Does anyone still think history is determined by laws as immutable as those that govern chemistry and biology? British illustrator-writer Martin Rowson is among a growing chorus that doesn’t accept every line of Marx but thinks he got something right. The Communist Manifesto was a slender pamphlet that shook the world for its critique of capitalist greed and its call to action. “You have nothing to lose but your chains” it said. Well, and maybe your life, since many of Marx’s followers decided that lives should be sacrificed on the road to Utopia. However, Rowson’s cheeky commentary is a reminder that Marx didn’t necessarily care for Marxists. His Hieronymus Bosch-meets-steampunk illustrations are a dark marvel and a delight.
