Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Darryl Cunningham, elon musk, graphic novel, Hannah Berry, youtube

Elon Musk Graphic Novel Considered "Election Advertising" By YouTube

Elon Musk Graphic Novel by Darryl Cunningham is considered "election advertising" by YouTube

Comic book convention organiser and podcaster Andy Luke had a new video with Hannah Berry interviewing Darryl Cunningham about his new graphic novel, Elon Musk: American Oligarch, recorded at the Caption comic art festival in Oxford, both of which you may have read about on Bleeding Cool. Posting it on YouTube, Luke planned to pay to boost the video's reach. But he hit an unexpected brick wall. He writes, "I tried to take out a paid promotion of Comics Laureate Hannah Berry interviewing Darryl Cunningham about his fabulous graphic novel, Elon Musk: American Oligarch. What a surprise, YouTube has turned down the advert for some made-up bullshit. Please go and buy Darryl's excellent book, and if you like, watch the interview."

And the reason given? "Policy violations:  Election advertising in the United States." An interview by one graphic novelist of another graphic novelist about the biographical life of someone who is not standing for election, taking place and published in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland? It's a take, certainly…

In 2024, Bleeding Cool reported that British graphic novelist, Darryl Cunningham's latest work on Elon Musk has been published in French, but not in English. Elon Musk: Enquête sur un nouveau maître du monde, or " Inquiry about a new master of the world" was published in May 2024 but had not found a publisher for the original English version. The Guardian picked up the story a couple of weeks later. And then at London Book Fair of 2025, an English edition was announced coming from Seven Stories Press. Elon Musk: American Oligarch was published in September this year.

Elon Musk:American Oligarch by Darryl Cunningham
An unvarnished, critical graphic biography of the tech innovator, white supremacist, and presidential confidant by the author/illustrator of Putin's Russia: The Rise of a Dictator and Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful. Darryl Cunningham's new graphic biography of Elon Musk is a riveting deep-dive into the audacious mind and tumultuous journey of the world's richest man. Using his signature pictographic style—clean lines, vivid colors, and lean panel compositions—Cunningham peels back the layers of myth around Musk to deliver a timely portrait that is provocative and informative. Spanning several generations, the book traces Musk's journey from his family roots in apartheid South Africa and his grandfather's role in the Technocracy Movement to his current position at the apex of tech power and far-right politics. From Musk's early education and influences, the creation of PayPal, and the meteoric rise of Tesla and SpaceX thanks to millions in government handouts, to his ascension as a "dark MAGA" influencer and kingmaker, Elon Musk: American Oligarch captures the tension, tumult, and chaos in which oligarchs thrive today. Cunningham's award-winning clarity and style sparkle as he presents freewheeling financial and engineering concepts used by startups and tech companies. This fast-paced biography reveals the complex interactions of visionary ideas, relentless drive, and unyielding ambition. Elon Musk: American Oligarch offers a fresh, unvarnished look at Musk's rise, aggressive leadership style, and appetite for risk-taking that have propelled him into a unique position as an unelected private business owner with unprecedented access to political power.

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