Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank

In Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank (2022–present, Henry Holt and Co.), writer and artist Eric Orner distills the long, combative career of the iconic Massachusetts congressman into a single, graphic-novel-length biography. Orner, a former Hill staffer, brings an insider’s perspective to Frank’s rise from local politics to national influence, particularly his role in financial reform and marriage equality. This one-issue series stands out as a sharply observed, deeply reported political portrait, rendered with wit and warmth by a creator who knew both the man and the machine.