The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch – Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Allen & Unwin Bloomsbury, 2006
96 pages
RRP: AU$22.95
ISBN: 9780747588443

Reviewed by Nicolee Baxter

The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch is a moody, mental walk through a man’s memories of himself as a seven year old boy. Recalling visits to his grandparents, the boy regards the conversations and behaviour of the adults around him with simple acceptance. However, recalling those conversations and behaviour with his adult perspective, he begins to question them. The memories insinuate disturbing family secrets.

Recurring throughout the memories is a thread of a number of performances of the Punch and Judy puppet play. Various scenes of the play are juxtaposed alongside the behaviour of the boy’s adult relatives, inviting comparison. We are somewhat desensitised to the violence in Punch and Judy as the violence is committed upon puppets but the parallels drawn between the violent acts in the play and the man’s memories of the adult behaviour reverse that desensitisation.

Dave McKean’s haunting illustrations in this graphic novel enhance Neil Gaiman’s prose by adding another layer to the meaning. Dark colours and shadowy lighting complement the sombre tone of the text. Sometimes the illustrations are out of focus, as if the man’s memory is not quite clear. In another scene, the illustrations depict outlines of people veiled behind an opaque curtain. Likewise, the truth about the topic of their conversation is veiled by either inaccurate memories or misinformation. The image of the Punch and Judy baby, and how it is used as a symbol within the story, is particularly powerful.

This novel drew me into the narrator’s memories, allowing me to observe the bewilderment of the seven year old boy and his adult self trying to piece together truth from faded recollections and contradictory accounts. I think younger readers would be much like the seven year old boy in this story – confused and uncomprehending – and therefore I recommend the novel for adult readers. Do not expect fast-paced action from Mr Punch – the experience is more like having a strange, puzzling dream.