Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Vertigo / DC Comics (1995), Paperback, 96 pages
Description
Anbsp;dark and frightening fully painted novella, MR. PUNCH tells the tale of a young boy's loss of innocence results from a horrific confrontation with his past. Spending a summer at his grandfather's seaside arcade, a troubled adolescent harmlessly becomes involved with a mysterious Punch and Judy Man and a mermaid-portraying woman. But when the violent puppet show triggers buried memories of the boy's family, the lives of all become feverishly intertwined. With disturbing mysteries and half-truths uncontrollably unraveling, the young boy is forced to deal with his family's dark secrets of violence, betrayal, and guilt. Written by New York Times best-selling novelist Neil Gaiman, with unwordly illustrations by artist Dave McKean, MR. PUNCH - 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION is the new deluxe cut of this landmark original graphic novel. Includes bonus material.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member mstrust
A man recalls his six year-old self, a summer that has stuck in his memory for years with hazy visions of his grandfather's failing amusement arcade. It was that year that the boy met Mr Punch, the puppet who entertains audiences by murdering his baby, wife, a policeman and then the judge. The boy
I love Punch and Judy. They're creepy, and the photos used in this GN are collaged with drawings and produce some eerie results. There are some side stories about the various family members, so it's almost a short story.
Show More
doesn't find Punch's antics funny, in fact he's terrified, but when his grandfather allows a Punch show to open in his arcade as a last ditch effort to stay in business, the boy has no choice but to see more of Mr Punch.I love Punch and Judy. They're creepy, and the photos used in this GN are collaged with drawings and produce some eerie results. There are some side stories about the various family members, so it's almost a short story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member KurtWombat
The essence of memory is that we rarely get right to the heart of the matter. Something floats up into our thoughts and teases out a recollection. If that recollection has an emotion attached, then we are pulled down deeper towards other memories. As those memories gather about us, the world is
Show More
recreated for us as it once was. Or at least how we saw it once upon a time. Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean’s MR. PUNCH is all about how we access memory. The story starts with shallow memories, brief bits about his grandparents. Each round of memories adds depth, and soon they begin to connect. There is a wonderful sense of tension built up as the story progresses. The traditional puppet show of Punch & Judy is retold in various forms and fragments--working like memory does in bits and pieces. The puppet show acts like a mirror of the memory that we are eventually being drawn toward. The wonderful illustrations are dark like half remembered images and many contain bits of this and that tossed together like disorganized thoughts. The images become more detailed and tangible as we get deeper but seldom is there anything particularly bright to hang hope on. There is no hope in memory, they are what they are. We can glean some understanding, but must be concerned about them taking over our lives—a point the book makes very well. MR. PUNCH does not seem like much at first and it knows this. Sparse at the dialogue keeps you moving until it knows it has you hooked. This is a wonderful creation starting like a light mist until by the end it has become an emotional downpour. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nikkles
A dark and twisting tale. Not scary, but gloomy and introspective. If you love Neil Gaiman I'm sure you'll at least enjoy this book. The art is quite beautiful and macabre. If you enjoy such things you'll also enjoy this book. The story is very British, which could give some of the audience some
Show More
trouble, but most will be able to deal with this. Show Less
LibraryThing member SatansParakeet
The twisted tale of a small boy's interaction with his family's secrets. Those secrets are intertwined with the classic Punch and Judy story and the street performers who continue to put it on. The story is an entertaining and somewhat disturbing look at how children discover the truth of their
Show More
family relationships. Show Less
LibraryThing member pratchettfan
A story of remembrance. As a man looks back on his boyhood and the encounters he had with the Mister Punch and Judy shows, he discovers that some secrets better remain undiscovered. A graphic novel lavishly and ingeniously illustrated by Dave McKean and fluidly and intriguingly told by Neil Gaiman.
Show More
A worthy addition to any library. Show Less
LibraryThing member JapaG
Mr. Punch is again a beautiful collaboration featuring the words of Neil Gaiman and the amazing art by Dave McKean. In this book I think that Gaiman's story takes second place, whereas McKean's art is as fabulous as normal. The story is sort of slow and depressing, seen through the eyes of a man
I've been a fan of McKean's diverse style of art for a while now, and Mr. Punch is a great example of his talents. I love the way I never know where photos end and other styles start... :)
Show More
remembering his childhood summers, his encounters with the Punch and Judy shows, and his grandparents.The themes are mortality and the passing of things, good and bad.I've been a fan of McKean's diverse style of art for a while now, and Mr. Punch is a great example of his talents. I love the way I never know where photos end and other styles start... :)
Show Less
LibraryThing member AlejandroAlarcn
A true work of art. Like few other works, it shows how childhood can be a magical and wondrous place, and at the same time a very dark and scary one. Visually and aesthetically it's unparalleled, and the story and storytelling are quite good.
LibraryThing member stipe168
Overall, it required too much thinking on my part, so i'd have to give
myself a bad review here. The art is also thinking art, as Dave
McKean seems to push everything into his art.. i wonder how he dreams.
The story is good, and needs to be read slowly. I don't fully
understand it, and there's no top
myself a bad review here. The art is also thinking art, as Dave
McKean seems to push everything into his art.. i wonder how he dreams.
The story is good, and needs to be read slowly. I don't fully
understand it, and there's no top
Show More
layer to enjoy it for what it is. Show Less
LibraryThing member Don.A
A true work of art. Like few other works, it shows how childhood can be a magical and wondrous place, and at the same time a very dark and scary one. Visually and aesthetically it's unparalleled, and the story and storytelling are quite good.
LibraryThing member .Monkey.
I really did not enjoy this book at all. It was creepy in all the wrong ways, and just too morbid and depressing. McKean's art was as wonderful as is expected of him, but given the content, I just couldn't enjoy it. I would be loathe to recommend this to anyone.
Awards
Squiddy Award (Graphic Novel — 1994)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1994
Physical description
96 p.; 11.62 inches
ISBN
1563892464 / 9781563892462
Local notes
In his grandfather's seaside arcade, a young boy encounters a mysterious Punch & Judy man with a dark past and a woman who makes her living playing a mermaid. As their stories unfold, the boy must confront family secrets, strange puppets and a nightmarish world of violence and betrayal.
Signed by Neil Gaiman and doodled with Mr Punch.
Signed by Neil Gaiman and doodled with Mr Punch.
Similar in this library
Cages by Dave McKean