By Goscinny & Tabary
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN:978-1-84918-131-0
Cor, it's ages since I've read an Iznogoud. This latest collection of short tales of mirth and misadventure feature the usual hapless and hopeless attempts by the Grand Vizier Iznogoud to bump off the Caliph in order to take his place.
It's a bit of a Groundhog Day scenario, with each new tale returning to the default setting of the Caliph ruling, Iznogoud plotting, and Wa'at Alahf aiding, if somewhat blindly at times. It's a lovely simple set up, not unlike Tom wanting to catch Jerry, Yogi seeking a picnic basket or Wile E salivating after the roadrunner, and because you know that premise you can sit back and enjoy how it's all going to go wrong this time.
In the first tale Iznogoud is after a genie to do his dirty work, but rather than a lamp he ends up with a pair of magic slippers, only to fall foul of slipper salesman, slipper cleaners and slippery words. In Official Trip Iznogoud is trying to force the Caliph to fall foul and start a war with the neighbouring ruler on a state visit, but everything he does seems to have the opposite effect and cement relations. The third tale involves strong-arm men, replacements for an absent Wa'at Alahf, who are hired by Iznogoud to abduct the Caliph and sell him into slavery, while the fourth story examines a Mongul horde sent to terrorise the rich Caliphate of Baghdad, but war doesn't quite go to plan when both leaders of the army (one of which is Iznogoud) decide to not quite play by the rules. In a fifth strip there's a lookalike of the Caliph that Iznogoud wants to take advantage of, but the best of all is The Giant's Island, a mickey-take of Sinbad (Cymbal the Sailor in this case), where Iznogoud plans to get the Caliph stranded on the desolate and dangerous isle while he sails back safely.
Goscinny and Tabary are anarchic and clearly having fun with every strip, subverting your expectations, creating stupendously silly situations and having a lot of fun with language and word play (no less so than The Horde story where much fun is had with Yurt and Yoghurt).
You smile because it's both funny and clever, and due to them being a succession of short stories they don't over-stay their welcome by running the gag dry. Instead they reset and start up all over again, heading down a different route with it's own set of comical consequences.
Doesn't matter what your age is, you're going to enjoy this.
And if you liked that: There are plenty of other volumes to choose from
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