Episode 21: The Onion, Batman and the Joy of Well-Designed Books
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na…When it comes to iconic superheroes, few if any are bigger than Batman. And when it comes to satirical news parodies, there’s no bigger name than The Onion. Today we jump into 100 years of news with their first book, a collection of front pages entitled Our Dumb Century. We then turn the page to highlight designer and author Chip Kidd’s incredible book Batman Collected that opens with a conversation about a “floppy thing.”
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): Book cover, several front pages from events that changed the world (1912, 1939 and 1969)
Our Dumb Century: The Onion Presents 100 Years of Headlines from America’s Finest News Source
The origin story of Our Dumb Century (Wikipedia article)
Buy a copy of Our Dumb Century (Amazon link)
Photo by Alexander Wiggan
Photo by Alexander Wiggan
Photo by Chip Kidd/Vice
(Top to bottom): Book cover, the page with the “floppy thing,” a second puppet, Batman helping keep the nation’s heads fully-combed, Chip Kidd with some of his Bat-memorabilia
Batman Collected
Showcase of Chip Kidd’s work
Chip Kidd interview (Vice Magazine)