Originally published by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint and out of print for over a decade, legendary artist Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Fantastic Four: Full Circle) and writer Steve Darnall’s critically acclaimed Uncle Sam is back in print from Abrams ComicArts in collaboration with DC, just in time for this year’s presidential election. Uncle Sam: Special Election Edition is a timely reminder of American ideals, the promise of our nation, and the democracy that is at stake.
After winning an Eisner Award for Best Artist for Kingdom Come, his groundbreaking 1996 collaboration with Mark Waid, Alex Ross teamed up with Steve Darnall to create the experimental and subversive Uncle Sam. Meticulously researched by Darnall and painted by Ross, the book follows Uncle Sam, a star-spangled vagrant as he wanders the streets, speaking in sound bites and haunted by visions of America’s dark past. His misadventures take him from the assassination of President Kennedy to a Civil War battlefield to a political rally for a corrupt politician as he tries to make sense of his true identity, the nature of democracy, and the truth about the American dream. The book also includes all-new afterwords by Darnall and Ross, as well as an illustrated history of the creation Uncle Sam and how he came to become the iconic symbol of the United States.
“Uncle Sam: Special Election Edition is incredibly prescient, and a stunning example of Alex Ross’s early work, highlighting his skills as a painter and his masterful eye for composition and comic book storytelling,” said Charles Kochman, Editor-in-Chief of Abrams ComicArts. “This story, written by Steve Darnall, is—sadly—more relevant today than when it was first published in 1997. We are proud to bring this vital graphic novel back into print, especially at a time when we need to have tough conversations about the history of our country and where we are headed.”
Praise for Uncle Sam: Special Election Edition:
“If an icon must embody the ideal of E Pluribus Unum, then it stands to reason that his head would be filled with many conflicting voices. Flowing out of one mouth, however, they just sound like the rantings of a crazy old man. Steve Darnall and Alex Ross find Uncle Sam out on the street, help him to his feet, and send him off to confront those who believe that they alone speak for the Founding Fathers. A timely idea, brilliantly executed.”—Billy Bragg, singer, songwriter, and political activist
“Uncle Sam is probably the most thoughtfully radical piece of truly popular culture I’ve seen in the last decade or two. Frighteningly intense and . . . also sad in the most eloquent way, patriotic in all the ways that matter, to all the things that one might justifiably be patriotic to.”—Dave Marsh, author of Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story and Kick Out the Jams: Jibes, Barbs, Tributes, and Rallying Cries from 35 Years of Music Writing
“The most eloquent use of a superhuman archetype for a great many years, Darnall and Ross have, with Uncle Sam, produced a luminous and moving study of America’s iconographic landscape, at once an indictment and a reclamation of the nation’s oldest and most venerable symbol. As a portrait of a fond American dream at last waking to itself, Uncle Sam is genuinely inspiring and deserves to be read more than once. Highly recommended.”—Alan Moore, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and Batman: The Killing Joke
“Uncle Sam is one of those rare creations that is even more timely than it was when it debuted. A thoughtful, inventive, and visually exceptional triumph.”—Maureen Ryan, Vanity Fair contributing editor and author of Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood
The 128-page hardcover Uncle Sam: Special Election Edition is available now from Abrams ComicArts.
About the Book
Uncle Sam: Special Election Edition
By Steve Darnall and Alex Ross
Introduction by Greil Marcus
Abrams ComicArts | October 29, 2024
U.S. $25.99 | CAN $32.99 | U.K. £18.99
Hardcover | 128 pages
7-1/4 x 11″ | Full-color illustrations throughout
ISBN: 978-1-4197-7768-4
Steve Darnall first worked with Alex Ross when the two collaborated on a Human Torch story that served as the inspiration for the award-winning 1993 series Marvels. Steve served as a consultant on the movie Being the Ricardos and Ken Burns’s documentary Country Music. He is also the editor of Nostalgia Digest and currently hosts two weekly radio shows dedicated to the Golden Age of radio.
Alex Ross studied illustration at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, then honed his craft as a storyboard artist before entering the comics field. His miniseries Marvels opened a wider acceptance for painted comics. In 1996, he moved on to produce the equally successful Kingdom Come for DC Comics and has followed those up with an extensive series of work, including Uncle Sam, Justice, and Astro City. Ross has continued to produce work for Marvel Comics, including the Earth X trilogy, as well as covers for the monthly Fantastic Four and Doctor Strange comic books. Ross has produced several critically acclaimed titles with Abrams ComicArts, including Fantastic Four: Full Circle—the award-winning national bestseller—The Alex Ross Marvel Comics Poster Book, and The Alex Ross Marvel Comics Super Villains Poster Book. He has also been the subject of two award-winning monographs by Chip Kidd: Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross and Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross.
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher