Free Mickey: Appropriating Icons as Political Resistance w/ C. Clyde

What happens when a cultural icon stops belonging to a corporation and starts belonging to everyone?

In 2024, the earliest version of the most recognizable cartoon character on earth entered the public domain. STEPPERS is what Denver cartoonist C. Clyde and co-writer Henry Miller did with it: a black-and-white neo-noir in which Mickey walks out of prison after decades inside and finds his own face being used to sell a world he no longer recognizes.

This evening is part reading, part craft talk, part conversation. Doors open at 6 with time to browse, grab a copy, and talk with the author before things begin. C. Clyde will read the opening chapters with the pages projected, then step back to talk about the ideas underneath the book — labor, legacy, the violence of poverty, and what resistance even looks like when the symbols of power are up for grabs. From there the talk turns to the page itself: how formal choices in comics (panel rhythm, negative space, the 1928 rubber-hose vocabulary) were used to carry those themes, with specific pages pulled apart to show the decisions behind them. A short look at what's coming in Volume 2, open Q&A, and signing to close.

Come for the design conversation, the politics, or the pictures. Books will be available at the Shop, and the author will be sketching in copies for anyone who wants one.

We encourage everyone to prepurchase their books before the event as we cannot guarantee book availability without prepurchase.

ABOUT THE BOOK
STEPPERS is a neo-noir graphic novel that weaves classic characters from the public domain together with gritty realism, exploring violence, civil unrest, and personhood, and asking what political resistance even looks like in the modern age.

After decades behind bars, Mickey has been released from prison. In a twisted turn of events, he must reckon with a public persona he does not recognize — one that poses an existential threat to everything he stands for.

Reimagining "Steamboat Willie" as an industrial noir, STEPPERS is drawn in high-contrast black and white inspired by vintage rubber-hose animation. It is a subversion of the icons you grew up with, but it is more than parody: a deconstruction of labor, legacy, and the violence of poverty, wrapped in the aesthetic of 1920s animation.

Created by C. Clyde and Henry Miller. Volume 1 was featured as one of Kickstarter’s Projects We Love, successfully funded and is available now. Volume 2 is in production.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
C. Clyde is a cartoonist and comics writer based in Denver. Trained as a graphic designer, he works in the space where visual systems and political ideas collide, using the formal language of comics to take apart the images we inherit. He is the co-creator, artist, and designer of STEPPERS, and the writer and artist of Processing, an ongoing autobiographical comic about grief, belief, and the afterlife as bureaucracy, serialized on Substack. His work is available at createdbyclyde.com and on the shelf at MATTER.

EVENT SCHEDULE

6:00pm Doors. Browse, buy the book, meet the author, early signing and sketches

6:25pm Welcome and introduction

6:30pm Reading: STEPPERS, chapters 1–2

6:50pm The ideas: labor, legacy, resistance, and the public domain

7:00pm The craft: formalism in comics and the intentional page — a walk through selected panels and spreads

7:20pm What's cooking: a look at Volume 2

7:25pm Q&A

7:40pm Signing, sketching, and conversation

ACCESSIBILITY

Parking: Metered street parking is available (parallel parking) on Market St. Paid lots are available within a few blocks. The closest one is on 21st and Market St.

Entrance Access: Our front door is at street level and manually operated, accessible for wheelchairs and mobility aids. The rest of the block has sidewalks raised by five steps; however, the bike lane offers a step-free route down the block with minimal car traffic.

Restrooms: All-gender restrooms. Just like at home.

Communication: All staff on site speak English. There will be one Spanish speaking staff member. We welcome communication via translation apps (Google Translate is available). While we do not use ASL, we’re happy to communicate through apps or other tools that work for you.

Alcohol Policy: No alcohol will be served or permitted at this event.

Questions or Requests: Please contact us at events@morematter.com with any accessibility needs or questions.

We encourage everyone to prepurchase their books before the event as we cannot guarantee book availability without prepurchase.