Review of "Candide Revealed," by Yaco and Voltaire

 Review of

Candide Revealed, by Yaco and Voltaire

Five out of five stars

A parody of one of the best social satires ever written

 To mathematicians, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz is the independent creator of the differential and integral calculus. He was also a philosopher best known for his optimism and statements about this being the best of all possible worlds. Given the state of the world, there have been many that disagreed with this position, one of the most vocal was the French writer Voltaire. “Candide” is considered by many to be Voltaire’s best work and is a running satire on the optimism of Leibniz.

 This comic is a parody of the classic work by Voltaire and features the worst aspects of life when he lived. You know the comic is going to be good in the third caption. Doctor Pangloss is in the process of seducing a young woman and he says, “Yes my little maid, philosophically speakin’, we live in the best of all possible worlds. Why, everything happens for a reason, and a good one at that.” The woman responds with, “Oh, Doc! You’re just too much! You know that intellectual jazz gets me all hot!”

 While the dialogue in this comic is not in the realm of literary greatness, it is very funny and makes the point of the story. In terms of delivering the message that Voltaire wanted to put forward, it hits the mark. The cover says that it is for adults only and that is for good reason. If you are not familiar with the original story and the purpose behind it, it will be difficult to appreciate this comic.