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Athos In America
A collection of full-color graphic novellas, Athos in America takes its title from the lead story, a prequel of sort to the graphic novel The Last Musketer, in which the seemingly ageless swashbuckler turns up in a bar in 1920 New York and relates the tale of how he went to Hollywood to play himself in a film version of The Three Musketeers. Also included: "The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf," "Tom Waits on the Moon," and "So Long Mary Ann."
"When I read Jason for the first time, I was just as excited and devastated as the first time I read the poems of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Jason's work is poetry." -- Sherman Alexie
"When I read Jason for the first time, I was just as excited and devastated as the first time I read the poems of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Jason's work is poetry." -- Sherman Alexie
199 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 2011
8 people are currently reading
307 people want to read
About the author
Jason
115 books707 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
February 22, 2018
the smiling horse: 3/5
a cat from heaven: 1/5
the brain that wouldn't Virginia Woolf:3/5
Tom waits on the moon:3/5
so long, Mary Anne:4/5
Athos in America:5/5
--------------------------------------------
Average:3.2
a cat from heaven: 1/5
the brain that wouldn't Virginia Woolf:3/5
Tom waits on the moon:3/5
so long, Mary Anne:4/5
Athos in America:5/5
--------------------------------------------
Average:3.2
December 1, 2018
Strange, morbid, yet delightful. The six stories are loosely connected and these animals having very human, very melancholic feelings is wondrous. Perhaps even beautiful. It all resembles a blanket of grey, of drab disappointment and half-despair/half-ambivalence--all in a quirky-seeming graphic/cartoon! It's worthwhile (& quick).
March 20, 2018
The darker, harsher Jason. I’m thinking of Daniel Clowes, post-Ghost World movie success, who clearly is poised for The Big Bucks, and he instead heads in a darker direction, as if to say, I’m not selling out, I’m not going on talk shows, stop being so adoring of me, I do alt comix, I'm an outsider, so deal with it. Almost all but the title story in this comic collection has something to offend in it, and many people like it much less than his earlier works, but I will hold with my earlier assessment and stay with my original five stars. But be warned: This is less sweet, less sad, less whimsical, but I say the formal experiments in the stories are impressive, challenging. He’s not so much about the cute here.
A perfect example of this shift in tone is “A Cat From Heaven” which appears like it could be sorta autobiographical, because it features comics artist Jason in an epic fight with his girlfriend, saying things to her you never want to hear from your comics hero. He drinks to much, is late for a comic reading, sleeps with a fan, gets beaten up, begs forgiveness of his girlfriend. In a final image, he draws himself drawing. Autobiographical comics, or a commentary on autobiographical comics (because it never really happened, I hope?), or both. Interesting, and not cute at all.
“The Brain that Wouldn't Virginia Woolf,” is a weird tale of a girlfriend whose head is on a plate attached to tubes. It has this Frankenstein feel to it as he is trying to fix her problem, which is that she needs a body, so he goes out to look at ideal bodies for her to have. So it’s a strange horror story about this guy trying to get a body for his body-less girlfriend. Yeah, he's a lech, of course, too. Oh, yeah, and he caused her condition in an accident. It’s a sort of dark mash-up of The Brain that Wouldn’t Die and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which is kinda brilliant in its own goofy way. Pretty cute.
“Tom Waits on the Moon” is the best title, but it’s not “over the moon,” as in romance, really, again. It’s a series of portraits/vignettes of unhappy, Tom-Waits-song people, stuck, with missed opportunities, lonely. And has a strange finish that might explain it all. Not sure. Sad, melancholy, not so cute.
“So Long, Mary-Ann” (the title is a reference to a Leonard Cohen song; you gotta love these Jason pop references) is a crime three-way romance mash-up that Jason does so well. With murders and (sort of) steamy infidelity and double-crosses that make it clear this is basically a dark noir story where you can’t trust anyone, where no on is likeable. Not cute, but accomplished.
There's one section that is just a series of "covers" of Van Morrison song titles with monsters. The funny, goofy Jason returns! Carefully, Jason, we might just fall in love with you, again! SO cute!!
“Athos in America” is the least dark story and this least interesting to me, a kind of prequel of sorts to Jason’s other musketeer story The Last Musketeer. It’s a kind of golden age send-up of a guy who dated Louise Brooks (who was a silent film star, kiddies!). All right, pretty cute, I guess
But on the whole interesting and impressive. Low overall on the cuteness scale, but higher on the artist scale?
A perfect example of this shift in tone is “A Cat From Heaven” which appears like it could be sorta autobiographical, because it features comics artist Jason in an epic fight with his girlfriend, saying things to her you never want to hear from your comics hero. He drinks to much, is late for a comic reading, sleeps with a fan, gets beaten up, begs forgiveness of his girlfriend. In a final image, he draws himself drawing. Autobiographical comics, or a commentary on autobiographical comics (because it never really happened, I hope?), or both. Interesting, and not cute at all.
“The Brain that Wouldn't Virginia Woolf,” is a weird tale of a girlfriend whose head is on a plate attached to tubes. It has this Frankenstein feel to it as he is trying to fix her problem, which is that she needs a body, so he goes out to look at ideal bodies for her to have. So it’s a strange horror story about this guy trying to get a body for his body-less girlfriend. Yeah, he's a lech, of course, too. Oh, yeah, and he caused her condition in an accident. It’s a sort of dark mash-up of The Brain that Wouldn’t Die and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which is kinda brilliant in its own goofy way. Pretty cute.
“Tom Waits on the Moon” is the best title, but it’s not “over the moon,” as in romance, really, again. It’s a series of portraits/vignettes of unhappy, Tom-Waits-song people, stuck, with missed opportunities, lonely. And has a strange finish that might explain it all. Not sure. Sad, melancholy, not so cute.
“So Long, Mary-Ann” (the title is a reference to a Leonard Cohen song; you gotta love these Jason pop references) is a crime three-way romance mash-up that Jason does so well. With murders and (sort of) steamy infidelity and double-crosses that make it clear this is basically a dark noir story where you can’t trust anyone, where no on is likeable. Not cute, but accomplished.
There's one section that is just a series of "covers" of Van Morrison song titles with monsters. The funny, goofy Jason returns! Carefully, Jason, we might just fall in love with you, again! SO cute!!
“Athos in America” is the least dark story and this least interesting to me, a kind of prequel of sorts to Jason’s other musketeer story The Last Musketeer. It’s a kind of golden age send-up of a guy who dated Louise Brooks (who was a silent film star, kiddies!). All right, pretty cute, I guess
But on the whole interesting and impressive. Low overall on the cuteness scale, but higher on the artist scale?
February 15, 2013
Fuck yeah it's Jason. But I didn't really like these stories so that review intro probably isn't appropriate. I opened the book with my glum face straight out of a Jason comic hoping for some fuck yeah because I've pretty well dug the hell out of the guy in the past. I'm emotionally and psychologically dependent on books. Only I wasn't portrayed by an anthropomorphic animal that would be cute if you didn't want to peel them off the floor they could be drawn on like a chalk outline after a scene of the crime that will probably be committed soon. Maybe it is the fault of the actors. They've done these comics too often, shunted their shoulders too often in a shadowed person expectation to be screwed over. They forgot to prick their ears the way you do when someone calls out your name somewhere and then they weren't calling you but someone else who happened to have your name. (This doesn't happen to me. My twin once slumped because a little girl with her name was zealously yelled at in a shop. I laughed.) Another loser is lonely again on another road going somewhere to be another loser somewhere else. They forgot to hope for something better anyway. I missed the Jason with the sweet side that kept that chewed off bit of flesh sewn into the pocket close to the chest. Maybe this is stupid of me because they are his stories, after all. But I missed the guy that offered his arm to his girlfriend when she was turned into a zombie. That was the right side of sweet because it still sucked and you weren't alone somewhere sucky while they got to go off and be totally happy (I'm selfish that way). Thinking about these now I could talk them up to like them a bit more. My two stars is probably bitchy. But I felt two stars when I read it. Two fallen stars the sun forgot to shine on that day.
Anyway, I'll do this thing now.
The Smiling Horse. I felt like I read this one already. It's the dog-face dressed like he's on a permanent job hunt talking to a guy who looks like he's on a permanent apartment hunt. It's his turn to sleep in the tub again. Hey, blank face. But it's my place. The job hunt loser doesn't want to go to prison and someone wants to kill him. Someone is held hostage in a room, doesn't matter who, and there's a warning about the smiling horse being on his way. That's all he has to say for himself, the hostage. The hostage isn't wrong. He was waiting for him to come, the smiling horse we never see. I imagine he looks like someone who is employed after being unemployed and the difference isn't that much better. The hiding and the waiting... Well, I had the feeling like the hiding and the waiting and the getting killed is the difference between being employed or unemployed when both are stretching out dark horizons. The story didn't make me feel anything more than it would take to look at someone like that and get that feeling about them. I felt like I read this from Jason before but I can't remember which story it was. The disappointment set in. Walk, walk, walk, lonely street, wait, dead. Forget to feel anything.
A Cat From Heaven. Jason is played by the white dog with the chin pubes and the folded back ears sorta like a bunny. It's a sexless horny look of an animal. He fights with his girlfriend and says the kind of things you don't want to overhear couples fighting about. It's generic enough to kill your faith in love. A I already didn't have faith in other couples feeling. I was glad when this one ended. The same feeling is done better in another story later on in this collection (where did it all go wrong? We had hope once) so good-bye to this story part of the review now. I guess I could do some meta thing like he does about himself interspersed with newspaper clippings about the events in his life in this comic of his life that probably really isn't. Mariel forgets about the meta part. I don't feel like it. "Mariel blows her own review!" Headline reads. I'll write more and better reviews later.
The brain that wouldn't Virginia Woolf. A girl's head is on a plate attached to tubes that look like a beer can hat kinda. It's green and oozey lab coloring and everyone looks like they died at twenty-five in this club (shitty apartment). She yells at her boyfriend who sucks at being Frankenstein. He goes to look at women a lot. I had the feeling that he really wanted to sleep with these other women, really. That was good to get that feeling of these figures all standing next to each other. It's all handshakes without touching kind of meeting. Not even that much. She is alone in the apartment, meanwhile, and he's failing again. In the past they meet and bond over science. It's not the creepy body parts and figures they are as two detached former loves. They could go past that meeting and have something. But they drive over a cliff and it's all his fault. I had the feeling about never getting past that point that was the good part of this story. It was more lonely that way, to always stand in hallways and look at girls bodies who could be the other girl. Does she even still want him? I didn't mourn I just felt like I was looking at bodies that weren't going to have heads.
Tom Waits on the Moon. Great title because Tom Waits freaking loves the moon. Vignettes of the actors playing lonely people in their brady bunch panels never looking at each other. Or is it their Andy Warhol fifteen minutes of fame and you're out of life for good panels. One girl wonders as she sleeps alone what doesn't she have. Isn't she entitled to some happiness too. Walking dogs, working out, obscenities on park benches. People start to look like walking meat suits. Someone jumps out of the window and they aren't even human (or an animal or an actor who all look the same to put your own sad face on) and it is splat on the ground. Someone points. Someone probably isn't asking what to do. I had these feelings before. They didn't come out of me to sit on the page and share with them. I wish Jason didn't have to end every story with a shocking end of the duck face with a gun, you know? I know how it is really going to end. Someone is going to ask what everyone else has that they don't have and I will still not know the answer.
So Long, Mary-Anne. The best part is when the blank eyed girl with the short hair has waited for this guy for all her life. He's the thoughtlessly horny type led into crime or sex with thoughtless impulses of money or sex and then there's probably nothing at all left to take its place once the itch has been scratched. He asks her why she loves him. That's all a guy like this could do. He's double-crossed by the red nippled animal with long hair and he double-crosses the other girl when she's tricked out of the house. He can't do it to their face. He's tricked by poison in a mug when he's not looking. No one looks at each other. It's all me me me motives when backs are turned. I had that feeling this probably goes on without wanting to see it like it is going on with everyone's backs turned.
Athos in America. The title story ta-ding! Athos is in a bar and the guy is even better than just being a third of the Musketeers. He doesn't mention the candy bar and that surprised me for all the horn tooting he gets up to. Trumpets blaze here comes Athos. He dated Louise Brooks. Didn't work out, wasn't his fault. Could've been in the movies. Oh, didn't work out but it wasn't his fault. Costumes, right. He gets on the phone to France. Aramis is on the line. Athos, is that you? Does it matter if it was really Athos? He was a guy in a bar telling the story. The bartender liked it. He said he did and attempted to give the drink on the house. No, you need that for your trip to Europe! I felt nothing. Not a murmur not a nothing. On the cover he's on a balcony over a skyline. I guess if you were stranded from your brothers you might go looking for someone to talk to. But what about me? I don't have Aramis and Porthos neither. I don't even have a non-fat candy bar. Maybe he should take the bartender to Europe instead. It was cute when he plays with Athos' sword. I'm glad he didn't poke his eye out with it. It ends with deserted streets in France after they hang up on the phone. I feel like trying to bring up some feeling and it gets buried. No fuck yeah, Jason. But yeah, my two stars is probably just me being drowned in glum and wishing I had read something else so I didn't have to feel that way.
Anyway, I'll do this thing now.
The Smiling Horse. I felt like I read this one already. It's the dog-face dressed like he's on a permanent job hunt talking to a guy who looks like he's on a permanent apartment hunt. It's his turn to sleep in the tub again. Hey, blank face. But it's my place. The job hunt loser doesn't want to go to prison and someone wants to kill him. Someone is held hostage in a room, doesn't matter who, and there's a warning about the smiling horse being on his way. That's all he has to say for himself, the hostage. The hostage isn't wrong. He was waiting for him to come, the smiling horse we never see. I imagine he looks like someone who is employed after being unemployed and the difference isn't that much better. The hiding and the waiting... Well, I had the feeling like the hiding and the waiting and the getting killed is the difference between being employed or unemployed when both are stretching out dark horizons. The story didn't make me feel anything more than it would take to look at someone like that and get that feeling about them. I felt like I read this from Jason before but I can't remember which story it was. The disappointment set in. Walk, walk, walk, lonely street, wait, dead. Forget to feel anything.
A Cat From Heaven. Jason is played by the white dog with the chin pubes and the folded back ears sorta like a bunny. It's a sexless horny look of an animal. He fights with his girlfriend and says the kind of things you don't want to overhear couples fighting about. It's generic enough to kill your faith in love. A I already didn't have faith in other couples feeling. I was glad when this one ended. The same feeling is done better in another story later on in this collection (where did it all go wrong? We had hope once) so good-bye to this story part of the review now. I guess I could do some meta thing like he does about himself interspersed with newspaper clippings about the events in his life in this comic of his life that probably really isn't. Mariel forgets about the meta part. I don't feel like it. "Mariel blows her own review!" Headline reads. I'll write more and better reviews later.
The brain that wouldn't Virginia Woolf. A girl's head is on a plate attached to tubes that look like a beer can hat kinda. It's green and oozey lab coloring and everyone looks like they died at twenty-five in this club (shitty apartment). She yells at her boyfriend who sucks at being Frankenstein. He goes to look at women a lot. I had the feeling that he really wanted to sleep with these other women, really. That was good to get that feeling of these figures all standing next to each other. It's all handshakes without touching kind of meeting. Not even that much. She is alone in the apartment, meanwhile, and he's failing again. In the past they meet and bond over science. It's not the creepy body parts and figures they are as two detached former loves. They could go past that meeting and have something. But they drive over a cliff and it's all his fault. I had the feeling about never getting past that point that was the good part of this story. It was more lonely that way, to always stand in hallways and look at girls bodies who could be the other girl. Does she even still want him? I didn't mourn I just felt like I was looking at bodies that weren't going to have heads.
Tom Waits on the Moon. Great title because Tom Waits freaking loves the moon. Vignettes of the actors playing lonely people in their brady bunch panels never looking at each other. Or is it their Andy Warhol fifteen minutes of fame and you're out of life for good panels. One girl wonders as she sleeps alone what doesn't she have. Isn't she entitled to some happiness too. Walking dogs, working out, obscenities on park benches. People start to look like walking meat suits. Someone jumps out of the window and they aren't even human (or an animal or an actor who all look the same to put your own sad face on) and it is splat on the ground. Someone points. Someone probably isn't asking what to do. I had these feelings before. They didn't come out of me to sit on the page and share with them. I wish Jason didn't have to end every story with a shocking end of the duck face with a gun, you know? I know how it is really going to end. Someone is going to ask what everyone else has that they don't have and I will still not know the answer.
So Long, Mary-Anne. The best part is when the blank eyed girl with the short hair has waited for this guy for all her life. He's the thoughtlessly horny type led into crime or sex with thoughtless impulses of money or sex and then there's probably nothing at all left to take its place once the itch has been scratched. He asks her why she loves him. That's all a guy like this could do. He's double-crossed by the red nippled animal with long hair and he double-crosses the other girl when she's tricked out of the house. He can't do it to their face. He's tricked by poison in a mug when he's not looking. No one looks at each other. It's all me me me motives when backs are turned. I had that feeling this probably goes on without wanting to see it like it is going on with everyone's backs turned.
Athos in America. The title story ta-ding! Athos is in a bar and the guy is even better than just being a third of the Musketeers. He doesn't mention the candy bar and that surprised me for all the horn tooting he gets up to. Trumpets blaze here comes Athos. He dated Louise Brooks. Didn't work out, wasn't his fault. Could've been in the movies. Oh, didn't work out but it wasn't his fault. Costumes, right. He gets on the phone to France. Aramis is on the line. Athos, is that you? Does it matter if it was really Athos? He was a guy in a bar telling the story. The bartender liked it. He said he did and attempted to give the drink on the house. No, you need that for your trip to Europe! I felt nothing. Not a murmur not a nothing. On the cover he's on a balcony over a skyline. I guess if you were stranded from your brothers you might go looking for someone to talk to. But what about me? I don't have Aramis and Porthos neither. I don't even have a non-fat candy bar. Maybe he should take the bartender to Europe instead. It was cute when he plays with Athos' sword. I'm glad he didn't poke his eye out with it. It ends with deserted streets in France after they hang up on the phone. I feel like trying to bring up some feeling and it gets buried. No fuck yeah, Jason. But yeah, my two stars is probably just me being drowned in glum and wishing I had read something else so I didn't have to feel that way.
February 16, 2012
Like "Low Moon", Jason's previous work, "Athos in America" is a collection of short stories in a wonderfully bound hardback book.
While all the stories are excellent, I felt that the title story was the least interesting. It's a prequel of sorts to Jason's 2008 book "The Last Musketeer" and features the hero of that story, Athos, sat in a bar in New York, drinking and chatting with the bartender about his life and his attempts to make it in Hollywood pictures. It ends ominously with a panel showing the night sky. And what might emerge from it...
"The Smiling Horse" also references Jason's previous work, this time a story from "Low Moon" called "&" where the hapless pair of criminals try to kidnap a woman, all the while a superhero of sorts called "Smiling Horse" is coming for them.
The best of the six stories was "A Cat from Heaven" which puts Jason as the main character, behaving like Charles Bukowski, punching his girlfriend, getting drunk all the time, screwing fangirls. The funniest was when he did a reading of "Hey, Wait..." which is mostly a silent comic book.
"The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" is about a scientist whose wife's decapitated head is kept alive by one of his inventions. She nags him to go out there and find a body for her leading to night time excursions hunting for women whose bodies he admires and whose heads he doesn't need.
"Tom Waits on the Moon" is a series of one page stories featuring four unrelated characters who meet on the final panel. It's all silent like some of Jason's best work (though there are lots of thought balloons).
"So Long Mary Ann" was my second favourite story, a complex crime drama that felt like "Tell Me Something" where a pair of criminals take a hostage and then one of them falls for her. Meanwhile a psychotic mob boss kills his way through his henchmen. Funny and intriguing at turns, the story will sit in your head for days afterwards.
Jason is one of the best indie comics artists out there and I enjoy every one of his books, and "Athos in America" is one of his best. If you're exploring comics and don't like capes and spandex, this is a great place to start and discover one of the most interesting artists working today. Fans meanwhile need no prompting except to say if you love his previous work, you'll love this.
While all the stories are excellent, I felt that the title story was the least interesting. It's a prequel of sorts to Jason's 2008 book "The Last Musketeer" and features the hero of that story, Athos, sat in a bar in New York, drinking and chatting with the bartender about his life and his attempts to make it in Hollywood pictures. It ends ominously with a panel showing the night sky. And what might emerge from it...
"The Smiling Horse" also references Jason's previous work, this time a story from "Low Moon" called "&" where the hapless pair of criminals try to kidnap a woman, all the while a superhero of sorts called "Smiling Horse" is coming for them.
The best of the six stories was "A Cat from Heaven" which puts Jason as the main character, behaving like Charles Bukowski, punching his girlfriend, getting drunk all the time, screwing fangirls. The funniest was when he did a reading of "Hey, Wait..." which is mostly a silent comic book.
"The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" is about a scientist whose wife's decapitated head is kept alive by one of his inventions. She nags him to go out there and find a body for her leading to night time excursions hunting for women whose bodies he admires and whose heads he doesn't need.
"Tom Waits on the Moon" is a series of one page stories featuring four unrelated characters who meet on the final panel. It's all silent like some of Jason's best work (though there are lots of thought balloons).
"So Long Mary Ann" was my second favourite story, a complex crime drama that felt like "Tell Me Something" where a pair of criminals take a hostage and then one of them falls for her. Meanwhile a psychotic mob boss kills his way through his henchmen. Funny and intriguing at turns, the story will sit in your head for days afterwards.
Jason is one of the best indie comics artists out there and I enjoy every one of his books, and "Athos in America" is one of his best. If you're exploring comics and don't like capes and spandex, this is a great place to start and discover one of the most interesting artists working today. Fans meanwhile need no prompting except to say if you love his previous work, you'll love this.
November 15, 2015
No question Jason is a graphic comic genius (comic graphic genius? Comic comic genius?) but these stories lack some of the emotional layers I've appreciated in other stories I've read of his. For me this emotional engagement shifts these tales from well-crafted and clever to puzzlingly meaningful.
All of the stories in this collection are entertaining and darkly funny, but the criminal shlemeil thing gets old as do the trails of fantastically entangled coincidences (a certain kind of existential humor and philosophical musing that Jason seems to be very drawn to.)
I found myself thinking, well, there are many comic artists who keep sporting the same humor and practically identical circumstances, repetition with small variations over and over again, so there isn't anything inherently wrong with the fact that all of these stories start to feel like a variation on one theme. But I'm losing interest, perhaps because even within the world of these stories the lines between characters begins to blur.
Not sure if I will continue reading more books by this author, but if I do, I will probably read the Musketeers novel next.
All of the stories in this collection are entertaining and darkly funny, but the criminal shlemeil thing gets old as do the trails of fantastically entangled coincidences (a certain kind of existential humor and philosophical musing that Jason seems to be very drawn to.)
I found myself thinking, well, there are many comic artists who keep sporting the same humor and practically identical circumstances, repetition with small variations over and over again, so there isn't anything inherently wrong with the fact that all of these stories start to feel like a variation on one theme. But I'm losing interest, perhaps because even within the world of these stories the lines between characters begins to blur.
Not sure if I will continue reading more books by this author, but if I do, I will probably read the Musketeers novel next.
September 27, 2025
This book was mostly a miss for me, except for So Long, Mary Ann. This was about a guy who just broke out of prison and has a girlfriend/love interest who has been waiting for him to get out. They go into hiding and some entertaining things happens.
The first few stories prior to Mary Ann I didn’t enjoy at all. Honestly I don’t even remember much about them and I just closed the book! They felt like Jason had a lot of anger/resentment while creating these.
Overall I’d skip unless you are a massive Jason fan. I’d recommend checking out one of his much better other works.
The first few stories prior to Mary Ann I didn’t enjoy at all. Honestly I don’t even remember much about them and I just closed the book! They felt like Jason had a lot of anger/resentment while creating these.
Overall I’d skip unless you are a massive Jason fan. I’d recommend checking out one of his much better other works.
February 23, 2020
Дуже уривчасті, але добрі за переданням настрою та виконанням короткі історії. Саркастичне вибачення за зірку в своєму лобі від автора в одному з оповідань - взагалі ґуд.
І як, все ж таки, Джейсону вдається за такої мінімальності мімічних виразів все одно передавати емоції героїв?
І як, все ж таки, Джейсону вдається за такої мінімальності мімічних виразів все одно передавати емоції героїв?
June 24, 2021
This collection didn’t quite grab me as much as the previous stuff I’ve read from the author. Still good, I just think it wasn’t quite as intriguing.
March 23, 2017
Let me preface my rating by saying that I'm a huge fan of Jason, owning almost every single one of his books; from his early work in "Pocket Full of Rain" to his more recent "Low Moon", I've enjoyed his stories immensely. So it is with heavy heart that I leave this sad, two-star rating for his most recent work, "Athos in America."
One of the things that most draws me to Jason's stories is the emotional resonance that these characters and their situations have. Not so in this book. The tales are full of shallow characters who lack the identifiable emotions that I've previously connected to. While melancholy is the word that best describes the lives of Jason's usual universe, this book replaces it with rudeness, anger, and in some instances, nothing at all.
Another trademark of Jason's usual stories are the wordless panels, where the character expressions convey the meaning and emotion. These blank panels allow the reader to bring their own emotions and experiences to the story, allowing for a deeper commitment. Mostly gone are these moments, instead filled with vapid dialog and profanely angry exchanges. By exerting so much control over every moment, Jason leaves me with very little to identify with, ultimately leading to a less engaging experience full of characters that are slightly boring, ugly (their personalities, not the artwork!), and whose ultimate end I care not about.
Lastly, while Jason's stories are often moderately ambiguous and not tied up with a perfectly neat little ending, I felt that these stories, for the most part, went nowhere and had little meaning. Maybe that is my fault and I "just don't get it," but I find that hard to believe since I "get" all his other stories. I feel that these were vague merely to be vague, and not to provide me with an opportunity to understand them on my own terms.
Hopefully this was just a one-off slump in Jason's work and not an indication of a new direction that he is taking. I long for the engaging stories, blank faced characters whose stares conveyed so much meaning and emotion, and lighthearted comedy that infuses Jason's other work. Hopefully we'll see a triumphant return to form in his next book.
One of the things that most draws me to Jason's stories is the emotional resonance that these characters and their situations have. Not so in this book. The tales are full of shallow characters who lack the identifiable emotions that I've previously connected to. While melancholy is the word that best describes the lives of Jason's usual universe, this book replaces it with rudeness, anger, and in some instances, nothing at all.
Another trademark of Jason's usual stories are the wordless panels, where the character expressions convey the meaning and emotion. These blank panels allow the reader to bring their own emotions and experiences to the story, allowing for a deeper commitment. Mostly gone are these moments, instead filled with vapid dialog and profanely angry exchanges. By exerting so much control over every moment, Jason leaves me with very little to identify with, ultimately leading to a less engaging experience full of characters that are slightly boring, ugly (their personalities, not the artwork!), and whose ultimate end I care not about.
Lastly, while Jason's stories are often moderately ambiguous and not tied up with a perfectly neat little ending, I felt that these stories, for the most part, went nowhere and had little meaning. Maybe that is my fault and I "just don't get it," but I find that hard to believe since I "get" all his other stories. I feel that these were vague merely to be vague, and not to provide me with an opportunity to understand them on my own terms.
Hopefully this was just a one-off slump in Jason's work and not an indication of a new direction that he is taking. I long for the engaging stories, blank faced characters whose stares conveyed so much meaning and emotion, and lighthearted comedy that infuses Jason's other work. Hopefully we'll see a triumphant return to form in his next book.
May 30, 2018
Jason always delivers some of the best cartooning you'll ever consume. Athos in America is another excellent example. Hubert is on coloring duties once again and thus makes it my favorite form of Jason brilliance.
I always think of the Coen brothers when I read a book by Jason. There is a shared quirkiness and ample room to allow different interpretations of the material presented.
Jason breaks the fourth wall and seems to reveal some autobiographical material in "A Cat from Heaven" whereas "The Brian That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" shows a slight change or perhaps an small evolution in art style.
All 6 short stories are wonderful and something I'd highly recommend to add variety to your comic reading.
I always think of the Coen brothers when I read a book by Jason. There is a shared quirkiness and ample room to allow different interpretations of the material presented.
Jason breaks the fourth wall and seems to reveal some autobiographical material in "A Cat from Heaven" whereas "The Brian That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" shows a slight change or perhaps an small evolution in art style.
All 6 short stories are wonderful and something I'd highly recommend to add variety to your comic reading.
October 21, 2019
Jason is a peculiar being to me... sometimes I’m BLOWN AWAY by his ability to tell story so eloquently and in such simple form with such beautiful artwork, and other times I think he’s a god damned creep who writes pathetic, boring stories.
I like that it’s so hit or miss with his books—gives me a sense of adventure! Admittedly, I haven’t read his two most famous, so it makes sense why his less-famous books aren’t grand slams.
I like that it’s so hit or miss with his books—gives me a sense of adventure! Admittedly, I haven’t read his two most famous, so it makes sense why his less-famous books aren’t grand slams.
January 31, 2019
This is a typical Jason book. Weird animals, minimalistic plots, shorter stories. Again, in typical style is affecting and wonderful. Jason is not for everyone. Most of his stories have an edge to them of some sort. Something that will reach in and knick your heart a little bit. But, they are good and worth the reading.
March 22, 2017
Probably my least favourite Jason so far, but still good compared to other comics I read. This feels more angry and less sad than his other works which are more moving, as quarrels and betrayals are the main character interactions in all of the stories here, usually between male and female animals (most seen in A Cat From Heaven). So Long, Mary Anne is the only story which holds to his usual level of execution, mainly because of build-up and the ending. I think I even prefer Almost Silent to this even though I prefer long dialogue in comics, the self-titled comic Athos In America is the definitively the worst thing I have seen by Jason.
Fanatics only, otherwise see my other Jason reviews for pointers.
Fanatics only, otherwise see my other Jason reviews for pointers.
February 2, 2020
Láska, násilí, osamělost. Méně, či více divné příběhy.
April 21, 2020
he's done it again folks
July 18, 2025
Beautiful artwork as always, but man, this collection was DARK.
January 10, 2018
The graphic novels of Jason are not like any graphic novel work I've read before. At first glance they look like cutesy animal comics, but in truth are quite melancholy and don't shy away from gritty or difficult subject matter. And they often take a read-through or two, or some time afterwards to ruminate on them, to come to terms with the story and its deeper meaning. I Killed Adolf Hitler took what could have been a goofy gimmick and turned it into a profoundly affecting look at the lives of its characters, while Hey, Wait... begins as an idyllic look at two boys' friendship and becomes a meditation on grief and guilt. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, even if Jason's artwork isn't fantastic, he has a unique style and his subject matter is always affecting, never trivial.
"Athos In America" is a collection of short stories rather than a single overarching story, and their subject matter ranges from slice-of-life to crime caper to science fiction. And like many short-story collections, some are better than others. But all give one a lot to think about and tug at the emotions without coming across as sentimental or manipulative.
"The Smiling Horse" is a crime-caper story about two kidnappers, whose hostage informs them that the title character is coming after them for vengeance. "A Cat From Heaven" portrays a volatile period in a deeply angry cartoonist's life, and his relationships (or lack thereof) with his girlfriend and his fans. "The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" is a weird yet fascinating tribute to "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," with a scientist struggling to find a new body for his beheaded girlfriend. "Tom Waits On the Moon" follows the lives of four seemingly disparate people... and how a fantastic event straight out of a horror movie ends up uniting them. "So Long, Mary Anne" has an escaped convict and his girlfriend taking a hostage in order to get to safety, but the hostage has other ideas regarding her role in their caper... "Athos In America," the title story, tells the story of one of the Three Musketeers finding his place in early-20th-century New York City, and is advertised as a prequel to another graphic novel, The Last Musketeer.
Of all these stories, I enjoyed "Tom Waits On the Moon" and "So Long, Mary Anne" the best. The first cleverly ties together four distinct storylines, while the second builds up a strong mystery with a surprisingly shocking ending. "The Smiling Horse," "The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf," and "Athos in America" were all decent reads as well, and the last makes me want to check out "The Last Musketeer." "Cat From Heaven" didn't really do anything for me, and just seemed gratuitously nasty and mean-spirited. Ah well.
Jason's artwork is simple and cartoony, and relies more on body language and the speech of the characters to get emotions across than on facial expressions -- the characters' faces don't alter much, and their empty white voids of eyes can be a little unsettling. But through the characters' actions, words, and surroundings, Jason manages to get his moods across quite well, and while his characters are often flawed, sometimes despicably so, (Athos being the lone exception), he has a way of drawing you into their lives and making you sympathize with them. His stories are rarely neat and tidy, and often quite melancholy and/or angry, but it's hard to read them without coming away affected in some way.
Word of warning -- despite the cartoony art style and talking animals, Jason's work is NOT for kids. His books contain violence, drinking/drug use, sexual references, and strong language. Probably best for teens and adults.
While not my favorite of Jason's work, this is still a good collection of graphic-novel vignettes, and a nice teaser for some of his longer work. Now to hunt down a copy of "The Last Musketeer"...
"Athos In America" is a collection of short stories rather than a single overarching story, and their subject matter ranges from slice-of-life to crime caper to science fiction. And like many short-story collections, some are better than others. But all give one a lot to think about and tug at the emotions without coming across as sentimental or manipulative.
"The Smiling Horse" is a crime-caper story about two kidnappers, whose hostage informs them that the title character is coming after them for vengeance. "A Cat From Heaven" portrays a volatile period in a deeply angry cartoonist's life, and his relationships (or lack thereof) with his girlfriend and his fans. "The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" is a weird yet fascinating tribute to "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," with a scientist struggling to find a new body for his beheaded girlfriend. "Tom Waits On the Moon" follows the lives of four seemingly disparate people... and how a fantastic event straight out of a horror movie ends up uniting them. "So Long, Mary Anne" has an escaped convict and his girlfriend taking a hostage in order to get to safety, but the hostage has other ideas regarding her role in their caper... "Athos In America," the title story, tells the story of one of the Three Musketeers finding his place in early-20th-century New York City, and is advertised as a prequel to another graphic novel, The Last Musketeer.
Of all these stories, I enjoyed "Tom Waits On the Moon" and "So Long, Mary Anne" the best. The first cleverly ties together four distinct storylines, while the second builds up a strong mystery with a surprisingly shocking ending. "The Smiling Horse," "The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf," and "Athos in America" were all decent reads as well, and the last makes me want to check out "The Last Musketeer." "Cat From Heaven" didn't really do anything for me, and just seemed gratuitously nasty and mean-spirited. Ah well.
Jason's artwork is simple and cartoony, and relies more on body language and the speech of the characters to get emotions across than on facial expressions -- the characters' faces don't alter much, and their empty white voids of eyes can be a little unsettling. But through the characters' actions, words, and surroundings, Jason manages to get his moods across quite well, and while his characters are often flawed, sometimes despicably so, (Athos being the lone exception), he has a way of drawing you into their lives and making you sympathize with them. His stories are rarely neat and tidy, and often quite melancholy and/or angry, but it's hard to read them without coming away affected in some way.
Word of warning -- despite the cartoony art style and talking animals, Jason's work is NOT for kids. His books contain violence, drinking/drug use, sexual references, and strong language. Probably best for teens and adults.
While not my favorite of Jason's work, this is still a good collection of graphic-novel vignettes, and a nice teaser for some of his longer work. Now to hunt down a copy of "The Last Musketeer"...
January 13, 2018
Athos nie dorównuje Hitlerowi, Gangowi Hemingwaya czy Low Moon, ale to i tak pół na pół: świetne historie + dobre historie. Nadal jest intertekstualność, nadal nawiązania do kina, literatury, popkultury itd. Może czasem nie podoba mi się kompozycja, np. gdy świetną historię o szukaniu przez naukowca ciała dla ocalonej po wypadku głowy żony, autor ucina i kończy retrospekcją o samym wypadku albo gdy w pierwszej opowieści brakuje wyraźnego zakończenia, ale ja to wszystko wybaczam. Mało tego, wraca idea kupowania wszystkiego co wydał ten pan, bo to jest mistrzostwo.
July 3, 2020
Otra colección de historias cortas a cargo del genial Jason. Seis cuentos que muestran su gusto por la literatura (seria y pulp) y el cine (de arte y de serie B), llenas de humor y emoción. The Smiling Horse nos presenta a dos secuestradores sin suerte (los mismos perdedores que protagonizaron Low Moon en la colección de relatos del mismo nombre) que mordieron más de lo que pueden masticar, es un noir lleno de misterio que me recuerda a Emily Says Hello, también de la colección anterior. A Cat From Heaven es un pastiche de Bukowsky... con el mismo Jason como el alcohólico, violento y patético protagonista: lo inverosímil de la premisa la hace graciosa. The Brain That Wouldn’t Virginia Woolf nos cuenta la trágica historia de un científico y la cabeza de su esposa, mantenida con vida tras un accidente gracias a sus experimentos pero con una relación amarga y llena de reproches y codependencia, el hecho de que termine mostrando el idílico inicio de la relación lo hace aún más amargo. Tom Waits on the Moon es una historia experimental que alterba su enfoque en cuatro personajes, incrementando sus historias una página a la vez con cuatro viñetas reticulares en cada una, donde podemos ver sus pensamientos mediante los globos de texto; una historia de oportunidades desperdiciadas y esperanzas vanas cuyos personajes se verán vinculados por un accidente terrible cuando las cuatro tramas converjan. En So Long, Mary Ann, el colorista habitual de Jason, Hubert, recurre a una paleta de tonalidades sepia para plasmar la historia de un prófugo de la carcel, su novia cómplice, una rehén que se involucra de más, un gángster psicótico e inhumano y las consecuencias funestas de ceder ante la tentación. Por último, el cuento titular sirve a manera de precuela a The Last Musketeer, pues nos revela que Athos pasó un tiempo en los Estados Unidos antes de volver a Francia y detener una invasión de Marte. Es sólo una noche, donde un asalto, un bar, recuerdos de Hollywood y una llamada telefónica nos llenan de melancolía y añoranza. Las últimas páginas, llenas de contrastes geograficos, culturales y de horario, reflejan la situación de Athos como un hombre fuera de tiempo que se niega a aceptar el estado actual del mundo.
November 28, 2022
I wouldn’t say it was bad. I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum. But I would say this reads like an incel’s diary which is not MY cup o tea. The only person I can imagine enjoying this without being horrified is that one uncle who still,uncritically, says Woody Allen is his favorite.
May 30, 2017
This just wasn't my cup of tea. Lots of male chauvinism and violence towards women.
November 15, 2023
An anthology of comics by Norwegian cartoonist Jason, complete with his distinct deadpan humor and stiff artwork. Jason's work can at times feel a bit undercooked, particularly when it comes to his shorter works, but I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed most of the stories in this collection.
The opening story is "The Smiling Horse", a spiritual sequel of sorts to a story from Low Moon. Two kidnappers hole up in an apartment where they hold a woman for ransom. A sense of doom creeps in when one of the kidnappers learns that someone known as the Smiling Horse is after them. Though the story is never as tense as it seems for the kidnappers, the charm lies in Jason's subtle approach to narrative subterfuge. The punchline wasn't even clear to me until I re-read the story, showing just how crafty Jason can be within just a few pages of storytelling.
"A Cat From Heaven" has Jason portraying himself as a struggling, drunk cartoonist who gets into a verbally abusive relationship with his girlfriend, leading to a bad breakup. As the fictional Jason moves on with his life, individual segments are interspersed with newspaper clippings that serve as a punchline. They range from "Famous Cartoonist Can't Get It Up" to "Famous Cartoonist Found Dead", providing some empathic drum rolls to the mundane doldrums of the fictional Jason's life. This is probably one of the funnier Jason strips I've read in a while and it really works because of the pacing.
"The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" is a clear homage to the classic sci-fi film The Brain That Wouldn't Die, and follows a man working on creating a body for his wife's head which is kept alive by some ill-defined science. The two have a humorously toxic relationship, which is further strained as they navigate the ethical complexities of the situation. The nonlinear narrative in this story is yet another display of Jason's cunning.
"Tom Waits on the Moon" follows the chaotic interspersion of four unconnected individuals lives which leads to a tragic conclusion when they all end up in the same location. It's very Robert Altman in execution, and really reads well on multiple readings due to the clever allocation of time spent on each character.
The most ambitious story in this collection is probably "So Long, Mary Anne" which is another crime caper featuring a convict whose escape from prison is facilitated by his girlfriend. As the two plan to go on the run after recovering some owed money by the convict's mobster accomplice, they come across a hitchhiking woman. Using this woman to get past a police checkpoint, the pair keep her as a hostage as they settle on a remote farm to lay low for a while. But the woman proves to be an odd presence in their lives, and begins to precipitate a fracture in their relationship. The story also shifts perspectives to the mob boss in the tale who is unflinchingly ruthless in a rather funny way.
The final tale is the titular "Athos in America", a follow up of sorts to Jason's The Last Musketeer. Athos is a vigilante crime fighter in contemporary America which illuminates the strong level of absurdity that Jason loves to employ in his comics. It's touching at times too, but the highlight is always how creatively Jason blends in bizarre storytelling beats into some pretty unconventional premises.
Athos in America is a delightful sampling of Jason's works. Though his style has seemingly remained stagnant over his many years in the medium, there is a definitive touch of maturity to his storytelling prowess here. It may not be the most visually appealing stuff, but the ease through which Jason crafts sequential stories is truly awe-inspiring.
The opening story is "The Smiling Horse", a spiritual sequel of sorts to a story from Low Moon. Two kidnappers hole up in an apartment where they hold a woman for ransom. A sense of doom creeps in when one of the kidnappers learns that someone known as the Smiling Horse is after them. Though the story is never as tense as it seems for the kidnappers, the charm lies in Jason's subtle approach to narrative subterfuge. The punchline wasn't even clear to me until I re-read the story, showing just how crafty Jason can be within just a few pages of storytelling.
"A Cat From Heaven" has Jason portraying himself as a struggling, drunk cartoonist who gets into a verbally abusive relationship with his girlfriend, leading to a bad breakup. As the fictional Jason moves on with his life, individual segments are interspersed with newspaper clippings that serve as a punchline. They range from "Famous Cartoonist Can't Get It Up" to "Famous Cartoonist Found Dead", providing some empathic drum rolls to the mundane doldrums of the fictional Jason's life. This is probably one of the funnier Jason strips I've read in a while and it really works because of the pacing.
"The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf" is a clear homage to the classic sci-fi film The Brain That Wouldn't Die, and follows a man working on creating a body for his wife's head which is kept alive by some ill-defined science. The two have a humorously toxic relationship, which is further strained as they navigate the ethical complexities of the situation. The nonlinear narrative in this story is yet another display of Jason's cunning.
"Tom Waits on the Moon" follows the chaotic interspersion of four unconnected individuals lives which leads to a tragic conclusion when they all end up in the same location. It's very Robert Altman in execution, and really reads well on multiple readings due to the clever allocation of time spent on each character.
The most ambitious story in this collection is probably "So Long, Mary Anne" which is another crime caper featuring a convict whose escape from prison is facilitated by his girlfriend. As the two plan to go on the run after recovering some owed money by the convict's mobster accomplice, they come across a hitchhiking woman. Using this woman to get past a police checkpoint, the pair keep her as a hostage as they settle on a remote farm to lay low for a while. But the woman proves to be an odd presence in their lives, and begins to precipitate a fracture in their relationship. The story also shifts perspectives to the mob boss in the tale who is unflinchingly ruthless in a rather funny way.
The final tale is the titular "Athos in America", a follow up of sorts to Jason's The Last Musketeer. Athos is a vigilante crime fighter in contemporary America which illuminates the strong level of absurdity that Jason loves to employ in his comics. It's touching at times too, but the highlight is always how creatively Jason blends in bizarre storytelling beats into some pretty unconventional premises.
Athos in America is a delightful sampling of Jason's works. Though his style has seemingly remained stagnant over his many years in the medium, there is a definitive touch of maturity to his storytelling prowess here. It may not be the most visually appealing stuff, but the ease through which Jason crafts sequential stories is truly awe-inspiring.
May 29, 2017
Historia que nos adentra en el universo mental de las cavilaciones cotidianas. Esa melancolía permeada por auto-cuestionamientos que nos atormentan día a día en la búsqueda de una respuesta a los interrogantes qué hubiera pasado si… qué pasaría si… o qué debería hacer para…
Esta historia, desarrollada en 22 páginas, cuatro viñetas por cada plana, como acostumbra Jason, en las que nos devela las rutinas absortas en inquietantes conversaciones con su yo interior de los cuatro personajes.
Encontramos a un científico, inmerso en un extraño experimento; una chica, llena de soledad e incertidumbre; un hombre común, que no se atreve a decir lo que piensa a los demás y se desahoga expresándolo mentalmente; un policía, que lleva un consumado matrimonio y busca una salida.
Historias, aparentemente inconexas, terminarán ligadas al final por un trágico desenlace que de manera evidente hace referencia a la película The Fly (1986) escrita y dirigida por el canadiense David Paul Cronenberg.
Todo esto, combinado de una manera magistral en estas páginas añadiendo la envolvente voz de Waits acompañado del saxofón y el piano en Drunk On The Moon, obtendremos la dosis perfecta de turbación para disfrutarla, quizá una noche, acompañado de una cerveza. Lo recomiendo. (No soy médico).
Esta historia, desarrollada en 22 páginas, cuatro viñetas por cada plana, como acostumbra Jason, en las que nos devela las rutinas absortas en inquietantes conversaciones con su yo interior de los cuatro personajes.
Encontramos a un científico, inmerso en un extraño experimento; una chica, llena de soledad e incertidumbre; un hombre común, que no se atreve a decir lo que piensa a los demás y se desahoga expresándolo mentalmente; un policía, que lleva un consumado matrimonio y busca una salida.
Historias, aparentemente inconexas, terminarán ligadas al final por un trágico desenlace que de manera evidente hace referencia a la película The Fly (1986) escrita y dirigida por el canadiense David Paul Cronenberg.
Todo esto, combinado de una manera magistral en estas páginas añadiendo la envolvente voz de Waits acompañado del saxofón y el piano en Drunk On The Moon, obtendremos la dosis perfecta de turbación para disfrutarla, quizá una noche, acompañado de una cerveza. Lo recomiendo. (No soy médico).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2017
"Wow!!that was depressing" was all i could think of when i finished this book.
This book is a collection of stories,the stories are pretty short you could probably finish this in less than half an hour.
Jason's stories are depressing,the characters are always depressed.So this collection gives off a melancholic air.The endings are usually ambiguous,there is no clear end and its not clear as of what happened in most of these stories (there are only 6 stories).
Even though the stories are pretty short, i still felt like the character's were real people with real emotions(at least some of them).
But the only problem of these stories is that i never cared for the characters, they never felt worth caring about and i didn't feel like they were relatable,but i guess thats not the point.
Anyway great collection.(also i'm rating this book for what it is cause this is a comic book so it's not fair to compare it to novels)
This book is a collection of stories,the stories are pretty short you could probably finish this in less than half an hour.
Jason's stories are depressing,the characters are always depressed.So this collection gives off a melancholic air.The endings are usually ambiguous,there is no clear end and its not clear as of what happened in most of these stories (there are only 6 stories).
Even though the stories are pretty short, i still felt like the character's were real people with real emotions(at least some of them).
But the only problem of these stories is that i never cared for the characters, they never felt worth caring about and i didn't feel like they were relatable,but i guess thats not the point.
Anyway great collection.(also i'm rating this book for what it is cause this is a comic book so it's not fair to compare it to novels)
July 25, 2019
Really good stuff.
I doubt you've found your way to a Jason book without at least having an idea of what kind of comics he's making, so I won't say anything about how it's different from your superhero comics or others.
Jason for me was always mostly good, but also hit or miss, most of his stuff I like, some I love and some I don't find interesting and/or made me lose interest fast.
Always loved his artwork and that's not changing, ever. His style is unique!
This one is one of those that I really liked. A bunch of stories in one book, and most of those are so damn good.
Recommended for anyone who likes Jason stuff and or willing to try for the first time!
I doubt you've found your way to a Jason book without at least having an idea of what kind of comics he's making, so I won't say anything about how it's different from your superhero comics or others.
Jason for me was always mostly good, but also hit or miss, most of his stuff I like, some I love and some I don't find interesting and/or made me lose interest fast.
Always loved his artwork and that's not changing, ever. His style is unique!
This one is one of those that I really liked. A bunch of stories in one book, and most of those are so damn good.
Recommended for anyone who likes Jason stuff and or willing to try for the first time!
June 18, 2018
I may have been just unlucky with my choice of Jason comics to read, but at the moment I'm really not a fan. His drawing style and format is great, really making room for amazing stories, but without good stories it's not very worthwhile. This collection of depressing novellas wasn't sad in a good, thought-provoking way, but in a dull, empty way. I felt no connection with the characters, no emotion at all. While some of the novellas had interesting ideas, like the severed head one, as a whole the book left me with little more than pretty pictures.
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