Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Reel Politik by Nathan Gelgud, published by Drawn and Quarterly, presents a comic strip showing the ongoing adventures of a movie theater like no other. Gelgud is himself a survivor of the theater, as former movie projectionist and critic as well as cartoonist with the New York Times and Hyperallergic. Gelgud shows his mastery of the comic strip with readily recognizable characters, all distinct in their personalities and dialogue, and pacing that always lands the punchline. He frequently makes use of the “falling down” reaction to gags seen in newspaper comics for over a century. Within a few strips, Gelgud establishes an iconic cast to trade jabs and make puns as they go on outlandish adventures.
The world of Reel Politik is magical realism, where a duck-headed worker takes tickets alongside normal humans. Things can get very weird, such as when Popgoblin the living popcorn ball comes to life through inappropriate activities by Vincent Gallo and the years of greasy residue in a concession popcorn machine.
Further weirdness comes from Sandra, a genuine witch casting spells with funky rhymes. She brings a projector to life, which then has the power to turn people it casts its glow upon into beings of light that can traverse all of space. Sandra uses that power to tour the universe, where all of the advanced alien civilizations are of course enthusiasts of indie film.
Gelgud roots the magic of Reel Politik in the real world of working a theater. Numerous strips, especially early on, show the “gotta laugh” moments of dealing with customers who cannot seem to understand basic instructions; working to get by; and putting up with the disgusting habits of theatergoers who leave behind trash and workers who are fine with less-than-clean circumstances. Gelgud peppers in plenty of movie-centric jokes with references to historical film critics, and inventions like “Movie Bladder,” adult diapers for audiences at extremely long films.
Reel Politik takes a major turn when the staff and favorite customers “seize the means of projection.” The characters offer frequent monologues explaining communistic ideals, especially when they seize the Criterion Closet movie van. There they lend out free copies while explaining the myths of curation and scarcity while inviting customers to watch esoteric films by donation.
Gelgud balances the jokes with critiques of the revolutionary cell, admitting liking big-budget films despite their verbose arguments of “images as images” being peak art rather than narratives. He also shows how the theater cannot keep itself running without resorting to theft from the chain theaters.
Throughout the book, Gelgud continuously comments on modern society. He shows the struggles of classic media in a new world of sound-bite influencers as well as how temporary the latter is. He jokes about the generational divide, with a character saying the “old” phrase “OK, boomer” being called out-of-touch. Gelgud even makes meta reflections on comics themselves, playing with punchlines to show how Reel Politik will continue to make readers chuckle and think.
