Action Philosophers by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey (review by Kristian Williams)
Action Philosophers, volumes 1-3
Fred Van Lente (writer) and Ryan Dunlavey (artist)
Evil Twin Comics, 2006-2007
volume 1, $6.95; volumes 2-3, $8.95
Reviewed by Kristian Williams
Action Philosophers offers a funny, irreverent, and intellectually reliable introduction to the lives and ideas of a broad range of thinkers representing several different traditions. The three paperbacks, collecting issues 1-9, present short biographies of 36 philosophers and brief summaries of their major arguments. The creative team, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, make the most of the comics format, depicting Derrida as "The Deconstructonator," John Stuart Mill as Charlie Brown, and Diogenes as a dog.
Each segment is, on its own, readable and informative; were they arranged chronologically, the relationships between the different philosophers might be more clear and the collection might serve a useful (if cursory) history of the discipline. My only real complaint about the series is that it's a bit thin on criticism. We see what these philosophers thought, but -- though they're sometimes mocked -- we're not usually told about the problems with their arguments. Still, as an entry-point, Action Philosophers certainly does the job. And once the comics spark the reader's curiosity concerning ethics, metaphysics, or political theory, a trip to the library will surely provide the opportunities to follow up. If you're still too intimidated to move straight on to the Great Thinkers themselves, I'd suggest checking out Matthew Stewart's equally readable and sarcastic (though not illustrated) history of philosophy, The Truth About Everything (Prometheus Books, 1997).
posted by MindBuck @ 9:06 PM
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