While our book centers around Batts and his search for the story of Dick Burger, we are also given somewhat a retelling of the sad truth behind comics. The book opens with the perfect quote from Jack Kirby that sums up the whole idea behind it: 'Comics will break your heart.' It's all right there in the introduction. It's not a pleasant one, but it's the only one we've got. These were men working in a time where it was the simplest line in a contract which allowed them to be taken advantage of, and while they are the most revered creators today and honored by just about every comic creator under the sun, there's no changing the quiet and dirty history of our valued medium. It's not exactly the biggest secret in the world that comics as we know and love them today were made on the blood, sweat and tears of talented men. What Hicksville is, more than anything else, is a thought piece on the very nature of comics. But as much as he may be a big shot in the states, he is rather loathed in his home town - and now it's up to Batts to discover why, and what exactly that means for the comic book beloved by audiences around the globe. Burger is most famous for having fully reinvented a classic hero for a modern day and age and riding that success into the mainstream media.

Travelling to the tiny barely-on-the-map town of Hicksville, New Zealand, Batts sets out to get the untold story of Burger's success.

Hicksville tells the story of a successful journalist Leonard Batts, who is attempting to write a book based around successful comic book writer Dick Burger. It's a comic that should be considerably more famous than it already is, and one that certainly deserves to be in every comic lover's collection.įor some thoughts on the book, check behind the cut. With that in mind, this week's Off The Cape is a special pick with Hicksville by Dylan Horrocks. While Artist August takes up the majority of our space here on the site for the coming month, we still want you to be able to enjoy your regular features.

Hicksville dylan horrocks