| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.95
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.95, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A young boy stumbles across a Punch and Judy show at the pier one day and thus enters a world of extraordinary magic. A story unfolds in which the boy is forced to confront family secrets, strange puppets and a nightmarish world of violence and betrayal in this dark fable of childhood and growing up.
About the Author
Neil Gaiman is world famous for his extraordinary stories told in graphic novel and traditional forms. He lives in the USA with his family. Dave McKean similarly is held in the highest regard as an artist and film maker. He lives in Kent, England with his family.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
My grandfather arthur once took me fishing. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
My grandfather arthur once took me fishing. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Neil Gaiman is my hero. I always have, and always will be intrigued by Punch & Judy. Therefore, Gaiman's Mr. Punch is one of the greatest works I've ever read. Though it is unfair to say "Gaiman's Mr. Punch", as it is equally Dave McKean's, for without him, I'm sure Mr. Punch would lose part of its eerie, strange, subtle power. Mr. Punch is an odd book. I read it in a single sitting, and afterwards, I was actually at a loss for words trying to describe what it is. This was a first; I can praise Neil Gaiman for hours on end, but I was stuck with Mr. Punch. I've seen it classified as Horror, Science Fiction, normal Fiction, and just as a Comic. But it is much more. It sent something through me - something that I am also at a loss of words about. This is a really great story, much like a dream (or nightmare, depending) it is surreal, yet uncommonly realistic; it is disturbing, but also soothing. It's more of an experience than a reading. McKean's artwork and Gaiman's words send you into something of a trance, where you enjoy yourself, get disturbed (actually, more troubled, as the young protangonist would say), and subtly reminded of your own childhood. A must read for any Gaiman or McKean fan, and also a must read for any Punch & Judy enthusiast, or anyone looking for a great read.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have a vague recollection of watching a Punch and Judy show when I was very young. The only tangible memory is of Punch beating Judy - repeatedly. I don't remember the story or the other characters.
This book, "The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch" had the unnerving ability to bring trace memories back to vivid recollection. This, in itself, makes the book quite brilliant.
But, it is the art of Dave McKean with his juxtaposition of styles and elements that makes this book wonderfully macabre.
I switched on to McKean before Gaiman. His work on 'Arkham Asylum' transcended the constraints of the 'comic book' medium and, because of it, he has been accused of being inaccessible by some so-called 'comic book' purists.
Which isn't really surprising because McKean's influences owe much more to modern art and, in particular, the Dada movement of the early decades of the last century than to the Kirby school of thinking. But, this falls far short of defining McKean's art because his art is impossible to define.
And as a result his version of the Joker was, in my opinion, the best ever.
Dave McKean has given Mr Punch the same eerie sensibilities as he gave to the Joker. Just the right mixture of jest and malevolence to make a brutal story even more disturbing.
It's difficult to nail down precisely the intent of Mr Punch. It partly revolves around a young boy's growing awareness of evil in the world with Mr Punch as the catalyst but, as with McKean's art, it is impossible to define.
And because of this, it has to be read.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A Romance is a misleading explanation of this book. It features the talents of both Neil Gaiman and the artistic skills of Dave McKean. The story focus' on a characters memories of childhood. Particularily his memories of the Punch and Judy shows which placed fear within his heart. The illustrations are fantastic and the comic style that the whole book enroles in is typical to many of their other colaborations. An excellent book, start a collection!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Games of memory
I will openly admit that I have never seen the Punch and Judy story, and I haven't got the faintest idea how it goes. Read more
Published 13 months ago by E. A Solinas
Sinister!
This is a really sinister book... beautifully written and illustrated.
It's packed full of haunting imagery and words.
Well worth a purchase in my eyes.
It's packed full of haunting imagery and words.
Well worth a purchase in my eyes.
Published 22 months ago by Fraught
Enigmatic Mr Punch
This dark graphic novel captures perfectly the disquiet that surrounds Punch. Half-remembered family secrets seen through the eyes of a child... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by R. E. Bennett
Exciting stuff!
This is a really interesting book. I bought it after visiting a great exhibition of McKean's graphic works. Read more
Published on 2 July 2009 by Alisdair Fleming
Amazing piece of work!
The art in this book is just totally brilliant and the story is a fantastic psychological and historical investigation into the violence of Punch and Judy as well as in the family. Read more
Published on 27 May 2009 by Ms. C. L. Moody
Not up to Gaiman's usual standards
I do love Neil Gaiman's work, but Mr. Punch is not one of his better efforts, in my opinion.
It was loosely put together, and failed to offer up the blurbed promises of "A... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2004 by Schtinky
Not for kids
Utterly excellent. Both lyrically and graphically. Punch and Judy a kids tale? Apparently not!
Published on 9 Sep 2003 by Mr. D. Stewart
A return to childhood.
The easiest thing to say about this book is that it looks simply fantastic, but this doesn't do it true justice. Read more
Published on 23 July 2003 by Mr A W Jones
Quietly brilliant
Mr. Punch is a difficult piece to review. It may be Neil Gaiman's finest work, but it is certainly his darkest. It is hard to describe the plot of Mr. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 1998
Elusively errie...
Neil Gaiman crafts a superb and remarkably arresting story out of a young boy's experiences with his shady family members set against the backdrop of a deceptively harmless Punch... Read more
Published on 14 Nov 1998
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
