Iznogoud Book 6: Iznogoud and the Magic Carpet

Iznogoud Book 6: Iznogoud and the Magic Carpet, by Rene Goscinny & Jean Tabary, Cinebook

IZNOGOUD HAS been popular internationally for many a decade, and while the odd English edition has been put out by various publishers in the past in the UK, Brits were more likely to see Iznogoud albums in the first newsagent they popped into on their latest summer holiday than their own book stores. Cinebook however have turned that tide.

Set in ancient Baghdad, the series revolves around the grand vizier Iznogoud whose chief saying of: “I want to be caliph instead of the caliph!”sums up the series totally.

Comparisons to writer Goscinny’s even more famous Asterix the Gaul series are well founded, but more in the humour of the series, and the way the translators add puns a plenty. Whereas Asterix featured an ever increasing cast of characters, Iznogoud focuses squarely on its title character, along with the docile, dim, but warm-hearted Caliph Haroun Al Plassid, and Iznogoud’s own servant Wa’at Alahf.

Maybe this group of misfits and their mystery of the East hasn’t appealed enough to English speaking readers enough previously for this series to find lasting success, but I somehow think it must have filtered into the subconscious of the odd one or two (or even three) gents: I mean, change the Arabian characters to a bunch of Brits from any time in history and you’ve got the cast of the comedy TV series Blackadder, most particularly you’ve got the whole series of Blackadder the Third wrapped up in a palatable figroll.

So you’ve got the gist of the scenario behind this series, what about its contents you ask? Well, The Magic Carpet story is just the lead one in what turns out to be a collection of Arabian tales. Where Asterix is an unfolding plot involving a journey or quest, Iznogoud is actually more in keeping with traditional English comedy comic strips where the same task or situation is played out each time with varying degrees of amusing failure – It actually reminds me of those old Billy Bunter strips in Valiant or Mowser in Lion, albeit with extended and more varied stories, but the same furious pace towards gags and jokes that means if one fails another’s likely to succeed soon enough.

The Magic Carpet is suitably the longest story in this collection and revolves around the idea that if the right secret word is said a carpet will send you half way across the world with no hope of returning. Suffice to say, Iznogoud’s attempts at getting the Caliph to stand on a carpet fail continuously.

Incognito is a riches to rags folly and the Tiger Hunt is a brief comedy of errors, while The Box of Souvenirs story has an almost post-modern take.

All these stories are able drawn to great comic effect by Tabary who bears surface similarities to Goscinny’s Asterix collaborator Albert Uderzo but his faces are more angular and his use of body language as a means of expression different too.

That the stories are shorter work to their strengths, playing out just long enough for the jokes not to outstay their welcome.

But, as I say, check an Iznogoud album out then go watch Blackadder the Third on DVD or some TV channel and see what you think about the similarities in the three main characters.

For more about Iznogoud visit Cinebook.

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