- Paperback: 80 pages
- Publisher: First Second; First Edition edition (April 17 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 159643130X
- ISBN-13: 978-1596431300
- Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 16.2 x 0.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #347,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Two of France's best graphic novel talents, the ever-prolific Sfar and the subtle illustrator Guibert, collaborate. The result is a fun—if slight—effort, as much a love letter to Victorian London as a story unto itself. Very simply, a mummy, somehow alive and walking around London, has a charming romance with a professor's daughter. The logistical complications involved are comically dismissed, and the pair have a grand old time together. That is, until the mummy's father appears to complicate matters. Sfar has written an utterly engaging romp comparable to a fine 1930s romantic comedy. His dialogue is snappy, and he moves from thrills to chills to humor without missing a beat. The whole book is silly, and it seems to know it. But Guibert's work is the real treat. His deft brushwork and spectacular sense of color bring the places and dramas to life. In his hands, otherwise stock characters gain a real presence and liveliness, and he has a filmic sense of drama, describing the characters with detail and wit. A section of Guibert's sketches stashed at the end of the book is extraneous, but otherwise this is an excellent little volume. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up–This novel follows the tumultuous courtship of a pair of Victorian lovers, one of whom happens to be an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Lillian, daughter of an eminent Egyptologist, and the mummified Imhotep IV turn more than a few heads when they venture out in public, and their affair is complicated when she accidentally poisons two police officers. After turning herself in, she is thrown in jail and tried for murder. When Imhotep is caught trying to rescue her, he, too, must face a judge and jury. Both Lillian's and Imhotep's fathers attempt to save their children and set things right. Imhotep's father takes an extreme approach, abducting Queen Victoria and tossing her into the Thames. The narrative plunges into action with the story already in progress, leaving readers to piece together a backstory as events quickly continue to unfold. The story tumbles forward in surprising directions, and narrative ambiguities are handled deftly so as to spur curiosity and draw readers in. Lush watercolors lend fullness and detail to the characters, and the colorful palette evokes a sense of drama that is tongue-in-cheek. The translucent texture of Guibert's art lightens the narrative, adding to the undercurrent of whimsy that is apparent throughout this enjoyable melodrama.–Heidi Dolamore, San Mateo County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
I want my mummt,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Professor's Daughter (Paperback)
First, Joann Sfar tackled the subject of a dorky bloodsucker's "Vampire Loves," and now it's the love life of a lonely mummy.Yeah, it's a weird story, and it gets progressively wackier, cleverer and more feverish as it goes on. But Sfar and Emmanuel Gilbert crafted a sweetly offbeat love story, between a young Victorian lady, and her father's three-thousand-year-old mummy, Imhotep IV. When the professor is away, Lillian Browell and the mummy Imhotep IV like to tour London together. But one of their walks goes horribly wrong -- Imhotep gets dead drunk and trashes a cafe, and Lillian learns that he's about to be sent to the museum. When the cops arrive to arrest him, she accidentally poisons them. And when her father arrives, Imhotep sweeps her out of the house and elopes to Egypt. Except they never get further than the docks: Lillian is kidnapped by a pirate mummy, and Imhotep is forced to hide in a kindly man's house. Their love is tested like never before when they are both jailed, and both their fathers -- the professor and the pirate mummy -- are determined to save them. Too bad they're no good at it. "The Professor's Daughter" is kind of like watching a charming, quaint little screwball comedy. A very romantic one, I might add -- the romance between Lillian and Imhotep IV is one of those sweet, comfortable ones where you just want them to live happily ever after. But in the meantime, Sfar keeps the quirky, poignant story rolling -- accidental poisoning, the arrest of hundreds of mummies, and Imhotep III proposing marriage to Queen Victoria (and subsequently chucking her in the river). Even the dialogue has that quirkiness: "The last time I meddled in his affairs was three thousand years ago, and he's STILL furious at me." In fact, the second half of the story is basically a madcap caper through London, which ends in a most unexpected (and slightly gruesome) manner. Yet Sfar never loses touch with the poignant side of things, having Imhotep IV conversing with his long-dead children and mourning his lost wife (whom Lillian resembles). That charm is only helped along by Emmanuel Gilbert's artwork, which is somewhere between contemporary graphic art and Victorian pen-and-ink drawings. Lots of firelight, stormy seas and stone jails, with lots of pale light and vaguely blurred lines around the edges. The lovers are what keep this story moving, even when they're not in it, and it's hard not to feel a little tug when their relationship hits a speed bump. The actual professor is kind of a nonentity, compared to the gung-ho mummy Imhotep III, who is either insane or totally out of touch with human reality. "The Professor's Daughter" is a sweet, slightly wacked-out follow-up to Sfar's tales of vampiric dating, with a slight twist on the usual boy meets girl story. Mummy meets girl?
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!,
By
This review is from: The Professor's Daughter (Paperback)
First of all, a very heartfelt Bravo to the writing of Joann Sfar. The way the story begins and how it goes from point-to-point, you've got to master the trade, and man, the writer's job that was done here is simply remarkable.The drawing is respectful of the rea of the sory adn I am in love with the colouring technique used all along the book. I am very impressed by this book; I am now a big fan of this duo, Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert. Once again, Bravo, Bravo on a job very well done!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Amusing, But With Major Plot Holes,
By Christina (A Reader of Fictions) - Published on Amazon.com
The story is a weird but interesting one. I really enjoyed the beginning where the two of them walked the streets of London. Imhotep IV and Lillian bond over their marginalization and powerlessness in society. Both are loved by the professor, but more as possessions than as real people. They also both suffer from daddy issues.After the opening though, I thought the story went downhill. The plot is a bit far-fetched, even for a fantasy story. The actions that the characters take at pretty much any point do not seem particularly likely. The perfect example of this is the kidnapping of Queen Victoria, which, while funny, serves absolutely no point. It is merely to be entertaining. The plot, such as it was, failed to wrap up in a way I found satisfying, as the big issue with the romance was entirely ignored. I was also a bit bothered by the fact that the mummies were capable of just sloughing off their bandages and looking like real men again. If so, why wouldn't they just do that? Why live the life of a mummy, destined to be stuck under glass for a museum display, when you can just walk around like a normal man? 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Angieville: THE PROFESSOR'S DAUGHTER,
By Angela Thompson "Angiegirl" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Professor's Daughter (Paperback)
This charming, madcap Victorian romp was originally published in 1997 and has just recently been translated into English and reissued by First Second. The French pairing, Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert, have infused their girl-meets-mummy love story with equal amounts whimsy and longing. Lillian Bowell is the daughter of renowned Egyptologist Professor Bowell. During one of her father's many absences, Lillian befriends one of her father's many mummies, Imhotep IV. Lillian soon feels safe with the debonair mummy and Imhotep finds the lovely lady reminds him of his long-dead wife who was not mummified and therefore will not be around to enjoy eternity with her spouse. Together these two unlikely confidantes spend a day out on the town, strolling through the streets and parks of 19th century London.Mayhem ensues when Imhotep gets into a drunken pub brawl and Lillian is forced to drug the police who come to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, the sedative turns out to be poison and Lillian is put on trial for murder. Both fathers attempt to come to the rescue of their besotted children, but the British justice system will not be perverted and the two lovers must find a way out on their own. Always zany, at times hilarious, this original tale rushes headlong toward a satisfying, if slightly cringe-worthy conclusion. The text is enchantingly abrupt and fast-paced, and the accompanying artwork is utterly beguiling. Highly recommended. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Diverting Absurdist Fun,
By A. Ross - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Professor's Daughter (Paperback)
First Second is a wonderful imprint that's been publishing some of the most interesting graphic storytelling of the last several years in beautifully produced editions. This slender story, a translation of a book that appeared ten years ago in France, is no exception. At 64 pages, with generally six panels a page, it's a quick read, albeit a pretty strange one. Sort of Monty Python meets Preston Sturges meets Tales From the Crypt -- or something like that.There's no way to summarize the story and do it justice, all you need to know is that it involves a romance (of sorts) between the beautiful daughter of an Egyptologist and the decidedly animated mummy of Imhotep IV. A day out together turns into a madcap farce involving drunken disorder, poisoning, element, multiple kidnappings, a pirate mummy, a court scene, a soggy Queen Victoria, surreal dream sequences, and various other outlandish elements. It all moves along at a cracking pace with abrupt shifts in the story, so much so that I had to stop a few times and make sure I hadn't missed some transitional page along the way. For the most part, the translation manages to hit the right sassy, snappy, silly tone, with only a few misfires here and there. The artwork is really excellent and unusual, lovely pencilwork and watercolors with a great sense of palette. Guibert captures the Victorian era and brings it to life while also creating engaging characters with relatively simple features. The lettering is slightly disappointing, a lame faux-handprinted font called "Felt Tip" that is resized throughout depending on space. This a minor quibble though, and the book is perfect for the reader looking for an absurd and witty diversion. |
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