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The Man Who Laughs (Classics - SelfMadeHero) Kindle & comiXology

by Victor Hugo (Author), David Hine (Author), Mark Stafford (Illustrator, Artist) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
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London, 1705. As a surrogate family of strolling players enact their nightly performance of  Chaos Vanquished, a message in a bottle, washed up after years at sea, threatens to bring chaos once again to each of their lives. To the aging quack in charge of the troupe; to its blind and beautiful leading lady; and to Gwynplaine, the virtuous young actor whose inner nobility is masked by the mutilated face by which a grotesque, perverse and corrupt society defines him: "The Man Who Laughs".   In David Hine and Mark Stafford's adaptation, Victor Hugo's impassioned, outrageous and bizarre 19th-century novel – the inspiration behind The Joker in  Batman – has found an ideal new form.
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  1. Part of Series
    Classics - SelfMadeHero
  2. Print length
    170 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
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  5. Publisher
    SelfMadeHero
  6. Publication date
    April 18, 2013
  7. File size
    711917 KB
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  10. Enhanced typesetting
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  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Hine’s script neither shrinks from nor winks at the tale’s over-the-top melodrama, and Stafford’s elaborately cursive and pointy drawing style, awash in darkness and saturated colors, expresses it near perfectly.”―Booklist

“Although his visage inspired Batman’s most splendiferous villain, the Joker, Gwynplaine’s commonsense polemics still resonate, whether in Occupy protests or speeches by Elizabeth Warren.”―Village Voice

About the Author

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) was one of the most prominent French writers and political figures of the 19th century. David Hine has worked in comics since the 1980s, and has written Batman for DC Comics, as well as Spider-Man and X-Men for Marvel Comics. He lives in London. Mark Stafford is a cartoonist-in-residence at the Cartoon Museum in London. He has collaborated with Costa award–winning Bryan Talbot on Cherubs! He lives in London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0179TFJ8W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ SelfMadeHero; Illustrated edition (April 18, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 18, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 711917 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 170 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

About the authors

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  1. David Hine

    David Hine

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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  2. Mark Stafford

    Mark Stafford

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    Mark Stafford is a London-based cartoonist and illustrator.

    After years of toiling in the small press salt mines, he co-created the Dark Horse graphic novel Cherubs! with Bryan Talbot, and since then he has made beer labels, theatre posters, graphics, record covers, and gallery show pieces, as well as a steady stream of self penned strips for various anthologies.

    His partnership with the writer David Hine has so far produced a version of Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space (for The Lovecraft Anthology Volume One,) the BCA short-listed Victor Hugo adaptation The Man Who Laughs, and the 'tale of rural unease' Lip Hook, all for publisher Self Made Hero, and their creepy serial 'The Bad Bad Place' running in Meanwhile magazine has been collected into a hardcover by Soaring Penguin.

    A project in collaboration with the British Council/Arts council Korea in Busan has resulted in the short work Kangkangee Blues, a love story, of sorts, printed by the LICAF fund for the 2019 Lakes Festival,(available through his Etsy shop.)

    Salmonella Smorgasbord, a hefty collection of his short pieces, illustration and graphics, was released by Soaring Penguin in 2023.

    He has happily been the free-floating and loosely defined Cartoonist in Residence for the Cartoon Museum in London for bloody ages.

    He paints a bit now and then.

    When there's time.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
39 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

sergei kochkin
4.0 out of 5 stars Superb adaptation of this great novel - art work could be more elegant
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2014
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Having read Hugo's Les Miserables, Notre Dame de Paris (Hunchback of Notre Dame) and Toilers of the Sea (one of the best books ever written) I thought I would explore others by Hugo. This is a very faithful generous graphic novel on this great criticism of corrupt aristocracy. I liked it so much that I sought out a copy of the original novel. It is hard to find a good copy since most are direct downloads of the Gutenberg digital books project along with typos and strange characters. If you have a Kindle or iPad you can download it for free in the 25,000 book free book app. But it is not pleasantly laid out. Instead I looked for a copy of the 1888 printing (Boston, Little and Brown) which I got from a firm in India (Gyan Books) specializing in reprinting old books in HB at a good price. Read the reviews of MWL on Amazon, since some people hate these digital direct-to-print on demand books. My only complaint is the artwork. It was OK but a little crude. I would have appreciated something a little more elegant as we used to see in Classics Illustrated when I was a boy. PS if you do read the book you will need to skip dozens of superfluous digressions.
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everywordmeans
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth your attention.
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2014
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The fact that time has not shined very brightly on this particular Victor Hugo novel (adapted here to graphic novel form) does not (at least for ME) lessen it's charm or value. Outshined by Hunchback and Les Miserables, it still garners a read. When I first read the original book, I was in a place in my life where anxiety and darkness beset me in all sides. The Man Who Laughs was my lifeline. I read through it grateful for the escapism
and richness of literature it offered me; so, I'm rather biased towards it on the whole.
This particular adaptation succeeds in capturing the spirit of the original visually and narratively.
The depictions are characteristically maudlin and done in a style that suits the subject matter. Perforce there is no way to obtain the extravagance of the original Hugo prose due to limitation of form, but that's not why most readers buy graphic novels, is it?
If you're reading this review looking for a tale told visually with expertise and care taken to concisely express the meat of an interesting story about themes such as the nature of beauty and the folly of political corruption set in an age past with wonderful accoutrements and lavish artwork, THIS IS YOUR PURCHASE!
I enjoyed it heartily, and it's a worthwhile artwork.
6 people found this helpful
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D. S.
4.0 out of 5 stars lovely adaptation
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2015
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The Man Who Laughs is a fantastic story, though, admittedly, the actual book by Victor Hugo is a bit difficult to get through. I felt the author did a fantastic job of streamlining the original text, but also staying very faithful (I think there were only two added scenes, though they mostly added clarification, and blended in just fine with the rest of the story). As for the art style, I think you are either going to love it or hate it. Fortunately, I loved it. I thought the artist was a master of mood and atmosphere. The colors, lighting, and texture is brilliant. But if you prefer art that is more realistic, this probably won't do it for you.
3 people found this helpful
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The Joker
2.0 out of 5 stars Not saying it was bad, just not to my liking
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2015
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I didn't care for the art. Not saying it was bad, just not to my liking. To exaggerated and cartoon like . Almost clownish.
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Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2015
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Awesome art style and one of my favorite stories.
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Top reviews from other countries

A Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Unputdownable!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2021
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Superb. Loved the artwork, couldn't put it down. I haven't read the original novel, nor have I seen the 1928 movie, but, apparently; this leaves out a lot of the stuff that made the novel a bit tiresome.
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Whisprin John
5.0 out of 5 stars Its No Joke
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2013
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The brillant cover is just the intro to the delights waiting inside this graphic novel.
Using poetic license, the author presents his take on Hugo's classic tale of life,
tradegy and inspiration in 'ye olde England'. Does it work? You bet! Enjoy folks!
One person found this helpful
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Dorotea West
2.0 out of 5 stars Hmmmmmm
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2014
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The book was my childhood favourite! However, it wasn't clear that this version has a comic layout! I wasn't impressed with it!
One person found this helpful
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