Review of
Houdini:
The Handcuff King, by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi ISBN
9780786839025
Five out of five stars
Harry Houdini
was an incredible individual, so talented at escape and magic that there were
people that questioned whether he was completely human. Yet, there were always
simple explanations for how he managed to perform his tricks, much of the
mystique was due to his incredible showmanship.
This graphic
novel is not about the life of Houdini, it focuses on one specific event. He
was to strip nearly naked, manacled and then jump into the freezing Charles
River. Given the weight of the steel that he was wearing, Houdini would
immediately sink to the bottom. The Cambridge police department would perform
the shackling as well as searching Houdini for any hidden lock picks.
From this
rendition, the reader learns about the incredible showmanship of Houdini and
how he managed to perform this specific stunt. This graphic novel is an
excellent history lesson, putting forward a small portion of the life of the
greatest magician and escape artist that ever lived. All of his magic was based
on tricks, yet there was always the element of danger, for despite all the
intense preparation and practice, there was always the possibility that
something would go wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment