NPR takes a look at Hark! A Vagrant!

Glen Weldon on NPR talks about Kate Beaton’s new Hark! A Vagrant collection due out tomorrow.

Beaton is the master of comic strip pacing; several of Hark! A Vagrant!’s funniest strips feature panels with no dialogue at all, just a character (Aquaman, say, or an unamused King, or Poe) regarding the reader with a hilarious slow-burn glare.

You’ll be hearing a lot about Beaton’s gift for historical and literary humor as her book tour starts up, because that aspect of her work allows people who’d otherwise sniffily dismiss the comics form to justify to themselves how much they’re enjoying it. Hey, whatever works.

Love it when great webcomics get big media attention.