Timeless US tax reform comic book from 1977, now available online

From our friends at Citizens for Tax Justice in the United States:

While most comic books deal with spandex-suited superheroes saving the day,  the protagonists in New York Public Interest Research Group's (NYPIRG) "Blood from a Stone: A Cartoon Guide to Tax Reform," published in 1977, are the everyday taxpayers who are getting shafted by a tax code increasingly riddled with loopholes that directly benefit the rich. The only full-fledged, full-length comic book we know of that’s dedicated to the issue of tax reform, "Blood from a Stone” offers a concise and witty introduction to the history of taxation and the need for progressive tax reform in the United States.

While the comic is now over 36 years old, it remains strikingly prescient considering that tax reform has once again become one of the dominant topics of debate in Washington. In fact, many of the specific tax breaks called out as in need of reform in the comic, such as the preferential rate for capital gains or accelerated depreciation, are on the top of the list of the breaks that still need to go!

We are proud to pluck this comic from its obscurity and to post, for the first time since its original release, a digitized copy of this fascinating comic in its entirety.  We do so with gratitude and permission from the comic's original authors Larry Gonick and Steve Atlas.  Enjoy!

The complete comic is available here, or you can download more bite-sized sections from CTJ directly. The panel below (click to enlarge) provides a good defence of the principle of progressive taxation.