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The Jam: Urban Adventure #1
The Jam: Urban Adventure
First issue of the Tundra Publishing color reprint of the Slave Labor Graphics series of Bernie Mierault's underground comix/super hero fusion _The_Jam_.
- GenresComics
Published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Bernie Mireault
71 books6 followersBernard Edward Mireault was a French-born Canadian comic book artist and writer.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 27, 2019
I'm using this volume as a placeholder for all of Mireault's _The Jam_ output that I've been able to find. The Jam is the story of Godron Kirby, an athletic, physically capable, underemployed fellow in 80's and 90's Montreal who can't NOT engage when he sees something bad happening. He spends time each night multi-tasking between walking his dog and wearing a modified jogging suit costume to help people on the streets
The tales range from the quotidian arguments with his girlfriend/roommate Janet Ditko to intervening in muggings or family violence to mentoring at risk kids to being the bodyguard to a Sheikh to being the target of emotional terrorism from the Devil, who finds him too darn happy. You open the Jam and you never know what to expect.
Mierault's art is distinctive and effective, with one foot in underground Comix and the other in more mainstream comics style. His line work and composition make it clear why he's seen the success he has collaborating with Matt Wagner and Neil Gaiman. Mierault also lends the back pages of later issues to other Montreal comics folks - sometimes penciling their stories - to give them some exposure.
I'm not sure why I like the Jam as much as I do. I'm not usually a fan of Underground Comix slice of life stories, but Gordon is just so engagingly likable, pushing his way out of bad moods and striving to keep peace and justice in all his relationships, that it's an antidote to the darker world.
The tales range from the quotidian arguments with his girlfriend/roommate Janet Ditko to intervening in muggings or family violence to mentoring at risk kids to being the bodyguard to a Sheikh to being the target of emotional terrorism from the Devil, who finds him too darn happy. You open the Jam and you never know what to expect.
Mierault's art is distinctive and effective, with one foot in underground Comix and the other in more mainstream comics style. His line work and composition make it clear why he's seen the success he has collaborating with Matt Wagner and Neil Gaiman. Mierault also lends the back pages of later issues to other Montreal comics folks - sometimes penciling their stories - to give them some exposure.
I'm not sure why I like the Jam as much as I do. I'm not usually a fan of Underground Comix slice of life stories, but Gordon is just so engagingly likable, pushing his way out of bad moods and striving to keep peace and justice in all his relationships, that it's an antidote to the darker world.
May 26, 2020
This is reviewing The Jam: Urban Adventure #1-14 and the OGN "To Get Her". The Jam has the odd distinction of being self-owned as such published at over 6 different publishers.
The main narrative is the #1-8; before becoming more experimental, more uneven and more creatively forgotten. I think that's the narrative heft that enticed Wagner, Gaiman and Allred. #1-5 is like Kick-Ass meets Harvey Kurtzman with a Book of Job backdrop.
Mireault is the perfect synthesis of mainstream and underground. He's at the watershed days of Watchmen, Maus, Love and Rockets, Mage, Brat Pack with a huge influence of Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Richard Corben, Gilbert Shelton, Robert Crumb, George Herriman, Herge, Moebius with the writing influence of undergound guys like Herriman, Goldberg, Segar.
The themes were lower middle class existence, trying to manage a romantic relationship, relationships with animals and superhero satire.
The main narrative is the #1-8; before becoming more experimental, more uneven and more creatively forgotten. I think that's the narrative heft that enticed Wagner, Gaiman and Allred. #1-5 is like Kick-Ass meets Harvey Kurtzman with a Book of Job backdrop.
Mireault is the perfect synthesis of mainstream and underground. He's at the watershed days of Watchmen, Maus, Love and Rockets, Mage, Brat Pack with a huge influence of Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Richard Corben, Gilbert Shelton, Robert Crumb, George Herriman, Herge, Moebius with the writing influence of undergound guys like Herriman, Goldberg, Segar.
The themes were lower middle class existence, trying to manage a romantic relationship, relationships with animals and superhero satire.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews