The Eternal Smile: Three Stories [Paperback]

Gene Luen Yang (Author), Derek Kirk Kim (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: April 28, 2009

A fantastical adventure through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create. 

 

From two masters of the graphic novel -- Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) come three magical tales –

 

The story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed.

 

The story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go.

 

The story of a women who receives an e-mail from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family – and gives it to him.  

With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life. 

The Eternal Smile is the winner of the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Short Story.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Book Description
From two masters of the graphic novel--Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) come fantastical adventures through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create: the story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed; the story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go; and the story of a woman who receives an email from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family. With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.

Three Short Stories from The Eternal Smile
Each pair of panels below belongs to one of the three stories in the book: "Duncan's Kingdom," "Gran'pa Greenbax and the Eternal Smile," and "Urgent Request."
Click on each panel to enlarge [pdf].

Prince Duncan goes on a quest to avenge the king's murder and marry the princess.

Grandpa Greenbax the frog sees what looks like a smile in the sky and hopes it will answer his prayers.

Janet's ho-hum life gets interesting after she receives an email from a Nigerian prince.

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From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This collaboration between multiple-award winners Yang (American Born Chinese) and Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) is an eagerly awaited event that actually pays off. Yang writes and Kim illustrates in a medley of different styles united by meticulous detail, almost throwaway beauty and riveting storytelling. All three stories deal with levels of fantasy and how humans use it to escape or transcend everyday tedium and suffering. In Duncan's Kingdom, a fairy tale about a brave youth, beautiful princess and dastardly frog king is played out; the fantasy is so note perfect that the truth of the situation comes as a shock. In The Eternal Smile, Gran'pa Greenbax is an avaricious frog whose moneymaking schemes are first boosted then dashed by the appearance of a mysterious, peaceful smile in the sky. Riffing off classic Disney comic books and evangelical clichés, it's a sharp satire far more complex than it first appears. In Urgent Request, Janet, a schlumpy drone at a tech company, answer a Nigerian scam e-mail to liven up her drab life. However, her motives are not as they originally appear. Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power. (Apr.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: First Second (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596431563
• ISBN-13: 978-1596431560
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.6 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gene Luen Yang began drawing comic books in the fifth grade. In 1997, he received the Xeric Grant for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, his first comics work as an adult. He has since written and drawn a number of titles. His 2006 book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award. It also won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album - New. A short story from The Eternal Smile, his 2009 collaboration with Derek Kirk Kim, won an Eisner Award as well. His books Prime Baby and Level Up (with illustrator Thien Pham) were also nominated for Eisner Awards. Gene currently writes the graphic novel continuation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. His latest project Boxers and Saints will be released in September 2013.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars GreenBeanTeenQueen Reviews July 20, 2009

By GreenBeanTeenQueen VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I really enjoyed American Born Chinese when I read it after it won the Printz award, so I was excited when I came across this one at my library. It combines Gene Leun Yang's storytelling with Derek Kirk Kim's artwork (who I know from his Minx comic, Good As Lily). The result is a great collection of short comics that are fun to read.

What I really like about Yang's writing is that there's always a little twist that I never see coming, but still totally fits with the story. It works in each one and I'm never disappointed. Kim's artwork stands out and he makes each story have a different feel-you can see samples of the panels on the Amazon page. I love the way everything blended together and each story flowed well with the art.

I enjoyed all three stories and how each one had a deeper story than what first appears on the surface, but my favorite had to be "Urgent Request," the last story in the collection. There was something about Janet that made her a sympathetic character and I really liked how Kim drew her and was able to get her emotions across the page. Her story was bittersweet and I really liked it.

If you need a way to convince someone that graphic novels and comics aren't all about superheroes and cute Japanese girls, give them The Eternal Smile. It's a graphic novel for non-graphic novel fans, and for those who have long enjoyed the format.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the comic fan and for the non-comic fan May 8, 2009

By Casey

Format:Paperback

A good short story is hard to find. The writer doesn't have a lot of pages to make the reader care about the characters and in these same pages, a complete story also has to be told. There is nothing like finishing a good short story and just getting this great feeling of content. This book collects three short graphic stories that leave me feeling complete and really shows what a great storyteller both these creators are. Each story has a few twists and turns and they all have enough emotional impact to make you think after you finish each one.

Gene Yang's debut book, American Born Chinese, was such a great book. The interwoven stories in that book made it perfect, and I recommend that book to a lot of non-comic fans that want to give comics a try. I believe this book can also be recommended to anyone. The three short stories will appeal to anyone and I don't think it could be told as well in any other format except as a graphic novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The Eternal Smile Will Show You the Way March 9, 2010

By L. Fannon

Format:Paperback

The Eternal Smile is a collection of short comics by authors and artists Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories). The comics follow different characters and even have very different drawing and writing styles, but all have the same theme: nothing is really ever how we perceive it and it only takes one event (or one scene, or one word) to change our world view. All three sections had a lovely twist at the end that really solidified the strength of these stories.

Duncan's Kingdom is about a young soldier who is determined to marry his sweetheart, who just happens to be the princess of the land. When her father, the king, is killed by the Frog King, the princess announces that whoever avenges her father's death with the head of the Frog King will earn her hand in marriage. Duncan, with the help of his adopted guardian The Patchwork Man, goes on a journey to avenge the king. Along the way things are out of place and Duncan begins to question the very foundation of his kingdom. The twist at the end of this story was not necessarily unexpected and I liked it, but I think it was the weakest of the three stories. This is not necessarily a fault of the story, but the other two were so strong.

I thought that Gran'pa Greenbax and the Eternal Smile was going to be my least favorite comic. At first I really didn't like it and was going to skip it entirely. I just didn't love the story and thought it was kind of boring and I didn't understand the point. And then I did understand the point and it ended up being my favorite of all. I don't want to give anything away, but if you are reading this and consider giving up the story, don't. I think it's the strongest and most imaginative of the three....

If Gran'pa Greenbax and the Eternal Smile is the most imaginative, then Urgent Request is the most beautiful. I really loved it and the message it sends is a good one. Janet Oh works at a boring, dead-end job and her life is as gray as the color on the pages. However, when a Nigerian prince emails her and asks for her help, her life suddenly turns colorful for more than one reason. I loved the twist at the end of this one. It was much more contemplative than the other two stories and the beautiful watercolors added to that. There is one particular panel of this story that is just gorgeous and I would love to have it on my wall.

Though this collection is not necessarily as strong as American Born Chinese or other graphic novels I've read lately, it certainly deserves a spot on your list of books to be read. It's a quick, enjoyable read and has me really interested in Derek Kirk Kim's other work. Fans of graphic novels will find a lot to love here. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars A Seriously Overlooked Masterpiece! September 17, 2012

By Ethan Dennis

Format:Paperback

I found this book tucked away in the school library, and flipping through it, I noticed the unique art in this graphic novel. So, I picked it up, and it was a seriously mind-blowing experience! It revolves around three stories: one is a classic underdog story about a knight who defeats an evil creature. After his victory, things start to go awry and spiral downward in a mind-boggling twist ending that I would never expect from an upbeat-looking graphic novel like this. The second story is like one of the very few children's cartoons that is good; it follows the greedy and rich Granpa Greenbax, his granddaughters, and his kiss-up assistant as they try to think of more ways to strike it rich. The assistant comes across a smile in the sky and the gang adopt is as a new religion. The perfect denoument is the third story, which follows Janet, a timid woman who follows a hum-drum life in an office with a boss who insults her and will never give her a raise. Because she is so naive, she finds consolation in a Nigerian prince who asks her for money over e-mail.

Although it is very depressing, this graphic novel has plenty of surprises in store. It has some motifs that I would often see in a graphic novel made for adults, which pleasantly surprised me. Although American Born Chinese is also a very good graphic novel and swept many graphic novel awards, The Eternal Smile is truly Gene Luen Yang's magnum opus. I can't believe this isn't the most read graphic novel of all time!