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Corpse Talk
Corpse Talk: Season 1
The dead are rising! Up out of the mouldering pages of history comes the chat show that digs the dirt on some of history's most famous, infamous and downwright incredible men and women.
63 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Adam Murphy
24 books6 followersAdam Murphy is an award-winning comics artist, writer and illustrator.
He brings history and folklore to life for readers of all ages through humour, extensive research and an ongoing curiosity about what makes people tick.
He is the co-creator (with wife and creative partner Lisa Murphy) of the comics series CorpseTalk, which originally appeared in The Phoenix, a weekly kids' comics magazine in the UK. CorpseTalk has since been collected and published as an ongoing series of books which have twice been nominated for the Blue Peter Book Awards (the first comic book ever to do so).
His other co-created comics series Lost Tales (also with Lisa) has also been nominated for a Blue Peter Book Award, and was the winner of the British Comics Awards Young People's category in 2016.
He holds a graduate degree in Computer Graphics from DePaul University, and a bachelors in Human Sciences from Oxford.
He lives and works in Glasgow, UK with his wife Lisa and their son.
He brings history and folklore to life for readers of all ages through humour, extensive research and an ongoing curiosity about what makes people tick.
He is the co-creator (with wife and creative partner Lisa Murphy) of the comics series CorpseTalk, which originally appeared in The Phoenix, a weekly kids' comics magazine in the UK. CorpseTalk has since been collected and published as an ongoing series of books which have twice been nominated for the Blue Peter Book Awards (the first comic book ever to do so).
His other co-created comics series Lost Tales (also with Lisa) has also been nominated for a Blue Peter Book Award, and was the winner of the British Comics Awards Young People's category in 2016.
He holds a graduate degree in Computer Graphics from DePaul University, and a bachelors in Human Sciences from Oxford.
He lives and works in Glasgow, UK with his wife Lisa and their son.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 18, 2015
This is a good, graphic book for older children, to help introduce them to history in a fun way. The ‘host’ Any Murphy, does a talk show with the ‘dead famous’ and introduces their story. Each interview is only a couple of pages long and in cartoon format, so even reluctant readers can just dip in and out. In a way, this is ‘Horrible Histories’ for slightly older children, especially boys who enjoy the gruesome element of interviewing corpses!
Those interviewed are: Amelia Earhart, Nikola Tesla, Anne Bonny, Ernest Shackleton, Joan of Arc, Genghis Khan, Alexander Von Humboldt, Marie Curie, Emmeline Pankhurst, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tutankhamun, Boudica, Katsushika Hokusai, Marie Antoinette, Dick Turpin, Florence Nightingale, Grigori Rasputin, Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mary Shelley, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Henry VIII, Mohanda ‘Mahatra’ Ghandi, Jane Austen, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Blackbeard, Richard the Lionheart, the Six Wives of Henry VIII, William Wallace and George Washington Carver.
Obviously, these are just light-hearted, mini portraits – although I do think that if anybody had interviewed the Six Wives of Henry VIII together, it possibly would have ended in a brawl! Hopefully, this will help children become interested in history and encourage them to read on further about any of those included that interest them. There is also, I am pleased to say, a second collection available.
Those interviewed are: Amelia Earhart, Nikola Tesla, Anne Bonny, Ernest Shackleton, Joan of Arc, Genghis Khan, Alexander Von Humboldt, Marie Curie, Emmeline Pankhurst, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tutankhamun, Boudica, Katsushika Hokusai, Marie Antoinette, Dick Turpin, Florence Nightingale, Grigori Rasputin, Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mary Shelley, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Henry VIII, Mohanda ‘Mahatra’ Ghandi, Jane Austen, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Blackbeard, Richard the Lionheart, the Six Wives of Henry VIII, William Wallace and George Washington Carver.
Obviously, these are just light-hearted, mini portraits – although I do think that if anybody had interviewed the Six Wives of Henry VIII together, it possibly would have ended in a brawl! Hopefully, this will help children become interested in history and encourage them to read on further about any of those included that interest them. There is also, I am pleased to say, a second collection available.
October 1, 2014
I stand by the notion that, growing up, I learned more about history, science and geography through comics than through any other medium. My eyes were opened to new possibilities, old discoveries, distant places, unusual concepts, and, not least, fascinating people that have gone before. One of my daughter’s favourite strips in The Phoenix is Corpse Talk, not just because it’s funny, but because it makes historical figures accessible and interesting, and hearing her talk about it so enthusiastically reminds me so much of me at her age.
Corpse Talk adopts the format of a chat show where the creator, Adam Murphy, interviews famous, infamous and occasionally obscure figures from history to shine a light on their past. The thing is, though, is that all the figures are indeed corpses, re-animated and slightly rotten, but somehow rather comfortable with their situation. You get to read about Marie Antoinette, Marie Curie, Cleopatra and Blackbeard, to name but a few. The strips started out as single pages, but as the collection progresses you can chart it’s success as it’s granted more pages so it can say a little more.
Like Horrible Histories, Adam Murphy understands that history is a rich and fascinating place, and so even without the humour he injects into it, there’s plenty to engage a reader with without it ever needing to be dry or boring. And whether you’re a child or an adult, you will learn something, such as the fact that Marie Curie’s research notebook is so radioactive it’s hazardous to touch.
Look out for a teensy Uderzo influence on the Julius Caesar and Cleopatra strips - made me chuckle. Another strong collection from the pages of the Phoenix.
Corpse Talk adopts the format of a chat show where the creator, Adam Murphy, interviews famous, infamous and occasionally obscure figures from history to shine a light on their past. The thing is, though, is that all the figures are indeed corpses, re-animated and slightly rotten, but somehow rather comfortable with their situation. You get to read about Marie Antoinette, Marie Curie, Cleopatra and Blackbeard, to name but a few. The strips started out as single pages, but as the collection progresses you can chart it’s success as it’s granted more pages so it can say a little more.
Like Horrible Histories, Adam Murphy understands that history is a rich and fascinating place, and so even without the humour he injects into it, there’s plenty to engage a reader with without it ever needing to be dry or boring. And whether you’re a child or an adult, you will learn something, such as the fact that Marie Curie’s research notebook is so radioactive it’s hazardous to touch.
Look out for a teensy Uderzo influence on the Julius Caesar and Cleopatra strips - made me chuckle. Another strong collection from the pages of the Phoenix.
May 8, 2017
I first came across
Corpse Talk
by Adam Murphy at the 2016 Glasgow Comic Con event held at the Royal Concert Hall. I was sold on the premise of the book - a talk show featuring famous people through history as the zombie guests? I am not going to lie at all, it's a fantastic premise. The strips are published originally in The Phoenix Comic which I haven't actually come across in stores as of yet, and that's been nearly a year I've been looking.
The humour of Corpse Talk is the kind that would be very familiar and welcome to fans of Horrible Histories, particularly the live action sketch series. It's not that the comic is all laughs - though that does make up the majority of it - it's that the historical facts are very much spot on. There are equal showings from both males and females throughout history, with a larger example on European and early North American history. This is due to the view point of the author - history in the UK school system is more likely to focus on these areas, and it would make sense for the author to follow it.
I would recommend this comic for those who like Horrible Histories.
The humour of Corpse Talk is the kind that would be very familiar and welcome to fans of Horrible Histories, particularly the live action sketch series. It's not that the comic is all laughs - though that does make up the majority of it - it's that the historical facts are very much spot on. There are equal showings from both males and females throughout history, with a larger example on European and early North American history. This is due to the view point of the author - history in the UK school system is more likely to focus on these areas, and it would make sense for the author to follow it.
I would recommend this comic for those who like Horrible Histories.
July 11, 2017
My 8 year old son chose this book from the library. Based on a glance at the title and the illustrations I told him that we could check it out, but that I wouldn't read it to him--he'd have to read it on his own as it was a 'junk food book.' Two weeks later he begged me to read it with him and I rather rudely refused. He protested telling me that "I had NO idea what it was about". "Then tell me what it's about," I countered. And, boy, did he! He told me it was about famous people from history being interviewed from the grave. With much enthusiasm he told me stories about Cleopatra, Genghis Khan, Abraham Lincoln and William Wallace, to name a few. I apologized quickly and have enjoyed reading this series with him! I am happy to say that I needed to be corrected! These two books (season 1 and season 2) now have a place on our bookshelf and are a great introduction to people from history. The only downsides I see are:
-the Abraham Lincoln story doesn't give the best/fullest history, in my opinion, which kind of makes me wonder about some of the other figures interviewed that I am not as familiar with.
-there are only two books in the series. We eagerly await more!
-the Abraham Lincoln story doesn't give the best/fullest history, in my opinion, which kind of makes me wonder about some of the other figures interviewed that I am not as familiar with.
-there are only two books in the series. We eagerly await more!
April 8, 2018
PL
Bardzo przyjemne rozmówki z truposzami okraszone dozą humoru i dużą dawką historii. Niestety to nie jest komiks, który można przeczytać w jeden wieczór, a wręcz przeciwnie - przyjemnie się go czyta przez wiele dni po kilka stron.
EN
Very nice phrasebook with corpses covered with a dose of humor and a large dose of history. Unfortunately, this is not a comic book that you can read in one evening, on the contrary - it's nice to read it for several days for several pages.
Bardzo przyjemne rozmówki z truposzami okraszone dozą humoru i dużą dawką historii. Niestety to nie jest komiks, który można przeczytać w jeden wieczór, a wręcz przeciwnie - przyjemnie się go czyta przez wiele dni po kilka stron.
EN
Very nice phrasebook with corpses covered with a dose of humor and a large dose of history. Unfortunately, this is not a comic book that you can read in one evening, on the contrary - it's nice to read it for several days for several pages.
January 10, 2020
I think I put this on my "to read" list because this graphic novel was recommended for fans of Horrible Histories by someone or other online.
It's okay. I think the format is too small. The art would shine if given an oversize "Asterix"-like format.
Lots of the famous people covered are commonly covered in other roundups of this type, but there was a real effort to include women and a few less common famous people, like Dick Turpin and George Washington Carver.
It's okay. I think the format is too small. The art would shine if given an oversize "Asterix"-like format.
Lots of the famous people covered are commonly covered in other roundups of this type, but there was a real effort to include women and a few less common famous people, like Dick Turpin and George Washington Carver.
October 13, 2017
What an original idea!
A great read for any fans of the Horrible Histories style books and anyone with a general interest in history. This series sets out to dish the (grave) dirt on many different characters throughout history in an informal chat show style where the host interviews a different landmark person from history each time.
I CANNOT WAIT for the next instalment. Genius work! :)
A great read for any fans of the Horrible Histories style books and anyone with a general interest in history. This series sets out to dish the (grave) dirt on many different characters throughout history in an informal chat show style where the host interviews a different landmark person from history each time.
I CANNOT WAIT for the next instalment. Genius work! :)
July 16, 2018
Funny & informative, I learnt something new about most of the people featured in this book and had a laugh too. 😀
August 24, 2019
A series of 'interviews' with famous dead people.
There were quite a lot of interesting facts in this book.
Reading time around forty-five minutes.
There were quite a lot of interesting facts in this book.
Reading time around forty-five minutes.
September 8, 2020
Good fun
March 23, 2022
Ciekawa forma quazi-encyklopedii ze spisem wyboru postaci ciekawych i nieżyjących.
December 1, 2014
Corpse Talk is lovely. That's an odd thing to say about a series of comics situated around the idea of the creator, Adam Murphy, interviewing various corpses that have been dug up. The corpses are all famous people such as Marie Antoinette, Henry VII, Nikola Tesla.
And it is lovely. It's anarchic and wicked and pulls us straight into history. One of my favourite books ever is a book we've had in our household for a long time and it tells key points from history but in strip comics. It's a brilliant book because of its simplicity and the fact that you get to see that these people are like you. They walk, they talk, and in the case of the comic talking about the Good Samaritan, have LOVELY horses. But I digress. Suffice to say, spinning history into comics is a good thing. It's an accessible thing but it's also a question of engagement. It's about breaking down this idea that a topic is stiff and foreign and it's about saying that it is actually something that matters and here's a way for you to hook into these thousand and million year old stories.
Corpse Talk does all that and more. Each entry in the series, usually a page long but stretching into the odd double page spread the further you get into the collection, starts with Adam introducing the corpse and them waving to camera. So, for example, we get Mary Shelley doing a Gothic fonted Hello whilst in the background Adam holds his head and goes "You're not going to talk like that all the time are you?" (Glorious. Witty and funny and proper dead (badumtish) good).
He then interviews each corpse about their life and so we have some flashback panels, where we get to see what the corpse actually looked like in real life. His corpse Einstein is perfect, corpsified and gross (tm Firefly) everywhere but his shock of wild white hair remains intact. There's care taken with all the other characters too and each of their strips are introduced with a little headstone that differs according to each character. Mary Shelley has a little neckscrew working through hers (Frankenstein) which just made me have a intense moment of joy.
It's a book of detail, really, of careful and clever and witty construction, that rewards rereads and spending time with. And his iteration of Marie Curie (and the pay off to her interview) is possibly the most brilliant thing I have read in comics for a while.
And it is lovely. It's anarchic and wicked and pulls us straight into history. One of my favourite books ever is a book we've had in our household for a long time and it tells key points from history but in strip comics. It's a brilliant book because of its simplicity and the fact that you get to see that these people are like you. They walk, they talk, and in the case of the comic talking about the Good Samaritan, have LOVELY horses. But I digress. Suffice to say, spinning history into comics is a good thing. It's an accessible thing but it's also a question of engagement. It's about breaking down this idea that a topic is stiff and foreign and it's about saying that it is actually something that matters and here's a way for you to hook into these thousand and million year old stories.
Corpse Talk does all that and more. Each entry in the series, usually a page long but stretching into the odd double page spread the further you get into the collection, starts with Adam introducing the corpse and them waving to camera. So, for example, we get Mary Shelley doing a Gothic fonted Hello whilst in the background Adam holds his head and goes "You're not going to talk like that all the time are you?" (Glorious. Witty and funny and proper dead (badumtish) good).
He then interviews each corpse about their life and so we have some flashback panels, where we get to see what the corpse actually looked like in real life. His corpse Einstein is perfect, corpsified and gross (tm Firefly) everywhere but his shock of wild white hair remains intact. There's care taken with all the other characters too and each of their strips are introduced with a little headstone that differs according to each character. Mary Shelley has a little neckscrew working through hers (Frankenstein) which just made me have a intense moment of joy.
It's a book of detail, really, of careful and clever and witty construction, that rewards rereads and spending time with. And his iteration of Marie Curie (and the pay off to her interview) is possibly the most brilliant thing I have read in comics for a while.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews