A complete issue · 399 pages · 1854
Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant
A complete, restored issue of Penny Dreadfuls from 1854 — all 399 pages of cheap serialized Victorian sensation fiction — crime, horror, and lurid melodrama, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.
A complete issue · 399 pages · 1854
Joseph Wilmot; or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant This volume, the second in George W. M. Reynolds's serial, recounts the adventures of Joseph Wilmot, a man-servant narrating his experiences across European settings. The narrative follows Joseph through encounters in Paris, Rome, Florence, and the Mediterranean, involving a complex web of romantic entanglements and political intrigue. Key plot strands include Joseph's role in facilitating a secret meeting between the young Marquis de Paulin and Mademoiselle Eugenie Delacour; mysterious activities involving gunsmith transactions and a figure named Monsieur Cresson; and Joseph's encounters with various aristocratic and criminal figures including Captain Raymond, the Count of Cassano, and a Greek captain. The narrative encompasses themes of concealment, rescue missions, imprisonment, and revelations, with action spanning multiple Italian locations including the Apennines, Rome, Milan, and coastal regions. The volume concludes with explanations and trials, featuring fifty-two wood engravings by Ed. Ward Cobbould illustrating key scenes.
Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.