The Party

By Tomi Ungerer. Published by Fantagraphics. 

Softcover, 136 pages, B&W, 2020 (originally published in the 1960s)

Tomi Ungerer eviscerates the 1 percent in this series of cartoon vignettes (a proto-graphic novel) that are unfortunately as relevant now as the time they were drawn and shall remain so forever and ever.

Created in the 1960s, The Party takes place in the Hamptons. It's attended by captains of industry, tycoons, magnates, moguls, and various undistinguishable fat cats, luxuriating in their tuxedos, evening gowns, and prattling small talk. The depiction of one grotesquerie after another — often couples — cavorting through the haze of booze and caviar, with the occasional wanton display of sybaritically libidinal impulse. Ungerer accompanies each full-page image with a hilarious, hand-lettered caption, which provides the characters' names and a brief deadpan description of their social standings, creating a dissonance between image and text.

"This antiestablishment satirical masterpiece practically vibrates with class war rage and will resonate with similarly inclined contemporary readers." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)