The Wicked Wiles of Iznogoud

Even if you didn't know this was written by René Goscinny who also wrote Asterix you would feel there is something very familiar about Iznogoud. Like Asterix it is a cleverly written comic rammed full of madcap adventures, satire and puns and clever word play. Unlike Asterix however Iznogoud is no hero.

Instead, and rather refreshingly, Iznogoud is a villain. As Grand Vizer he is endlessly scheming to remove the Caliph in the ancient Baghdad in which they both live and rule himself ("become Caliph instead of the Caliph"). Unfortunately for himself (but fortunately for the rather useless Caliph) he is too evil for his own good and often gets carried away with his schemes. Thus his cunning plans always fail but that doesn't stop him trying again.

Reading Iznogoud made me laugh out loud several times, sometimes the puns and names are just to be believed and score highly on the cheese and corn-ometer (once i'm sure there was something about the Kurds being "a-whey"). However that just adds to the magic of Iznogoud itself. Its a great and funny read.