Cinebook The 9th Art: Papyrus 5-The Anger Of The Great Sphinx

Papyrus – The Anger of the Great Sphinx
Author: De Gieter
Comic Album
Full Colour
Number of pages: 48
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Age: 8 years and up

ISBN: 9781849181150
Price: £5.99 inc. VAT

Publication: March 2012


In the middle of the night, Princess Theti leaves the palace like a sleepwalker and rides to the Great Sphinx. Papyrus follows her to protect her, but when he finds her, she is the prisoner of the Sphinx, who is angry at the royal line for breaking their covenant and letting the sands cover the great statue. The Sphinx wants her life as sacrifice. Opposed by the evil Storm Man, Papyrus must journey to the Sacred Island to beg the gods for mercy.

You see, I write about how one book uses a humoristic art style to tell a serious story and then I find I have another –but one with a difference and very European.  De Gieter uses a cartoony style (no insult intended) for his figures and it works. Even when you look at the superb rendering of the palace, ruins and Sphinx which are very detailed.  I did speak to two Papyrus fans at the 2011 Expo –one was in his twenties and the other in his forties.  The series does appeal to a wider audience because I also saw some kids with their family giggling to The Evil Mummies.

The colour work of Voeberghs is spot on.

I am really envious of youngsters today who can get these books for the first time and, I hope, turn them on to the fact that once they can buy comics themselves, there is more to life than DC or Marvel.