Gaiman, Neil: Mr. Punch : The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy
Mr. Punch : The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Dave McKean
Genre: Comics/Graphic Novel
Publisher: Vertigo
There used to be a time when I could hear the name "Neil Gaiman" and not roll my eyes. I'd never heard of the man until I met Greg, and thanks to Greg, I know that Neil Gaiman is one of the finest comic book writers who ever lived (thank you, Sandman). And because of Greg, I read American Gods back in 2003 and really, really liked it. I thought, hey, I get why everyone loves Gaiman so much! I do too, right?
Well, I did. I think. Until I made the mistake of reading Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions, and suddenly, I saw through all the smoke and mirrors. Pardon the oh-so-very-bad pun.
It's not that Gaiman's a bad writer. Far from it. His prose is excellent, his ideas are intoxicating. I have the utmost respect and awe for the Sandman series, even though I've yet to complete it, and I still count American Gods to be one of my favorite books.
But Gaiman and I, when it comes to short stories, DO NOT GET ALONG.
Hence my cringing, eye-rolling reaction whenever someone praises the ground Gaiman walks on (sorry dear readers). Like I said, it's not that he's bad, but when it comes to short stories, I feel the prose is excellent, the ideas intoxicating, but in the end, there's something lacking substance, movement, direction.
I found myself having a similar reaction after finishing his Mr. Punch : The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy, a graphic novel he wrote that Dave McKean illustrated. The art is just amazing. Despite the very short length of this book, you really have to take your time and absorb all the little details of the art. Mr. Punch? COMPLETELY CREEPY. I shuddered every time he appeared on the panel.
And what about the premise? Essentially, we've got a man remembering a certain summer spent with his grandparents, but what he remembers is something very dark, eerie, and ripe with death and madness. Take the Mr. Punch and Judy puppet show, the thread that holds this story together and really, really demands a second read. Then take the narrator's grandfather, an old man who's still a romancer and romances his mermaids and, well, let's just say what becomes of that is the whole point of the book.
I think.
Again, this book invites a re-read. There's much to absorb and intuit, and for all my ranting about Gaiman, this is NOT BAD by any means. But what we have, and frankly, in this medium of graphic novel that's perfectly FINE, is a snapshot of memory of a single narrator. No real inciting incident as to why we're getting this summer of memories at this time, and no real conclusion or resolution at the end. Just a story told, a memory explored that the narrator really doesn't fully understand but the reader does. It's haunting and creepy, and I won't say it lacks substance, because it doesn't. It reads like one of Gaiman's BETTER (and of those short stories I've read, I can count the better ones on one hand) short stories, only this sucker's illustrated, and beautifully illustrated at that.
My Rating
Worth the Cash: but if you're a die-hard Neil Gaiman fan, or for that matter, a die-hard Dave McKean fan, this is a must-have. It really depends on what side of the fence you're on. I'm no die-hard Neil Gaiman fan and I doubt I ever will be, but at least that means when I sit down to read something of his, I definitely won't be biased. ;) And saying that, I enjoyed this, even if I wish it was something more than a memory. Which it is, but not in the way I mean.
Book: The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Graphic Novel: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore