The Peerless Prodigies of P.T. Barnum
Sensorium Editions
Jillian Lerner (Author)
Marc Olivent (Illustrator)
Paperback,
66 pages
black and white
Published March 2nd 2012 by Sensorium Editions
ISBN 9780987955
NEW YORK CITY, 1857. Nicholas Meyer is crafty, ambitious, and unencumbered by nostalgia. Though he has the singular distinction of working with photographer Mathew Brady, he is enchanted by the professional misfits and illusionists at P.T. Barnum’s American Museum. Spurred on by mentors and rivals, bearded ladies and talking automatons, Nicholas will confront the emerging possibilities of robotics, show-business and advertising.
This graphic novel explores the technological imagination of the 19th century from the vantage of two influential entrepreneurs. Readers encounter an alternate universe that once existed: a bygone world of gaslight and sideshows to be sure, but also a forward-looking society shot through with experimental media, profit-oriented entertainments for the masses, and grandiose visions of the future.
Written by media historian Jillian Lerner and illustrated by Marc Olivent, The Peerless Prodigies of P.T. Barnum recollects how identities were made and ideas were hawked in a pre-electronic age.
When I got this book and it’s covering letter I thought “Here we go -more people thinking they can turn history into a ‘graphic novel’ (there are only 66 pages so this makes it a comic album). So I sat down, trying to balance a cup of coffee in one hand while a cat attempted to head-butt me repeatedly. When things settled (cat appeased by food) I began to read. And I was pleasantly surprised.
The story was well written and paced and I think captured this period well. A time when bearded ladies, spider-babies, Siamese twins, ‘mermaids’ and wonders such as Faber’s Talking Machine (seen in the book) did exist.
Combining the P. T. Barnum character and people around him with early photographers was a nice touch. Olivent has drawn Barnum so well there is no question of who it is. The scenery, which is hard to capture unless you’ve looked over a LOT of early photographs, is well drawn and there is a good use and balance of black and white. The ending was a very nice touch indeed.
You’ll need to order over the net where the book is offered at various prices though I’ve just noticed you CAN order via the Sensorium website:
http://prodigies.ca/
The site also has more art as well as photographs of the principles involved in the book. This is seriously worth buying.
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