The conceit of this story is that the circus comes to town once a year and kills (or maims) random members of the audience for the entertainment of their neighbors. Some of the various deaths are presented here – the box of swords that isn’t actually a trick, the flaming hoop and the elephant crushing someone’s head Persian execution style. It’s a macabre story that doesn’t really have a solid reason behind it, beyond the standard twist on expectations narrative that appears a lot in these pages. The real twist, as far as I can tell, is that the locals are actively disappointed that the circus doesn’t come to town more often.

(Heavy Metal issue #35, February 1980 – Page 63 The Circus by Picotto and Tardi)