows Unemployed Man, an out of work superhero and his sidekick Plan B. Unemployed Man first began as The Ultimatum, a rich superhero that looked down upon the poor and unemployed as lazy or otherwise unmotivated. He later loses his job and is defeated by the Invisible Hand, eventually ending up homeless. Unemployed Man must then seek a new job and team up with other superheroes in the same situation he is currently in. [2] [5]

Reception

The book was reviewed in Wired and Time . [6] [7] The Guardian called it "a furious, fearless, Swiftian kind of a book". [8]

 Time Magazine  called it "Hilarious, clever, very relevant, and remarkably insightful and thought-provoking." [9] 

Salon.com called it "the funniest economic primer ever written" while The Guardian claimed "This book is so good it might cause a rare outbreak of shame among the ruling classes..." [10]

 Publishers Weekly  stated that the "entire message comes off as preaching to the choir, the superhero pastiche, drawn in a Silver Age comics style... gets the point across in an enjoyable way". [11] 

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Comics</span> American comic book publisher

Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the property of The Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in June 1961 with the launch of The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider-Man</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He has been featured in comic books, television shows, films, video games, novels, and plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero</span> Type of stock character

A superhero or superheroine is a stock character who typically possesses superpowers or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero; typically using their powers to help the world become a better place, or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime. Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books, as well as in Japanese media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Byrne (comics)</span> American comic book writer and artist

John Lindley Byrne is a British-born American writer and artist of superhero comics. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on many major superheroes; with noted work on Marvel Comics's X-Men and Fantastic Four. Byrne also facilitated the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics's Superman franchise with the limited series The Man of Steel, the first issue of which featured the comics' first variant cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Age of Comic Books</span> Mid-1950s to 70s era of comic books

The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to 1970, and was succeeded by the Bronze Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Age of Comic Books</span> Late 1930s to mid-50s era of comic books

The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known characters were introduced, including Superman, Batman, Robin, Captain Marvel, Captain America, and Wonder Woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Bee (character)</span> Comics character

Red Bee is the name of two fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero film</span> Film genre

A superhero film is a film that focuses on superheroes and their actions. Superheroes are individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature action, adventure, fantasy, or science fiction elements. The first film about a particular character often focuses on the hero's origin story. It also frequently introduces the hero's nemesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Timm</span> American artist, character designer, animator

Bruce Walter Timm is an American artist, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for contributing to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably as the head producer behind Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Batman Beyond (1999–2001), Justice League (2001–2004), and Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006).

<i>Mighty Crusaders</i>

The Mighty Crusaders is a fictional superhero team published by Archie Comics. The team originally appeared in Fly-Man No. 31, #32 and No. 33 before being launched in its own title, Mighty Crusaders. Written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the series lasted seven issues before being cancelled. The team was revived under Archie's Red Circle Comics line in 1983. In 1992 DC Comics licensed the characters and relaunched the team as The Crusaders, aiming the comic at younger readers as part of its !mpact line. This series lasted eight issues, cover-dated May to December 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Circle Comics</span>

Dark Circle Comics is an imprint of Archie Comics Publications, Inc. Under its previous name, Red Circle Comics, it published non-humor characters, particularly superheroes in the 1970s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramona Fradon</span> American comics artist (1926–2024)

Ramona Fradon was an American comics artist known for her work illustrating Aquaman and Brenda Starr, Reporter, and co-creating the superhero Metamorpho. Her career began in 1950 and lasted until her retirement in January 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Netzer</span> American-Israeli artist

Michael Netzer is an American-Israeli artist best known for his comic book work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics in the 1970s, as well as for his online presence.

<i>Night Nurse</i> (comics) Marvel Comics series

Night Nurse is a comic-book series published by Marvel Comics in the early 1970s. Linda Carter, one of the series' three central characters, previously was the lead of an earlier Marvel series, Linda Carter, Student Nurse, published in 1961. Other central characters included Georgia Jenkins and Christine Palmer; both Linda Carter and Christine Palmer would later be explicitly incorporated into the larger 616 Marvel Universe comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero fiction</span> Fiction genre

Superhero fiction is a subgenre of science fiction examining the adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains. The genre primarily falls between hard fantasy and soft science fiction in the spectrum of scientific realism. It is most commonly associated with American comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Lee</span> American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer (1922–2018)

Stan Lee was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which would later become Marvel Comics. He was the primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries.

The history of American comics began in the 19th century in mass print media, in the era of sensationalist journalism, where newspaper comics served as further entertainment for mass readership. In the 20th century, comics became an autonomous art medium and an integral part of American culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manoj Gupta</span>

Manoj Gupta is an Indian publisher, editor, and the President and Co-founder of Raja Pocket Books and its subsidiary Raj comics. He established the most popular and longest running comic book company Raj Comics together with his brother Sanjay Gupta. He co-created the characters Nagraj,Bankelal Doga, Bhokal, Yoddha etc. He introduced digital-colouring in Raj Comics back in the 1990s, making it one of the first Indian brands to use the technique. Some consumers partially credit their wildly explosive success to this technological increment.

References

  1. Martinelli, Nicole (31 October 2011). "Unemployed Man Is the Unofficial Superhero of Occupy Wall Street". Wired. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Q&A: 'The Adventures of Unemployed Man' Author Erich Origen". Time. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  3. "Unemployed Man vs. Superlotto!". CNN. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  4. "Jobless superhero battles economic forces". Reuters. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  5. Wilson, Craig (21 October 2010). "'Unemployed Man' comic book authors get the job done". USA Today. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  6. Raiteri, Steve. "Graphic Novels Reviews, May 15, 2011". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2011-08-06. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  7. Mcmurtrie, John (14 November 2010). "'The Adventures of Unemployed Man'". SF Gate. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  8. Cooke, Rachel (6 March 2011). "The Adventures of Unemployed Man by Erich Origen and Gan Golan – review". London: Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  9. Tuttle, Brad (2010-11-11). "Q&A: 'The Adventures of Unemployed Man' Author Erich Origen". Time. ISSN   0040-781X . Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  10. Cooke, Rachel (2011-03-06). "The Adventures of Unemployed Man by Erich Origen and Gan Golan – review". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  11. "Comics Reviews: 11/8/10". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 14 January 2013.