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Safari Honeymoon
Join a pair of young newlyweds as they descend deep into a mysterious forest, encountering unknown creatures and unimaginable landscapes. Amongst the unusual flora and fauna, they discover within themselves something more strange and terrible than any sight their safari has to offer. Safari Honeymoon is a tale of jungle love and jungle madness.
80 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2014
About the author
Jesse Jacobs
23 books145 followersJesse Jacobs is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator based in London, Ontario.
Jacobs was born in Moncton, New Brunswick. Early in his career, he worked in animation, notably on the Cartoon Network show Adventure Time. He has also experience as a game developer, although his main arena remains comics.
Jacobs is known for his psychedelic and geometrical style of cartooning. A number of his short comics have been featured in various editions of Fantagraphics annual anthology Best American Comics from 2012 to 2018. Most of his longer books have been published by the Canadian small press publisher Koyama Press, such as By This Shall You Know Him (2012), Safari Honeymoon (2014) and the Eisner nominee (for best new album) Crawl Space (2017).
Jacobs was born in Moncton, New Brunswick. Early in his career, he worked in animation, notably on the Cartoon Network show Adventure Time. He has also experience as a game developer, although his main arena remains comics.
Jacobs is known for his psychedelic and geometrical style of cartooning. A number of his short comics have been featured in various editions of Fantagraphics annual anthology Best American Comics from 2012 to 2018. Most of his longer books have been published by the Canadian small press publisher Koyama Press, such as By This Shall You Know Him (2012), Safari Honeymoon (2014) and the Eisner nominee (for best new album) Crawl Space (2017).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
November 5, 2015
Looking for the ultimate honeymoon experience, a newly married couple hire a guide to take them to a truly exotic location, one teeming with strange life forms and best described as an unimaginably alien version of a jungle. While the reader immediately realizes that the unfathomable flora and fauna is much more than what our couple bargained for, the blissfully ignorant honeymooners themselves continue to display a sense of entitlement that appears increasingly ludicrous in the context. To them, all those indigenous life forms that almost devour the very pages they are drawn on merely fall into one of the following two categories: cute but disposable pets, or prey to be shot and transformed into trophies. Needless to say, our honeymooners do not stand a chance...
Having indulged in some rather infantile Tarzan nostalgia over the last few weeks, I am afraid I was overdue for a wake-up call. Jesse Jacobs' meticulously designed, Heart of Darkness-inspired deconstruction of neocolonialism certainly did the job, but it did much more than that. I highly recommend Safari Honeymoon to anybody interested in surrealist comic books, and especially to those with a soft spot for the similarly trippy, absurdist, obsessive comics by Michael DeForge!
Having indulged in some rather infantile Tarzan nostalgia over the last few weeks, I am afraid I was overdue for a wake-up call. Jesse Jacobs' meticulously designed, Heart of Darkness-inspired deconstruction of neocolonialism certainly did the job, but it did much more than that. I highly recommend Safari Honeymoon to anybody interested in surrealist comic books, and especially to those with a soft spot for the similarly trippy, absurdist, obsessive comics by Michael DeForge!
January 9, 2020
Read this in a single sitting. So good. A couple and their guide on safari in a remote jungle populated by insidious parasites and beasts and smiling humanoid creatures (albeit called "monkeys") with extra-long limbs that communicate silently via antennae. Two legit LOLs and general amusement and appreciation throughout. Read this after Crawl Space but I'd recommend reading this one first, not that it really matters though. You'll enjoy both if you have an inkling for semi-psychedelic, surrealistic, alt-real, amusing, elaborately creative, storytelling action in ink.
May 16, 2015
This text operates in the province of Jim Woodring and Michael DeForge. And, I might contend, in a crazy way, Flletcher Hanks, whose insane You Shall Die of Your Own Evil Creation bears some connection to Jacobs. Both Hanks and Jacobs have jungles as locations. Both have these anachronistic characters that do not fit in the real world very well.
Jacobs is both a little scary about the nature of the jungle, and pretty funny. A stuffy couple in this goofy story are as stiff as the Hanks characters, throwbacks to an earlier time and sensibility, and both stupidly supercilious about the natural world and lost in it. The couple engage a guide to take them into the jungle, and the guide serves them in the way of all guides premier cuisine, but he also fails to fully protect them from the dangers of parasitic creatures that enter every orifice and take over bodies. This is a sort of fable, not unlike Jack London's tales, to help us realize how stupid we are as we live on our planet. And more pointedly, it is a post-colonial fable about our failure to fully understand the other.
But also this story is just an excuse for Jacobs to create weird creatures ala Woodring, fantastic beings that spring surreally out of his imagination/dreams. That part of it is pretty exhilarating and somewhat disturbing, in a good and fun way.
Jacobs is both a little scary about the nature of the jungle, and pretty funny. A stuffy couple in this goofy story are as stiff as the Hanks characters, throwbacks to an earlier time and sensibility, and both stupidly supercilious about the natural world and lost in it. The couple engage a guide to take them into the jungle, and the guide serves them in the way of all guides premier cuisine, but he also fails to fully protect them from the dangers of parasitic creatures that enter every orifice and take over bodies. This is a sort of fable, not unlike Jack London's tales, to help us realize how stupid we are as we live on our planet. And more pointedly, it is a post-colonial fable about our failure to fully understand the other.
But also this story is just an excuse for Jacobs to create weird creatures ala Woodring, fantastic beings that spring surreally out of his imagination/dreams. That part of it is pretty exhilarating and somewhat disturbing, in a good and fun way.
March 14, 2017
This was totally up my alley. The art and the story work in perfect compliment, and take you on a acid-like journey across a surreal jungle. A thin comic, especially considering the focus is more the art than the dialogue, but damn, was this a weird little book.
March 11, 2018
A story of the hazards that the natural world lays out for the cavalier and lacking in respect, following a couple and their guide in the depths of the jungle. Jesse Jacobs' meticulous designs of alien flora and fauna sometimes push the mis-en-scene into the elegantly schematic (even as he intercuts narrative with abstraction and bits of natural history lecture or survivalist handbook). As such, this attains many things that I seek in fiction of any kind, even while being very very nice to just stare at, basking in the details. I'd read only Jesse Jacob's earlier "Even the Giants" but this, even in its semi-abstraction, is clearly the more cohesive and completely-thought-out work. I'll have to track down his Koyama debut from 2012 now, as well.
April 22, 2020
"Predetermined patterns of thinking are inadequate. Your thoughts are nothing more than meaningless clouds passing across an endlessly blue sky."
December 23, 2020
Surrealism is a genre which IMO rarely works in a purely word-based medium—novels demand some sort of forward motion, however loose, while surrealism is simply not concerned with the accepted logic of storytelling—but comics have a visual advantage which Jesse Jacobs uses to great effect here.
At face value Safari Honeymoon is about a safari honeymoon: a newlywed couple and their hired guide trek through a fantastical and deadly rainforest, gawking at—and, more often than not, shooting—a whole zoo's worth of bizarre lifeforms. It's clear from page one that the relationship is built on rocky foundations, the husband's finnicky, pampered personality a poor match for the wife's adventurous spirit and open mind. Add in the perky guide (he cooks the couple gourmet meals, and isn't allowed to sleep for fear of animals attacks) with his itchy trigger finger as well as the aforementioned menagerie of weird beasts, and disaster seems—and is—inevitable.
So fine, that's what it's about, but it's not really what it's about. Being surrealism, the story as such isn't the most important thing. Here's what's important:
(Enlarge)
(Enlarge)
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Jacobs, who previously worked on the brilliant and equally surreal cartoon series Adventure Time, guides us with only minimal verbal interruption through this vivid alien world, full of insidious parasites, sentient plants, telekinetic monkeys, human-sized arachnoids, and M.C. Escher-esque entities I won't try to describe. The dialogue is deliberately stilted and archaic, bringing to mind buttoned-up Victorian explorers and old-timey big game hunters eager to kill and stuff as many new creatures as they can fit on the ship back to "civilization." But here the humans have a distinct disadvantage, constantly either misunderstanding or falling victim to the environment they've intruded on, and the moral seems to be less that Humans Are The Real Parasites and more that human beings are just one moving part, and not necessarily the most important one, of this planet-sized organism we inhabit. For as much as we worry (and for good reason, of course) about the damage we're doing to the Earth, the Earth itself—and probably much of its life—will persist long after we drive ourselves to extinction. No one who's survived the year 2020 should require any further proof that all human achievements are, ultimately, at the mercy of natural forces we can't overpower.
The ending here is a sort of return to nature, but the tone is ambivalent; this return is inevitable and irresistible, whether we seek it or not. But, again, this isn't really the sort of thing you read for the story, or even the message. You read it for the art, and for the mood the art creates: and what a creeping, funny, sickly, lovely, disturbing mood it is.
At face value Safari Honeymoon is about a safari honeymoon: a newlywed couple and their hired guide trek through a fantastical and deadly rainforest, gawking at—and, more often than not, shooting—a whole zoo's worth of bizarre lifeforms. It's clear from page one that the relationship is built on rocky foundations, the husband's finnicky, pampered personality a poor match for the wife's adventurous spirit and open mind. Add in the perky guide (he cooks the couple gourmet meals, and isn't allowed to sleep for fear of animals attacks) with his itchy trigger finger as well as the aforementioned menagerie of weird beasts, and disaster seems—and is—inevitable.
So fine, that's what it's about, but it's not really what it's about. Being surrealism, the story as such isn't the most important thing. Here's what's important:
(Enlarge)
(Enlarge)
(Enlarge)
Jacobs, who previously worked on the brilliant and equally surreal cartoon series Adventure Time, guides us with only minimal verbal interruption through this vivid alien world, full of insidious parasites, sentient plants, telekinetic monkeys, human-sized arachnoids, and M.C. Escher-esque entities I won't try to describe. The dialogue is deliberately stilted and archaic, bringing to mind buttoned-up Victorian explorers and old-timey big game hunters eager to kill and stuff as many new creatures as they can fit on the ship back to "civilization." But here the humans have a distinct disadvantage, constantly either misunderstanding or falling victim to the environment they've intruded on, and the moral seems to be less that Humans Are The Real Parasites and more that human beings are just one moving part, and not necessarily the most important one, of this planet-sized organism we inhabit. For as much as we worry (and for good reason, of course) about the damage we're doing to the Earth, the Earth itself—and probably much of its life—will persist long after we drive ourselves to extinction. No one who's survived the year 2020 should require any further proof that all human achievements are, ultimately, at the mercy of natural forces we can't overpower.
The ending here is a sort of return to nature, but the tone is ambivalent; this return is inevitable and irresistible, whether we seek it or not. But, again, this isn't really the sort of thing you read for the story, or even the message. You read it for the art, and for the mood the art creates: and what a creeping, funny, sickly, lovely, disturbing mood it is.
April 13, 2016
'Visit fascinating alien worlds, discover bizarre jungles teeming with intelligent and wonderful new species... then kill them!'
Jesse Jacobs is fast establishing himself as one of the most gifted cartoonists to emerge in the last decade; he and fellow Canadian Michael Deforge are once again making the Great White North ground zero for a revolutionary shift in the aesthetics and storytelling of the comics avant garde. 'Safari Honeymoon' is the follow-up to Jacob's poignant and disturbing metaphysical fable, 'By This Shall You Know Him', once again released in a beautifully designed softcover edition by Koyama press.
'Safari Honeymoon' is a satire wrapped up in an entertaining science-fiction package. In the almost dream-like mode incorporating surrealist aspects that Jacobs executed so perfectly in BTSYKH, he introduces a newly married couple whose honeymoon takes them to another planet teeming with life, where they plan on hunting and killing indigenous species for sport. Their complete ineptitude constantly puts them in grave danger, but their long-suffering guide manages to keep them alive.
The attitude of entitlement displayed by the couple is analogous to British feelings of absolute superiority at the height of the empire, a time when the concept of the 'white man's burden' justified colonial exploitation and oppression. That entitlement might also apply to North American's unspoken belief that the rest of the world is their playground.
As strong as his talents as a storyteller are, the artwork is fucking spectacular. His dense page layouts convey the superabundance of fascinating life-forms, which are acknowledged by the 'alien' honeymooners only as prey to be killed, amusing but disposable pets, or annoyances that inspire righteous indignation. Soon, they are forced to confront the fact that they are interlopers, and they have stumbled dumbly into an environment where their status as members of the entitled class entitles them to nothing. Though I doubt any artist likes being compared to their peers, Jacobs' style is reminiscent to that of DeForge, but still very unique. As a fan of European comics, the clean, carefully considered linework reminds me of the art of Killoffer and Stephane Blanquet, with American influences like Archer Prewitt, Jordan Crane, and Sammy Harkham. But these are things I'm reminded of, who his true influences are, I have no idea. And in the end, he is a truly unique talent.
Jesse Jacobs is fast establishing himself as one of the most gifted cartoonists to emerge in the last decade; he and fellow Canadian Michael Deforge are once again making the Great White North ground zero for a revolutionary shift in the aesthetics and storytelling of the comics avant garde. 'Safari Honeymoon' is the follow-up to Jacob's poignant and disturbing metaphysical fable, 'By This Shall You Know Him', once again released in a beautifully designed softcover edition by Koyama press.
'Safari Honeymoon' is a satire wrapped up in an entertaining science-fiction package. In the almost dream-like mode incorporating surrealist aspects that Jacobs executed so perfectly in BTSYKH, he introduces a newly married couple whose honeymoon takes them to another planet teeming with life, where they plan on hunting and killing indigenous species for sport. Their complete ineptitude constantly puts them in grave danger, but their long-suffering guide manages to keep them alive.
The attitude of entitlement displayed by the couple is analogous to British feelings of absolute superiority at the height of the empire, a time when the concept of the 'white man's burden' justified colonial exploitation and oppression. That entitlement might also apply to North American's unspoken belief that the rest of the world is their playground.
As strong as his talents as a storyteller are, the artwork is fucking spectacular. His dense page layouts convey the superabundance of fascinating life-forms, which are acknowledged by the 'alien' honeymooners only as prey to be killed, amusing but disposable pets, or annoyances that inspire righteous indignation. Soon, they are forced to confront the fact that they are interlopers, and they have stumbled dumbly into an environment where their status as members of the entitled class entitles them to nothing. Though I doubt any artist likes being compared to their peers, Jacobs' style is reminiscent to that of DeForge, but still very unique. As a fan of European comics, the clean, carefully considered linework reminds me of the art of Killoffer and Stephane Blanquet, with American influences like Archer Prewitt, Jordan Crane, and Sammy Harkham. But these are things I'm reminded of, who his true influences are, I have no idea. And in the end, he is a truly unique talent.
May 16, 2016
I like to think I'd be like the wife in this story, accepting of unfamiliar, new environments. The thing is, though, if I started petting wild jungle creatures, they'd kill me. I know this. I sometimes try anyway, but the main reason I don't run after wildlife is because it will not turn out like this story. You don't just become one with your hostile environment because you want to.
Who am I kidding? I'd totally chase the forest monkeys. They're super neat.
I think I'm going to consider this a Return to Paradise fable. I mean, that could be way off base, but it's what I'm going to take away. Because I can.
A husband and wife leave the city behind to enjoy their honeymoon and they're typical first-world white people. He's running around killing things for sport, he's all gluttonous, he's used to power and money and importance. She follows along because it's what is expected. But then there's the guide who is both encouraging their behaviors and teaching them about their new environment, acting as a bridge from Ye Olde Eville Lyfe into the place where Everything, at some point, is reduced to its most primitive state, a new Adam & Eve lifestyle, only, really, in this case, it's way more Eve & Adam.
If the forest monkeys can represent angels, I think this Return to Paradise fable all works out really well. At least, for most of the characters.
The thing that kept me from really loving this is that I'm getting tired of this type of illustration. Is there a name for this art style? Post-Modern Adventure Time? I don't know but it doesn't charm me anymore; it's become ubiquitous. I had the same problem with Ant Colony, actually. Maybe I'm ready for a new style of edgy, offbeat, cartoonish-but-not-cartoony art.
Also, I was really sad about Winston.
Who am I kidding? I'd totally chase the forest monkeys. They're super neat.
I think I'm going to consider this a Return to Paradise fable. I mean, that could be way off base, but it's what I'm going to take away. Because I can.
A husband and wife leave the city behind to enjoy their honeymoon and they're typical first-world white people. He's running around killing things for sport, he's all gluttonous, he's used to power and money and importance. She follows along because it's what is expected. But then there's the guide who is both encouraging their behaviors and teaching them about their new environment, acting as a bridge from Ye Olde Eville Lyfe into the place where Everything, at some point, is reduced to its most primitive state, a new Adam & Eve lifestyle, only, really, in this case, it's way more Eve & Adam.
If the forest monkeys can represent angels, I think this Return to Paradise fable all works out really well. At least, for most of the characters.
The thing that kept me from really loving this is that I'm getting tired of this type of illustration. Is there a name for this art style? Post-Modern Adventure Time? I don't know but it doesn't charm me anymore; it's become ubiquitous. I had the same problem with Ant Colony, actually. Maybe I'm ready for a new style of edgy, offbeat, cartoonish-but-not-cartoony art.
Also, I was really sad about Winston.
June 10, 2019
Good nightmare material. I wanted it to be a bit longer.
May 14, 2014
Well, now I am completely convinced that Jesse Jacobs is trying to fuck with us. Or maybe it's Koyama Press for putting this book out. You know I can't quit you, Koyama.
But honestly, having read Jacobs' previous work (By This You Shall Know Him), I should actually be thankful that this is Jesse Jacobs' more grounded work of the two. Not that that's a good thing. While the narrative of By This You Shall Know Him is so far out it's literally in outer space (literally), Safari Honeymoon is actually quite easy to follow. A couple goes off to some exotic honeymoon in a very dangerous planet. As you can imagine, things go awry, and this is mostly due to the buffoonery of the honeymooners.
Although the book is pretty short, there are several themes which Jacobs' explores in Safari Honeymoon, such as the privileged class, the wonders of biology (Jacob's strange creatures are grounded on actual Earthly parasitic behavior), gender roles, and entitlement. Illustrated in Jacobs' highly simplistic yet highly detailed art style, the colors are eye-catching and vivid and every line counts. Every page is wonderful to behold, especially considering that the characters in the book are surrounded by every horror imaginable that this foreign planet has to offer.
It's not a matter of whether you'll get it or not, Jacobs has once again put together beautiful work that's worthwhile, and so unique that it will have you talking for quite some time. Seriously, you won't find anything else like it out this year.
3.5 stars.
But honestly, having read Jacobs' previous work (By This You Shall Know Him), I should actually be thankful that this is Jesse Jacobs' more grounded work of the two. Not that that's a good thing. While the narrative of By This You Shall Know Him is so far out it's literally in outer space (literally), Safari Honeymoon is actually quite easy to follow. A couple goes off to some exotic honeymoon in a very dangerous planet. As you can imagine, things go awry, and this is mostly due to the buffoonery of the honeymooners.
Although the book is pretty short, there are several themes which Jacobs' explores in Safari Honeymoon, such as the privileged class, the wonders of biology (Jacob's strange creatures are grounded on actual Earthly parasitic behavior), gender roles, and entitlement. Illustrated in Jacobs' highly simplistic yet highly detailed art style, the colors are eye-catching and vivid and every line counts. Every page is wonderful to behold, especially considering that the characters in the book are surrounded by every horror imaginable that this foreign planet has to offer.
It's not a matter of whether you'll get it or not, Jacobs has once again put together beautiful work that's worthwhile, and so unique that it will have you talking for quite some time. Seriously, you won't find anything else like it out this year.
3.5 stars.
December 1, 2017
Videorecensione: https://youtu.be/pqEpsObeuJ0
March 19, 2018
WTF did I just read?
April 18, 2025
WHAT. A. TRIP! Honestly I felt I was on another plane of existence reading this short graphic novel!
Loved the bizarre and fantastic illustrations, the parasites were friggen nasty though!
Prayers for Winston 😭
Loved the bizarre and fantastic illustrations, the parasites were friggen nasty though!
Prayers for Winston 😭
April 29, 2020
Divnejšiu vec som už dlho nečítala. Ale bolo to príjemne divné. Polovicu času som si skrátka užívala ten art, príšery a bizarné stránky preplnené častokrát niečím, na čo som sa chcela pozerať dobrú hodinu vkuse. Zábavné, zaujímavé a veľmi dobre sa na to pozeralo (čím dlhšie, tým intenzívnejšie to bolo). 4/5.
June 10, 2016
"Qualunque cosa a un certo punto si riduce al suo stato più primitivo"
Safari Honeymoon è un graphic novel che si legge in 20 minuti e che lascia frastornati per bellezza del disegno e "weirdness" assoluta.
Come dice il titolo è la storia di una luna di miele di un uomo molto importante e una donna molto determinata (questo lo capiamo dai comportamenti da due dato che non c'è traccia di background o flashback, nella migliore nuova tradizione della narrativa contemporanea) in una sorta di giungla molto particolare, popolata da strane creature e da una vegetazione senziente, di più, dotata di una certa saggezza. Forse un mondo alieno, forse una futura Area X sul modello della trilogia di VanDerMeer, la giungla è un luogo incredibilmente pericoloso, tanto che i due sposini sono obbligati a farsi affiancare da una guida dai comportamenti militareschi e inquietanti, un'uomo che "ha visto cose" e che non dorme mai per garantire la sicurezza dei suoi clienti. Le strane creature infatti sono quasi tutte parassiti o bestie velenose, il cui unico scopo sembra quello di dover attaccare gli intrusi, nel sonno, in agguato, in orde riempiendo lo spazio.
Jesse Jacobs, precedentemente a lavoro su Adventure Time - e si vede - sfrutta questa ambientazione per raccontare una sorta di viaggio iniziatico della coppia, che lasciata sola in balia della "natura" si ritrova ad allontanarsi sempre di più dalla civiltà, alla ricerca forse di una nuova forma di felicità.
In assoluto uno dei fumetti più interessanti, meglio scritti e meglio disegnati che ho letto negli ultimi anni. Un'applauso ai tipi di Eris che hanno deciso di portarlo in Italia.
Safari Honeymoon è un graphic novel che si legge in 20 minuti e che lascia frastornati per bellezza del disegno e "weirdness" assoluta.
Come dice il titolo è la storia di una luna di miele di un uomo molto importante e una donna molto determinata (questo lo capiamo dai comportamenti da due dato che non c'è traccia di background o flashback, nella migliore nuova tradizione della narrativa contemporanea) in una sorta di giungla molto particolare, popolata da strane creature e da una vegetazione senziente, di più, dotata di una certa saggezza. Forse un mondo alieno, forse una futura Area X sul modello della trilogia di VanDerMeer, la giungla è un luogo incredibilmente pericoloso, tanto che i due sposini sono obbligati a farsi affiancare da una guida dai comportamenti militareschi e inquietanti, un'uomo che "ha visto cose" e che non dorme mai per garantire la sicurezza dei suoi clienti. Le strane creature infatti sono quasi tutte parassiti o bestie velenose, il cui unico scopo sembra quello di dover attaccare gli intrusi, nel sonno, in agguato, in orde riempiendo lo spazio.
Jesse Jacobs, precedentemente a lavoro su Adventure Time - e si vede - sfrutta questa ambientazione per raccontare una sorta di viaggio iniziatico della coppia, che lasciata sola in balia della "natura" si ritrova ad allontanarsi sempre di più dalla civiltà, alla ricerca forse di una nuova forma di felicità.
In assoluto uno dei fumetti più interessanti, meglio scritti e meglio disegnati che ho letto negli ultimi anni. Un'applauso ai tipi di Eris che hanno deciso di portarlo in Italia.
November 22, 2020
Dopo aver letto il suo Crawl Space pensavo fosse difficile fare di meglio.
Mi sono dovuto ricredere leggendo Safari Honeymoon che Jacobs pubblicò qualche anno prima.
Jesse Jacobs parla di relazioni, sopravvivenza e accettazione della natura (sia interiore che esteriore) con una sequenza di illustrazioni ed evoluzioni narrative efficacissime ed estremamente godibili. Solo lui può disegnare un mondo dalla fauna e dalla vegetazione aliena in questa maniera.
C'è un senso di ordine che domina tutte le tavole, l'occhio si abitua alla monocromia del verde e ne ricava una soddisfazione costante, sollecitato dalle trasformazioni fisiche e caratteriali dei personaggi che mutano assieme alla natura che li circonda.
E' veramente raro trovare così tanti contenuti in così poche pagine senza incappare in un'opera eccessivamente complessa. Un'oretta per goderselo e molto più tempo per rifletterci su. Meraviglioso. Questi sono Fumetti con la F maiuscola.
Mi sono dovuto ricredere leggendo Safari Honeymoon che Jacobs pubblicò qualche anno prima.
Jesse Jacobs parla di relazioni, sopravvivenza e accettazione della natura (sia interiore che esteriore) con una sequenza di illustrazioni ed evoluzioni narrative efficacissime ed estremamente godibili. Solo lui può disegnare un mondo dalla fauna e dalla vegetazione aliena in questa maniera.
C'è un senso di ordine che domina tutte le tavole, l'occhio si abitua alla monocromia del verde e ne ricava una soddisfazione costante, sollecitato dalle trasformazioni fisiche e caratteriali dei personaggi che mutano assieme alla natura che li circonda.
E' veramente raro trovare così tanti contenuti in così poche pagine senza incappare in un'opera eccessivamente complessa. Un'oretta per goderselo e molto più tempo per rifletterci su. Meraviglioso. Questi sono Fumetti con la F maiuscola.
September 18, 2016
I read this today, and it's a story about a couple on honeymoon in a jungle of some sort. The jungle is inhabited by any number of creatures that want to kill or destroy or possess them, and the safari guide has a quick trigger finger, and the artwork is intentionally disorienting and...
Honestly, I have no idea what to make of this at all. It's strange and weird and wonderful and I loved it, but I don't have any idea what is going on here at all. But everyone who likes comics in any form should take some time with this one regardless.
Honestly, I have no idea what to make of this at all. It's strange and weird and wonderful and I loved it, but I don't have any idea what is going on here at all. But everyone who likes comics in any form should take some time with this one regardless.
August 12, 2015
Super weird and wonderful, Original story with an original approach! I feel this book is actually kinda pioneering in it's ability to get kind of abstract at times, but in a way that really works super well with the flow and content of the story!
Fun and funny,
and just a great premise.
(Consider this one)
Recommended.
Fun and funny,
and just a great premise.
(Consider this one)
Recommended.
March 3, 2020
On a wavelength channeled somewhere between Jim Woodring and Jeff VanderMeer. Very enjoyable.
January 22, 2024
In Safari Honeymoon, Jesse Jacobs explores the terrifying depths of the forces of nature as seen through the eyes of a privileged couple on their honeymoon. It's an alien world to be sure, as the creatures, critters and vegetation are presented in Jacobs' intricately patterned designs that are explicitly foreign in its visage, and given a sheen of a sickly and creepy green shade throughout.
The couple are accompanied by a capable guide who repeatedly comes to the rescue of the bumbling husband who shows limited regard for the environment. The interactions between the couple and their guide presents Jacobs' satirical outlook on adventure vacationing - the wealthy husband and wife enjoy the comfort of their luxury camping quarters and take pleasure in the fine dining, but the husband takes ire at the smallest of discomforts when they arise. Treating the trip into this hostile environment as nothing more than a trivial adventure, the husband finds that he's been infected by a disgusting centipede-type of creature. After the guide manages to excise the parasite by inflicting heavy head trauma to the husband, he cautions them with "Have you folks been wearing your butt plugs?". The deadpan humor blends in perfectly with the satirical commentary on safaris, but it also tones down the almost nightmarish designs of the world of Safari Honeymoon.
Though the narrative isn't clearly structured, the various characters do present their own arcs throughout. The husband is the most clearly defined of the characters as he serves as the primary target of Jacobs' lampooning. But the wife demonstrates a level of growth throughout the narrative, since she initially seems just as privileged as her husband but the narrative quickly establishes her as being much more empathetic and caring towards the local environment. Apologizing for her husbands' entitled behavior whilst also showing her curiosity for the educational aspects of the trip, the wife serves as the much more idyllic vacationer. The guide is mostly an enigma - polite and eager to please - but seemingly completely at home in this bizarre world. He plays the role of the local who must handle the burden of the outsiders trampling over his calm corner of the world, but takes it complete stride throughout.
The dialogue is sharp and witty, but Jacobs achieves a lot with his clean, structured and simple layouts. While Jacobs simplifies the character designs to slightly more elaborate stick figures, the sheer imagination and sophistication comes from the intricate, patterned designs of the weird creatures and backgrounds of the world. It's very geometric in design, but it works well to demonstrate the calculated order of the natural world. And though the character models are simple in comparison, Jacobs is able to convey a lot of emotion in postures and framing alone. There are some truly creative sequences in here too, particularly in one scene where the trio of characters enter a temporal disruption and begin to see copies of themselves in the past and future. It's a scene I wish was further elaborated on simply due to how well rendered it was by Jacobs. Imaginative and funny throughout, Safari Honeymoon is easily one of Jacobs' best works to date.
The couple are accompanied by a capable guide who repeatedly comes to the rescue of the bumbling husband who shows limited regard for the environment. The interactions between the couple and their guide presents Jacobs' satirical outlook on adventure vacationing - the wealthy husband and wife enjoy the comfort of their luxury camping quarters and take pleasure in the fine dining, but the husband takes ire at the smallest of discomforts when they arise. Treating the trip into this hostile environment as nothing more than a trivial adventure, the husband finds that he's been infected by a disgusting centipede-type of creature. After the guide manages to excise the parasite by inflicting heavy head trauma to the husband, he cautions them with "Have you folks been wearing your butt plugs?". The deadpan humor blends in perfectly with the satirical commentary on safaris, but it also tones down the almost nightmarish designs of the world of Safari Honeymoon.
Though the narrative isn't clearly structured, the various characters do present their own arcs throughout. The husband is the most clearly defined of the characters as he serves as the primary target of Jacobs' lampooning. But the wife demonstrates a level of growth throughout the narrative, since she initially seems just as privileged as her husband but the narrative quickly establishes her as being much more empathetic and caring towards the local environment. Apologizing for her husbands' entitled behavior whilst also showing her curiosity for the educational aspects of the trip, the wife serves as the much more idyllic vacationer. The guide is mostly an enigma - polite and eager to please - but seemingly completely at home in this bizarre world. He plays the role of the local who must handle the burden of the outsiders trampling over his calm corner of the world, but takes it complete stride throughout.
The dialogue is sharp and witty, but Jacobs achieves a lot with his clean, structured and simple layouts. While Jacobs simplifies the character designs to slightly more elaborate stick figures, the sheer imagination and sophistication comes from the intricate, patterned designs of the weird creatures and backgrounds of the world. It's very geometric in design, but it works well to demonstrate the calculated order of the natural world. And though the character models are simple in comparison, Jacobs is able to convey a lot of emotion in postures and framing alone. There are some truly creative sequences in here too, particularly in one scene where the trio of characters enter a temporal disruption and begin to see copies of themselves in the past and future. It's a scene I wish was further elaborated on simply due to how well rendered it was by Jacobs. Imaginative and funny throughout, Safari Honeymoon is easily one of Jacobs' best works to date.
April 22, 2016
Lush and loopy illustrations bring to life the story of a honeymooning couple on safari in an extremely dangerous, parasite-infested jungle. Jacobs is obsessed with the body as both a horrific and beautiful subject. The flora and fauna of the jungle often have grotesque assemblages of somewhat human features; and usually the more innocuous or cuddly the creature, the more carnivorous. Is Jacobs striving for a transcendence of the misplaced faith in the shackles of Western civilized thought? Close enough. The real treat of this comic is the offbeat approach to telling a horror story about humans trying to conquer an environment not with force alone, but also with their entitled, narrow-minded worldviews.
November 3, 2017
what can I say?, Jesse Jacobs it's great, I love it, he is a great autor.
March 12, 2026
Jessie Jacobs does weird like nobody's business ! This was so zany, hilarious and gorgeous. A psychedelic safari trip that turns bad and worse on every page turn. Jesse Jacobs' mind creates these wild and esthetic monsters, populating an alien wildlife of ear parasites, telekinetic monkeys and sentient bushes. It's an absolute trip, that I instantly want to go back on as soon as it's over
December 12, 2019
3.5* Bizzare adveture of young couple in jungle where everything is either poisonous or trying to eat you. Funny and little bit cynical. Art is strange at first sight, but it will grow to you and you'll start enjoying all geometrical patterns (maybe:))
August 2, 2019
I'm gonna have some very weird dreams tonight, so thanks for that.
May 6, 2018
Oddly unique, original, and beautiful graphic novel about the journey of a couple and their guide through a bizarre forest. The line drawings and limited color scheme add to the sense of wonder and threat throughout the story; I enjoyed how occasional pages between parts of the story depicted various odd creatures of the wild, or the rules of exploring and guiding, not unlike a travel guide for a place that only exists in the imagination of the author (and, now, the reader.)
March 27, 2026
Recensione prossimamente su Leggere Distopico & Fantascienza Oggi!. :)
È con grande piacere che oggi vi parlo della graphic novel “Safari Honeymoon” del canadese Jesse Jacobs, giunta in Italia grazie alla Eris Edizioni e su traduzione di Valerio Stivè.
La loro non sarà una comune escursione naturalistica, vedremo vagare i due piccioncini all’interno di una fitta giungla che, geograficamente parlando, non ha una collocazione specifica ed è popolata da animali strani – dalla morfologia irrealistica - e altrettanto pericolosi, per fortuna, ad accompagnarli una guida-factotum che li aiuterà a muoversi tra le mille insidie che si nascondono nella boscaglia e a non fargli mancare i comfort dei quali necessitano.
La copertina ci dà un’anteprima di quanto troveremo tra queste pagine: una distesa di verde foresta tropicale che va a formare un emblematico teschio e la coppia posta al centro che, ignara del pericolo, amoreggia. La percezione del paesaggio è criptica perché qui le leggi della fisica e il concetto di tempo non trovano riscontro, tutto è soggetto al mutamento. La vegetazione via via assume connotati grotteschi, figure umanoidi si aggirano inquietanti minando l’idilliaco viaggio dei due. La natura ha preso il sopravvento, colmando ogni anfratto, infatti, le pagine brulicano di disegni.
Attraversando questa selva assieme ai due piccioncini diventiamo esploratori di una realtà esterna che li vedrà protagonisti di un ritorno allo status quo, dal momento che l’istinto di sopravvivenza in questa impervia natura arriverà a cambiarli nel profondo.
Il tono generale del libro è quello di un umorismo affilato e un po’ “macabro” rafforzato da questi disegni talvolta mostruosi; nella boscaglia si muovono creature innocue ed altre ben più subdole: parassiti. Lodevole lo sforzo creativo dell’artista di dar vita a una flora e fauna così aliene e lontane dall’idea che abbiamo, dalle caratteristiche ignote e orripilanti.
La cifra stilistica ricorda molto il tratto del celeberrimo “Adventure Time” e, facendo le opportune ricerche, ho scoperto di averci visto giusto, infatti, Jacobs ha contribuito alla realizzazione del cartoon.
C’è un alternarsi di meticolose illustrazioni a tutto campo a pagine con tavole suddivise in griglie con più vignette, il colore predominante è senza alcun dubbio il verde, associato al bianco e al nero.
La storia principale, talvolta, è intervallata da vignette con alcune nozioni sull’apparato naturalistico del luogo o sul come sopravvivere lì e in appendice alcune tavole “prequel” con protagonista la guida.
Questa coppia di ricchi borghesi inscena il classico stereotipo del turista negligente nei confronti dell’habitat che lo circonda e concentrato solo sulle sue esigenze; l’intento di Jacobs sembra essere quello di ridicolizzarlo per ridimensionarne la presunzione e, soprattutto, svelarne la patetica impotenza di fronte alla brutalità della Natura attraverso la satira che si manifesta in un’ironia tagliente e perfettamente dosata.
Tuttavia, si tratta di un’opera fumettistica che incorpora momenti dallo slancio filosofico e surreale mischiandoci anche componenti fantascientifici e tipici del weird, in particolare quest’ultimo si manifesta non solo nelle stranezze che leggiamo, ma proprio per le sembianze delle creature così “tentacolari” tanto da richiamarmi alla memoria addirittura Cthulhu dell’immaginario di H. P. Lovecraft, solo meno raccapricciante.
In una manciata di pagine viene posto all’attenzione di chi legge il rapporto dell’uomo nell’interazione con un ambiente a lui sconosciuto, la graduale accettazione del diverso che avviene prima attraverso rimostranze e pregiudizi e angherie, solo col tempo si fa strada - anche con l’aiuto di persone esterne - la comprensione.
È con grande piacere che oggi vi parlo della graphic novel “Safari Honeymoon” del canadese Jesse Jacobs, giunta in Italia grazie alla Eris Edizioni e su traduzione di Valerio Stivè.
La loro non sarà una comune escursione naturalistica, vedremo vagare i due piccioncini all’interno di una fitta giungla che, geograficamente parlando, non ha una collocazione specifica ed è popolata da animali strani – dalla morfologia irrealistica - e altrettanto pericolosi, per fortuna, ad accompagnarli una guida-factotum che li aiuterà a muoversi tra le mille insidie che si nascondono nella boscaglia e a non fargli mancare i comfort dei quali necessitano.
La copertina ci dà un’anteprima di quanto troveremo tra queste pagine: una distesa di verde foresta tropicale che va a formare un emblematico teschio e la coppia posta al centro che, ignara del pericolo, amoreggia. La percezione del paesaggio è criptica perché qui le leggi della fisica e il concetto di tempo non trovano riscontro, tutto è soggetto al mutamento. La vegetazione via via assume connotati grotteschi, figure umanoidi si aggirano inquietanti minando l’idilliaco viaggio dei due. La natura ha preso il sopravvento, colmando ogni anfratto, infatti, le pagine brulicano di disegni.
Attraversando questa selva assieme ai due piccioncini diventiamo esploratori di una realtà esterna che li vedrà protagonisti di un ritorno allo status quo, dal momento che l’istinto di sopravvivenza in questa impervia natura arriverà a cambiarli nel profondo.
“Qualunque cosa a un certo punto si riduce al suo stato più primitivo.”
Quello che compiono i nostri vacanzieri è un viaggio esperienziale fuori da ogni logica, tanto che, a un certo punto, potremmo considerarli una versione 2.0 di Adamo ed Eva.Il tono generale del libro è quello di un umorismo affilato e un po’ “macabro” rafforzato da questi disegni talvolta mostruosi; nella boscaglia si muovono creature innocue ed altre ben più subdole: parassiti. Lodevole lo sforzo creativo dell’artista di dar vita a una flora e fauna così aliene e lontane dall’idea che abbiamo, dalle caratteristiche ignote e orripilanti.
La cifra stilistica ricorda molto il tratto del celeberrimo “Adventure Time” e, facendo le opportune ricerche, ho scoperto di averci visto giusto, infatti, Jacobs ha contribuito alla realizzazione del cartoon.
C’è un alternarsi di meticolose illustrazioni a tutto campo a pagine con tavole suddivise in griglie con più vignette, il colore predominante è senza alcun dubbio il verde, associato al bianco e al nero.
La storia principale, talvolta, è intervallata da vignette con alcune nozioni sull’apparato naturalistico del luogo o sul come sopravvivere lì e in appendice alcune tavole “prequel” con protagonista la guida.
Questa coppia di ricchi borghesi inscena il classico stereotipo del turista negligente nei confronti dell’habitat che lo circonda e concentrato solo sulle sue esigenze; l’intento di Jacobs sembra essere quello di ridicolizzarlo per ridimensionarne la presunzione e, soprattutto, svelarne la patetica impotenza di fronte alla brutalità della Natura attraverso la satira che si manifesta in un’ironia tagliente e perfettamente dosata.
Tuttavia, si tratta di un’opera fumettistica che incorpora momenti dallo slancio filosofico e surreale mischiandoci anche componenti fantascientifici e tipici del weird, in particolare quest’ultimo si manifesta non solo nelle stranezze che leggiamo, ma proprio per le sembianze delle creature così “tentacolari” tanto da richiamarmi alla memoria addirittura Cthulhu dell’immaginario di H. P. Lovecraft, solo meno raccapricciante.
In una manciata di pagine viene posto all’attenzione di chi legge il rapporto dell’uomo nell’interazione con un ambiente a lui sconosciuto, la graduale accettazione del diverso che avviene prima attraverso rimostranze e pregiudizi e angherie, solo col tempo si fa strada - anche con l’aiuto di persone esterne - la comprensione.
May 15, 2018
A very surreal comic that feels like Moebius told Jacobs to create a Herbarium and Bestiary in one, and don't forget the story, please. Make it love and Adam and Eve and bring man back to nature.
Everything is off. Not even slightly off, it is extremely off. Even worse: sometimes it feels really really off (like a particular parasite) and it turns out to be real. It's surreal and off and weird and you can't stop reading it.
Everything is weird except for the food. The dishes the couple get served are all perfectly suited for any real-life non-surrealistic restaurant of your chosing. Surrounded by tentacled monsters and humanoids with antennas, there are pickled quail eggs and rosemary lamb racks. There are many flavors of tea and grilled cheese with gruyere and all the helpings. The food is safe. The food is okay.
Everything is off. Not even slightly off, it is extremely off. Even worse: sometimes it feels really really off (like a particular parasite) and it turns out to be real. It's surreal and off and weird and you can't stop reading it.
Everything is weird except for the food. The dishes the couple get served are all perfectly suited for any real-life non-surrealistic restaurant of your chosing. Surrounded by tentacled monsters and humanoids with antennas, there are pickled quail eggs and rosemary lamb racks. There are many flavors of tea and grilled cheese with gruyere and all the helpings. The food is safe. The food is okay.
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