Iznogoud
Encyclopedia
Iznogoud is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...

 series featuring an eponymous character, created by the comics writer
Comic book creator
A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...

 René Goscinny
René Goscinny
René Goscinny was a French comics editor and writer, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris and Iznogoud with Jean Tabary.-Early life:Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, to a family...

 and comics artist
Comics artist
A comics artist is an artist working within the comics medium on comic strips, comic books or graphic novels. The term may refer to any number of artists who contribute to produce a work in the comics form, from those who oversee all aspects of the work to those who contribute only a part.-Comic...

 Jean Tabary
Jean Tabary
-Biography:Tabary was born in Stockholm and made his comics debut with Richard et Charlie published in the comics magazine Vaillant on November 5, 1956...

. The stories have been translated into several languages, including English, and the title has been adapted to animated and live-action film.

Publication history

The series made its debut in the comics magazine
Franco-Belgian comics magazines
Belgium and France have a long tradition in comics. They have a common history for comics and magazines.In the early years of its history, magazines had a large place on the comics market and were often the only place where comics were published. Most of them were kids-targeted.In the 1970s,...

 Record on January 15, 1962, under the title Les aventures du Calife Haroun el Poussah. It was eventually recognised that the wicked supporting character ought to be the focus of the strip. and it was renamed Iznogoud. In 1968, it resumed serial publication in Goscinny's magazine Pilote
Pilote
thumb|Cover of the first Pilote teaser issue, #0.Pilote was a French comics periodical published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major French or Belgian comics talents of its day the magazine introduced major series such as Astérix le Gaulois, Blueberry, Achille Talon, and Valérian et...

.

Goscinny's taste for sharp satirical writing keeps the repetitive format of the stories constantly fresh, making Iznogoud one of the most popular anti-heroes in the French comic strip world. Goscinny's skills with puns, made famous in Astérix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...

, is also evident in Iznogoud. Most of the puns in the original French make little sense if translated directly into English, requiring of translators (Anthea Bell
Anthea Bell
Anthea Bell OBE is a British translator who has translated numerous literary works, especially children's literature, from French, German, Danish and Polish to English...

 and Derek Hockridge
Derek Hockridge
Derek Hockridge was born in 1934 in Wales and brought up in Birmingham. His degree at the University of Wales, Cardiff, was followed by teacher training at St Edmund Hall, Oxford...

 in the case of the English translations) to find creative solutions for equivalent puns while still keeping within the spirit of the original text.

When Goscinny died in 1977, Tabary eventually decided to carry on the work himself, just as Albert Uderzo
Albert Uderzo
Albert Uderzo is a French comic book artist, and scriptwriter. He is best known for his work on the Astérix series, but also drew other comics such as Oumpah-pah, also in collaboration with René Goscinny.-Early life:...

 did with Asterix. While the Goscinny period was characterized by "albums" comprising several short-length tales each, Tabary turned the series in a new direction, by dedicating every new album entirely to a single story, larger and much more detailed, usually revolving around a new unique concept.

In 1987 a game was produced by Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...

 entitled Iznogoud. The series was adapted to animated film in 1995 with a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...

 TV series. A live-action Iznogoud film starring Michaël Youn
Michaël Youn
Michaël Youn is a French actor, singer, comedian, and TV and radio personality.- Biography :...

 and Jacques Villeret
Jacques Villeret
Jacques Villeret was a French actor.-Early life and Family:Born Jacky Boufroura in Loches, Indre-et-Loire, France, to an Algerian father and a French mother, he is most famous internationally for his role as François Pignon in Le Dîner de Cons, both on the stage and in the later film...

, Iznogoud: Calife A La Place Du Calife, was released in France in February 2005.

The publisher Cinebook Ltd
Cinebook Ltd
Cinebook Ltd is a British publishing company that publishes comic books and graphic novels. It describes itself as "the 9th art publisher," the 9th art being comics in continental Europe, especially France, Italy and Greece....

 is currently publishing English language translations of the books in the Iznogoud series. The first book in the series, "The Wicked Wiles of Iznogoud", was published in March 2008. Further volumes continue to appear at approximately six month intervals. In India, Euro Books published the English versions of 12 Iznogoud titles in 2009.

Synopsis

Iznogoud is the second in command (Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...

) to the Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word   which means "successor" or "representative"...

 of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

 Haroun El Poussah
Haroun El Poussah
Haroun El Poussah is the caliph in the Iznogoud comics series, created by René Goscinny and Jean Tabary.-Character:...

 (Haroun El Plassid in English, a pun on the historical Caliph, Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid
Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....

) but his sole aim in life is to overthrow the Caliph and take his place. This is frequently expressed in his famous catchphrase, "I want to become Caliph instead of the Caliph" ("je veux devenir calife à la place du calife"), which has passed into everyday French for qualifying over-ambitious people who want to become chief. Iznogoud is always assisted in his plans by his faithful henchman, Dilat Larath (Wa'at Alahf in English).

A typical example is when the Grand Vizier discovers the "Road to Nowhere", a road that only leads back to itself, and devises a plot to lure the Caliph there so he will become eternally trapped. In his excitement over the prospect to accomplish his life's mission, Iznogoud forgets that he needs an exit for himself. Another plan involves freezing the Caliph, which has to be shelved because there always seems to be some source of heat nearby. Iznogoud also attempts to enlist the services of a primitive computer (described as a very clever djinni
Genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...

) in order to find out the answer to his perennial ambition. The temperamental computer ends up sulking when Wa'at Alahf answers a complex mathematical equation before it can. In the end, the only answer Iznogoud gets is the solution to the equation. As in every Iznogoud story, Iznogoud is ultimately unsuccessful, and the Caliph continues his reign.

Supporting characters

Goscinny and Tabary occasionally make cameo appearances themselves. In one episode, Tabary uses a magical time-travelling closet to help Iznogoud seize the Caliph title. In another episode, Iznogoud gets a magical calendar that lets him travel in time when he rips off its pages. He rips too many and he is transported to the 20th century, inside the studio of Tabary. In another episode, Iznogoud gets a magical drawing paper set that makes anybody or anything drawn on it disappear once the paper is torn apart. Unfortunately, the drawing needs to be realistic, and Iznogoud is a poor artist. In search of an art teacher, he meets Tabary, renamed "Tabary El-Retard".

There are occasionally "behind-the-scenes" moments, as when Iznogoud travels in a country in a mirror, and all is reversed, including text in balloons. Tabary is shown complaining to Goscinny about going through this frustrating "reversal" work, and even threatens him with a gun, to convince him into making a non-reversed "translated" version. They also appear debating after a contemporary crowd demands them to make Iznogoud caliph.

Other recurring characters include Sultan Pullmankar (Sultan Streetcar in English), the Caliph's neighbour who is described as a touchy man with a powerful army. Iznogoud often tries to provoke Pullmankar to become angry at the Caliph, in order to instigate a war. However, Pullmankar never gets angry with the caliph, only with Iznogoud.

The memorable pirates of Asterix (led by their redbearded captain) make a cameo appearance in the comic A Carrot for Iznogoud.

A horse of the same name finished twelfth in the 2005 Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...

 steeplechase at Aintree
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England....

.

English translations

Title Original Publication Date English Publications
Iznogoud on Holiday /
The Caliph's Vacation
1967 Egmont/Methuen
Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Methuen Publishing Ltd is a British publishing house. It was founded in 1889 by Sir Algernon Methuen and began publishing in London in 1892. E. V...

 - 1977
Dargaud International - 1982 - (US version)
Cinebook - August 2008 ISBN 9781905460618
Iznogoud the Infamous 1969 Egmont/Methuen
Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Methuen Publishing Ltd is a British publishing house. It was founded in 1889 by Sir Algernon Methuen and began publishing in London in 1892. E. V...

 - 1977
Cinebook - March 2011 ISBN 9781849180740
The Wicked Wiles of Iznogoud 1967 Egmont/Methuen
Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Methuen Publishing Ltd is a British publishing house. It was founded in 1889 by Sir Algernon Methuen and began publishing in London in 1892. E. V...

 - 1978
Iznogoud Monthly Comic 1, Phoenix Press Ltd. - March 1996 (includes Kismet, Mesmer-eyesed,
The Occidental Philtre, and The Time Machine. Excludes The Picnic and Chop and Change)
Iznogoud Monthly Comic 3, Phoenix Press Ltd. - May 1996 (includes The Picnic and Chop and Change)
Cinebook - March 2008 ISBN 9781905460465
Iznogoud and the Magic Computer 1970 Egmont/Methuen
Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Methuen Publishing Ltd is a British publishing house. It was founded in 1889 by Sir Algernon Methuen and began publishing in London in 1892. E. V...

 - 1978
Cinebook - August 2009 ISBN 9781849180009
Iznogoud and the Day of Misrule 1972 Egmont
Egmont Publishing
The Egmont Group is a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise media generally....

 - 1979
Cinebook - March 2009 ISBN 9781905460793
A Carrot for Iznogoud 1971 Egmont
Egmont Publishing
The Egmont Group is a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise media generally....

 - 1979
Cinebook - March 2010 ISBN 9781849180214
Iznogoud Rockets to Stardom 1969 Egmont
Egmont Publishing
The Egmont Group is a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise media generally....

 - 1980
Cinebook - August 2011 ISBN 9781849180924
Iznogoud and the Magic Carpet 1973 Egmont
Egmont Publishing
The Egmont Group is a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise media generally....

 - 1980
Iznogoud Monthly Comic 2, Phoenix Press Ltd. - Apr 1996 (Includes The Magic Carpet, The Tiger Hunt, and The Box of Souvenirs. Excludes Incogneto)
Iznogoud Monthly Comic 3, Phoenix Press Ltd. - May 1996 (includes Incogneto)
Cinebook - August 2010 ISBN 9781849180443

Episodes

# Title Summary
1 The Hideaway Bed Iznogoud purchases a Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...

 styled magic Hideaway Bed hoping to make the Sultan vanish, but the plan is interrupted by a visit from a foreign ambassador and a drink of Turkish coffee.
2 Hats Off! Iznogoud seeks an opportunity at a party in the Sultan's honour to make the Sultan look like a lunatic with a loony hat, but his plan is waylaid by the party show.
3 The Magic Catalogue The Wizard Avaz repays Iznogoud with a magic catalogue capable of getting three objects from the future. Iznogoud misses out on the dangerous weapons and instead orders three useless items.
4 Hopping Back to the Future Iznogoud hires the Wizard De Jacqual to scrawl a hop scotch which would age regress the Sultan, but so many people go on the hop scotch turning into squabbling children.
5 Iznogoud's Unlucky Star Iznogoud gets his hands on a rocket ship and tries to launch the Sultan into space, but the moody rocket ship does not blast off. Iznogoud, devastated, puts the rocket away into storage. But one day it blasts off, tears through the royal palace, and takes Iznogoud with it.
6 Iznogoud's Student Sultan Pullmankar, the neighbouring ruler, sends his son to Iznogoud's in order to give him an education. Iznogoud decides to make his pupil's life miserable so that he will complain to his father, who in turn will wage a war. The fat Caliph would be overthrown, and Iznogoud would receive the throne. But the pupil has a genie who answers all of Iznogoud's questions correctly, and Iznogoud has to give up. He breaks down and tells his pupil that now he'll never the Caliph instead of the Caliph. The pupil finds this to be very interesting and Iznogoud teaches him how to take over a throne. Later, a few days after the pupil left, Sultan Pullmankar appears and chases Iznogoud with a sword because his son had taken over his country, thanks to Iznogoud!
7 Big Eyes Iznogoud hires a hypnotist De Giallo to hypnotise the Sultan into a dumb animal, while clapping noises break the spell and De Giallo tired of waiting for his payment convinces Iznogoud he's a rattlesnake.
8 The Time Machine Adulahf brings finds a scientist lost in time and Iznogoud gets hin to build a time machine to put the Sultan in the past. Iznogoud and Adulahf get tangled with a cave man and get trapped in the past.
9 Croaking the Night Away Iznogoud sees a frog prince that when kissed the frog form is switched to the kisser. The prince takes advantage of the Sultan becoming a frog to take over the throne, but Iznogoud thwarts his plan completely.
10 One for the Road Iznogoud gets a disgusting green liquid to turn the Sultan into a woodlouse. He manages to trick the Sultan to repeatedly drink the stuff, but when the Sultan gives him the last drop, he turns into a woodlouse instead.
11 State Visit Iznogoud accompanies the Sultan on a visit to Sultan Streetcar trying to start a scandal. When his attempts fail, he tries against back in the Sultan's palace but gets in a trouble of his own.
12 The Mysterious Poster Hanger Iznogoud tries to dispose of the Sultan in a poster that traps those who step inside. Iznogoud gets trapped along with the Sultan and Adulahf with no way out.
13 The Pic-Nic
14 The Sultan's Double
15 The Western Potion
16 The Genie
17 Goldfingers Iznogoud request Karat of the Black Mountains to come with him and turn the Sultan into a gold plated statue, but the plan backfires and gets Iznogoud turned into a statue.
18 Incognito Iznogoud makes the sultan look like a tyrant in the city and lures him outside dressed as a beggar to overthrow him. Instead the Sultan changes the laws to suit the people and Iznogoud is arrested.
19 It's a Dog's Tune
20 A Wonderful Machine
21 The Curse of the Diamond Iznogoud obtains a cursed diamond from a beggar to give to the Sultan as a birthday present, but the diamond's curse falls hard upon Iznogoud the moment he touches it.
22 Close Encounters of an Odd Kind Iznogoud is met by an alien exploration team whom he hopes will dispose of the sultan with their zapper pistol, only to get zapped himself.
23 The Challenge Iznogoud proposes a strong dimwitted porter to challenge the Sultan to a duel which would make Iznogoud the sultan if the Sultan is the loser. The porter however is revealed to be the daughter of Sultan Streetcars.
24 Slip Sliding in the Sultanate Iznogoud seeks the help of the Magic Weatherman to produce snow to freeze the Sultan. Before Iznogoud can cause an avalanche on the Sultan the Magic Weatherman melts all the snow.
25 The Crazy Cruise Iznogoud gets the Sultan to board the ship of an unlucky sailor, but he and Adulahf also come on the voyage. The trip from one island to another is ridiculous till Iznogoud turns into a seashell.
26 Watch Out! There's a Fly About A group of Indians arrive to bring a gift to the Sultan. They give to Iznogoud a fly that stings its victim to a long sleep. The fly escapes and ends up as the Sultan's pet.
27 Giant's Island A sailor named Cimbal tells Iznogoud of an island with giants, where Iznogoud hopes to dispose of the Sultan. The two giants send the Sultan back home and use Iznogoud and Adulahf as chess pieces.
28 Tall Tales A strange man called Telltale arrives. Iznogoud wants him to overthrow the Sultan with a make belief gossip. This attracts a lot of people claiming to be children of the Sultan and ruins Iznogoud's plan.
29 Elections in the Sultanate Today is election day and Iznogoud intends to become sultan with the help of Smart Alec and a support team, but a rival group led by Iron-Nail are opposing. A revolt ruins Iznogoud's plans altogether.
30 The Wax Museum Iznogoud visits a wax museum and persuades the owner to make some wax assassins alive to get the Sultan, but he has until 7 o'clock to do so. The assassins are uncooperative and Iznogoud fails to meet the deadline.
31 The Genie of the Mirror A mirror genie called Inside-Out takes Iznogoud to a world where everything is the opposite. Iznogoud enjoys his stay until he realises the opposites are more against him than with him.
32 The Memory Potion Iznogoud gets from a charm merchant a memory potion which requires the victim to smell it. Iznogoud's attempt to erase the Sultan's memory makes other people amnesiac and eventually himself.
33 Sweet Dreams
34 A Fairy Tale
35 Musical Chairs
36 The Magic Puzzle
37 In the Summertime
38 The Sultan's Sceptre
39 The Sheikh's Potion Iznogoud buys from Traveller Sheikh a potion to shrink the Sultan. His attempts give other things and people shrunk and finally himself.
40 Nuts' Day It is Nuts' Day for authorities and servants to switch places, a setback for Iznogoud, so he seeks help from a genie, Sultan Streetcar and the local people, but the day is over before he can take action.
41 The Sultan's Portrait
42 The Mysterious Ointment
43 Iznogoud's Nest Eggs
44 The Road to Nowhere
45 The Invisible Thread
46 The Magical Carpet
47 Magic Memories
48 Souvenir's Island
49 The Maze
50 Mean Genie
51 The Tiger Hunter
52 A Hairy Statuette

Other languages

The Iznogoud comics were translated into English in the 1970s. Unlike the French version Haroun El-Plassid's title was changed from Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word   which means "successor" or "representative"...

 to Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 in order to avoid upsetting the British Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

community.

Sources



Footnotes

External links

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