By Tabary & Goscinny
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 978-1-84918-021-4
18 months ago I'd not heard of Goscinny's Iznogoud, but as a lifelong fan of Asterix I was keen to try it – and it was good. I was a little disappointed at the brevity of the stories (several to a book) rather than a full blown cover to cover tale, although this didn't detract from the read, it was just that I was expecting something different.
Now Iznogoud is one of the books I most eagerly wait for, and it's the punchy, clever short strips that are its strongest asset. Goscinny and Tabary know how to take a joke and run with it, meaning they'll wring every last bit of humour from the idea before it goes stale and then swiftly move on to the next idea. Think of it as a succession of comedy sketches. Tabary is a brilliant cartoonist perfectly suited to the absurd world of ancient Baghdad with its magic carpets and fakirs, and Goscinny is a genius at witty word play. I've often wondered how hard it is translate his scripts, but whoever does it can't fail to enjoy it.
This book features a story about a fabled mysterious vegetable called a carrot, the pirates from Asterix (I cheered out loud), a spoof science fiction tale called Magic Fiction, another about a Medusa-like women who has a face so chilling behind her veil she'll turn you to ice, and another involving a fly that causes sleeping sickness. Inevitably Iznogoud is trying to turn most of these scenarios to his advantage so he can become Caliph instead of the Caliph. A fun and funny read.
And if you liked that: If you're not reading Goscinny's Lucky Luke's then you're missing out!
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