It can take other authors whole books to say what Darryl can say in a single illustration.”—Jon Ronson, The Psychopath Test
“Tremendously well researched... I’m always in awe of the amount of information that Darryl manages to pack in to every one of his comic books.”—Robin Ince, BBC’s The Infinite Monkey Cage
"If you want to know why the world is such a mess, Darryl Cunningham provides a gripping and necessary briefing. His graphic novel Billionaires is some of the best comics journalism I’ve ever read. Cunningham manages to distill a tremendous amount of essential facts about some of the most dangerous and destructive people on earth, information made indelible by his low-key, acerbic cartooning. The drawings are remarkable, varied, and always on point." —Jeet Heer, National Affairs Correspondent at The Nation
"A witty but brutal critique of capitalism and corruption."—Publishers Weekly
"Cunningham’s comics journalism skills are unassailable. He has a gift for making the grotesque and unpalatable weirdly pleasurable. I was appalled and riveted and even amused throughout. Get this book, but for god’s sake get it from an independent bookstore. No One-Clicking, please." —Robert Kirby, The Comics Journal
"In prosecuting the case, Cunningham sticks to the facts. He’s particularly keen to catalog his subjects’ moral failings, allowing readers to extrapolate from there." —Rumaan Alam, The New Republic
"Extensively researched...a good choice for students interested in economics and public policy.Extensively researched...a good choice for students interested in economics and public policy." —Brigid Alverson, School Library Journal
"From Cunningham’s book emerge incisive critiques of the new gilded age of U.S. capitalism and of the way the ultra-wealthy have asserted ever more control over our media and politics, and our lives in general." —Kuo-Yu Liang, Library Journal
"Billionaires exposes the lives and lies of four modern billionaires: Rupert Murdoch, The Koch Brothers, and Jeff Bezos... Each section illustrates how these wealthy white men got their start—dispelling myths of self-made status along the way—and how they’ve leveraged their influence for personal gain, often at the expense of others." —Booklist
2021-02-06
British cartoonist Cunningham serves up the tales of four moguls with outsize influence on the lives of the rest of us.
The new gilded age is America-centric, though far from confined to the U.S., since “there are few geographic barriers to enormous wealth.” Around the world, the ultrawealthy have asserted policies to undo governmental controls on the economy and dismantle the welfare state, however benign, whether breaking the backs of unions or obliterating pension funds. Cunningham focuses on Rupert Murdoch, David and Charles Koch, and Jeff Bezos. Murdoch began by assuming control of a lucrative media network in his native Australia, then worked his way into mostly crafty acquisitions of other networks in the U.K. and U.S. by recruiting leading politicians to evade monopoly statutes. Of course, he made his share of errors, including his purchase of MySpace, which he bought for $580 million in 2005 but dumped six years later for $35 million. The Koch brothers, by Cunningham’s account, were even more politically aggressive, and their meddling has “only helped weaken democratic safeguards that had previously kept at bay would-be demagogues like Donald Trump.” They inherited a fortune, too. Only Bezos came from a comparatively modest background, though, to judge by this narrative, he has been no less politically ruthless. Cunningham’s drawing style is faux naif, representational in the manner of Derf Backderf, if a little less controlled, but his writing style is terse and declarative: “Murdoch’s drift to the political right began in 1975. That year, Australia suffered a constitutional crisis.” His own tendency is clearly to the left, but regardless of stance, it seems inarguable that we are all at least complicit in the power of the mega-rich. “None of us have to buy from Amazon,” he writes. “It isn’t against the law not to contribute to Jeff Bezos’s fortune.”
The rich really are different, as this lightly presented but utterly serious presentation proves beyond argument.
'Like Darryl Cunningham’s previous graphic novels, Billionaires displays his brilliant faculty for communicating serious and complex information in an accessible and entertaining way – something that the comic media can excel at. Immaculately researched and clearly told, this book should be required reading – by everyone!' – Bryan Talbot, writer/artist
‘A timely book… The characterisation of these bêtes noirs is beautifully succinct.’ Morning Star
‘It’s just astonishingly good.’ Liz Green, BBC Radio Leeds
‘A beautifully drawn exposé of the men who burnt the planet. Each picture is worth far more than a thousand complex academic words.’ – Danny Dorling
‘A speedy and compulsive read. This is a brilliant way to convey complex tales full of intrigue and dirty deeds.’ – Patrick Allen, Progressive Economy Forum
‘A fantastic exploration of the lords in their lairs by one of the smartest cartoonist-commentators on the planet.’ – David LLoyd
'Gripping and necessary…some of the best comics journalism I’ve ever read…made indelible by his low-key, acerbic cartooning. The drawings are remarkable, varied, and always on point.' – Jeet Heer, National Affairs Correspondent, The Nation
'Comics has long been the most effective method of imparting information and eliciting reaction (that’s why assorted governments and militaries have used them for hard and soft propaganda over the last century and a half), and with Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful we finally see that force being used against today’s greatest threat to continued existence…' – Win Wiacek, Comics Review
'Darryl Cunningham has created a beautiful piece of investigative graphic journalism. The amount of research that went into this book is enormous. The stories are fascinating and nauseating all the same. They are perfect examples of our failing democracy calling for the reform of capitalism.' – Foliovore, Bookstagrammer
'Darryl Cunningham's piercing analysis of the One Per Cent is vital graphic reading, for how we got to now, and how we can reclaim the future.' – Paul Gravett
'Billionaires takes some very important and complex subjects and distils all of that huge amount of research into a clear, thoughtful narrative that delivers detail without overloading the reader, and does so in a hugely compelling and fascinating manner. At this rate I think Darryl Cunningham may be becoming the UK’s equivalent to the great Larry Gonick, and our vibrant comics scene is all the richer for his work. Hugely recommended reading.' – Joe Gordon, Down the Tubes
'Put Cunningham’s [Billionaires] on your Christmas list… It really is eye-widening reading and, if you’re like me, it should give you pause about just how you spend your money.' – Cartoon Club Magazine