Mr Punch
McKean's art elevates the visuals above the basic flat 2D of most comics, most impressively his use of photographic elements, adding depth and a sense of realism. It more than compliments Gaiman's writing, demonstrating yet again why these two are one of the best creative teams in comics. McKean's work here is still some of the best of his career - sharp, inventive and captivating. The whole design of the book is something to behold, right down the twisting fonts, showing why he is the arguably the best when it comes to doing what he does, as well as the most prone to 'homage'.
Having the Punch and Judy puppets as the only "real" elements (apart from backgrounds and props) is a masterstroke. Mr Punch himself is a terrifying figure, a puppet, all pointy angles and staring eyes. Even his speech, larger than the other fonts, stands out against smears of white as he laughs and taunts. "That's the way to do it!" The characters are, for the most part, painted, except in the case of reflections, in photographs and half-recalled memories.
When the narrator is seen in the present day, it is in shadow (another form of puppetry), a silhouette through gauze, and mostly at funerals or weddings, the beginning and the ends of families. Most tantalisingly is the back cover of the book, where a small boy lies sleeping, helping the phantasmagorical atmosphere along. This combination of words and pictures create such an engrossing world that we are sucked right in, sometimes uncomfortably as we witness the exploits of the clearly mad Mr Punch and the parallels in life.
Gaiman has said that MR PUNCH is the work he is most proud of, which, looking at his body of work, is saying something. It's a dark and unsettling look at how we perceive that strange and exciting time known as childhood long after we've grown up.
And that's the way to do it.
20.6mb
Only the End of the World Again
Innsmouth is a dark and creepy place, brimming with a rich history of magic and evil. Lawrence Talbot is an adjuster who has set up shop in Innsmouth, and he isn't quite prepared when the fat man comes to his office and tells him the world may be ending, and that a certain lupine creature may be the Elder Gods' instrument of destruction. Now, whether he wants to be involved or not, Lawrence is embroiled in the malevolence that is running through the town, and may himself be the werewolf in question.
17.70mb
Creatures of the Night
From the New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman comes a brand new hardcover collection, featuring two magical and disturbing stories lushly adapted to comics by veteran painter Michael Zulli (The Last Temptation). Newly rewritten by Gaiman for this graphic novel, these two ominous stories from the author’s award-winning prose, Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions, feature animals and people not being quite what they seem. In The Price, a black cat like a small panther arrives at a country home and is soon beset by mysterious and vicious wounds. What is he fighting every night that could do this, and why does he persist? The Daughter of Owls recounts an eerie old tale of a foundling girl who was left with an owl pellet as a newborn on the steps of the Dymton Church. She was soon cloistered away in a local convent, but by her fourteenth year word of her beauty had spread—and those who would prey upon her faced unforeseen consequences.
18.71mb
The Wolves in the Walls
Truth be told, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's picture book The Wolves in the Walls is terrifying. Sure, the story is fairytale-like and presented in a jaunty, casually nonsensical way, but it is absolutely the stuff of nightmares. Lucy hears wolves hustling, bustling, crinkling, and crackling in the walls of the old house where her family lives, but no one believes her. Her mother says it's mice, her brother says bats, and her father says what everyone seems to say, "If the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over." Lucy remains convinced, as is her beloved pig-puppet, and her worst fears are confirmed when the wolves actually do come out of the walls.
Up to this point, McKean's illustrations are spectacular, sinister collages awash in golden sepia tones evocative of the creepy beauty in The City of Lost Children. The wolves explode into the story in scratchy pen-and-ink, all jaws and eyes. The family flees to the cold, moonlit garden, where they ponder their future. (Her brother suggests, for example, that they escape to outer space where there's "nothing but foozles and squossucks for billions of miles.") Lucy wants to live in her own house...and she wants the pig-puppet she left behind.
Eventually she talks her family into moving back into the once-wolfish walls, where they peek out at the wolves who are watching their television and spilling popcorn on slices of toast and jam, dashing up the stairs, and wearing their clothes. When the family can't stand it anymore, they burst forth from the walls, scaring the wolves, who shout, "And when the people come out of the walls, it's all over!" The wolves flee and everything goes back to normal...until the tidy ending when Lucy hears "a noise that sounded exactly like an elephant trying not to sneeze." Adult fans of this talented pair will revel in the quirky story and its darkly gorgeous, deliciously shadowy trappings, but the young or faint of heart, beware! (Ages 9 and older)
29.4mb
The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish
One day Nathan comes over with two goldfish named Sawney and Beaney. "I'll swap you them," says the little boy of the house. "What for?" asks Nathan. As it turns out, Nathan doesn't want anything that the boy and his little sister suggest for trading... not an old spaceship or even Clownie the clown. Finally, the boy has an idea, the kind of idea (like discovering "electricity or fire or outer space or something") that changes the whole world. He decides to swap his dad (the silent guy behind the newspaper) for two goldfish. After all, the boy brags, his dad is as big as 100 goldfish and he swims better than a goldfish ("Liar," says his little sister.) But Nathan agrees to take their dad anyway. When their mother gets home, she is very mad, and sends her kids over to Nathan's to get their dad back. Sadly, Nathan has already traded their dad for an electric guitar. Page upon hilarious page goes by, as the father is traded again and again. When they finally track him down, he is still reading the newspaper! (Mom makes them promise never to swap their dad for anything ever again, and they promise.) Comic masters Neil Gaiman and artist Dave McKean have created a wonderful graphic short story for all ages. The artwork is magnificent, funny, multi-textured, and scritchy--the perfect visual accompaniment to this hip, kid-friendly exploration of the perils of bartering family members.
32.92mb
The Books of Magic
Neil Gaiman's, 'Books of Magic,' is a must read for anyone entranced by the Sandman universe and even for those new to his stories and characters. This book is a complete standout both in writing and artwork. Comprised of 4 chapters spanning 200 pages or so, each chapter is masterfully illustrated by AAA artists like John Bolton, Charles Vess, etc. And we're not talking quickie pencil jobs either. Each and every panel in this book is absolutely gorgeous - utilizing lush paint-work, fantastic coloring and razor sharp lettering.
Fans of the Sandman series will particularly appreciate the storyline for its meta views of the Sandman universe. What readers are treated to is essentially a guided tour of the worlds (both in physical reality and nether regions) and timelines (the past, present and the absolute end of infinite time) occupied by the characters in the numerous volumes of the Sandman series. In a nutshell this series is grand and sweeping in every sense of the word(s) and it's absolutely beautiful to look at. Don't miss this one!
34.5mb
Stardust an illustrated novel
'It has been a l-o-n-g time since a book has so thoroughly transported me back to the world I used to live in as a child. That world, at its best, contained lots of fairy tales and magic, where anything could happen ... and usually did. In this case, it was Neil Gaiman's newest book, Stardust, that accomplished what so many other books have failed to do for me over the years. It touched places in my soul I had forgotten were there. Stardust is the story of one Tristran Thorn; half-mortal, half-Faerie. Raised by his mortal father and his wife along with his half-sister in the sleepy English village of Wall, the adolescent Tristran is eager to win the heart of his true love, Victoria Forrester. Since she doesn't love him and hopes to dissuade his attentions, she tells him she will be his if he captures and brings back a falling star that she has seen fall out of the sky, a task she clearly thinks is impossible.'
42.7mb
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