From the Publisher
A fantastical adventure through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create.
From two masters of the graphic novel -- Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) come three magical tales –
The story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed.
The story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go.
The story of a women who receives an e-mail from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family – and gives it to him.
With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.
The Washington Post -
Mary Quattlebaum
Printz medalist Gene Luen Yang and Eisner winner Derek Kirk Kim rise masterfully to the challenge…What they're doing here, with wit and grace, is heady stuff for smart teens: exploring the way fantasy sustains (and sabotages) three very different characters.
Publishers Weekly
This collaboration between multiple-award winners Yang (American Born Chinese) and Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) is an eagerly awaited event that actually pays off. Yang writes and Kim illustrates in a medley of different styles united by meticulous detail, almost throwaway beauty and riveting storytelling. All three stories deal with levels of fantasy and how humans use it to escape or transcend everyday tedium and suffering. In "Duncan's Kingdom," a fairy tale about a brave youth, beautiful princess and dastardly frog king is played out; the fantasy is so note perfect that the truth of the situation comes as a shock. In "The Eternal Smile," Gran'pa Greenbax is an avaricious frog whose moneymaking schemes are first boosted then dashed by the appearance of a mysterious, peaceful smile in the sky. Riffing off classic Disney comic books and evangelical clichés, it's a sharp satire far more complex than it first appears. In "Urgent Request," Janet, a schlumpy drone at a tech company, answer a Nigerian scam e-mail to liven up her drab life. However, her motives are not as they originally appear. Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power. (Apr.)
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Children's Literature
Comic book creators Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim offer three very different stories about the nature of reality and happiness in The Eternal Smile that are by turns humorous, poignant, and painful. In Duncan's Kingdom, young knight Duncan sets out to kill an evil Frog King to win the hand of a princess but starts to wonder about the secrets of his kingdom when he discovers a bottle of Snappy Cola behind a hidden door. Then, in Gran'pa Greenbax and the Eternal Smile, greedy cartoon frog Gran'pa Greenbax uses a mysterious smile-shaped object in the sky to start a church and make enough money to build a pool of gold only to discover that the smile leads to a bizarre secret about his world, as well as the key to his happiness. Finally, in Urgent Request, lowly office worker Janet receives an email from a Nigerian prince asking for help in liberating his family's fortune and winds up sending a con man thousands of dollars to fuel her romantic fantasies. Written by the creator of the award winning graphic novel American Born Chinese, The Eternal Smile manages to constantly surprise readers with its unexpected plot twists while also offering a fun exploration of existentialism. Comic fans will also appreciate Derek Kirk Kim's versatile artwork, which ranges from superhero-style art to animal cartoon drawings to picture-book quality illustrations. Thought-provoking and wonderfully offbeat, The Eternal Smile can encourage both repeat readings and group discussion. Reviewer: Michael Jung
Martha Cornog
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Library Journal
Duncan is trying to win throne of his kingdom and earn the love of his princess. Froggie zillionaire Gran'pa Greenbax just wants to pile up enough gold to dive in without bumping bottom. Janet, stuck in cubicle hell with a patronizing boss, is engaged in an Internet romance with (she imagines) a Nigerian prince. These three modern-day fables all feature lead characters who live in escapist fantasies but then are jerked rudely awake. Tragedy, angst, and anomie? Surprisingly, no. When the truth strikes, Yang's protAİgAİs actually seize the opportunity to go after what they really want. Kim's attractive color art varies for each story: classic storybook for Duncan; Disney-ducks-style kiddie comics for Gran'pa (but his cute froggette nieces sport manga eyes); a darker pastels alt-comics approach for Janet. Winning characters and unorthodox, compelling plot twists make this trio of tales highly recommended for teen and adult collections. Excellent also for educators as case studies to teach comics and short story writing. With a few mild sexual references.
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
Yang and Kim are expert storytellers and work well together here to present three tales with fablelike takeaways. "Duncan" seems to be a hero story set in a lush medieval Europe, with the titular character embarking on an iconic quest to win the hand of the fair lady-except for odd visual details that crop up, such as the frumpy and definitely modern woman holding her bespectacled head in her hands and the apparently magic Snappy Cola bottle. The turn from fantasy to Duncan's reality is made smoothly and doesn't ask readers to appreciate its cleverness so much as to recognize how fantasy can, indeed, aid real healing. The volume's title story starts off as a riff on capitalism and religious gullibility involving talking frogs and then makes a hairpin turn with the revelation that a broadcast tycoon has blended America's tastes for Saturday morning cartoons and reality shows. In "Urgent Request," a contemporary cubicle inhabitant allows herself to fall for the fraudulent Nigerian royalty email plea for cash, but thereby gains the strength she needs to confront her abusive boss. Artwork in each of the stories is stylistically different and wholly appropriate to the theme of the specific tale. Smart teens will enjoy this thoroughly and will push it into friends'-and hopefully even adults'-hands for discussions around topics ranging from political insights to how narrative creates personal identity.-Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia
Kirkus Reviews
A rousing and thought-provoking exploration of fantasy versus reality from the much-lauded comics veterans Yang and Kim. Three tales evince very different realities and viewpoints, though all are tied together by this common thread. Duncan, the hero of the first, is desperately seeking the approval of the Princess, though something in his kingdom doesn't seem quite right. In the next, an anthropomorphized, avaricious amphibian named Gran'pa Greenbax seeks to be the richest frog in the land, only to discover that his domain isn't quite what he thought it was. In the last, a painfully shy office worker distorts her own perception-and judgment-to create a reality more pleasing. Readers looking for another American Born Chinese (by Yang, 2006) may be pleasantly surprised: While a very different format both visually and thematically, this book offers similarly plotted ingenious twists. Begging for multiple readings, this exceptionally clever examination of fantasy and perception is one to be pored over and ruminated upon. (Graphic fiction. YA)
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