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A fantastical adventure through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create.
From two masters of the graphic novel — Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) — come three magical tales:
The story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed.
The story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go.
The story of a women who receives an e-mail from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family and gives it to him.
With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.
Review:
"This collaboration between multiple-award winners Yang (American Born Chinese) and Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) is an eagerly awaited event that actually pays off. Yang writes and Kim illustrates in a medley of different styles united by meticulous detail, almost throwaway beauty and riveting storytelling. All three stories deal with levels of fantasy and how humans use it to escape or transcend everyday tedium and suffering. In 'Duncan's Kingdom,' a fairy tale about a brave youth, beautiful princess and dastardly frog king is played out; the fantasy is so note perfect that the truth of the situation comes as a shock. In 'The Eternal Smile,' Gran'pa Greenbax is an avaricious frog whose moneymaking schemes are first boosted then dashed by the appearance of a mysterious, peaceful smile in the sky. Riffing off classic Disney comic books and evangelical cliches, it's a sharp satire far more complex than it first appears. In 'Urgent Request,' Janet, a schlumpy drone at a tech company, answer a Nigerian scam e-mail to liven up her drab life. However, her motives are not as they originally appear. Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
The three graphic tales in "The Eternal Smile" put a surprising spin on heroes, monsters and talking critters, no mean feat in a summer dominated by the sixth "Harry Potter" movie, book five of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and the guinea-pig caper "G-Force." Printz medalist Gene Luen Yang and Eisner winner Derek Kirk Kim rise masterfully to the challenge, though. What they're doing here, with... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) wit and grace, is heady stuff for smart teens: exploring the way fantasy sustains (and sabotages) three very different characters. Playing off the high-fantasy tradition, the first story is set in a medieval world complete with a princess, monsters and a strange bottle of Snappy Cola that seems to connect a valiant young knight to a contemporary room and a sad, middle-aged woman. The second, rendered in kiddie-comics style, features a greedy frog bully (reminiscent of Disney's Scrooge McDuck) who confronts a horrifying truth: His personality has been microchip-implanted by a children's TV mogul. His poignant desire to reclaim his froggy essence confounds our usual isn't-that-cute response to anthropomorphized animals. In the third story, a dowdy office worker makes contact with a fake Nigerian prince through an e-mail scam and finds the courage to begin changing her literally colorless existence. The powerful and empowering ending leaves her poised to become the hero of her own ongoing tale. Reviewed by Mary Quattlebaum Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World S
ervice/Washington Post Writers Group)
(hide most of this review)
Review:
The three graphic tales in "The Eternal Smile" put a surprising spin on heroes, monsters and talking critters, no mean feat in a summer dominated by the sixth "Harry Potter" movie, book five of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and the guinea-pig caper "G-Force." Printz medalist Gene Luen Yang and Eisner winner Derek Kirk Kim rise masterfully to the challenge, though. What they're doing here, with... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) wit and grace, is heady stuff for smart teens: exploring the way fantasy sustains (and sabotages) three very different characters. Playing off the high-fantasy tradition, the first story is set in a medieval world complete with a princess, monsters and a strange bottle of Snappy Cola that seems to connect a valiant young knight to a contemporary room and a sad, middle-aged woman. The second, rendered in kiddie-comics style, features a greedy frog bully (reminiscent of Disney's Scrooge McDuck) who confronts a horrifying truth: His personality has been microchip-implanted by a children's TV mogul. His poignant desire to reclaim his froggy essence confounds our usual isn't-that-cute response to anthropomorphized animals. In the third story, a dowdy office worker makes contact with a fake Nigerian prince through an e-mail scam and finds the courage to begin changing her literally colorless existence. The powerful and empowering ending leaves her poised to become the hero of her own ongoing tale.
(hide most of this review)
Synopsis:
With vivid artwork and moving writing, two graphic novel masters test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, in three magical tales of fantastical adventure that explore how the imagination can affect real life.
Synopsis:
A fantastical adventure through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create.
From two masters of the graphic novel — Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) come three magical tales –
The story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed.
The story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go.
The story of a women who receives an e-mail from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family – and gives it to him.
With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.
Gene Luen Yang is the author of American Born Chinese, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Eisner Award and a finalist for the National Book Award. He teaches high school in San Francisco, California.
Derek Kirk Kim is the author of Same Difference and Other Stories, the winner of the trifecta of comics awards—the Eisner, the Ignatz, and the Harvey. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
A Texas Library Association Young Adult Round Table Recommended Graphic Novel
From two masters of the graphic novel, Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, come fantastical adventures through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create: the story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed; the story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go; and the story of a woman who receives an email from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family. With vivid artwork and moving writing, Kim and Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.
"This collaboration between multiple-award winners Yang and Kim is an eagerly awaited event that actually pays off. Yang writes and Kim illustrates in a medley of different styles united by meticulous detail, almost throwaway beauty and riveting storytelling. All three stories deal with levels of fantasy and how humans use it to escape or transcend everyday tedium and suffering. In 'Duncan's Kingdom,' a fairy tale about a brave youth, beautiful princess and dastardly frog king is played out; the fantasy is so note perfect that the truth of the situation comes as a shock. In 'The Eternal Smile,' Gran'pa Greenbax is an avaricious frog whose moneymaking schemes are first boosted then dashed by the appearance of a mysterious, peaceful smile in the sky. Riffing off classic Disney comic books and evangelical clichés, it's a sharp satire far more complex than it first appears. In 'Urgent Request,' Janet, a schlumpy drone at a tech company, answers a Nigerian scam e-mail to liven up her drab life. However, her motives are not as they originally appear. Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Gene Luen Yang is the author of American Born Chinese, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Eisner Award and a finalist for the National Book Award. He teaches high school in San Francisco, California. Derek Kirk Kim is the author of Same Difference and Other Stories, the winner of the trifecta of comics awards — the Eisner, the Ignatz, and the Harvey. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
The Eternal Smile: Three Stories
Used Trade Paper
Gene Yang
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$11.50
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Product details
176 pages
First Second -
English9781596431560
Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"This collaboration between multiple-award winners Yang (American Born Chinese) and Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) is an eagerly awaited event that actually pays off. Yang writes and Kim illustrates in a medley of different styles united by meticulous detail, almost throwaway beauty and riveting storytelling. All three stories deal with levels of fantasy and how humans use it to escape or transcend everyday tedium and suffering. In 'Duncan's Kingdom,' a fairy tale about a brave youth, beautiful princess and dastardly frog king is played out; the fantasy is so note perfect that the truth of the situation comes as a shock. In 'The Eternal Smile,' Gran'pa Greenbax is an avaricious frog whose moneymaking schemes are first boosted then dashed by the appearance of a mysterious, peaceful smile in the sky. Riffing off classic Disney comic books and evangelical cliches, it's a sharp satire far more complex than it first appears. In 'Urgent Request,' Janet, a schlumpy drone at a tech company, answer a Nigerian scam e-mail to liven up her drab life. However, her motives are not as they originally appear. Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
With vivid artwork and moving writing, two graphic novel masters test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, in three magical tales of fantastical adventure that explore how the imagination can affect real life.
"Synopsis"
by Macmillan,
A fantastical adventure through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create.
From two masters of the graphic novel — Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) come three magical tales –
The story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed.
The story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go.
The story of a women who receives an e-mail from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family – and gives it to him.
With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.
Gene Luen Yang is the author of American Born Chinese, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Eisner Award and a finalist for the National Book Award. He teaches high school in San Francisco, California.
Derek Kirk Kim is the author of Same Difference and Other Stories, the winner of the trifecta of comics awards—the Eisner, the Ignatz, and the Harvey. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
A Texas Library Association Young Adult Round Table Recommended Graphic Novel
From two masters of the graphic novel, Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, come fantastical adventures through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create: the story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed; the story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go; and the story of a woman who receives an email from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family. With vivid artwork and moving writing, Kim and Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.
"This collaboration between multiple-award winners Yang and Kim is an eagerly awaited event that actually pays off. Yang writes and Kim illustrates in a medley of different styles united by meticulous detail, almost throwaway beauty and riveting storytelling. All three stories deal with levels of fantasy and how humans use it to escape or transcend everyday tedium and suffering. In 'Duncan's Kingdom,' a fairy tale about a brave youth, beautiful princess and dastardly frog king is played out; the fantasy is so note perfect that the truth of the situation comes as a shock. In 'The Eternal Smile,' Gran'pa Greenbax is an avaricious frog whose moneymaking schemes are first boosted then dashed by the appearance of a mysterious, peaceful smile in the sky. Riffing off classic Disney comic books and evangelical clichés, it's a sharp satire far more complex than it first appears. In 'Urgent Request,' Janet, a schlumpy drone at a tech company, answers a Nigerian scam e-mail to liven up her drab life. However, her motives are not as they originally appear. Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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