By Goscinny & Tabary
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 9781849182607
This latest outing for Iznogoud sees another collection of badly applied coup attempts to unseat the Caliph, including a fairy willing to aid and abet the Grand Vizier with her magical powers, a genie of the looking glass (Al Hiss, naturally) that tempts Iznogoud into a mirror world where everything’s back-to-front, a magical bed that sends slumbering forms far from home, and a lengthy tale where the reader intervenes and insists Iznogoud be given a fighting chance to achieve his aims. The thrust is to make Iznogoud Caliph instead of the Caliph, but due to his own over-inflated ego, his blinkered thirst for power, and usually some sort of magical bad luck, he fails spectacularly again and again and again.
Due to their shortness, each story is tightly written, packing in the gags and maximising the humorous potential, so it’s quick-fire clever word play, absurdist situations and comic comeuppance with no fat left to trim. Added to Goscinny’s efficient scripts is Tabary’s spectacularly fluid cartoons, rich in character and expression, and the ideal realisation of Goscinny’s vision.
Fairy Tale, the opening story, is a masterclass in how it’s done, where the creators take a simple idea and pile on the silliness as the consequences of Iznogoud’s ambition bite back, and all leading to a richly deserved and well-rounded conclusion. Funny and light-hearted, but sharp and quick all the same, Iznogoud is one of the greatest cartoon creations out there.
And if you liked that: Plenty more Iznogoud available from Cinebook.com!
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