Simply a marvelous book - begins out very strangely at the start but this is just a way to get you addicted. Immensely re-readable, has so much stuffed into such a small book. Not recommended for those that don't like to analyze art.

I call this a trifle with the utmost affection because not aspiring to greatness has always been Eddie Cambell's greatest strength.

I'd read "Eddie Campbell's Illustrated How-To Guide for Operating Your Toaster!" Beautiful, witty, and elegant.

Gorgeous art. I bought this at a library sale and intended it for arts and crafts, but read the book first. Now I don't want to cut it up!

I love From Hell, but somehow had never read anything else that Eddie Campbell was involved in. So glad I had a chance to read this, though. This is immediately finding itself ranked among the best comics I've ever read. Utterly charming but also somewhat twisted and dark, a bit macabre, entirely hilarious, with lots of non-pretentious references to influential comics and literature. And it's about a not-quite-star-quality circus performer who counts among his friends a talking bear who was susp...

I am just cutting and pasting this from my comics blog, my uncertainty regarding the spelling of circus troop/circus troupe in tact:When I think “Eddie Campbell,” I inevitably think From Hell’s Eddie Campbell. Not because I’ve never read any of his other work, or think of him as any sort of one-trick pony, but because From Hell is a work with such an enormous gravitational pull. I mention this only because when I think of Eddie Campbell, I tend to think of brutal prostitute murders in black and

A balance of earthy humor and hard, hard truths as only Campbell can pull off. The adventures of a madcap circus troupe stays pitched at giddy insouciance, even when recounting the murderous rampage of a liger ("Don't be silly--it's a Ti-Lion!") or the conflagration set off by an over-powdered human cannonball. But the cannonball keeps falling throughout the book, a shooting star reciting poetry, as old age, infidelities, a hostile public, and the maiden voyage of the Titanic sap our heroes. Cam...

A beautiful, fantastical illustrated journey through an epochal time, from the siege of Paris to after the sinking of the Titanic, through the lens of a young man forever trapped in the shadow of his brilliantly talented uncle. The evocative watercolors draw to mind the Victorian era, with its elegant allusions and faded tones; the margin illustrations are amusing and balanced, giving commentary and suggestions, slyly alluding to forthcoming episodes or off-page antics. As a whole, the story and...

Released just recently to coincide with this year’s annual San Diego Comic-Con, Campbell’s latest fully-painted graphic novel recounts the fictional life of real-life trapeze artist Jules Leotard’s nephew. The younger Leotard journeys across Western Europe, the Atlantic, and to the United States in a circuitous circus-like fashion reminiscent of the outlandish tales of Baron Von Munchausen; and, in the process, acquires an entourage of Circus freaks – most notably La Quartette Fantastique – who,...

You really need to stick with this book. It starts slow, but once you get about halfway into it, you'll find that it's really started to get under your skin. It's essentially about a group of circus performers, led by the nephew of the legendary Monsieur Leotard - who dies himself early in the book. On his deathbed, Leotard wishes his nephew an uneventful life, and during the course of ten chapters and many decades, nephew Eitienne (I may be spelling that wrong, I don't have the book right here)...

I was a bit disappointed by this -- it felt like a great idea which wasn't properly developed, and petered out too quickly. Also, from a design perspective, there is an inconsistent use of typography which slightly irritatated me: the handlettering is fine, but if you're going to pick a mechanical typeface, just pick ONE and stick with it. Fantastic cover design, though. (and it's signed copy, too)

an entertaining slice of circus lore. sometimes seemingly historical, sometimes improbable, frequently humorous. the chapters are often broken up with explanations of the situation or flashes back to the past. the sleeping chapter is an interesting way to fast forward the timeline. but it is a device that doesn't work for me - it made the novel seem too broken up. the illustrations are interesting. the concept in interesting. not as phenomenal as i had hoped. but definitely worth a read.

It was... interesting. The watercolors were lovely, and there were some really cool things done with the circus characters. (I love the tattooed lady scenes)But... it wasn't that great. The stories start out with promise, and then fizzle out. Granted, his uncle's dying words were something about 'may nothing occur...' but... I don't know- seems like inaction is a silly premise for a book. I mean... don't you want to read about things occurring, not a book about nothing occurring? Maybe it's just...

Despite its brevity and initial impression of colorful absurdity, this graphic novel has multiple themes and parallel messages. The art is beautiful,sure (a muted blend of pastel watercolors), but the story is much more complex than appears after one read. This is a story that will not only offer readers poignant philosophical and social questions, but will also challenge them to reflect on some of their own personal courses in life. Really well done, it will linger after your first read and be

Surprisingly good. Eddie Campbell is a great artist, if not a great cartoonist, and this story, of a circus showman who inherited his uncle's tightroping gig in the early part of the 20th century, and grew to love his circus family, lends itself more to artistic flights of fancy than to straightforward cartooning. Plus there are pages from Leotard's water-logged diary thrown in! Though it is something of a World's Greatest Mustaches book, it's still pretty darn good, especially for you, First Se...

Eddie Campbell is a favorite of mine. It took me a while to get his sense of humor, though. At times he is very dry and understated. This book is no exception. It follows the mis-adventures of the nephew of the real Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard when he takes over for his uncle after his untimely death. I love his messy yet precise illustrations.