Customer Reviews

Mr. Punch

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Neil Gaiman has several recurring themes to which he revisits again and again like the swallows returning to Capostrano. Foremost among these is the persistence of memory, which is the theme of "The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch."

The tale revolves around a Punch n' Judy show at a seaside carnival and how it acts as a trigger for a young boys memories of his family. As with much of Gaiman's work, there are tales within tales here, and the real story he tells is more implied than elucidated upon.

Dave McKean's art underscores this theme beautifully, with the "real" characters in the story as cartoon caricatures while the puppets look like photographs, exactly the focus with which young children would concentrate their memories. Can we not all remember a favorite toy more easily than our parents faces when we were little?

A marvelous and poignant tale well worth your time and money.

Neil Gaiman is my hero. I always have, and always will be intrigued by Punch & Judy. Therefore, Gaiman's Mr. Punch is one of the greatest works I've ever read. Though it is unfair to say "Gaiman's Mr. Punch", as it is equally Dave McKean's, for without him, I'm sure Mr. Punch would lose part of its eerie, strange, subtle power. Mr. Punch is an odd book. I read it in a single sitting, and afterwards, I was actually at a loss for words trying to describe what it is. This was a first; I can praise Neil Gaiman for hours on end, but I was stuck with Mr. Punch. I've seen it classified as Horror, Science Fiction, normal Fiction, and just as a Comic. But it is much more. It sent something through me - something that I am also at a loss of words about. This is a really great story, much like a dream (or nightmare, depending) it is surreal, yet uncommonly realistic; it is disturbing, but also soothing. It's more of an experience than a reading. McKean's artwork and Gaiman's words send you into something of a trance, where you enjoy yourself, get disturbed (actually, more troubled, as the young protangonist would say), and subtly reminded of your own childhood. A must read for any Gaiman or McKean fan, and also a must read for any Punch & Judy enthusiast, or anyone looking for a great read.

Mr. Punch is a difficult piece to review. It may be Neil Gaiman's finest work, but it is certainly his darkest. It is hard to describe the plot of Mr. Punch without giving anything away; suffice to say it is not the kind of work you would expect in a comic, and not what you would simply be able to put down and go on with your life once you have finished.

Dave McKean's always innovative artwork enhances the nightmarish quality of the piece, and Neil Gaiman's prose is captivating as always. Mr. Punch is at the very least worth a read, and will likely find itself on your bookshelf next to all the other books that quietly changed the way you look at things.

I was ready for anything, not having read any Gaiman/McKein work for a very long time now, and picking this up made me feel bad for waiting so long. I was (and still am) amazed at the talent and magistry that Gaiman is able to reflect in eyes of a child, and how the story unfolds wonderfully with the sometimes beautiful, sometimes twisted and dark artwork found within. The pictures alone could tell an an amazing story, and the novella itself is told in the eyes of a child, and you know exactly whose voice the narrative is taking, from Mr Punch, to the Grandfather, to the child. I am a devoted fan, and this has only increased my hopes and chances of picking up more of his work. What are you doing still reading this? Go pick up this book!

Mr. Punch is one of those rare graphic novels that transcends the "fat comic book" and truly explores the possibilities of the medium. The text and illustrations are bound together and support each other, yang and yin, dreams and nightmares, innocence and experience. Dave McKean's illustrations are not only great comic art, they're great fine art, complex, rich, powerful individually but devastating in sequence, and perfectly complement Neil Gaiman's spare, almost naive text

I do love Neil Gaiman's work, but Mr. Punch is not one of his better efforts, in my opinion.

It was loosely put together, and failed to offer up the blurbed promises of "A nightmarish world of violence and betrayal." Though the artwork is good, and Mr. Gaiman's prose is good, the book simply was unable to create even a low-level dread of the creepy Punch & Judy puppets.

It is simply a bland story of a young boy's memories of his Grandfather's failing arcade off the main attractions of a seaside business area.

The boy is sent to stay with his Grandparent's while his mother is due to deliver his baby sister, and he meets and old puppeteer who is not very mysterious and witnesses his grandfather have an argument with a young lady he is involved in. No real violence or threatening situations, merely a vaguely distorted view of some old puppets.

The prose is good, but rather pointless; the artwork is good and strangely done, but when put together to form the whole it came out rather unfulfilling and anticlimactic. A rather generic musing of a mundane summer.

If you have everything else by Neil Gaiman, then go ahead and fill up your collection with Mr. Punch, but this is not a good place to start to introduce yourself to Gaiman, and not recommended unless you are a die hard fan.

Pick up one of his novels first, or his Sandman series or Black Orchid which was beautifully done.

I really like the Hardback Edition of this book - it doesn't have the frail bones that the Paperback does or the Rotten little spine that falls apart on so many books. It is built, and it is built to last. another thing I realy liked here is that this edition came signed - I'm not certain if that is normal or not but this was bught overseas and, honestly, a number of factors could have played into it.

As far as Mr. Punch's story goes, it isn't simply a tale of the character. If it were, it would stay in the dark little realm that has been constructed for the character and that would be that. When I first read this story I didn't identify with Punch and Judy and so it was hard for me to understand the character. I know this was my own ignorance and it the harm it did to my perception of the book.
That goodness I had the idea of checking into Punch and Judy to understand all of this more, because the character is so much to so many people.

The story is not one of Mr. Punch, however, but of a boy that happens to find himself incolved with the character somewhat differently. It happens because of the way his parents - and grandparents - see the doll, with the hideous things he does as something that perhaps pollutes the minds of children. There is a part in the bok that stands with me because of that, with Mr. Punch taking a little baby puppet and hurling it out a window (off-stage) and then seeing the baby bleeding from its mouth with little jets of red paint.
It conveyed such horror and I could understand how the boy in the story found the need to run then.

I could also understand a lot about the boy because, amidst the rich writing and the wonderful plot, there was an artistry that really made me think "childhhood." And maybe childhood is less of a word that innocence is but, whatever the case, it took me back and made me see through a fresh set of eyes. This is something you have to be willing to do, that is true and then some, and this si something you have to be wiling to really delve into. Otherwise, you have a story that can be difficult to understand in places and that might not be interesting.
And that is understandable BUt it is not a grand thing that the book can be.

For people who like the author and buy for namesake, look at what you are getting. The book is a piece of nice work and I loved it a lot more than I thought I would. I had to read it a few times to feel this way, however, and perhaps you might need that as well. Look at the samples, check the book out, and then decide.
I really think you'll agree with me after giving the book a try.

A subtle, creepy tale about childhood ghosts that never quite leave you. Dave McKean's artwork is both lovely and horrible, a perfect match for Gaiman's horribly lovely story.

This is another one of the older Neil Gaiman graphic novels I haven't ever read so I was eager to read it. It was an interesting story; McKean's artwork is dark and provoking.

This novel basically tells about a boy growing up. The Punch and Judy show plays a significant part in parts of his life, and at times his life seems to imitate the play.

This is a typical Neil Gaiman story; it is well told, a little eerie, and a bit creepy. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this is more the story of a boy growing up than anything else. The Punch and Judy play has influence throughout the boy's life. Dave McKean's artwork is fantastic like usual and serves to enforce the eerie creepiness that surrounds this story.

It is a very dark book with some occasionally dark implications, best for young adult or older. I found it to be an interesting read and I enjoyed it, but it isn't something that I would sit down and read again. I did like the way the Punch and Judy play was woven through out the boy's life and echoed in events that surrounded him.

Overall I am glad I picked this up and read it. It was an interesting, if somewhat disturbing read, there were parts I really liked and I enjoyed the artwork throughout. If you are a Gaiman fan and like dark, somewhat disturbing images that are a bit fanciful you may like this. It is kind of a coming of age story with Punch and Judy influences. Not Gaiman's strongest work, but interesting all the same.

I bought this for my husband who loves graphic novels. He seemed to really like this book and all the interesting art in it. While reading it he said "this is crazy" many times. He did have to go back and re-read certain parts because if you don't pay close attention you may miss something. Definitely a darker graphic novel, but a good one.