Declaration/Emancipation Illustrated

By: R. Sikoryak

Published by Drawn & Quarterly Publications, 2026-06-30

R.Sikoryak revisits the Declaration of Independence on the 250th anniversary of its signing.

R. Sikoryak, the cartoonist who cemented his reputation as the king of the visual mash-up with Masterpiece Comics and The Unquotable Trump, sets his sights on the documents that shaped the United States during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. A prequel of sorts to his Constitution Illustrated, Sikoryak presents the unabridged text of the Declaration of Independence alongside the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address in a double sided book, rendered in the bright, bold, and iconic styles of over 100 different American comics, cartoons, and graphic novels from over a century.

The severing of colonial ties to Great Britain and the critical turning points in American history that followed have never been more vividly manifested than in the skillful hands of Sikoryak, who doesn't hesitate to dream up Jeffy from Family Circus as Thomas Jefferson and Mr. Magoo as a British loyalist. King George III is deliciously portrayed as pop culture’s most famous villains, such as Thanos, The Joker, Scar from The Lion King, and many more. Sikoryak also skillfully adopts the styles of such comic artists as Will Eisner of The Spirit, Allie Brosh of Solutions and Other Problems, Morrie Turner of Wee Pals, Mark Beyer of Amy and Jordan, and Floyd Gottfredson of Mickey Mouse. The Civil War era pays homage to Black Panther, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, Steenz’s Heart of the City, Justice League, and many more.

Declaration/Emancipation Illustrated is an entertaining, multilayered trip through American history and American comics.