Moving away from the explicitly political content of his previous novels, Victor Hugo turns to social commentary in The Man Who Laughs, an 1869 work that was made into a popular film in the 1920s. The plot deals with a band of miscreants who deliberately deform children to make them more effective beggars, as well as the long-lasting emotional and social damage that this abhorrent practice inflicts upon its victims.

"London, 1705. As a surrogate family of strolling players enact their nightly performance of 'Chaos vanquished', a message in a bottle, washed up after years at sea, threatens to bring chaos once again to each of their lives. To the ageing quack in charge of the troupe; to its blind and beautiful leading lady; and to Gwynplaines, the virtuous young actor whose inner nobility is masked by the mutilated face by which a grotesque, perverse, and corrupt society defines him: "The man who laughs"."--Cover.

Stitches together the most significant and intriguing episodes from the history of medicine, from chance breakthroughs to hard-fought scientific discoveries. Spanning centuries and crossing continents, the graphic novel guides us through one of the most wondrous strands of human history, covering everything from bloodletting to organ donation, X-rays, and prosthetics

This hauntingly beautiful novel tells the story of Gwynplaine, a man disfigured into a perpetual grin. Victor Hugo's stunning prose and poignant themes make this a classic that is not to be missed. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Man Who Laughs (also published under the title By Order of the King) is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title L'Homme qui rit. Although among Hugo's most obscure works, it was adapted into a popular 1928 film, directed by Paul Leni and starring Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin and Olga Baclanova. It was also again recently adapted for the 2012 French film L'Homme Qui Rit, directed by Jean-Pierre Améris and starring Gérard Depardieu, Marc-André Grondin and Christa Theret.

Collecting the second season of the mind-blowing cult-favorite! Featuring the origin of The Shield of Justice, Tales from the Haunted Jazz Club, The Hateful Dead bubblegum cards, the loathsome Kiss The Clown, Coffin Fly versus The Red Menace, and the legendary cut-up issue -- "84." What more could you ask for? Okay... we added some "Behind the Scenes" extras, too. Happy now?