--- product_id: 1704497 title: "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon Graphic Library)" price: "180.78 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1704497-jimmy-corrigan-the-smartest-kid-on-earth-pantheon-graphic-library store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Thousands of colored illustrations & diagrams Meticulously crafted graphic novel Dual timeline narrative spanning 1890s & 1980s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon Graphic Library) **Price:** 180.78 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Unlock the smartest story you’ll read this year—where art meets soul. ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon Graphic Library) - **How much does it cost?** 180.78 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1704497-jimmy-corrigan-the-smartest-kid-on-earth-pantheon-graphic-library) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **A Visual Masterpiece:** Experience storytelling elevated by exquisite, minimalist artwork and nostalgic design. - • **Collector’s Dream Edition:** Hardcover with fold-out dust jacket and premium rag paper—an objet d’art for your bookshelf. - • **Emotional Depth Like No Other:** Dive into a haunting, multi-generational tale of estranged fathers and sons that resonates deeply. - • **Critically Acclaimed & Beloved:** Join thousands of readers who rate it 4.4 stars and call it a literary milestone. - • **Innovative Narrative Structure:** Seamlessly shifts between past and present, blending real and imagined worlds with precision. ## Overview Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth is a groundbreaking graphic novel by Chris Ware, blending intricate illustrations with a poignant, multi-generational narrative. Praised for its emotional depth and innovative design, this hardcover edition features thousands of colored illustrations, fold-out dust jackets, and premium rag paper, making it a must-have for discerning readers and collectors alike. ## Description The first book from the Chicago author of the “stunning” Building Stories ( The New York Times ) is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally impaired "everyman," who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. “This haunting and unshakable book will change the way you look at your world.” — Time magazine “There’s no writer alive whose work I love more than Chris Ware.” —Zadie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Swing Time An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked. Review: A masterpiece of graphic literature. - If ever there was a title in the comics medium that could attract the attention of the literary world, "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" would be it. Indeed, this meticulously crafted tale of estranged fathers and sons spanning three generations has already won much acclaim from reviewers and readers alike who, until now, would typically have never even considered picking up a work of graphic literature. Originally running in serial form in the Chicago's weekly publication New City, "Jimmy Corrigan" took Ware seven years to create, though just by reading it you would never be able to tell. The artwork maintains a consistency throughout that suggests a vigorous discipline on Ware's part to create a cohesive and uniform story. Although it's true that Ware started the work as a free-form narrative experiment-never fully aware of where the story was headed from one "episode" to the next-eventually, as the tale began to take shape, he was able to rein in all the loose themes and motifs and successfully weave them together into a unified whole. The story opens depicting the title character, Jimmy Corrigan, as a young child living with his mother and already showing signs of an unhealthily introverted personality. His father is noticeably absent from the picture. A one-night-stand his mother brings home becomes a pivotal figure in the development of Corrigan's inner psyche. Moving forward to the present, Corrigan-now a middle-aged man living out a miserable existence still indelibly attached to his mother-is abruptly contacted one day by a man claiming to be his long-lost father. Soon he finds himself on a plane bound for an awkward reunion with his progenitor, and what subsequently follows is a series of events that can only be described as Chekhovian in terms of emotional depth and scope. Interwoven with this line of action is the tale of another member of the Corrigan clan, raised in an earlier era, with his own set of woeful circumstances also pertaining to his relationship with his father. Parallels both broad and intricate are drawn between the two storylines as Ware delicately shifts between past and the present, between the real and the imagined, between the melancholy and, well, the downright tragic. Shades of autobiography can be detected in the story's theme: Ware himself had never met his father until well into his adulthood, and when he did the results were less than joyous. Although the meeting did not occur until work on "Jimmy Corrigan" was well underway, the absence of a paternal figure throughout most of Ware's own life seems to inform the story in a deeply personal way. One cannot discuss "Jimmy Corrigan" without mentioning its exquisite visual artistry. The book is simply stunning to look at. The story is primarily told through illustration-dialogue is sparse and largely informed by the image rather than vice versa-and is a masterful example of storytelling by way of composition and juxtaposition. Its muted color scheme (heavy on the earth tones, light on the pastels) and minimalist line-drawing artwork serves to convey the bleak, desolate state-of-mind of the title character. It's a case of style becoming substance as the aesthetics of its design are as integral to the story as its fractured narrative. Ware borrows heavily from turn-of-the-century newsprint art styles, which he obviously regards with great veneration. There is much in "Jimmy Corrigan" that demonstrates his penchant for the nostalgic; not only in the artwork but also in its storyline (the 1892 Chicago World's Fair is prominently featured as a backdrop for one of the story arcs). He frequently contrasts the old with the new, suggesting that there is a certain splendor and majesty to be found in the pop-cultural artifacts of yesteryear that has been replaced in modern times by a drab tackiness that pervades our artistic, commercial and architectural landscape. The result of Ware's masterful combination of artwork, design and narrative is nothing short of astonishing. "Jimmy Corrigan" is a masterpiece of graphic literature; a quiet, absorbing tale that evokes the hopelessly sad, the desperately pathetic, and the heartbreakingly beautiful. It is a literary treasure that will hopefully find its way into the hands of those who have ever questioned the potential of the medium, and to those who want to be mesmerized by the talents of a wonderful storyteller. Review: Mom! He Said To Tell You He Had A Real Good Time! - I was not at all well versed in the "graphic novel" until recently when I read Batman the Dark Knight Returns. I enjoyed it enough to where I decided to seek out all different kinds of comics over the past six months or so. Which brings me up to Jimmy Corrigan... It's gotten plenty of positive press and it was even one of the books that desertcart recommended after I searched for graphic novels through the web site. Since I'm not exactly well to do, I obtained a battered copy from my local public library about two weeks ago. The first time I read it, I had gotten about half-way through and I was a little confused and underwhelmed. But something about the art-work and the characters kept me going until I found myself studying the family tree of Ware's fictional characters for at least half an hour! Next, I did something that I haven't done before. I immediately re-read the entire book; only this time much more S-L-O-W-L-Y. Now I am buying a copy from desertcart. Even though I just read it twice! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Update to review ---------------------------------------------------------------- I received my hardcover copy of Jimmy Corrigan from desertcart and I am extremely happy with it. I was planning on purchasing the paperback edition, which was what my library had, but I noticed that the binding of the paperback copy that I had borrowed was falling to pieces. So I reluctantly spent the extra ten dollars on the hardcover edition--which turned out to be a fortuitous decision. First of all, the hardcover edition appears to be slighty larger; and anyone who has read Chris Ware's stuff knows that he loves to use miniscule typeface.(Listen to me. I read Jimmy Corrigan a couple of times and I'm a Chris Ware expert now!) And, even better, the hardcover edition had a fold-out dust-jacket that is worth the extra ten dollars all by itself. Actually, I purchased McSweeny's Quarterly Concern 13 after learning that it is a compilation of Ware's favorite comics; and I was more amazed by the design of the dust jacket and the pretty gold-leafing than I was by the contents of the book!(What did I expect? It's just a "best-of" compilation.) I'm really not someone who believes that the book itself needs to be an objet d'art, but I still can't stop looking at the packaging of these Chris Ware books. The cover of that Mc Sweeny's book makes me wanna buy another copy just so that I can frame the cover. (By the way, the McSweeny's book also contains miniscule typeface.) Printed on rag paper, Jimmy Corrigan is a five-star work. But this is like having a favorite photograph matted and framed to an exact specification. Of course, it's printed in China--which explains the amazing price. (I love Cheap Chinese Labor! Hooray for the underpaid!) I normally would not waste a review talking about the quality of the packaging, but this is not a typical comics presentation. Besides, this is a book that is best explained by handing someone a copy to read. I seriously consider this book a literary milestone. Reading this was like reading Slaughterhouse Five or Of Mice And Men for the first time. (Go ahead and scoff.) ## Features - JIMMY: The Adventures of Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, paperback ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #133,647 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #12 in Historical Fiction Manga (Books) #277 in Comic Strips (Books) #4,569 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 557 Reviews | ## Images ![Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon Graphic Library) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/715xqM6puIL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A masterpiece of graphic literature. *by F***T on March 10, 2002* If ever there was a title in the comics medium that could attract the attention of the literary world, "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" would be it. Indeed, this meticulously crafted tale of estranged fathers and sons spanning three generations has already won much acclaim from reviewers and readers alike who, until now, would typically have never even considered picking up a work of graphic literature. Originally running in serial form in the Chicago's weekly publication New City, "Jimmy Corrigan" took Ware seven years to create, though just by reading it you would never be able to tell. The artwork maintains a consistency throughout that suggests a vigorous discipline on Ware's part to create a cohesive and uniform story. Although it's true that Ware started the work as a free-form narrative experiment-never fully aware of where the story was headed from one "episode" to the next-eventually, as the tale began to take shape, he was able to rein in all the loose themes and motifs and successfully weave them together into a unified whole. The story opens depicting the title character, Jimmy Corrigan, as a young child living with his mother and already showing signs of an unhealthily introverted personality. His father is noticeably absent from the picture. A one-night-stand his mother brings home becomes a pivotal figure in the development of Corrigan's inner psyche. Moving forward to the present, Corrigan-now a middle-aged man living out a miserable existence still indelibly attached to his mother-is abruptly contacted one day by a man claiming to be his long-lost father. Soon he finds himself on a plane bound for an awkward reunion with his progenitor, and what subsequently follows is a series of events that can only be described as Chekhovian in terms of emotional depth and scope. Interwoven with this line of action is the tale of another member of the Corrigan clan, raised in an earlier era, with his own set of woeful circumstances also pertaining to his relationship with his father. Parallels both broad and intricate are drawn between the two storylines as Ware delicately shifts between past and the present, between the real and the imagined, between the melancholy and, well, the downright tragic. Shades of autobiography can be detected in the story's theme: Ware himself had never met his father until well into his adulthood, and when he did the results were less than joyous. Although the meeting did not occur until work on "Jimmy Corrigan" was well underway, the absence of a paternal figure throughout most of Ware's own life seems to inform the story in a deeply personal way. One cannot discuss "Jimmy Corrigan" without mentioning its exquisite visual artistry. The book is simply stunning to look at. The story is primarily told through illustration-dialogue is sparse and largely informed by the image rather than vice versa-and is a masterful example of storytelling by way of composition and juxtaposition. Its muted color scheme (heavy on the earth tones, light on the pastels) and minimalist line-drawing artwork serves to convey the bleak, desolate state-of-mind of the title character. It's a case of style becoming substance as the aesthetics of its design are as integral to the story as its fractured narrative. Ware borrows heavily from turn-of-the-century newsprint art styles, which he obviously regards with great veneration. There is much in "Jimmy Corrigan" that demonstrates his penchant for the nostalgic; not only in the artwork but also in its storyline (the 1892 Chicago World's Fair is prominently featured as a backdrop for one of the story arcs). He frequently contrasts the old with the new, suggesting that there is a certain splendor and majesty to be found in the pop-cultural artifacts of yesteryear that has been replaced in modern times by a drab tackiness that pervades our artistic, commercial and architectural landscape. The result of Ware's masterful combination of artwork, design and narrative is nothing short of astonishing. "Jimmy Corrigan" is a masterpiece of graphic literature; a quiet, absorbing tale that evokes the hopelessly sad, the desperately pathetic, and the heartbreakingly beautiful. It is a literary treasure that will hopefully find its way into the hands of those who have ever questioned the potential of the medium, and to those who want to be mesmerized by the talents of a wonderful storyteller. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mom! He Said To Tell You He Had A Real Good Time! *by P***E on February 6, 2006* I was not at all well versed in the "graphic novel" until recently when I read Batman the Dark Knight Returns. I enjoyed it enough to where I decided to seek out all different kinds of comics over the past six months or so. Which brings me up to Jimmy Corrigan... It's gotten plenty of positive press and it was even one of the books that Amazon recommended after I searched for graphic novels through the web site. Since I'm not exactly well to do, I obtained a battered copy from my local public library about two weeks ago. The first time I read it, I had gotten about half-way through and I was a little confused and underwhelmed. But something about the art-work and the characters kept me going until I found myself studying the family tree of Ware's fictional characters for at least half an hour! Next, I did something that I haven't done before. I immediately re-read the entire book; only this time much more S-L-O-W-L-Y. Now I am buying a copy from Amazon. Even though I just read it twice! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Update to review ---------------------------------------------------------------- I received my hardcover copy of Jimmy Corrigan from Amazon and I am extremely happy with it. I was planning on purchasing the paperback edition, which was what my library had, but I noticed that the binding of the paperback copy that I had borrowed was falling to pieces. So I reluctantly spent the extra ten dollars on the hardcover edition--which turned out to be a fortuitous decision. First of all, the hardcover edition appears to be slighty larger; and anyone who has read Chris Ware's stuff knows that he loves to use miniscule typeface.(Listen to me. I read Jimmy Corrigan a couple of times and I'm a Chris Ware expert now!) And, even better, the hardcover edition had a fold-out dust-jacket that is worth the extra ten dollars all by itself. Actually, I purchased McSweeny's Quarterly Concern 13 after learning that it is a compilation of Ware's favorite comics; and I was more amazed by the design of the dust jacket and the pretty gold-leafing than I was by the contents of the book!(What did I expect? It's just a "best-of" compilation.) I'm really not someone who believes that the book itself needs to be an objet d'art, but I still can't stop looking at the packaging of these Chris Ware books. The cover of that Mc Sweeny's book makes me wanna buy another copy just so that I can frame the cover. (By the way, the McSweeny's book also contains miniscule typeface.) Printed on rag paper, Jimmy Corrigan is a five-star work. But this is like having a favorite photograph matted and framed to an exact specification. Of course, it's printed in China--which explains the amazing price. (I love Cheap Chinese Labor! Hooray for the underpaid!) I normally would not waste a review talking about the quality of the packaging, but this is not a typical comics presentation. Besides, this is a book that is best explained by handing someone a copy to read. I seriously consider this book a literary milestone. Reading this was like reading Slaughterhouse Five or Of Mice And Men for the first time. (Go ahead and scoff.) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Masterpiece *by M***L on November 27, 2012* Chris Ware may not be for everybody because his writing is so bleak and full of despair, but this is a great work in the graphic novel medium. Ware is a master of balancing panels ranging from tiny to full-page, balancing humor and pathos, and creating a deep atmosphere for the characters. The story shifts between two time periods, and also has brief glimpses into fantasies and intermediate periods in the characters' lives. Mainly it's about a middle aged man who has never known his father going to see him for the Thanksgiving weekend (about 2/3 of the book), and his grandfather's experience as a young boy living with his father during the 1893 Columbian World's Fair (the other 1/3). I'm not sure if the printing Amazon is selling is the same as the one I read from the library, but in the one I read, even the front and back covers and title pages had text and comics full of dark humor and self-deprecation. Reading the book can get a bit overwhelming, but every time I was getting confused or felt it was going too far, something stunning popped up to push me forward. I don't want to give too much away, but for anyone who is not prejudiced against graphic novels or character-driven books, this is a must-read. ## Frequently Bought Together - Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth - Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic - Watchmen --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1704497-jimmy-corrigan-the-smartest-kid-on-earth-pantheon-graphic-library](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1704497-jimmy-corrigan-the-smartest-kid-on-earth-pantheon-graphic-library) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-08-04*