Harum Scarum: The Spiffy Adventures of McConey, Vol. 1 (Vol 2) [Paperback]

Lewis Trondheim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Join the cynical rabbit McConey and his erratic funny-animal pals as they blunder and wisecrack their way through a monstrous mystery that could destroy mankind as we know it. Action, humor and horror with a modern flair.

Midnight. A small Parisian apartment in the 1930s. A rabbit, a cat, and a dog scream in terror as a giant monster lunges toward them...

That's the opening scene of Harum Scarum, a European-style album that mixes action, humor, horror, and funny-animals with a uniquely modern flair. Written and illustrated (in stunning full color) by Lewis Trondheim, the hottest French cartooning talent to emerge in the '90s, Harum Scarum mixes sardonic wit with a genuinely thrilling story that involves a plague of horrible monsters and science gone awry... kidnappings, murder, arson, and pitiless beatings... fairy dust, time machines, and the teleportational cap... sinister commies, double agents, and corrupt commissioners... the niceties of tipping and the precise location of the jugular vein. Join the bunny, the cat and the dog as they blunder and wisecrack their way through a monstrous mystery that could destroy mankind as we know it. Trondheim has been nominated for multiple awards, and Harum Scarum is probably his most accessible (and most fun) work.

Full-color comics throughout

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It is impossible not to love the hysterical monster mystery Harum Scarum. The plot is well thought out, and the characters--a police detective dog, a wise-cracking reporter cat, and an innocent-bystander bunny--are utterly enjoyable. The bunny's school pal asks him to stop by the pal's father's place and to bring along a journalist. Imagine the surprise of the bunny and the journalist when they find a monster in the apartment! From there they get wrapped up in police cover-ups, communist terrorists, and a mad scientist's plan to cleanse the world. Lewis Trondheim's gift of comics storytelling really shows through when you read a scene in which one of the characters explains a trick or a trap, and you can go back a few panels and see the whole thing perfectly set up, wondering all the while how you could have missed it. And Trondheim's ability to have his character's dialogue devolve into petty discourses about trivial matters such as the "niceties of tipping and the exact location of the jugular vein" is a true joy.

From School Library Journal

YA?McConey, who looks like a well-dressed pink rabbit, is the voice of reason and sagacity among his friends, the closest of whom is a superstitious and puerile alley cat garbed like a retro hood. Their adventures in the series opener, Harum Scarum, revolve around magic powders that can turn the city's population (all of whom are animals) into self-destructing monsters. In The Hoodoodad, a cursed stone is at the crux of the action. The beautifully colored drawings, which show a terrific range of facial expressions and architectural details, along with the anthropomorphic characters, belie the fact that McConey's adventures really are best suited to mature readers. High school-aged boys, especially, will enjoy the frank machismo informing many of the exploits and the realistically foul language of Richie, the alley cat. The depictions are never truly gruesome or carnal; even the shootouts in Harum Scarum are no more graphic than Saturday-morning cartoons. Both books will be popular additions to collections serving teens.?Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560972882
• ISBN-13: 978-1560972884
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,642,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The plot tightens, December 13, 1999

By 

MR GILBERT AXEL (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harum Scarum: The Spiffy Adventures of McConey, Vol. 1 (Vol 2) (Paperback)

What makes a comic book a chef-d'oeuvre ? Suspense ? Action ? Humour ? Pretty pictures ? Witty dialogues ? Well, everything and much more appears in Harum Scarum, by one of the best European cartoonists. - The scene takes place in France at the beginning of the century. The someday-famous McConey, a naive student, is unwillingly attracted in zillions of adventures : he'll meet a mad scientist, an ambitious journalist, a rather curious police officer, as well as burglars, snipers, lizard-looking monsters, time-travel machines, terrorists and so on. Amazingly enough, this all makes sense in Trondheim's World, where characters never lose neither their self-control nor their sense of humour. This book may please children of every age, and also adults (even more, maybe) : there's MUCH more in this comic book than in an usual cartoon. You'll be amazed !

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Ever, December 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Harum Scarum: The Spiffy Adventures of McConey, Vol. 1 (Vol 2) (Paperback)

I love both of these books. I wish they would hurry up and translate some more, already!! I discovered them by accident and am finding myself giving them to all my friends. They are funny, silly, and wonderfully surreal, and totally satisfying. I keep reading them over again.

In Harum Scarum, I am reminded of Blood Music, the book where some strange scientific experiment goes waaaay out of control. Except this is much less nihilistic, and in fact the story goes totally over the top in just the right way. It's a kind of anti-Scooby Doo thing: instead of pulling the mask off of old man Carlson -- aw, you gotta read it yourself. I loved it. It was hilarious, a total find.

5.0 out of 5 stars loved it, April 17, 2008

By 

HS - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harum Scarum: The Spiffy Adventures of McConey, Vol. 1 (Vol 2) (Paperback)

Had a great time reading it! too bad it doesn't last longer!! creative, hilarious (but not stupid) and easy to read.