Houdini: The Handcuff King

by Jason Lutes, Nick Bertozzi (Illustrator)

Overview

"I have escaped out of more handcuffs, manacles, and leg shackles than any other human being living."
  Harry Houdini mesmerized a generation of Americans when he was alive, and continues to do so over ninety years since his death. This is a snapshot of The Handcuff King's life, centering on one of his most famous feats. As Houdini prepares for a death-defying leap into the icy Charles River in Boston, biographer Jason Lutes and artist Nick Bertozzi reveal Houdini's life and influence: from the antisemitism Houdini fought all his life, to the adulation of the American public from his hounding by the press, to his loving relationship with his wife Bess from his egoism to his insecurity from his public persona—to the secret behind his most amazing trick! And it's all in graphic form, so it's fresh, original, and unlike anything previously published about this most fascinating of American showmen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368042888
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/24/2019
Series:	The Center for Cartoon Studies Presents
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	286,923
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Jason Lutes has been an admirer of Houdini for most of his adult life, and his celebrated graphic novel for adults, Jar of Fools, also pays homage to the Handcuff King. His most recent book is Berlin. Jason lives in Vermont with his partner and two children, where he teaches comics at the Center for Cartoon Studies.


Nick Bertozzi is an award-winning cartoonist. Some of his most notable works include The Salon, Lewis & Clark, Persimmon Cup, the New York Times best-selling Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey, and the New York Times best-selling Jerusalem: A Family Portrait (written by Boaz Yakin). He has received the Ignatz Award and multiple Harvey Awards, and has taught cartooning at the School of Visual Arts for 14 years. Nick lives in Queens, NY with his wife and daughters. Visit him online at nickbertozzi.com.

Editorial Reviews

2008 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens
2008 Booklist Top Ten Graphic Novel for Youth

* "Bertozzi's illustrations are simply spectacular."— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

* "Avoiding overt, showy tricks themselves, Lutes and Bertozzi use clean, simple storytelling and crisp, clear black-and-white art to create not only a portrait of the man but also that sense of suspense and anticipation Houdini generated in his performances."— Booklist (starred review)

"Lutes and Bertozzi successfully offer a tiny snapshot as a way into a very large life."— Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

A single stunt from the sprawling career of the "handcuff king," Harry Houdini ("The man for whom the phrase 'kids, don't try this at home' might well have been invented," reads Glen David Gold's introduction), is the lynchpin of this brief, elegant book. But the authors intimate larger, at times darker themes (true love, arrogance, anti-Semitism) lurking around the outer edges. Houdini is an insecure man obsessed with fame, but also a faithful and devoted husband. As the story opens on May 1, 1908, he is preparing for a handcuffed jump from Harvard Bridge, chafing at badgering reporters and a flock of imitators who are stealing his tricks. Illustrations show him preparing to defeat the handcuffs, and wordless panels ultimately allow readers to witness the escape process in its entirety. Houdini himself comes off as a flawed but respectable man, whose principles make him both exceptional at what he does and difficult to be around. Several pages of historical notes fill in the details. Lutes and Bertozzi successfully offer a tiny snapshot as a way into a very large life. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-10
An interesting fictional account of Harry Houdini's jump from Harvard Bridge in Cambridge, MA, on May 1, 1908. The action moves a bit slowly, but the story demonstrates one of the possible secrets of Houdini's escapes-many have theorized that his wife slipped him keys or lock picks via a kiss. An introduction and discussions of specific panels at the end give further information about the magician, his knack for promotion, and his hard work figuring out countless ways to escape handcuffs, sealed containers, etc. The black, white, and gray drawings are reasonably good-while at times they are flat, the tight focus on the action keeps the story moving. If you have patrons interested in Houdini, escape artists, or graphic novels about real people, this would be a useful addition.
—Nancy KunzCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Compelling black-and-white illustrations galvanize a moment in the life of revered magician Harry Houdini. Lutes explores the events up to and around Houdini's infamous 1908 feat: a daring jump from Harvard Bridge in which his hands and feet are bound in handcuffs. Though Lutes offers an examination of Houdini's masterful dedication to his craft, he also gives attention to some of the more serious issues in Houdini's life, including his devotion to his wife Bess, his commitment to science and disproving spiritual fraud and his encounters with anti-Semitism. Bertozzi's illustrations are simply spectacular, with many panels fluidly conveying motion and sound solely through his captivating art. There are many wordless passages that never fail to move the plot along and mesmerize the reader. As Glen David Gold forewarns in the introduction, this book may lend itself to multiple readings; and with helpful "panel notes" and bibliography, young readers are sure to investigate this fascinating life further. A straightforward snapshot in the life of renowned magician Harry Houdini, and a glimpse into a life of determination and perseverance. (Graphic format/biography. 11-15)

Kirkus Reviews