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The Last Musketeer
After his existential thriller (Why Are You Doing This?), his Parisian famous-writers crime caper (The Left Bank Gang), and his time-travel story (I Killed Adolf Hitler), Jason's fourth full-color album may feature his loopiest premise yet.
Set in the present, The Last Musketeer stars the by-now centuries old (for no explained reason...and it doesn't matter) musketeer Athos, who has been reduced to a suavely dressed but useless near-panhandler trading on his now almost extinct fame. (Aramis has forsaken his musketeering ways, and Porthos...well, Porthos isn't around any more. Don't ask.) All this changes when one day the Martians attack Earth. Suddenly there is a need for swashes to be buckled, and Athos leaps back into the fray with a vengeance. Robots, evil alien emperors, beautiful alien princesses, rayguns vs. swords, treachery, secret corridors, insanely cool-looking robots...The Last Musketeer is vintage sci-fi adventure with a unique twist from an internationally acclaimed cartoonist.
Set in the present, The Last Musketeer stars the by-now centuries old (for no explained reason...and it doesn't matter) musketeer Athos, who has been reduced to a suavely dressed but useless near-panhandler trading on his now almost extinct fame. (Aramis has forsaken his musketeering ways, and Porthos...well, Porthos isn't around any more. Don't ask.) All this changes when one day the Martians attack Earth. Suddenly there is a need for swashes to be buckled, and Athos leaps back into the fray with a vengeance. Robots, evil alien emperors, beautiful alien princesses, rayguns vs. swords, treachery, secret corridors, insanely cool-looking robots...The Last Musketeer is vintage sci-fi adventure with a unique twist from an internationally acclaimed cartoonist.
48 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2007
7 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Jason
115 books706 followersJohn Arne Sæterøy, better known by the pen name Jason, is an internationally acclaimed Norwegian cartoonist. Jason's comics are known for their distinctive, stone-faced anthropomorphic characters as well as their pace reminiscent of classic films.
Jason was born in 1965 and debuted in the early 80's, when still a teenager, in the Norwegian comics magazine 'KonK'. His first graphic novel Pocket Full of Rain (1995) won the Sproing Award, one of the main national awards for cartoonist.
In 2001 Jason started a fruitful collaboration with the American publisher Fantagraphics, which helped him gain international notoriety. Besides Norway and the U.S., his comics have appeared in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil.
Jason's stories feature a peculiar mix of dry humour, surrealism and tropes from a variety of pulp genres, such as noir novels and monster movies. His most celebrated works include: Hey, Wait... (2001), a tale of childhood and trauma; You Can't Get There from Here (2004), a re-telling of the myth of Frankenstein; The Left Bank Gang (2007), featuring fictional versions of Hemingway and other writers living in Paris in the 1920s; I Killed Adolf Hitler (2008), a story that mixes romance and time travel; The Last Musketeer (2009), a love letter to old sci-fi imaginary featuring king's musketeer Athos; Low Moon (2010), one of his many collections of short stories; Werewolves of Montpellier (2010); Isle of 100,000 Graves (2011), a pirate story co-written with French cartoonist Fabien Vehlmann; Lost Cat (2013), a thriller with a surreal spin.
Jason won a Harvey Award for best new talent in 2002 and Eisner Awards in the category 'Best U.S. Edition of International Material' for three consecutive years (2007-2009).
He has lived in Denmark, Belgium, the U.S., eventually setting for Montpellier, France in 2007.
Jason was born in 1965 and debuted in the early 80's, when still a teenager, in the Norwegian comics magazine 'KonK'. His first graphic novel Pocket Full of Rain (1995) won the Sproing Award, one of the main national awards for cartoonist.
In 2001 Jason started a fruitful collaboration with the American publisher Fantagraphics, which helped him gain international notoriety. Besides Norway and the U.S., his comics have appeared in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil.
Jason's stories feature a peculiar mix of dry humour, surrealism and tropes from a variety of pulp genres, such as noir novels and monster movies. His most celebrated works include: Hey, Wait... (2001), a tale of childhood and trauma; You Can't Get There from Here (2004), a re-telling of the myth of Frankenstein; The Left Bank Gang (2007), featuring fictional versions of Hemingway and other writers living in Paris in the 1920s; I Killed Adolf Hitler (2008), a story that mixes romance and time travel; The Last Musketeer (2009), a love letter to old sci-fi imaginary featuring king's musketeer Athos; Low Moon (2010), one of his many collections of short stories; Werewolves of Montpellier (2010); Isle of 100,000 Graves (2011), a pirate story co-written with French cartoonist Fabien Vehlmann; Lost Cat (2013), a thriller with a surreal spin.
Jason won a Harvey Award for best new talent in 2002 and Eisner Awards in the category 'Best U.S. Edition of International Material' for three consecutive years (2007-2009).
He has lived in Denmark, Belgium, the U.S., eventually setting for Montpellier, France in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
March 24, 2018
If you are new to Jason’s comics, read Hey, Wait, Why Are You Doing This? The Left Bank Gang, or I Killed Adolf Hitler), but this has its own charming weirdness, a mash-up of centuries old French literary adventure story and science fiction, with some comic existentialist twists. Yes, the Athos in this story is from Alexander Dumas’s Three Muskeeters, who now lives in the present day. Then Martians attack Earth. Of course. As you expected. Athos takes over a spaceship and travels to Mars, because this is what musketeers do. Robots, alien princesses, and some droll commentary. Pretty fun.
Jason helps us see that musketeers still matter!
Jason helps us see that musketeers still matter!
June 14, 2018
Mon Dieu! Perfecto, genial.
Podría parecer un defecto, pero una de las cosas que me encanta de Jason es que se recrea en sus obsesiones temáticas, una y otra vez trata los mismos temas profundamente humanos, y da igual que se hable de asesinos en serie o de viajes en el tiempo. Y con esos elementos, consigue sorprender siempre. Una vez terminado, me lo he vuelto a leer del tirón (otro de los placeres que me produce este autor, leer sus obras una y otra y otra vez).
Aquí, además de lo de siempre, añade a la mezcla unos cuantos ingredientes que me fascinan: Los tres mosqueteros, pasados por un buen baño de ciencia ficción con extraterrestres incluidos, trasladados a la actualidad... ¿qué puede salir mal?
Una mezcla explosiva, surrealista y entretenidísima para hablar de la tristeza de ser un héroe olvidado, de no encontrar tu sitio, de la vida.
Una historia redonda y creíble, humana, e incluso fiel a la original, con guiños a Los tres mosqueteros, pero también a Veinte años después o El Vizconde de Bragelonne.
Podría parecer un defecto, pero una de las cosas que me encanta de Jason es que se recrea en sus obsesiones temáticas, una y otra vez trata los mismos temas profundamente humanos, y da igual que se hable de asesinos en serie o de viajes en el tiempo. Y con esos elementos, consigue sorprender siempre. Una vez terminado, me lo he vuelto a leer del tirón (otro de los placeres que me produce este autor, leer sus obras una y otra y otra vez).
Aquí, además de lo de siempre, añade a la mezcla unos cuantos ingredientes que me fascinan: Los tres mosqueteros, pasados por un buen baño de ciencia ficción con extraterrestres incluidos, trasladados a la actualidad... ¿qué puede salir mal?
Una mezcla explosiva, surrealista y entretenidísima para hablar de la tristeza de ser un héroe olvidado, de no encontrar tu sitio, de la vida.
Una historia redonda y creíble, humana, e incluso fiel a la original, con guiños a Los tres mosqueteros, pero también a Veinte años después o El Vizconde de Bragelonne.
April 30, 2018
I've been reading Jason's work since I read his fantastic Graphic novel, "Hey! Wait.."
The author is best at making his readers ponder upon things that they didn't realize mattered. Full of twists and turns.
The author is best at making his readers ponder upon things that they didn't realize mattered. Full of twists and turns.
September 19, 2011
Modern day France and Athos, the Musketeer from Alexandre Dumas' beloved classic "The Three Musketeers", is 400 years old and living on the streets drinking away the days. Then one night France is attacked by lasers from outer space. Commandeering an alien vessel, Athos goes to Mars to stop the attacks and remind everyone of the relevance of the musketeers.
Jason marries the polar opposites of 19th century literature with 50s pulpy sci-fi in this fantastic, fun graphic novel. The drawings are his best yet with the spaceships, laser cannons, robots and aliens all mirroring 50s designs of space adventures. The knowingly cheesy dialogue and scenes (there's a lot of guards being knocked out for their uniforms to be worn by the heroes, trap doors, etc) add to the impression of an older, more innocent kind of adventure story.
It's also his funniest comic so far. The chivalrous Athos fighting to keep the spirit of the musketeers alive in the face of technology like guns and robots is very funny. He defeats a robot while escaping and then proceeds to dig a grave for it instead of running, thus being captured again. The limited expressions on the animal-faced characters, also adds to the humour, as does the insecure Martian Emperor who quizzes his reluctant guards on their home lives.
Jason's famous for using little or no dialogue in his comics but in this book there is a lot of dialogue driving the story while his art is in full colour and looking very clear on the page. The underlying parallels of the story to the Iraq war and the United States formation are also unmistakable. The Martians took the planet from indigenous natives and currently are running out of a precious resource, oxygen, forcing them into a pointless conflict with Earth.
It all adds to a strong overall impression of this brisk (it's 48 pages long) and brilliant tale of adventure, one of Jason's best books yet. If you're new to Jason, this is a great place to start.
Jason marries the polar opposites of 19th century literature with 50s pulpy sci-fi in this fantastic, fun graphic novel. The drawings are his best yet with the spaceships, laser cannons, robots and aliens all mirroring 50s designs of space adventures. The knowingly cheesy dialogue and scenes (there's a lot of guards being knocked out for their uniforms to be worn by the heroes, trap doors, etc) add to the impression of an older, more innocent kind of adventure story.
It's also his funniest comic so far. The chivalrous Athos fighting to keep the spirit of the musketeers alive in the face of technology like guns and robots is very funny. He defeats a robot while escaping and then proceeds to dig a grave for it instead of running, thus being captured again. The limited expressions on the animal-faced characters, also adds to the humour, as does the insecure Martian Emperor who quizzes his reluctant guards on their home lives.
Jason's famous for using little or no dialogue in his comics but in this book there is a lot of dialogue driving the story while his art is in full colour and looking very clear on the page. The underlying parallels of the story to the Iraq war and the United States formation are also unmistakable. The Martians took the planet from indigenous natives and currently are running out of a precious resource, oxygen, forcing them into a pointless conflict with Earth.
It all adds to a strong overall impression of this brisk (it's 48 pages long) and brilliant tale of adventure, one of Jason's best books yet. If you're new to Jason, this is a great place to start.
October 19, 2022
My first book by Jason, and certainly not my last. Boy, what a great time! Swashbucklers and Martians! What’s not to love?!
November 17, 2024
8/10
Finally managed to read one of the older Jason's books that I was missing.
The Last Musketeer (2008) came out in the middle of an outstanding wave of comics from the Norwegian cartoonist, starting with the painfully powerful Hey Wait (2001) all the way to the all-encompassing Lost Cat (2013). The thematic lietmotif of the works from this period - intentionally or unconsciously for the author, that is not for me to say - seemed to be love. Specifically, the power of love to redeem us from the nonsense of existence ... and boy, nonsense can go all the way up in the curving ball pulp mash-ups that are Jason's stories!
The Last Musketeer is a bit an exception from this perspective. The theme of romantic duality is toned down (if anything, love between man and woman is kind of a background joke in this one), in favour of a more solipsistic form of romance. Athos is the epitome of the lonely hero. You can imagine him sitting on that Parisian bench for centuries, contemplating the absurdity of history unfold. And like all really lonely people, when given a chance to talk Athos talks a lot. Like, recurrent joke level of 'a lot'. His funny ruspante personality carries the weight of this demential sci-fi story. In this sense, The Last Musketeer gives us the definitive Jason character.
I will not spend too much time on storytelling technicalities. Pacing, lay-outs and compositions in Jason's books are always perfect for me, to the extent that I really don't know what else to say about it.
Special mention for the colouring here. This is one of his fully coloured comics, and one of my favourite from that point of view. Less toned down than the greyish 1920's Paris in Left Bank Gang (2005), more inventive than the nice but generic palettes of I killed Adolf Hitler (2007). This book rivals with l'Ilês Aux Cent Mille Morts (2011) for its pop colours.
Finally managed to read one of the older Jason's books that I was missing.
The Last Musketeer (2008) came out in the middle of an outstanding wave of comics from the Norwegian cartoonist, starting with the painfully powerful Hey Wait (2001) all the way to the all-encompassing Lost Cat (2013). The thematic lietmotif of the works from this period - intentionally or unconsciously for the author, that is not for me to say - seemed to be love. Specifically, the power of love to redeem us from the nonsense of existence ... and boy, nonsense can go all the way up in the curving ball pulp mash-ups that are Jason's stories!
The Last Musketeer is a bit an exception from this perspective. The theme of romantic duality is toned down (if anything, love between man and woman is kind of a background joke in this one), in favour of a more solipsistic form of romance. Athos is the epitome of the lonely hero. You can imagine him sitting on that Parisian bench for centuries, contemplating the absurdity of history unfold. And like all really lonely people, when given a chance to talk Athos talks a lot. Like, recurrent joke level of 'a lot'. His funny ruspante personality carries the weight of this demential sci-fi story. In this sense, The Last Musketeer gives us the definitive Jason character.
I will not spend too much time on storytelling technicalities. Pacing, lay-outs and compositions in Jason's books are always perfect for me, to the extent that I really don't know what else to say about it.
Special mention for the colouring here. This is one of his fully coloured comics, and one of my favourite from that point of view. Less toned down than the greyish 1920's Paris in Left Bank Gang (2005), more inventive than the nice but generic palettes of I killed Adolf Hitler (2007). This book rivals with l'Ilês Aux Cent Mille Morts (2011) for its pop colours.
May 3, 2012
Real fun red. Highly amusing intersection of The Three Musketeers lore, Flash Gordon Mythos, slapstick humour, and the occasional existential musing.
November 2, 2019
Otro ejemplo del arte minimalista de Jason. Esta vez el protagonista es Athos, un ex mosquetero que vive en lo que parece ser el París de principios del siglo XX. Su ex compañero, Aramis, parece haberse adaptado a los tiempos que corren, tiene una oficina, se viste de traje; pero Athos sigue usando su viejo uniforme de mosquetero, pide limosna, y se sienta en las plazas a beber y lamentar que el mundo haya dejado atrás los ideales del honor y la valentía. En un movimiento clásico de Jason, la historia vira a la ciencia ficción. Athos viaja a Marte y vive las aventuras nostálgicas que ya no son posibles en la Tierra.
Este fue uno de los primeros cómics de Jason que leí y me tomó un tiempo entender la poesía que encerraba esta aparente estupidez. Las tres páginas finales me conmovieron y me conmueven cada vez que vuelvo a leerlas , y no estoy seguro de entender por qué. Quizás el arte de Jason es tan minimalista que sus historias se transforman en una sucesión de símbolos. Vemos a un perro antropomórfico vestido de mosquetero, y esa imagen que podría resultar risible es también lo suficientemente básica como para abarcarnos a todos nosotros. O casi todos. Vemos al perro pero leemos la derrota, la nostalgia, el alejamiento del mundo. Nuestras propias experiencias, escritas en el alfabeto de Jason.
Este fue uno de los primeros cómics de Jason que leí y me tomó un tiempo entender la poesía que encerraba esta aparente estupidez. Las tres páginas finales me conmovieron y me conmueven cada vez que vuelvo a leerlas , y no estoy seguro de entender por qué. Quizás el arte de Jason es tan minimalista que sus historias se transforman en una sucesión de símbolos. Vemos a un perro antropomórfico vestido de mosquetero, y esa imagen que podría resultar risible es también lo suficientemente básica como para abarcarnos a todos nosotros. O casi todos. Vemos al perro pero leemos la derrota, la nostalgia, el alejamiento del mundo. Nuestras propias experiencias, escritas en el alfabeto de Jason.
April 29, 2022
A story inspired by Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers. This version is quite interesting as it combined the sci-fi and swashbuckling element.
November 30, 2019
Have you ever wonder what Athos did after "Athos in America" (title story) ended? Or what the Three Musketeers would do if the world were being attacked from outer space? This book answers those questions.
Even when Jason's plots and characters are ridiculous, i tell myself, "He knows what he's doing. He wants me to react this way. He's poking fun at such sillinesses."
This book had many such moments and i enjoyed it thoroughly.
Even when Jason's plots and characters are ridiculous, i tell myself, "He knows what he's doing. He wants me to react this way. He's poking fun at such sillinesses."
This book had many such moments and i enjoyed it thoroughly.
January 30, 2021
The sheer absurdity of the premise on its own was enough to hook me, but I was soon mesmerized by Athos as he navigates his constantly shifting situation with steady aplomb, all the while maintaining a dryly hilarious running commentary. Certainly one of Jason's best of those I've read so far.
September 28, 2025
É curioso como a sinopse dessa história em quadrinhos conta mais detalhes da história do que o que realmente a história em quadrinhos conta. Não acho que este seja o melhor quadrinho de Jason, e eu tenho lido todos os trabalhos dele que saem no Brasil. Claro, está tudo ali: o humor oblíquo e trágico, o grid de nove quadros por página, os personagens antropomorfos, desilusão amorosa e outras marcas do estilo do quadrinista. Situações fora do comum mil, já que temos um mosqueteiro enfrentando um robô e sendo sequestrado por marcianos que planejam dominar a Terra. Em Marte, o nosso mosqueteiro irá se deparar com muitos inimigos e alguns aliados que o ajudarão na sua missão de retornar à Terra e avisar a todos da invasão que se aproxima. É divertido, mas não passa disso, diferente de algumas outras HQs de Jason que nos fazem refletir ou ainda gargalhar muito mais.
January 16, 2024
4.5
I was excited for this one but somehow fell a little flat for me. Still a flat story from Jason is miles ahead of countless other authors. I just don't think this was a resounding 5/5 like his other books were for me.
Still gorgeously simple art style and moody storytelling with a generous dash of humor and tragedy.
I was excited for this one but somehow fell a little flat for me. Still a flat story from Jason is miles ahead of countless other authors. I just don't think this was a resounding 5/5 like his other books were for me.
Still gorgeously simple art style and moody storytelling with a generous dash of humor and tragedy.
August 20, 2018
Splendid, a book where everything worked very well together.
Definitely one of Jason's best.
Definitely one of Jason's best.
November 18, 2017
Jason er en nasjonalskatt, og (meg bekjent) på et nivå over alle andre norske tegneserieskapere. I denne boka tar han for seg et retrofuturistisk univers med en musketer i hovedrollen. Boka springer gjennom en actionfylt historie med konger og mystiske menn i tårn og soldater og sverd og laser, men er aldri redd for å stoppe opp for å reflektere over noe veldig menneskelig, som den ensomme kongen, mannen som forsker på oksygen men liker sigaretter og behovet for å gi en død robot en begravelse. Alt levert i Jasons klassiske stil, hvor alle ansikt i sin reflekterende tomhet viser at det ligger mer mellom strekene en pang-pang og verdensrom. Det verste med boka er at den er såpass kort, selv om jeg ikke kan se for meg noe den mangler.
July 29, 2021
If new to Jason you should be reading 'Hey Wait...' or 'Why Are You Doing This?' before any others as I'm pretty sure they are his best works so far.
This is probably a more fun read than Athos's other appearance in 'Athos in America', and reads about as fast and comically as 'I Killed Adolf Hitler' but maybe with a bit less punch. Not sad enough for my liking! I do prefer his caricatures of writers to the musketeers, but I think he should keep trying, and maybe move into actors or directors in the future until he gets some solid characters.
This is probably a more fun read than Athos's other appearance in 'Athos in America', and reads about as fast and comically as 'I Killed Adolf Hitler' but maybe with a bit less punch. Not sad enough for my liking! I do prefer his caricatures of writers to the musketeers, but I think he should keep trying, and maybe move into actors or directors in the future until he gets some solid characters.
May 27, 2021
I've read a few Jason comics and The Last Musketeer is certainly more of an adventure than the others. The literature of the "Three Muskteers" meets sci-fi space adventure, mixing swordfights and laser beams. A musketeer going to Mars and showing them French culture? Yeah sure, that's fun. The bored king falling under the sway of some supervillain or another? Yeah, neat! It's probably the goofiest and funniest of his books, I really do enjoy the mix of old-fashioned musketeer heroism with pulpy sci-fi space stuff.
July 14, 2018
My favourite Jason graphic novel so far! The ridiculousness of it all is absolutely enchanting.
April 13, 2018
Athos é um cavalheiro! Adorei seus monólogos, mas achei que o final poderia ter sido melhor.
October 8, 2021
Another Athos story by Jason, I think he’s his most reoccurring character along with Hemingway. Standard Jason fare which is better than most’s best.
January 12, 2012
Bit of an oddity this. Athos the Musketeer lives in modern-day Paris as a park-bench beggar and drunkard, when the city is attacked by lasers from Mars. Time for Athos to go on an adventure, then...
I loved this book. Essentially it's a mash-up between The Three Musketeers, Flash Gordon and a hint of Forbidden Planet, but with all the characters drawn as dogs. Jason's art and narrative is deliberately simplistic, everything looking very two-dimensional. The characterisation is similarly flat (or deadpan I guess), but the humour shines through. Love it.
I loved this book. Essentially it's a mash-up between The Three Musketeers, Flash Gordon and a hint of Forbidden Planet, but with all the characters drawn as dogs. Jason's art and narrative is deliberately simplistic, everything looking very two-dimensional. The characterisation is similarly flat (or deadpan I guess), but the humour shines through. Love it.
August 31, 2013
A twist to the musketeers takes Athos to Mars in order to squelch an attack of earth. Athos finds an unlikely cohort and an unexpected nemesis on Mars. The characters are dry yet pleasing, the plot is simple yet fantasy laden, and the art is forever minimalist. I am hooked.
February 10, 2016
Increible mezcla de ciencia ficción con aventuras clásicas y mosqueteros casi eternos. Tierna y "marciana" a la vez, con un humor feminista incisivo y unos personajes que parece mentira las emociones que pueden transmitir sin apenas gesticular.
Buena lectura de iniciación a este autor.
Buena lectura de iniciación a este autor.
January 7, 2020
This one is a bit more strange than usual, not by much, but just as fantastic. If you're a fan of Jason books you surely won't be dissatisfied.
February 10, 2018
After reading Jason's Athos in America, a short story collection that first showed one of the original Three Musketeers trying to survive in the modern day, I was intrigued to read the rest of his story. The idea of an immortal character from the original Alexandre Dumas novel foiling an alien invasion seems altogether too cheesy to be pulled off well, let alone with a cast of anthropomorphic animals instead of humans. But somehow Jason manages to not only give us an entertaining story, but plenty of character development and even reflective moments to add a depth and humanity to what's ultimately a tribute to pulp sci-fi and adventure.
When energy beams from Mars strike Earth's major cities, the world panics... but one man decides that if his beloved Paris is in trouble, he's still beholden to take up his sword and defend her honor. That man is Athos, one of the original Three Musketeers, still alive and panhandling for his food and drink while somehow still keeping his spirits and sense of honor alive. Armed with his sword, his code of honor, and plenty of wit and determination, Athos works his way to the alien city on Mars, where he finds unexpected allies in his quest to save the world... and a shocking encounter with an old enemy. Can one lone musketeer from antiquated France stop an alien invasion?
As always, Jason's artwork is simple yet unique and quite expressive. His style pays homage to the cheesy '50s sci-fi films and novels that seem silly nowadays but still pack a sense of fun and adventure. His characters tend to be a bit stone-faced -- they don't often show emotion, and their empty white eyes can look unsettling. But he's able to convey emotions through body language and language fairly well, which mostly makes up for the "dull surprise" look.
The story itself looks like it shouldn't work at all, or at the very least be relegated to either parody or bargain-bin silliness in the vein of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." But surprisingly, it works -- both as a homage to old-time sci-fi and as an interesting character study. There's unexpected moments of reflection and character development as the story unfolds, and some surprises along the way. I think the final reveal works better if one has read the original The Three Musketeers, but even those unfamiliar with the classic novel can surmise its importance.
A fun outing from Jason, mixing pulp sci-fi with a character from classic French literature in a surprisingly pleasant and exciting way. And while Jason's more serious and emotional works (such as Hey, Wait... and I Killed Adolf Hitler) are quite good, it's nice to see that he's capable of turning out plain fun work as well.
When energy beams from Mars strike Earth's major cities, the world panics... but one man decides that if his beloved Paris is in trouble, he's still beholden to take up his sword and defend her honor. That man is Athos, one of the original Three Musketeers, still alive and panhandling for his food and drink while somehow still keeping his spirits and sense of honor alive. Armed with his sword, his code of honor, and plenty of wit and determination, Athos works his way to the alien city on Mars, where he finds unexpected allies in his quest to save the world... and a shocking encounter with an old enemy. Can one lone musketeer from antiquated France stop an alien invasion?
As always, Jason's artwork is simple yet unique and quite expressive. His style pays homage to the cheesy '50s sci-fi films and novels that seem silly nowadays but still pack a sense of fun and adventure. His characters tend to be a bit stone-faced -- they don't often show emotion, and their empty white eyes can look unsettling. But he's able to convey emotions through body language and language fairly well, which mostly makes up for the "dull surprise" look.
The story itself looks like it shouldn't work at all, or at the very least be relegated to either parody or bargain-bin silliness in the vein of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." But surprisingly, it works -- both as a homage to old-time sci-fi and as an interesting character study. There's unexpected moments of reflection and character development as the story unfolds, and some surprises along the way. I think the final reveal works better if one has read the original The Three Musketeers, but even those unfamiliar with the classic novel can surmise its importance.
A fun outing from Jason, mixing pulp sci-fi with a character from classic French literature in a surprisingly pleasant and exciting way. And while Jason's more serious and emotional works (such as Hey, Wait... and I Killed Adolf Hitler) are quite good, it's nice to see that he's capable of turning out plain fun work as well.
December 7, 2022
Another example of Jason's minimalist art. This time the protagonist is Athos, a former musketeer who lives in what appears to be Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. His former partner, Aramis, seems to have adapted to the times, has an office, dresses in a suit; but Athos continues to wear his old musketeer uniform, begs for alms, and sits in the squares drinking and lamenting that the world has left behind the ideals of honor and bravery. In a classic Jason move, the story veers into science fiction. Athos travels to Mars and lives the nostalgic adventures that are no longer possible on Earth.
This was one of the first Jason comics I read and it took me a while to understand the poetry that resided into this seeming stupidity. The final three pages touched me and do touch me every time I reread them , and I'm not sure I understand why. Perhaps Jason's art is so minimalist that his stories become a succession of symbols. We see an anthropomorphic dog dressed as a musketeer, and that image that could be laughable is also basic enough to encompass all of us. Or almost all. We see the dog but we read the defeat, the nostalgia, the distance from the world. Our own experiences, written in Jason's alphabet.
This was one of the first Jason comics I read and it took me a while to understand the poetry that resided into this seeming stupidity. The final three pages touched me and do touch me every time I reread them , and I'm not sure I understand why. Perhaps Jason's art is so minimalist that his stories become a succession of symbols. We see an anthropomorphic dog dressed as a musketeer, and that image that could be laughable is also basic enough to encompass all of us. Or almost all. We see the dog but we read the defeat, the nostalgia, the distance from the world. Our own experiences, written in Jason's alphabet.
January 12, 2025
EN Jason's work is incredibly entertaining. He has a remarkable talent for effortlessly playing with narrative structure and plotlines, creating a reading experience that feels both simple and deeply enjoyable.
One of my favorite moments in the story:
Emperor: "What time is it?"
Guard: "I don't have a watch."
The Emperor pulls a watch from his pocket and shows it to the guard.
Guard: "Oh, it's [time]."
This exchange works so much better in the comic itself, but it’s a perfect example of Jason's silly, sarcastic humor—reminiscent at times of Monty Python.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. I highly recommend exploring all of Jason's books!
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PT O trabalho de Jason é incrivelmente divertido. Ele tem um talento notável para brincar de forma descontraída com a estrutura narrativa e os enredos, criando uma experiência de leitura que é simultaneamente simples e profundamente agradável.
Um dos meus momentos favoritos na história:
Imperador: "Que horas são?"
Guarda: "Não tenho relógio."
O Imperador tira um relógio do bolso e mostra ao guarda.
Guarda: "Ah, são [horas]."
Este diálogo funciona muito melhor na própria BD, mas é um excelente exemplo do humor bobo e sarcástico de Jason — que, por vezes, nos faz lembrar os Monty Python.
Uma leitura extremamente agradável. Recomendo vivamente explorar todos os livros de Jason!
One of my favorite moments in the story:
Emperor: "What time is it?"
Guard: "I don't have a watch."
The Emperor pulls a watch from his pocket and shows it to the guard.
Guard: "Oh, it's [time]."
This exchange works so much better in the comic itself, but it’s a perfect example of Jason's silly, sarcastic humor—reminiscent at times of Monty Python.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. I highly recommend exploring all of Jason's books!
--
PT O trabalho de Jason é incrivelmente divertido. Ele tem um talento notável para brincar de forma descontraída com a estrutura narrativa e os enredos, criando uma experiência de leitura que é simultaneamente simples e profundamente agradável.
Um dos meus momentos favoritos na história:
Imperador: "Que horas são?"
Guarda: "Não tenho relógio."
O Imperador tira um relógio do bolso e mostra ao guarda.
Guarda: "Ah, são [horas]."
Este diálogo funciona muito melhor na própria BD, mas é um excelente exemplo do humor bobo e sarcástico de Jason — que, por vezes, nos faz lembrar os Monty Python.
Uma leitura extremamente agradável. Recomendo vivamente explorar todos os livros de Jason!
March 31, 2020
Am I missing any novels that he mashed up in here?
-I instantly recognized The Three Musketeers, War of the Worlds, John Carter..., and Star Wars but surely there are more from the genres encapsulated within this 'Swashbuckling Sci-Fi Romance'.
I must add that the works of Jason* which I've read so far (many) are so good that it's hard to compare ratings since he's a ***** master so I'll add that you MUST read his 'Chess Western' if you enjoyed this. This one is more excellent "theft for laughs" whereas "Low Moon" is a masterpiece.
*He obviously realized he'd be the MOST annoying author to search for. His work has no stink of egomania but his nom de plume sure does! And no business sense- but that's what artists (majority wise) are famous for.
-I instantly recognized The Three Musketeers, War of the Worlds, John Carter..., and Star Wars but surely there are more from the genres encapsulated within this 'Swashbuckling Sci-Fi Romance'.
I must add that the works of Jason* which I've read so far (many) are so good that it's hard to compare ratings since he's a ***** master so I'll add that you MUST read his 'Chess Western' if you enjoyed this. This one is more excellent "theft for laughs" whereas "Low Moon" is a masterpiece.
*He obviously realized he'd be the MOST annoying author to search for. His work has no stink of egomania but his nom de plume sure does! And no business sense- but that's what artists (majority wise) are famous for.
September 8, 2020
Gosh, I loved this one! And such a pity it was over so quickly. I think this is my favorite of Jason's work so far. The story was super-creative: Athos, one of the original three musketeers is still alive and kicking centuries after his original story has come to an end. With laser beams from Mars threatening the good citizens of Earth, Athos goes on a journey across the galaxy in order to set things right.
It was such a strange story, but delightfully engaging. Jason's illustrations, as always, are spot on, and I really liked the characters. This is one I think I would buy at some point. As it is, I would like to read it again (right now!), and I just finished a few minutes ago!
It was such a strange story, but delightfully engaging. Jason's illustrations, as always, are spot on, and I really liked the characters. This is one I think I would buy at some point. As it is, I would like to read it again (right now!), and I just finished a few minutes ago!
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