Cinema Panopticum

By Thomas Ott

Book Overview

The first story in the book introduces the other four: A little girl visits an amusement park. She looks fascinated, but finds everything too expensive. Finally, behind the rollercoaster she eyeballs a small booth with "CINEMA PANOPTICUM" written on it. Inside there are boxes with screens. Every box contains a movie; the title of each appears on each screen. Each costs only a dime, so the price is right for the little girl. She puts her money in the first box: "The Prophet" begins. In the film, a vagrant foresees the end of the world and tries to warn people, but nobody believes him. They will soon enough. In the second film, "The Wonder Pill," a short-sighted man initially goes blind from some pills his doctor gave him, but soon the blindness wears off and he finds they accord quite a view. "La Lucha," the third story, introduces a Mexican wrestler who fights against death himself. In a typical Ott twist, he wins and loses at the same time. The final story, "The Hotel," depicts a traveler who goes to sleep in what seems to be an otherwise empty hotel. His awakening is the stuff of nightmares... Ott's O. Henry-esque plot twists will delight fans of classic horror like The Twilight Zone and Tales From the Crypt , or modern efforts like M. Night Shyamalan's films (well, the good ones); his artwork will haunt you long after you've put the book down.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1606994859
• ISBN13: 9781606994856
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.6" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

Amazing

Brilliant, wordless storytelling at its best. Ott's style communicates volumes with minimal fuss, weaving stories that captivate and stimulate.

amazing

This was my first Thomas Ott book that I received as a gift and I loved it. I couldn't put it down. The artwork is amazing and his stories are bizarre and fantastic.