Customer Reviews

The Gremlins

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a Disneyphile and I've been coveting this book ever since I first heard about it. I've scoured Australian secondhand bookstores for years, hoping, by some miracle, that I might find an original copy tucked away in a dusty corner somewhere with a $2 sticker on it, but to no avail. [...].

But recently I went to Abebooks just to check if there were any reasonably-priced copies available, and I nearly fell off my chair when I saw a copy for less than $10! Then I saw another one, and another one, and another one, and I immediately thought with great joy: "It's been reproduced!" And sure enough, Dark Horse Comics have lovingly restored and reissued this lost treasure, a fascinating collaboration between two of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century: Walt Disney and Roald Dahl. Previously only available to collectors with deep pockets, this whimsical tome is now available for everyone to enjoy, the young and the young at heart alike. Bravo, Dark Horse! My only regret is that the film version never got off the ground, but this book is the next best thing ... until maybe one day John Lasseter decides to do what Peter Jackson did with the "lost spider pit sequence" from the original King Kong and actually remake it from scratch as a labour of love.

A wondeful discovery after 60 years. Sadly the colour quality of the full page colour pictures this 2006 edition is poor when compared with my original 1943 Christmas present. The original pictures are bright & sparkly while those of the new 2006 edition are dark & even the colours have different hue. For example the picture of Gremlin Gus on the joystick. In the original the instrument dials are all clearly legible this not the case in the 2006 edition.
However how many people are priviledged to have an original to make comparisons with?
So thanks for the dicovery, maybe now Disney will release the film.
Eric Fletcher

I have both the "Dark Horse" edition and the original and both are outstanding books. I got my first "Gremlins" in probably 1950 or so and find the new copy to be as good as the original.

The price on this edition sure beats the going rate for an original and the artwork is fine, at least to me. Probably a child of today won't appreciate the art and the story line but the "Gremlins" themselves are fantastic!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who remembers the original and also "the days of old."

Beatifully done reprint of the original book. Wonderful illustrations (in color and black and white) adding to the story line through out the book. Fascinating what the airmen during World War II thought the 'gremlins' were up to in regards to sabatoging their aircraft. Highly recommended, not only for Rold Dahl (Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach) but also the incredible art work of the Disney artists.

this is a book i recall from my childhood - loved it then but over the years it got lost. Glad it is available again and it will go to my grand-kids when they are old enough to understand WW II and appreciate the story.

I grew up with this book and have always had a soft spot for it. Roald Dahl has given us some pretty fantastic stories and this, being his first, is very special. The setting of the Second World War and the problems of the RAF fighter pilots is given a unique twist by using these fictional beings. Their antics are both humorous and serious. "War is hell" but with a twisted smile here. Dahl has kept his "twist" through out most of his writings so it's fun to see the beginning. The Disney characters are timely and representative of the story, I'm especially fond of the Fifinellas with their curly horns and demure manner. The Widgets are cute too. The book is wonderful for both children and adults. Enjoy!!

Delightful, historical reprint of a CLASSIC GOLDEN AGE story. And I only had to wait 60 years to finally get it. Ed Lane

I gave this book to my father -in-law for Father's Day. He had remembered it as a boy growing up in India. His father was with the British military and he could recall reading it as a youngster and enjoying it. Fortunately it had been reprinted so it was easy to find on Amazon. He is still talking about it and it proved to be a wonderful gift!

I remember that my Grandmother gave me this book shortly after WW2 when I was about 11 or 12. I fell in love with it and was sorry that it got lost somewhere. To find it again and see the original drawings (just as remembered) and the story was wonderful. Thank you for this treasure.

Over 60 years ago, the talented Roald Dahl was not the author we know him to be today.

Instead of finding him at his typewriter creating stories for children of all ages, he was a RAF pilot. As any airman knows, strange unexplained things can happen to aircraft. Taking this as an inspiration, Mr Dahl made use of the word 'gremlin' and soon, the RAF had a new enemy that took a place beside the Germans. Gremlins....In the original story, these gremlins could be seen on wings and fusealges of aircraft mid air. Un-noticed pings were caused by these tiny, mischevious beings with drills, hammers, and tools designed to undo the manufacturers best.

Where did they come from?

According to the 'myth', the gremlins lived peaceably in a forest glenn until an aircraft factory replaced their familiar home. Not a race to take their eviction sitting down, the gremlins fight back by attacking the very planes that leave the factory. During the Battle of Britain, Gus is downed during a dog fight with a Messerchmitt squadron. Landing in the hospital, he realizes that the Gremlins can be used for good, and trains them to repair rather than destroy. The war ends, and Gus purchases the land near the factory, preserving a solitary stand of forest for the gremlins.

Fast forward to 2008. Gus' grandson, Gus, crosses the ocean from America to sell the house and return home. Good plan, but he does not know about the clever inhabitants of the house who will do anything to preserve their native forest. Exactly what they will do is yet to be seen.

Like any Roald Dahl story, Gremlins (as re-released by Dark Horse in 2006), is a wonderful, innocent story with simple truths. Mike Richardson has re-captured the feel of the original with his continuation that brings the mighty mites into our century. His Gus, is a man of integrity. Old Gus, was a man of integrity. Old Gus worked with the gremlins. So far, young Gus has been captured by them, but he has already discovered that the quick sale was not all it seemed, and that the little folk have minds of their own. The odds are that we will soon find a cross generational team that will take on all comers.

The art by Dean Yeagle is perfect for the book, and reminiscient of Richard Sparky Moore during his Disney tenure from the 50's to the 80's. Yeagle illustrates the book with clean lines and simple panel structure. Viewed as a continuity, it could even serve as a rough story board too!

As a special bonus, the original story is presented in the back of the book. But, why settle for a 4 page version when you can buy the fulll, original 1943 book by Dahl and Justice.

This is one book that all ages can enjoy. You might want to wait for all three issues to be available, these guys are too much fun for just one issue!

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Tim Lasiuta