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Product Description
Product Description
A graphic novel classic from one of the world's best-known cartoonists, Gentleman Jim is the story of Jim Bloggs, an imaginative toilet cleaner. Dissatisfied with his station in life, Jim devotes his time to envisioning a world beyond it. His walls are lined with books like Out in the Silver West, The Boys Book of Pirates and Executive Opportunities, which provide fodder for his ruminations on career change. Encouraged by his wife, also eager for more adventure in her life, Jim sets out to bring these dreams to fruition by accumulating accoutrements, only to discover that the life of an executive, an artist or a cowboy is more complicated and costly than it appears. Jim's childlike understanding of the world that surrounds him is enhanced by Raymond Briggs' subtle and inventive illustrations. Fantasies are portrayed as organic clouds, and myopic Jim is drawn smaller and softer than the policemen and bureaucrats interested in impeding his search for adventure. As he infringes more seriously on the law, the city workers and their speech boxes become increasingly angular, much like the rigid rules restricting his quest. With this playful style, Briggs transforms common feelings of inadequacy into an endearing experience that speaks across generations. This is a new edition of the classic novel originally published in 1980. Ages 14 and up
About the Author
International bestselling cartoonist/illustrator RAYMOND BRIGGS (b. 1934) has been writing and drawing children's books and graphic novels for over 40 years, including his best-loved books Father Christmas and The Snowman. An early pioneer of literary graphic novels with his brilliant satire on nuclear war, When The Wind Blows (1982), he is also well known in North America for his poignant depiction of the lives of his parents in Ethel & Ernest.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Draws humor and hope out of sadness and despair, Nov 24 2009
By GraphicNovelReporter.com - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Gentleman Jim (Hardcover)
Author and illustrator Raymond Briggs has certainly balanced his work between kids' tales and more adult-oriented fare, from things like Father Christmas and The Snowman to When the Wind Blows, an ominous graphic novel take on nuclear war. Gentleman Jim's small size and playful cover don't give much of a hint as to its dense contents and marvelously constructed themes. At just a scant 32 pages, it's a short yet delightful bit of whimsy that wouldn't be inappropriate for kids but has enough smart edginess underlying its story that mark it as a sweet story for adult dreamers.The title character, Jim Bloggs, has a steady but unfulfilling job cleaning toilets. He wants to do more, so much more, and he dreams of it constantly, looking at want ads and trying to figure out what steps to take. But every attempt Jim makes to advance his career to new heights is met with disdain and disapproval from an authority figure.
Tellingly, those authority figures are sparsely illustrated, sometimes just angular features obscuring any real details (like a face, for example). Ever an optimist, Jim still perseveres, blissfully unaware of the sheer futility of his plight. It's almost heartbreaking to witness, or at least it would be if Briggs didn't take so much care to ensure the story stayed light. There's real hope inside Jim; no wonder he remains one of Briggs's signature characters. He still resonates.
As direct commentary on societal structures, Gentleman Jim uses brevity to its benefit. The book was first published in 1980, just a year after Margaret Thatcher had become England's first female prime minister. That its British-born author directed most of his social commentary at his native society doesn't diminish Gentleman Jim for American readers.
Jim and his wife, Hilda, are rumored to be based on Briggs's own parents, whose lives he detailed in Ethel & Ernest. Jim and Hilda made their own return in 1982's When the Wind Blows, which pitted the two against the perils of nuclear winter.
Always, Briggs finds a way to draw humor and hope out of sadness and despair. He's also a master at using symbolism in his design to support his story: Notice the size of the panels in Gentleman Jim, for example, and how they reflect Jim's plight in life throughout the story. It's a pleasure to see Drawn & Quarterly reviving one of his pivotal works in such a nice edition. Briggs has long been overlooked in the field--even though he's worked steadily writing and/or illustrating since the late 1950s--so it's good to see him get his due.
-- John Hogan
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