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On the Camino
Internationally acclaimed cartoonist Jason’s first full-length graphic memoir is about his experiences walking a 500-mile pilgrimage for his 50th birthday. Northwestern Spain, observed with the eye of an artist, chronicling both the good (people, conversations) and the bad (blisters, bedbugs) he encountered on his journey. Full of quiet incidents, odd encounters, small triumphs, and the occasional setback, On the Camino is the first implicitly autobiographical long-form work by a master cartoonist. Black & white illustrations throughout.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2016
9 people are currently reading
269 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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December 8, 2017
In 2015, the Norwegian cartoonist Jason decided to celebrate his 50th birthday by walking the Camino de Santiago, an historic 500-mile/780 km pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.
“It was either this or buying a Porsche!“ (hahaha).
"On The Camino" is his graphic memoir of this 32-day trek.
When asked if he had a goal before starting to walk, he answers :
"To become a bit more open as a person, maybe.
But here on the camino, it's easy. You just ask, 'Where are you from?', and you've started a conversation. It's more difficult out in real life.
But I don't know if it has changed my life. Isn't that what's supposed to happen on the camino?"
Honestly, I'm not surprised this trek hasn't changed Jason's life. His pilgrimage is an endless repetition of this : I walk there, I drink this, I eat that, I meet these persons, I check in at that hostel, I shower, I hand-wash my socks, I fall asleep, I wake up (repeat 32 times).
The conversations with his fellow pilgrims seem to revolve around a handful of preset questions : "Where are you from? Why do you walk the camino? Do you know what the weather will be like? Do you know a good hostel? How are your feet?"
And that's it. No mindfulness, no emotional or existential insights, no meaningful revelations about his personal experiences.
The illustrations in black and white, also don't do justice to the panorama's, which, no doubt, must be exhilarating ; in color.
There were a few jokes, and a couple of funny references to movies which, unfortunately, I didn't see.
Yeah right... Amazing autumn colors.
“It was either this or buying a Porsche!“ (hahaha).
"On The Camino" is his graphic memoir of this 32-day trek.
When asked if he had a goal before starting to walk, he answers :
"To become a bit more open as a person, maybe.
But here on the camino, it's easy. You just ask, 'Where are you from?', and you've started a conversation. It's more difficult out in real life.
But I don't know if it has changed my life. Isn't that what's supposed to happen on the camino?"
Honestly, I'm not surprised this trek hasn't changed Jason's life. His pilgrimage is an endless repetition of this : I walk there, I drink this, I eat that, I meet these persons, I check in at that hostel, I shower, I hand-wash my socks, I fall asleep, I wake up (repeat 32 times).
The conversations with his fellow pilgrims seem to revolve around a handful of preset questions : "Where are you from? Why do you walk the camino? Do you know what the weather will be like? Do you know a good hostel? How are your feet?"
And that's it. No mindfulness, no emotional or existential insights, no meaningful revelations about his personal experiences.
The illustrations in black and white, also don't do justice to the panorama's, which, no doubt, must be exhilarating ; in color.
There were a few jokes, and a couple of funny references to movies which, unfortunately, I didn't see.
Yeah right... Amazing autumn colors.
June 15, 2017
To mark his 50th birthday in 2015, Norwegian cartoonist Jason decided to walk the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile pilgrimage in north-western Spain. Which he does. And that’s that!
Jason is one of my favourite cartoonists but On the Camino is his weakest book to date. It’s also his first venture into nonfiction which is quite telling because his fictional comics are usually outstanding and fun to read while this autobiographical memoir is very dry, one-note and kinda boring.
Nothing happens on the hike besides the predictable blisters and bad weather, none of the people he meets are especially interesting and he uneventfully completes the route. I kept wondering what we were meant to get out of the book; it’s so lacking in insight, purpose, inspiration – anything really! I’m sure it’s a powerful, moving and spiritual experience whether or not you’re religious but we don’t get a sense of its impact (if any) on Jason.
I vaguely recall seeing a documentary on the Camino years ago so I knew a bit about the hike going in but it still would’ve been nice to have some context as to what it is and the significance of the route, etc. especially for readers who don’t know about it.
The best parts of the book were when Jason let his imagination loose. The mundane reality of hiking is thankfully broken up with dramatic panels of giant slugs, Jason machine-gunning bedbugs and parodies of scenes from famous movies like Blue Velvet. And his own invention, the Camino police, was great – I wish the book had been about that dude solving “Camino crimes” instead! As always, I really enjoyed the art which is simple and spare yet elegantly detailed enough, clean and appealing, particularly the splash pages (a rarity for Jason) – and, of course, nonfiction or not, everyone in it is animal-headed!
On the Camino is a well-made comic that’s sporadically interesting and gives you a good idea of what it’s like to walk the trail itself. But listing a series of non-events doesn’t make for a very exciting or engaging read either and I found myself putting it down quite often. It’s just an ok book which is disappointing given that Jason’s comics are usually fantastic. Here’s hoping he goes back to writing fiction again soon because his nonfiction unfortunately ain’t all that!
Jason is one of my favourite cartoonists but On the Camino is his weakest book to date. It’s also his first venture into nonfiction which is quite telling because his fictional comics are usually outstanding and fun to read while this autobiographical memoir is very dry, one-note and kinda boring.
Nothing happens on the hike besides the predictable blisters and bad weather, none of the people he meets are especially interesting and he uneventfully completes the route. I kept wondering what we were meant to get out of the book; it’s so lacking in insight, purpose, inspiration – anything really! I’m sure it’s a powerful, moving and spiritual experience whether or not you’re religious but we don’t get a sense of its impact (if any) on Jason.
I vaguely recall seeing a documentary on the Camino years ago so I knew a bit about the hike going in but it still would’ve been nice to have some context as to what it is and the significance of the route, etc. especially for readers who don’t know about it.
The best parts of the book were when Jason let his imagination loose. The mundane reality of hiking is thankfully broken up with dramatic panels of giant slugs, Jason machine-gunning bedbugs and parodies of scenes from famous movies like Blue Velvet. And his own invention, the Camino police, was great – I wish the book had been about that dude solving “Camino crimes” instead! As always, I really enjoyed the art which is simple and spare yet elegantly detailed enough, clean and appealing, particularly the splash pages (a rarity for Jason) – and, of course, nonfiction or not, everyone in it is animal-headed!
On the Camino is a well-made comic that’s sporadically interesting and gives you a good idea of what it’s like to walk the trail itself. But listing a series of non-events doesn’t make for a very exciting or engaging read either and I found myself putting it down quite often. It’s just an ok book which is disappointing given that Jason’s comics are usually fantastic. Here’s hoping he goes back to writing fiction again soon because his nonfiction unfortunately ain’t all that!
September 12, 2018
“Make voyages. Attempt them. There's nothing else.” –Tennessee Williams, Camino Real
”Why are you walking the Camino?
“Well, I just turned fifty. It was either the Porsche or the Camino. I chose the Camino.”—Jason (this is the one joke he tells along the way; sometimes he gets laughs for it.)
Jason is one of my absolute favorite cartoonists ever. I have read everything I could get my hands on and am in the process of owning everything now, too, which is at this point rare for me to do with any author. Jason, a Norwegian cartoonist living in the south of France, turned 50 and decided—though he is not a Christian nor in any obvious way to me spiritual—to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a more than 30 day venture, over 800 km. He grew up in Norway disinterested in nature, and only in recent years, he says, began to notice nature at all. But he walked the walk, doing something unlike anything he had ever done.
Jason is a master of minimalism, a simple storyteller with a dry sense of humor. And he draws all his characters—including himself in this, his first autobiographical comic—as animals. Always has done this. Most of his comics are funny and deft and clever, and this is the first long-form comic he has done. So there are many pages without any deft observations or deep insights. Which is what it must have been for him and many others. One foot after the other, no spiritual Saul-on-the Damascus-road epiphanies, sorry. It’s not The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen!
Early on in the book things move slowly, and on a quick read you might say the things you learn most about the Camino de Santiago are bedbugs, blisters, snoring in hostels, Café con Leche, small talk with people he meets. Yawn. So if you aren’t religious.. . . what is this thing but a long walk? Yet we get to know Jason in a way we don’t in any of his other comics. He’s an introvert, he goes days without talking to anyone, but gradually, gradually makes some connections. His goal would seem to be a modest one: To be more open with others, and in this quest he is successful. And in the process he depicts little amusing fantasies that he has about taking a machine gun to bugs, things like this. He’s funny, he’s sweet. He likes old movies and Hemingway, references pop culture all the time. He’s everyman, not St.Augustine, which is kind of the point about this book’s accessibility, I think.
At one point a couple travelers want to videotape him for a YouTube video they are making of all the people they meet along the way. He says no, he just doesn’t want to be on YouTube. . . but then recognizes the hypocrisy of saying that while planning to put this incident in his book of the trip.
Then, he jokes, “If he had asked me, can I draw you as a dog {reminder: Jason draws himself as a dog in this graphic memoir!] that says, ‘Hi, I’m John, from Norway!’ I would have said, ‘Sure! Go ahead!’ So there!”
There’s a near-final image where he depicts himself whistling as he passes a graveyard, and then several wordless panels follow of just him walking along, wordless.
I’m not now religious, though I see myself as spiritual. I’m putting the Camino de Santiago on my bucket list. Jason says he will make this walk again, and I would be happy to do it with him, either through reading of it or actually walking with him. Either will be fine with me.
”Why are you walking the Camino?
“Well, I just turned fifty. It was either the Porsche or the Camino. I chose the Camino.”—Jason (this is the one joke he tells along the way; sometimes he gets laughs for it.)
Jason is one of my absolute favorite cartoonists ever. I have read everything I could get my hands on and am in the process of owning everything now, too, which is at this point rare for me to do with any author. Jason, a Norwegian cartoonist living in the south of France, turned 50 and decided—though he is not a Christian nor in any obvious way to me spiritual—to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a more than 30 day venture, over 800 km. He grew up in Norway disinterested in nature, and only in recent years, he says, began to notice nature at all. But he walked the walk, doing something unlike anything he had ever done.
Jason is a master of minimalism, a simple storyteller with a dry sense of humor. And he draws all his characters—including himself in this, his first autobiographical comic—as animals. Always has done this. Most of his comics are funny and deft and clever, and this is the first long-form comic he has done. So there are many pages without any deft observations or deep insights. Which is what it must have been for him and many others. One foot after the other, no spiritual Saul-on-the Damascus-road epiphanies, sorry. It’s not The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen!
Early on in the book things move slowly, and on a quick read you might say the things you learn most about the Camino de Santiago are bedbugs, blisters, snoring in hostels, Café con Leche, small talk with people he meets. Yawn. So if you aren’t religious.. . . what is this thing but a long walk? Yet we get to know Jason in a way we don’t in any of his other comics. He’s an introvert, he goes days without talking to anyone, but gradually, gradually makes some connections. His goal would seem to be a modest one: To be more open with others, and in this quest he is successful. And in the process he depicts little amusing fantasies that he has about taking a machine gun to bugs, things like this. He’s funny, he’s sweet. He likes old movies and Hemingway, references pop culture all the time. He’s everyman, not St.Augustine, which is kind of the point about this book’s accessibility, I think.
At one point a couple travelers want to videotape him for a YouTube video they are making of all the people they meet along the way. He says no, he just doesn’t want to be on YouTube. . . but then recognizes the hypocrisy of saying that while planning to put this incident in his book of the trip.
Then, he jokes, “If he had asked me, can I draw you as a dog {reminder: Jason draws himself as a dog in this graphic memoir!] that says, ‘Hi, I’m John, from Norway!’ I would have said, ‘Sure! Go ahead!’ So there!”
There’s a near-final image where he depicts himself whistling as he passes a graveyard, and then several wordless panels follow of just him walking along, wordless.
I’m not now religious, though I see myself as spiritual. I’m putting the Camino de Santiago on my bucket list. Jason says he will make this walk again, and I would be happy to do it with him, either through reading of it or actually walking with him. Either will be fine with me.
October 27, 2023
Wonderful book about traveling and how we often learn more about 'The Road Not Taken' when we meet other travelers 'On The Road' - my favorite work so far by Jason. His ability to help you see what an 'everyman' goes through on a daily basis truly connects the reader to his characters. A great book to read before you go on a trip!
December 30, 2022
[Another one I reviewed early this yr and forgot to post]
I liked this graphic memoir much more than some reviewers did. I think it does a fine job of capturing the essence of a very long, month-or more-long, walk. Scenery and experiences are bound to be repetitive, and the walk itself seeming to pass in slow motion as the days go longer and longer, the rains come and refuse to leave, and each step might seem more of the same. Adding to the challenge is the author's shyness, which makes it harder for him to enjoy what are some of the highlights of such a journey, which is meeting, and making small talk with, fellow travelers. In the beginning, I longed for color as some other reviewers did, but quickly became used to it, and desired color no more than i would while watching a good, black and white film. That is, I "needed" color not one bit. The lack of color makes the imagination work harder to fill in the blanks, even more so than a film. All the reader has are the lines, and his/her own imagination, and these together are more than sufficient, and make for a more involving read. Such was my experience anyway.
This is my second Jason, and I'll be reading all that I can get my hands on. My two libraries, lucky for me, have about half of his works. (edit: I ending up reading about ten Jasons this yr.)
Here's an extensive preview, about twenty pages. https://www.google.com/books/edition/...
I liked this graphic memoir much more than some reviewers did. I think it does a fine job of capturing the essence of a very long, month-or more-long, walk. Scenery and experiences are bound to be repetitive, and the walk itself seeming to pass in slow motion as the days go longer and longer, the rains come and refuse to leave, and each step might seem more of the same. Adding to the challenge is the author's shyness, which makes it harder for him to enjoy what are some of the highlights of such a journey, which is meeting, and making small talk with, fellow travelers. In the beginning, I longed for color as some other reviewers did, but quickly became used to it, and desired color no more than i would while watching a good, black and white film. That is, I "needed" color not one bit. The lack of color makes the imagination work harder to fill in the blanks, even more so than a film. All the reader has are the lines, and his/her own imagination, and these together are more than sufficient, and make for a more involving read. Such was my experience anyway.
This is my second Jason, and I'll be reading all that I can get my hands on. My two libraries, lucky for me, have about half of his works. (edit: I ending up reading about ten Jasons this yr.)
Here's an extensive preview, about twenty pages. https://www.google.com/books/edition/...
September 12, 2018
En 2015 el noruego Jason (aquí John) emprendió el Camino de Santiago desde San Juan de Pie de Puerto hasta Santiago de Compostela, siguiendo finalmente hasta Finisterre: 800 kilómetros, 32 días.
-¿Y tú por qué has decidido hacer el Camino?
-Acabo de cumplir 50 años y quería celebrarlo de alguna manera. ¡Era esto o comprarme un Porsche!
No creo que sea, ni mucho menos, su mejor obra, pero, como siempre, he disfrutado mucho con el trabajo de Jason: su ironía, las referencias cinematográficas, la soledad, el deje melancólico, sus animales antropomórficos y aparentemente poco expresivos, el dibujo simple... todo me agrada de una manera especial.
Además, como persona no religiosa y tímida, me he sentido identificada con su experiencia durante el Camino, que, creo, está algo mitificado en su aspecto espiritual o interno (no en cuanto al viaje en sí).
Lo mejor, la gente con la que te encuentras, las conversaciones al final de la jornada con personas de diferentes partes del mundo con las que coincides día tras día, o con las que hablas un día y ya no vuelves a ver, las preguntas que se convierten en ritual (¿qué tal los pies?, ¿por qué haces el camino?, ¿desde dónde?), las anécdotas, la búsqueda de las flechas amarillas... pero lo cierto es que nadie le da un giro de 180 grados a su vida en el Camino... o puede que Jason esté equivocado, desde luego la esperanza y el optimismo no son lo suyo.
-¿Y tú por qué has decidido hacer el Camino?
-Acabo de cumplir 50 años y quería celebrarlo de alguna manera. ¡Era esto o comprarme un Porsche!
No creo que sea, ni mucho menos, su mejor obra, pero, como siempre, he disfrutado mucho con el trabajo de Jason: su ironía, las referencias cinematográficas, la soledad, el deje melancólico, sus animales antropomórficos y aparentemente poco expresivos, el dibujo simple... todo me agrada de una manera especial.
Además, como persona no religiosa y tímida, me he sentido identificada con su experiencia durante el Camino, que, creo, está algo mitificado en su aspecto espiritual o interno (no en cuanto al viaje en sí).
Lo mejor, la gente con la que te encuentras, las conversaciones al final de la jornada con personas de diferentes partes del mundo con las que coincides día tras día, o con las que hablas un día y ya no vuelves a ver, las preguntas que se convierten en ritual (¿qué tal los pies?, ¿por qué haces el camino?, ¿desde dónde?), las anécdotas, la búsqueda de las flechas amarillas... pero lo cierto es que nadie le da un giro de 180 grados a su vida en el Camino... o puede que Jason esté equivocado, desde luego la esperanza y el optimismo no son lo suyo.
January 11, 2018
I seem to be on a graphic memoir/ visual journal reading spree at the moment, and this is one I was really looking forward to spending some time with. The author turned 50 and decided to walk the Camino de Santiago, a historic 500 mile pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. This is a walk I've had on my travel list for years so expected to really enjoy this book. I did not.
You know that Jon Kabat-Zinn saying, wherever you go, there you are? Well, that seems to be especially true for the author, who somehow manages to write a book that is both tedious and boring. How is that even possible? Think about it. The author goes on a solo walk that lasts a bit over a month, covers 500 miles, and he doesn't have a single interesting thing to say? My daily neighborhood walk, which features rabbits, seems more interesting than this book. I kid you not!
It is clear that the author is not an outdoor person, and to be fair, long walks/hikes has much repetition: putting one foot in front of the other, finding lodging, the nightly washing of socks and undies, etc. But what about all the people you meet on the way? The people who live there, and the other walkers/pilgrims? The sights, the sounds, the smells, the ambiance of the experience? When you walk, the world unfolds slowing in front of you and there is a lot of time for meditative thinking, but the author seems to be a shy introvert who barely talked to other travelers and kept mostly to himself, so much of that is lost.
I've enjoyed other books by the author, and I think this is his first foray into nonfiction, but I much prefer his fictional work. I quite like his anthropomorphic animals and illustration style, but it doesn't really work for this material. The black and white illustrations don't capture a sense of what he's looking at, or the colors of the locales he walks through. The art I liked best are on the front and back covers of the book.
We often reach milestone birthdays and do things that we think will change us one way or another, and often that doesn't happen. We are who we are, and maybe that was the point of this memoir. This book got me interested in reading about The Camino again, but this is not one I'd recommend.
You know that Jon Kabat-Zinn saying, wherever you go, there you are? Well, that seems to be especially true for the author, who somehow manages to write a book that is both tedious and boring. How is that even possible? Think about it. The author goes on a solo walk that lasts a bit over a month, covers 500 miles, and he doesn't have a single interesting thing to say? My daily neighborhood walk, which features rabbits, seems more interesting than this book. I kid you not!
It is clear that the author is not an outdoor person, and to be fair, long walks/hikes has much repetition: putting one foot in front of the other, finding lodging, the nightly washing of socks and undies, etc. But what about all the people you meet on the way? The people who live there, and the other walkers/pilgrims? The sights, the sounds, the smells, the ambiance of the experience? When you walk, the world unfolds slowing in front of you and there is a lot of time for meditative thinking, but the author seems to be a shy introvert who barely talked to other travelers and kept mostly to himself, so much of that is lost.
I've enjoyed other books by the author, and I think this is his first foray into nonfiction, but I much prefer his fictional work. I quite like his anthropomorphic animals and illustration style, but it doesn't really work for this material. The black and white illustrations don't capture a sense of what he's looking at, or the colors of the locales he walks through. The art I liked best are on the front and back covers of the book.
We often reach milestone birthdays and do things that we think will change us one way or another, and often that doesn't happen. We are who we are, and maybe that was the point of this memoir. This book got me interested in reading about The Camino again, but this is not one I'd recommend.
February 10, 2018
Much like the title suggests, On the Camino is a story about a road that goes on and on and on. As endless as the steps that mark each meter of the journey so to is the seemingly endless mediocrity that it entails. Without a plot, the protagonist's raison d'être is non-existent just as was my interest in this comic.
Innumerable ancillary characters pop up again and again and again. As minimal as the art that depicts them, so too are their images cast in simplistically applied platonic character molds merely due to their geographic identity. So on and so goes the litany of Americans, Norwegians, Swedes, etc... Words are spoken, and that's about as far as their characterizations go.
Flimsy characterizations find themselves gelled with mind-numbingly unimaginative usages of references. Without a modicum of imaginative reduplicating, they feel like puerile stickers just tacked onto the story as the author saw fit. Beyond expanding the size of the papers between the hardcovers, they add little to the enjoyment or scope of the story.
This dull pastiche is tenuously sewn together by a very boring sequence of events that includes annoying repetitions of food, drink, and rest. Euros are spent and comestibles are masticated. Digestion occurs off-screen as apparently any enjoyable aspects that could have occurred in the story.
All in all, On the Camino is a brainless journey toward a non-existent conclusion with an equally dim The End. The Jason who brilliantly wedded Hitchcock's idiosyncratic approach to mystery is gone. The Jason who cleverly reduplicated Romero's Zombie apocalypse for a modern audience has left the building. And the Jason who successfully synthesized those giants of American Literature, Hemmingway, Joyce, and Fitzgerald to name a few into an enjoyable pastiche that is delightful as it is humorous has taken a bath.
On the Road is clearly born of a hangover from a binge-drinking session that would have put Hemingway to shame. With few brain cells leftover, On the Road is the result. A boring, in-cohesive, aimless mess is the illustrated puke we've been offered. Too bad Jason couldn't have choked on it.
Two thumbs down.
Innumerable ancillary characters pop up again and again and again. As minimal as the art that depicts them, so too are their images cast in simplistically applied platonic character molds merely due to their geographic identity. So on and so goes the litany of Americans, Norwegians, Swedes, etc... Words are spoken, and that's about as far as their characterizations go.
Flimsy characterizations find themselves gelled with mind-numbingly unimaginative usages of references. Without a modicum of imaginative reduplicating, they feel like puerile stickers just tacked onto the story as the author saw fit. Beyond expanding the size of the papers between the hardcovers, they add little to the enjoyment or scope of the story.
This dull pastiche is tenuously sewn together by a very boring sequence of events that includes annoying repetitions of food, drink, and rest. Euros are spent and comestibles are masticated. Digestion occurs off-screen as apparently any enjoyable aspects that could have occurred in the story.
All in all, On the Camino is a brainless journey toward a non-existent conclusion with an equally dim The End. The Jason who brilliantly wedded Hitchcock's idiosyncratic approach to mystery is gone. The Jason who cleverly reduplicated Romero's Zombie apocalypse for a modern audience has left the building. And the Jason who successfully synthesized those giants of American Literature, Hemmingway, Joyce, and Fitzgerald to name a few into an enjoyable pastiche that is delightful as it is humorous has taken a bath.
On the Road is clearly born of a hangover from a binge-drinking session that would have put Hemingway to shame. With few brain cells leftover, On the Road is the result. A boring, in-cohesive, aimless mess is the illustrated puke we've been offered. Too bad Jason couldn't have choked on it.
Two thumbs down.
June 14, 2017
Had I read this a month ago, I probably would have said, this is charming, 4 stars, right-o. But I've recently returned from Spain and the Camino, so basically there's an image or observation on every page that reminds me of the experience and makes me exclaim things like "stork nests!!!" and "there really should be Camino police!!" Thus: 5 stars.
January 6, 2020
This book stands apart from other works by Norwegian cartoonist Jason for its more autobiographical subject matter. Jason is a fantastic cartoonist. The amount of detail he can convey with so few lines is incredible. His lines are also insanely clean.
Unfortunately, the actual subject matter of the book (an account of the cartoonist’s solo hike along the Camino de Santiago in Spain to mark his 50th birthday) doesn’t do anything for me. And his occasional departures into fantasy scenarios strikes me more as “cute” than meaningful.
I see the remarkable talent at work here (and I have enjoyed other books by Jason quite a bit), but this book just doesn’t speak to me. It’s so insularly focused on the mildly quirky subculture of the trail’s “pilgrims” that it ends up reading like an account of someone’s trip to a theme park. The experience itself was probably cool, but it’s no fun to read about.
Unfortunately, the actual subject matter of the book (an account of the cartoonist’s solo hike along the Camino de Santiago in Spain to mark his 50th birthday) doesn’t do anything for me. And his occasional departures into fantasy scenarios strikes me more as “cute” than meaningful.
I see the remarkable talent at work here (and I have enjoyed other books by Jason quite a bit), but this book just doesn’t speak to me. It’s so insularly focused on the mildly quirky subculture of the trail’s “pilgrims” that it ends up reading like an account of someone’s trip to a theme park. The experience itself was probably cool, but it’s no fun to read about.
April 29, 2022
Look at the view, you idiot! Try to be present, for once in your life!
A Norwegian cartoonist, a man of a certain age, travels by foot along the Camino — a famous pilgrimage trail in Spain. The people he encounters are from all over the world, and while some are older, most are at least 20 years younger than he is.
Known as "John from Norway," he is introspective, droll, and prone to see the world through the lens of the book that might be created from this experience, his projections and imagination. He declines at one point to participate in another pilgrim's YouTube — yet John acknowledges the hypocrisy of refusing the video but using the refusal scene for his own content creation.
The simple art here is people with animal heads, mostly dogs and cats, but also some birds. It is certainly one way to ensure that the people don't all look the same.
As he battles the push and tug of insecurities, shyness, and need for companionship, John also shows readers how he re-uses the same material, the same jokes and stories, when he meets new people. Of course we all do that, but John is forthright enough here to show how his stabs at friendship are rehearsed, and maybe even calculated.
Four stars, because the author thanked the people who looked after his cat while he on the Camino.
A Norwegian cartoonist, a man of a certain age, travels by foot along the Camino — a famous pilgrimage trail in Spain. The people he encounters are from all over the world, and while some are older, most are at least 20 years younger than he is.
Known as "John from Norway," he is introspective, droll, and prone to see the world through the lens of the book that might be created from this experience, his projections and imagination. He declines at one point to participate in another pilgrim's YouTube — yet John acknowledges the hypocrisy of refusing the video but using the refusal scene for his own content creation.
The simple art here is people with animal heads, mostly dogs and cats, but also some birds. It is certainly one way to ensure that the people don't all look the same.
As he battles the push and tug of insecurities, shyness, and need for companionship, John also shows readers how he re-uses the same material, the same jokes and stories, when he meets new people. Of course we all do that, but John is forthright enough here to show how his stabs at friendship are rehearsed, and maybe even calculated.
Four stars, because the author thanked the people who looked after his cat while he on the Camino.
November 22, 2023
What does any of the following have to do with Jason's account of his 500-mile walk? Nothing. I'm just talking about myself because oftentimes that's what i use Goodreads for.
I read about Jason's autobiographical book in The Comics Journal just before leaving home for Seattle. I like to visit good bookstores and buy something when traveling, so this is what i set my sights on. I found it at the Elliot Bay Book Company, which is a great store. From there i walked 2 miles with my brother in law to meet up with our spouses at the Museum of Pop Culture (near the Space Needle, which we'd visited the day before).
I read the whole thing at a nice leisurely pace and thereby remained mostly calm while flying home yesterday. That's the power of Jason.
I love some authors because they say things i couldn't ever have thought before. Some because they say things in ways that amaze me. Some because they feel like lifelong friends. Some because i feel like they're saying what i wish i had said. I now put Jason in the class of writers who, when they reveal their personality, seem to be showing me major parts of myself. In short, i think i would've had pretty much the same experience that Jason portrays in this book.
I read about Jason's autobiographical book in The Comics Journal just before leaving home for Seattle. I like to visit good bookstores and buy something when traveling, so this is what i set my sights on. I found it at the Elliot Bay Book Company, which is a great store. From there i walked 2 miles with my brother in law to meet up with our spouses at the Museum of Pop Culture (near the Space Needle, which we'd visited the day before).
I read the whole thing at a nice leisurely pace and thereby remained mostly calm while flying home yesterday. That's the power of Jason.
I love some authors because they say things i couldn't ever have thought before. Some because they say things in ways that amaze me. Some because they feel like lifelong friends. Some because i feel like they're saying what i wish i had said. I now put Jason in the class of writers who, when they reveal their personality, seem to be showing me major parts of myself. In short, i think i would've had pretty much the same experience that Jason portrays in this book.
June 20, 2021
Surprisingly my least favorite Jason read thus far. I wasn’t a fan of the constant narration. It felt more like an illustrated diary than a comic.
This is Jason’s first auto-bio book, tracing his time walking the Camino in Spain. The constant narration betrays one of the golden rules of comics which is the narration shouldn’t mirror whats illustrated. Jason does this constantly, it makes the pictures within the panel useless if he tells you what you’re seeing.
This is Jason’s first auto-bio book, tracing his time walking the Camino in Spain. The constant narration betrays one of the golden rules of comics which is the narration shouldn’t mirror whats illustrated. Jason does this constantly, it makes the pictures within the panel useless if he tells you what you’re seeing.
November 27, 2017
I wish there was a little more detail about what, exactly, the Camino is and why Jason/John chose to pursue it (apart from celebrating his 50th birthday), but it's an enjoyable journey despite that. It definitely made me want to learn more about the Camino, why so many people are walking it, and what significance it holds.
Jason's art is great, as always, and I am finally getting used to seeing words in his comics.
Jason's art is great, as always, and I am finally getting used to seeing words in his comics.
September 4, 2017
I absolutely loved this quiet graphic memoir of walking the Camino. I suspect that some of the appeal is context-specific: I walked the same route across Spain that Jason did, in the same year (though, as far as I can tell, I was there several months ahead of him), and recognised many of the places he draws. The drawings are simple but evocative: if you've been there, you'll know the exact locations of some of the places he puts on paper. If you've been on the Camino at all, you'll recognise many of the situations and types of character even if not the exact ones.
It's odd, because I've struggled through some of the Camino memoirs that are very straightforward—ones that really just go from start to finish and don't bring in something 'other' to set the story apart. Jason's story itself is one of those straightforward ones: there are no big revelations, no fascinating characters; he doesn't seem to be walking the Camino for any particular/deep reason. Yet the artwork and the gentle, self-deprecating humour really do set this one apart. Would recommend. Will read again.
It's odd, because I've struggled through some of the Camino memoirs that are very straightforward—ones that really just go from start to finish and don't bring in something 'other' to set the story apart. Jason's story itself is one of those straightforward ones: there are no big revelations, no fascinating characters; he doesn't seem to be walking the Camino for any particular/deep reason. Yet the artwork and the gentle, self-deprecating humour really do set this one apart. Would recommend. Will read again.
May 27, 2017
He disfrutado con este recuerdo del Camino de Santiago, en parte porque he caminado hasta Santiago dos veces y lo que cuenta me resulta muy cercano (salvo alguna que otra inexactitud sin mayor importancia). A la narración le sienta muy bien la secuencia de viñetas 2x2, apenas rota por algún panel a toda página dedicada a una imagen icónica. Induce una sensación reiterativa y un ritmo que se ajusta como un guante a esa sucesión de encuentros, conversaciones, hábitos donde terminas perdiendo de vista qué día de la semana es. Lo que mejor funciona es la interrupción del relato para situar tres o cuatro viñetas cómicas que funcionan como contrapunto. Unos alivios cómicos muy divertidos. Se echan en falta algunas conversaciones cuñadas o momentos sentimentales de las que se dan cada día, pero supongo que la timidez del autor limitó mucho las interacciones.
December 23, 2019
3.5 Stars!
“At the end of the Camino I discover that a walking pole makes it easier to walk.”
I know a few people who have done the Camino and some who plan to do it next year and I have to confess that it holds little to no appeal for me, but I am a fan of Jason, though I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it had a splash of colour about it, but nevertheless this is an enjoyable journey which is a pleasing combination of humour, reflection and honesty which makes for good reading.
January 1, 2018
A Norwegian introvert cartoonist goes on a pilgrimage and draws everyone as birds and dogs -- the book becomes a pilgrimage in itself for the reader -- and without all the walking.
January 6, 2018
This was my very first graphic novel and though I enjoyed the experience I was disappointed in the author’s approach to something I consider a spiritual undertaking or at least an opportunity for self discovery. There was none of that and it felt quite hollow.
March 30, 2021
4.5! Har ikke lest Jason siden æ va en liten pjokk som hang på skolebiblioteket istedenfor å vær i timen, så det va et godt gjensyn! Æ e ikke 50 år (enda), men fikk likevel litt fin reisefeber av den gåturen her:)
February 10, 2021
Really cool graphic novelization journal of the author's trek through Spain on the "Camino" trail - a pilgrimage trail through northern Spain (although the author and no doubt many who walk the trail aren't necessarily religious or even Catholic). I especially liked the ironic asides - sometimes addressed to the reader. The book is filled with chuckles - the only critique I would make is the "chore" or "issue" of keeping the characters straight. The author meets all sorts of people, and then meets them again later on. The characters - drawn with dog (& sometimes bird) faces - all look pretty similar, and so there is always the impulse to check back to see when they first appeared in the book. That means, you are constantly going backwards and forwards. (At least I was.) But that's a minor critique. Overall, the book was excellent - understated, ironic, and a pleasure to read.
June 13, 2017
There's something heartbreaking about this book. Jason's quest takes so long, and we get to know him and his occasional companions so well...and then it's over. There's even a brief section on how things simply end, and that life is about the small victories.
That's a pretty powerful message, now that I think on it. = )
That's a pretty powerful message, now that I think on it. = )
Read
November 26, 2017Jason has never let me down. It was fun to read a personal account of his experience as a traveler on the Camino. I think he is one of the best comic artists when it comes to small, quiet moments that make his stories feel true and characters relatable, even if they are drawn as animals.
March 10, 2019
I love how Jason didn't romanticize his camino experience in this down to earth travel diary.
April 11, 2025
Zero interest in ever doing the Camino myself, but interesting to read about.
Calm, peaceful. A surprisingly comforting read.
Calm, peaceful. A surprisingly comforting read.
January 22, 2018
The works of Jason aren't for all tastes -- despite his "funny talking animal" art style and settings, his subject matter is usually melancholy, contemplative, and quite adult in content. Still, his work has intrigued me, and it keeps me thinking long after I've set the book down and moved on. And while I've by no means read all his work, I daresay that "On the Camino" is the best of his works I've read thus far. It's a thoughtful memoir that chronicles his travels down Spain's Camino Trail without coming across as a travelogue or an advertisement, and gives us a quiet yet revealing look at his thoughts along the way.
"On the Camino" tells the story of the author-illustrator's journey on the Camino Trail, which has long served as a religious pilgrimage but also attracts hikers and tourists from around the world who want to see the sights, find some sort of spiritual or personal insight, or just consider the Camino an item on their bucket list. As Jason makes the trek he encounters fellow walkers from around the world, makes friends, gets lost, suffers blisters and bedbugs, puts up with snoring bunkmates and obnoxious selfie-takers, and reflects on his own personal reasons for hiking the trail. And even as he questions just why he decided to take this crazy journey in the first place, he does find some measure of peace and makes unexpected connections with others along the way.
Unlike the other works of Jason's I've read, "On the Camino" is strictly in black and white save the cover. This doesn't detract from the graphic novel in my mind -- Jason's style still captures the important details, and clearly depicts the quiet beauty of the Camino trail and the towns and villages he passes through along the way. His characters tend to have few facial expressions, relying on words and body language to convey their emotions, but he manages to pull it off well.
Jason's journey isn't played for a ton of comedic value -- though there are funny moments -- so don't expect A Walk in the Woods level of laughs as you read. Jason chooses to portray his journey as a reflective one rather than a comedy of errors, and he ponders on the nature of his journey -- and how modern society and technology have changed how this trail is now traveled -- as he goes. And there are occasional "imagine spots" along the way, though I never felt that these detracted from the story but added to it.
A quiet and contemplative, yet strangely touching and revealing, graphic-novel memoir, "On the Camino" is not only a good read, it tempts me to get into shape so I can walk the Camino at some point as well. It's a journey I'm glad Jason took his readers on, and I'm glad he chose to share something so personal with the world.
"On the Camino" tells the story of the author-illustrator's journey on the Camino Trail, which has long served as a religious pilgrimage but also attracts hikers and tourists from around the world who want to see the sights, find some sort of spiritual or personal insight, or just consider the Camino an item on their bucket list. As Jason makes the trek he encounters fellow walkers from around the world, makes friends, gets lost, suffers blisters and bedbugs, puts up with snoring bunkmates and obnoxious selfie-takers, and reflects on his own personal reasons for hiking the trail. And even as he questions just why he decided to take this crazy journey in the first place, he does find some measure of peace and makes unexpected connections with others along the way.
Unlike the other works of Jason's I've read, "On the Camino" is strictly in black and white save the cover. This doesn't detract from the graphic novel in my mind -- Jason's style still captures the important details, and clearly depicts the quiet beauty of the Camino trail and the towns and villages he passes through along the way. His characters tend to have few facial expressions, relying on words and body language to convey their emotions, but he manages to pull it off well.
Jason's journey isn't played for a ton of comedic value -- though there are funny moments -- so don't expect A Walk in the Woods level of laughs as you read. Jason chooses to portray his journey as a reflective one rather than a comedy of errors, and he ponders on the nature of his journey -- and how modern society and technology have changed how this trail is now traveled -- as he goes. And there are occasional "imagine spots" along the way, though I never felt that these detracted from the story but added to it.
A quiet and contemplative, yet strangely touching and revealing, graphic-novel memoir, "On the Camino" is not only a good read, it tempts me to get into shape so I can walk the Camino at some point as well. It's a journey I'm glad Jason took his readers on, and I'm glad he chose to share something so personal with the world.
November 28, 2017
An interesting read by an artist/author whose other works I have generally enjoyed. I have an abiding interest in traveling by foot, not just hiking but actually traveling to somewhere new. I think this is why pilgrimage routes, which have not only purpose, but history and cultural connections, are so interesting to me, despite being an atheist. Of course, my first exposure to the idea of a set route (and not just a vague notion that one might travel "on pilgrimage" to some holy site or other) was 88-temple tour of Shikoku as well as some other Buddhist routes in Japan. Christian routes are less appealing to me, but that is probably part of the value of this book, a chance to vicariously experience something that I otherwise wouldn't. And though I've never traveled on such a route, I have traveled alone in a foreign country, so that aspect of the story resonated with me. I also enjoyed the occasional bits of absurdist humor and the strange things the author imagined on the trail.
December 22, 2019
3,5*
El noruego Jason es conocido por sus cómics algo extraños, de argumentos inverosímiles, estilo minimalista y animales parlantes antropomórficos. Sin embargo, en 'Un noruego en el Camino de Santiago' en vez de asesinos que viajan en el tiempo para matar a Hitler o licántropos de Montpellier, sencillamente nos habla de aquella vez que para celebrar sus 50 años fue a hacer el camino de Santiago ("Era eso o comprarme un Porsche", nos cuenta).
Básicamente se trata de él haciendo un camino de 800 kilómetros, de Francia hasta Finisterre, haciendo grandes esfuerzos para hablar con gente (de pueblo y turistas básicamente) y dándose cuenta de que se ha hecho mayor. Como él mismo nos recuerda, hacer el camino de Santiago no tiene demasiado que ver con aquella película de Martin Sheen: "Nadie da un giro de 180 Grados a su vida en el camino". Para Jason, basta con haberse comunicado y haber conocido a unas cuantas personas, hecho que, atrapados como estamos en la rutina, no se puede hacer todos los días.
El noruego Jason es conocido por sus cómics algo extraños, de argumentos inverosímiles, estilo minimalista y animales parlantes antropomórficos. Sin embargo, en 'Un noruego en el Camino de Santiago' en vez de asesinos que viajan en el tiempo para matar a Hitler o licántropos de Montpellier, sencillamente nos habla de aquella vez que para celebrar sus 50 años fue a hacer el camino de Santiago ("Era eso o comprarme un Porsche", nos cuenta).
Básicamente se trata de él haciendo un camino de 800 kilómetros, de Francia hasta Finisterre, haciendo grandes esfuerzos para hablar con gente (de pueblo y turistas básicamente) y dándose cuenta de que se ha hecho mayor. Como él mismo nos recuerda, hacer el camino de Santiago no tiene demasiado que ver con aquella película de Martin Sheen: "Nadie da un giro de 180 Grados a su vida en el camino". Para Jason, basta con haberse comunicado y haber conocido a unas cuantas personas, hecho que, atrapados como estamos en la rutina, no se puede hacer todos los días.
June 18, 2021
I think I enjoyed this the most of the books I’ve read by Jason. Just wonderful. Beautiful pacing and the minimalistic art was actually perfect, giving just enough visual clues to have your mind fill in whatever it needed. I definitely give this one a hearty Rickommendation.
(As an aside, I keep reminding myself of all those people who complain about The Lord of the Rings as being nothing put people walking. They should read this book. Seriously.)
(As an aside, I keep reminding myself of all those people who complain about The Lord of the Rings as being nothing put people walking. They should read this book. Seriously.)
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