The Eternal Smile: Three Stories
This collaboration by Gene Luen Yang (Prime Baby and American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) consists of three short stories, each done in quite different styles and with different themes, but with some overlapping characters and imagery. What all three have in common is a sense of pulling back the curtain on the world to reveal a surprising reality underneath.
“Duncan’s Kingdom” is, on the surface, a knights-and-swords adventure story, except for the unexpected bottle of Snappy Cola that shows up. “Gran’pa Greenbax and the Eternal Smile” starts off a bit like a Scrooge McDuck story except with frogs. But what is that mysterious smile hanging in the sky, and can Gran’pa Greenbax figure out a way to milk it for riches? Finally, “Urgent Request” is about Janet Oh, a downtrodden office drone, who receives an e-mail from a Nigerian prince who promises her untold wealth in exchange for her bank account information. It’s a beautiful story about the hope for a better life, and won a well-deserved Eisner Award this year for Best Short Story.
Wired: Three very different yet compatible tales by two excellent artists; the comics are thought-provoking and handle some some grown-up themes in a fresh way.
Tired: Despite appearances, probably not appropriate for younger readers (even the Gran’pa Greenbux story).
