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O Josephine
Hilariously deadpan cartoonist Jason returns with four new short stories. O Josephine! features four new graphic short stories crafted with Jason’s signature dry wit, deadpan humor, and elegantly minimalist style. The artist takes a meditative walk along the picturesque Wicklow Way in the Irish countryside. A paean to the life of the inimitable Leonard Cohen, with a few liberties taken. Two private detectives tailing a seemingly ordinary couple soon find themselves caught up in their own personal dramas. And it’s love at first sight in the whirlwind romance of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker! Full-color illustrations throughout.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2019
2 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Jason
115 books706 followersJohn Arne Sæterøy, better known by the pen name Jason, is an internationally acclaimed Norwegian cartoonist. Jason's comics are known for their distinctive, stone-faced anthropomorphic characters as well as their pace reminiscent of classic films.
Jason was born in 1965 and debuted in the early 80's, when still a teenager, in the Norwegian comics magazine 'KonK'. His first graphic novel Pocket Full of Rain (1995) won the Sproing Award, one of the main national awards for cartoonist.
In 2001 Jason started a fruitful collaboration with the American publisher Fantagraphics, which helped him gain international notoriety. Besides Norway and the U.S., his comics have appeared in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil.
Jason's stories feature a peculiar mix of dry humour, surrealism and tropes from a variety of pulp genres, such as noir novels and monster movies. His most celebrated works include: Hey, Wait... (2001), a tale of childhood and trauma; You Can't Get There from Here (2004), a re-telling of the myth of Frankenstein; The Left Bank Gang (2007), featuring fictional versions of Hemingway and other writers living in Paris in the 1920s; I Killed Adolf Hitler (2008), a story that mixes romance and time travel; The Last Musketeer (2009), a love letter to old sci-fi imaginary featuring king's musketeer Athos; Low Moon (2010), one of his many collections of short stories; Werewolves of Montpellier (2010); Isle of 100,000 Graves (2011), a pirate story co-written with French cartoonist Fabien Vehlmann; Lost Cat (2013), a thriller with a surreal spin.
Jason won a Harvey Award for best new talent in 2002 and Eisner Awards in the category 'Best U.S. Edition of International Material' for three consecutive years (2007-2009).
He has lived in Denmark, Belgium, the U.S., eventually setting for Montpellier, France in 2007.
Jason was born in 1965 and debuted in the early 80's, when still a teenager, in the Norwegian comics magazine 'KonK'. His first graphic novel Pocket Full of Rain (1995) won the Sproing Award, one of the main national awards for cartoonist.
In 2001 Jason started a fruitful collaboration with the American publisher Fantagraphics, which helped him gain international notoriety. Besides Norway and the U.S., his comics have appeared in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil.
Jason's stories feature a peculiar mix of dry humour, surrealism and tropes from a variety of pulp genres, such as noir novels and monster movies. His most celebrated works include: Hey, Wait... (2001), a tale of childhood and trauma; You Can't Get There from Here (2004), a re-telling of the myth of Frankenstein; The Left Bank Gang (2007), featuring fictional versions of Hemingway and other writers living in Paris in the 1920s; I Killed Adolf Hitler (2008), a story that mixes romance and time travel; The Last Musketeer (2009), a love letter to old sci-fi imaginary featuring king's musketeer Athos; Low Moon (2010), one of his many collections of short stories; Werewolves of Montpellier (2010); Isle of 100,000 Graves (2011), a pirate story co-written with French cartoonist Fabien Vehlmann; Lost Cat (2013), a thriller with a surreal spin.
Jason won a Harvey Award for best new talent in 2002 and Eisner Awards in the category 'Best U.S. Edition of International Material' for three consecutive years (2007-2009).
He has lived in Denmark, Belgium, the U.S., eventually setting for Montpellier, France in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 9, 2019
Four shorts make up Jason’s latest book, O Josephine!, most of which I really enjoyed.
The Wicklow Way is a kind of companion piece to his last book, On the Camino, where Jason this time hikes the titular walk in Ireland. As a fellow hiker, I found myself relating to a lot of the scenes: the relief at seeing a sign telling you you’re on the right path (it IS like hi-fiving a friend!) and the sinking terror of realising you’ve been walking for miles in the wrong direction!
One of my criticisms of On the Camino was that it was too little material for too many pages (nearly 200) whereas The Wicklow Way is a much tighter and more compelling read at 49 pages. The pacing is snappier, there’s little fat to bog it down and, despite Jason’s minimalist art style, you got a good sense of Ireland’s rural beauty. This nonfiction piece was my favourite of the four shorts.
L. Cohen: A Life sounds like more nonfiction – and maybe some of it is; I don’t know Leonard Cohen’s biography at all! – though it definitely verges into daffy fiction towards the end. Did he really get into so many fights with other famous people? It’s interesting and funny nonetheless – my second favourite.
The Diamonds was the only one that went over my head. It’s a confusing family drama with meta crime elements – not boring, just unnecessarily convoluted and vague.
O Josephine! is classic Jason: an anachronistic story of Napoleon Bonaparte and his former lover Josephine who feud for years (centuries?) over an ornament. It’s wacky (why Napoleon??), mixing in real-life historical elements with the kind of scenes you’d expect to see in a Mission Impossible movie. That said, it’s not great and, even in this format, the material felt a bit stretched - but I didn’t dislike it either.
Overall, Jason fans won’t be disappointed with his latest collection – O Jason, you are a great cartoonist, sir!
The Wicklow Way is a kind of companion piece to his last book, On the Camino, where Jason this time hikes the titular walk in Ireland. As a fellow hiker, I found myself relating to a lot of the scenes: the relief at seeing a sign telling you you’re on the right path (it IS like hi-fiving a friend!) and the sinking terror of realising you’ve been walking for miles in the wrong direction!
One of my criticisms of On the Camino was that it was too little material for too many pages (nearly 200) whereas The Wicklow Way is a much tighter and more compelling read at 49 pages. The pacing is snappier, there’s little fat to bog it down and, despite Jason’s minimalist art style, you got a good sense of Ireland’s rural beauty. This nonfiction piece was my favourite of the four shorts.
L. Cohen: A Life sounds like more nonfiction – and maybe some of it is; I don’t know Leonard Cohen’s biography at all! – though it definitely verges into daffy fiction towards the end. Did he really get into so many fights with other famous people? It’s interesting and funny nonetheless – my second favourite.
The Diamonds was the only one that went over my head. It’s a confusing family drama with meta crime elements – not boring, just unnecessarily convoluted and vague.
O Josephine! is classic Jason: an anachronistic story of Napoleon Bonaparte and his former lover Josephine who feud for years (centuries?) over an ornament. It’s wacky (why Napoleon??), mixing in real-life historical elements with the kind of scenes you’d expect to see in a Mission Impossible movie. That said, it’s not great and, even in this format, the material felt a bit stretched - but I didn’t dislike it either.
Overall, Jason fans won’t be disappointed with his latest collection – O Jason, you are a great cartoonist, sir!
September 18, 2019
O Josephine is the latest collection of short stories by the Norwegian Comics master Jason.
From the bio page:
”Under the North Sky will be born a man who willl tell strange tales in words and images. He will be known by one name where he goes and confusion will rule the land”—Nostradamus
A new book by Jason should be attended by the honking of horns and odd references to old movies and sixties pop music and silly jokes. Because that is what he is into. And he’s into exploring the possibilities of cartooning, providing a master-class in minimalist storytelling and understated humor. I dropped everything to read it in one sitting yesterday.
There’s four stories; the first, autobiographical, like On the Camino, his book about hiking the Camino Real, is about hiking a trail in Ireland, “The Wicklow Way.” As with Camino, almost nothing happens, there are no remarkable insights. It’s so low-key and minimalist and it’s imo way amusing. Jason is kind of an anti-travel writer, an ironic one.
The second story, “L. Cohen: A Life,” is a mock biography of Leonard Cohen, with some facts mixed in with some funny made-up stuff (such as, the first draft of Cohen’s book, Let Us Compare Mythologies was certainly not Let Us Compare Cake Recipes!).
“The Diamonds” might be described as the most experimental, as he mainly just messes around with narrative here. Plot coherence may not be a goal here at all. Some of it would seem to be anti-narrative. Very strange. (Which means no, I didn’t “get” it, but I am okay with that; I think he is just messing with us).
The last story, “O Josephine,” is a bizarre alternative history account of a love affair between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker, just for fun, really, not to make some kind of deep commentary about either of them.
I see the early rating is low for this book, maybe (as he admits in his bio) because he knows it might be confusing for most readers, because it is really just a series of sort of post-modern narrative experiments, but I am a fan of Jason and he can rewrite the phone book as far as I am concerned, I love the guy’s work. He uses anthro-pomorphic animals to tell his story with a sweet and deceptively simple style.
From the bio page:
”Under the North Sky will be born a man who willl tell strange tales in words and images. He will be known by one name where he goes and confusion will rule the land”—Nostradamus
A new book by Jason should be attended by the honking of horns and odd references to old movies and sixties pop music and silly jokes. Because that is what he is into. And he’s into exploring the possibilities of cartooning, providing a master-class in minimalist storytelling and understated humor. I dropped everything to read it in one sitting yesterday.
There’s four stories; the first, autobiographical, like On the Camino, his book about hiking the Camino Real, is about hiking a trail in Ireland, “The Wicklow Way.” As with Camino, almost nothing happens, there are no remarkable insights. It’s so low-key and minimalist and it’s imo way amusing. Jason is kind of an anti-travel writer, an ironic one.
The second story, “L. Cohen: A Life,” is a mock biography of Leonard Cohen, with some facts mixed in with some funny made-up stuff (such as, the first draft of Cohen’s book, Let Us Compare Mythologies was certainly not Let Us Compare Cake Recipes!).
“The Diamonds” might be described as the most experimental, as he mainly just messes around with narrative here. Plot coherence may not be a goal here at all. Some of it would seem to be anti-narrative. Very strange. (Which means no, I didn’t “get” it, but I am okay with that; I think he is just messing with us).
The last story, “O Josephine,” is a bizarre alternative history account of a love affair between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker, just for fun, really, not to make some kind of deep commentary about either of them.
I see the early rating is low for this book, maybe (as he admits in his bio) because he knows it might be confusing for most readers, because it is really just a series of sort of post-modern narrative experiments, but I am a fan of Jason and he can rewrite the phone book as far as I am concerned, I love the guy’s work. He uses anthro-pomorphic animals to tell his story with a sweet and deceptively simple style.
November 7, 2023
Wander with Jason as he takes you places that seem familiar - until you look a little closer and take the time to 'marinate' in what he is cooking up! I really like what I call '360 books' - books that spin you around in a direction you would never have found yourself! Jason always can be counted on to do that for me!
July 11, 2019
I used to love Jason's work. Whether it was the charmingly plotted I Killed Adolf Hitler, or the work collected in Almost Silent, I spent years enamored with the philosophical and intriguing characters he wrote about it. I still enjoy his use of cartoon animals in place of people, but his recent work hasn't engaged me.
I was excited to check out this book, but the first story, "The Wicklow Way" is about a Norwegain tourist (presumably Jason, himself) following one of Ireland's most famous walking trails. To call the story tedious is to give it more credit than it's due. The most memorable moment is when the main character is chastised by a bartender for drinking some Guinness before he's done pouring it. It's not a funny moment. It might warrant a shrug, but even that seems like exerting more energy than this story is worth.
His Leonard Cohen piece serves as a slightly exaggerated (but not enough to be funny or absurd) Wikipedia summation of Leonard Cohen's career. It's sort of an alternate universe take, wherein he eventually takes over for Bono in U2. He definitely used ink to create this story.
I lost interest in the third story, "The Diamonds" pretty quickly. It's a jagged narrative take on Hitchcock's "Rear Window". I might have given it more of a chance, if I'd enjoyed the first two stories, but as soon as it bored me, I flipped to the final story.
The eponymous finale, "O Josephine" is, like "The Diamonds" excruciating to read. It's the highlight reel of a dull, cliched story. It reads the way a British 1980s romance that takes place in America watches. One of those insufferably long movies where nothing happens for twenty minutes, and then someone gets slapped with a glove for cheating on someone. Jason's story is as if you'd clipped out every second where the characters weren't speaking about the plot, so you at least get the three hour movie overwith in ten minutes. But it's not a satisfying ten minutes. It's still a bad movie, just not as long.
If you're a hardcore Jason fan, you might still enjoy it, but for me this was a major disappointment.
I was excited to check out this book, but the first story, "The Wicklow Way" is about a Norwegain tourist (presumably Jason, himself) following one of Ireland's most famous walking trails. To call the story tedious is to give it more credit than it's due. The most memorable moment is when the main character is chastised by a bartender for drinking some Guinness before he's done pouring it. It's not a funny moment. It might warrant a shrug, but even that seems like exerting more energy than this story is worth.
His Leonard Cohen piece serves as a slightly exaggerated (but not enough to be funny or absurd) Wikipedia summation of Leonard Cohen's career. It's sort of an alternate universe take, wherein he eventually takes over for Bono in U2. He definitely used ink to create this story.
I lost interest in the third story, "The Diamonds" pretty quickly. It's a jagged narrative take on Hitchcock's "Rear Window". I might have given it more of a chance, if I'd enjoyed the first two stories, but as soon as it bored me, I flipped to the final story.
The eponymous finale, "O Josephine" is, like "The Diamonds" excruciating to read. It's the highlight reel of a dull, cliched story. It reads the way a British 1980s romance that takes place in America watches. One of those insufferably long movies where nothing happens for twenty minutes, and then someone gets slapped with a glove for cheating on someone. Jason's story is as if you'd clipped out every second where the characters weren't speaking about the plot, so you at least get the three hour movie overwith in ten minutes. But it's not a satisfying ten minutes. It's still a bad movie, just not as long.
If you're a hardcore Jason fan, you might still enjoy it, but for me this was a major disappointment.
November 22, 2023
I think i will probably always like Jason's books. There's just something right about them to me, even the allegedly nothing stories like "The Wicklow Way." I often really like writers who create things i wish i could've created but nothing by Jason is remotely familiar to me and still i'm drawn to them. Either i "get" him or he "gets" me. That's why i will look at and listen to his plain narrative of another long, solo excursion.
Of the stories in this collection, "The Diamonds" is my favorite. Jason introduces me to people and relationships i wouldn't/couldn't otherwise ever experience and he ties them together in ways i'd never imagine. The sensation is unique but somewhat disturbing yet enjoyable.
And then there are the two bizarre cryptobiographies of L. Cohen and Napoleon & Josephine. More mental ticklishness.
Finally -- and this would require several careful rereads to confirm but -- i noticed enough visual and linguistic interconnections to infer that Jason wants us to think of this book as a 4-chapter novel.
Of the stories in this collection, "The Diamonds" is my favorite. Jason introduces me to people and relationships i wouldn't/couldn't otherwise ever experience and he ties them together in ways i'd never imagine. The sensation is unique but somewhat disturbing yet enjoyable.
And then there are the two bizarre cryptobiographies of L. Cohen and Napoleon & Josephine. More mental ticklishness.
Finally -- and this would require several careful rereads to confirm but -- i noticed enough visual and linguistic interconnections to infer that Jason wants us to think of this book as a 4-chapter novel.
July 10, 2019
While maybe not one of Jason's better works, this short story collection remains a solid addition to his catalog.
The opener, featuring Jason himself walking the Wicklow Way is another wry, dry Jason winner. "L. Cohen: A Life" might've been better (or worse) if I knew anything about Cohen, but I still appreciated its parody and cultural absurdity. "The Diamonds" is another experiment in genre storytelling, cutting away just too much of the story to be clear, allowing readers to make their own conclusions. It's the one I'm most likely to revisit and play mental games with. The title story was my least favorite - the humor didn't quite work and the weird universe-twisting quality of his best stories didn't really come through as originally.
The opener, featuring Jason himself walking the Wicklow Way is another wry, dry Jason winner. "L. Cohen: A Life" might've been better (or worse) if I knew anything about Cohen, but I still appreciated its parody and cultural absurdity. "The Diamonds" is another experiment in genre storytelling, cutting away just too much of the story to be clear, allowing readers to make their own conclusions. It's the one I'm most likely to revisit and play mental games with. The title story was my least favorite - the humor didn't quite work and the weird universe-twisting quality of his best stories didn't really come through as originally.
June 7, 2020
If you come expecting more like Camino you'll like a quarter of the book but if the rest is only slightly stranger than some of Jason's other, more esoteric works. A fun volume. Unmistakably Jason.
June 14, 2019
The artwork is the usual Jason, but the stories are a bit meh except for the one about Leonard Cohen.
September 1, 2020
Hace años que no volvía a Jason. Sigue con sus piezas de puzzle tímidas y cinematográficas. Oh Josefina! es probablemente la mejor, aunque se sigue quedando un poco corto. Pese a que el mundo de Jason siempre me cause tremenda y admirada simpatía, cada día lo encuentro más desnudo. Quizás es que todos me recuerdan a No me dejes nunca, pero dejándonos antes que esa gran obra.
November 4, 2019
At first I wasn't sure what to make of this strange little collection of stories, but the more I let go of narrative expectations, I really appreciated Jason's minimalist style and offbeat sense of humor. "L. Cohen: A Life" was my personal favorite.
November 24, 2024
I can always be relied upon to fangirl about Jason, which is not to say that he can't be relied upon to always merit it. But he's not for everyone, true enough. He can be confusing, and some might even accuse him of saying nothing... But anyone with an appreciation for subtext, dry humour and quiet stories will love these four short stories. And this book is much better than his previous On the Camino, a bit of a drag with too little content.
The Wicklow Way: Nonfiction, based on a trail in Ireland. As someone who doesn't care much about hiking, this took some time for me to like, yet I enjoyed it as a no-frills travelogue that doesn't gloss over the mishaps but rather pokes fun at them.
L. Cohen: A Life: Also took some getting in to because I'm not a Leonard Cohen fan, unless you count 'Hallelujah' (and who doesn't count that). He was before my time… But I was surprised by the end of it; I became intrigued with the subject's life. And I was amused by Jason's whimsy mixed in with the facts in a most convincing way. I'd have believed everything if I didn't catch that Nobel Prize bit! What does that say about poor gullible me!
The Diamonds: I really liked this one! It's like a humour-and-mystery spin on a James Salter story; there's family drama and plain lives with a hint of the sordid, plus machinations in the background that get messy for all involved. A fun read for anyone who enjoys a story that's less than straightforward; this one calls for some work on your part.
O Josephine!: So, when I saw this book's title, I laughed aloud because I was reminded of the Joséphine bande dessinées by Pénélope Bagieu, which, though enjoyable in their own way, are the furthest thing imaginable from a Jason comic. The story at hand is an imagined affair between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker, spanning a few decades, and including some hijinks out of a bad late 90s movie like 'Entrapment'. It's an endearing little dramedy that makes Jason a great read on a rainy Sunday morning.
The Wicklow Way: Nonfiction, based on a trail in Ireland. As someone who doesn't care much about hiking, this took some time for me to like, yet I enjoyed it as a no-frills travelogue that doesn't gloss over the mishaps but rather pokes fun at them.
L. Cohen: A Life: Also took some getting in to because I'm not a Leonard Cohen fan, unless you count 'Hallelujah' (and who doesn't count that). He was before my time… But I was surprised by the end of it; I became intrigued with the subject's life. And I was amused by Jason's whimsy mixed in with the facts in a most convincing way. I'd have believed everything if I didn't catch that Nobel Prize bit! What does that say about poor gullible me!
The Diamonds: I really liked this one! It's like a humour-and-mystery spin on a James Salter story; there's family drama and plain lives with a hint of the sordid, plus machinations in the background that get messy for all involved. A fun read for anyone who enjoys a story that's less than straightforward; this one calls for some work on your part.
O Josephine!: So, when I saw this book's title, I laughed aloud because I was reminded of the Joséphine bande dessinées by Pénélope Bagieu, which, though enjoyable in their own way, are the furthest thing imaginable from a Jason comic. The story at hand is an imagined affair between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker, spanning a few decades, and including some hijinks out of a bad late 90s movie like 'Entrapment'. It's an endearing little dramedy that makes Jason a great read on a rainy Sunday morning.
September 23, 2019
What the **** is this ****
September 1, 2020
Een vreemde collectie korte verhalen, op onconventionele wijze verteld, vol zijsporen, onlogische ontwikkelingen en motivatieloze handelingen. Het hoofdverhaal over Napoleon is zonder twijfel het mooiste, vol grappige zinnen en soap-achtige dialogen. Ook het wandelreisverslag in Ierland werkt goed, al was het maar omdat veel observaties zeer herkenbaar zijn voor een prutser-wandelaar als ik ben.
Maar echt echt beklijven doet het allemaal niet. Daarvoor blijft Jason te ironisch en afstandelijk, zowel in woord als in beeld. Jammer, want de combinatie van sterke zinnen, verrassende gebeurtenissen, kernachtige tekeningen en opmerkelijke personages leent zich prima voor meer impact.
Maar echt echt beklijven doet het allemaal niet. Daarvoor blijft Jason te ironisch en afstandelijk, zowel in woord als in beeld. Jammer, want de combinatie van sterke zinnen, verrassende gebeurtenissen, kernachtige tekeningen en opmerkelijke personages leent zich prima voor meer impact.
August 24, 2020
Weirdly enough, I can only compare Jason to artists whos work I have complete disdain for—i.e. works with temporal elements like Charlie Kaufman, plays with genre like Italo Calvino, etc. so why am I always enamored with his work? Who knows?
Norwiegen born graphic novelist, John Arne Sæterøy (who goes by the pen name Jason) does sort of comic book short story collections (?). All his stuff is very simple and stark. Presented in an emotionless and, I guess, objective way. As I said before he plays with genre in a very ironic and low key way. I guess it evokes some of Jarmusch's more Genre heavy stuff like Ghost Dog or Only Lovers Left Alive (hey, a comp from someone I like, the exception to the rule I guess). Much like Ghost Dog, his stuff can be violent, depressing, sick and hilarious while always maintaining a slow, even, mundane pace. He has a very unique vision that, even when it flops, almost always has something to offer me.
This book has four stories in it. The first, is a fairly different direction from Jason as he venture into, I assume, memoir territory. The story left no big impression on me but I found it cute and his off kilter storytelling made great headway for a travelogue.
The next story L Cohen: A Life seems to be a testament to the, then, recently diseased Leonard Cohen. It's funny. It exaggerates some of ol' Lenny's life story to make him get into wacky situations, like getting into fistfights with Ernest Hemingway, or having his songs be used as the soundtrack for a porno film. It's all very funny. I enjoyed it and my sides??? well... let's say that they were split! Also the ending leaves us with a really evocative image that really reflects on how much an artist can affect us personally and what it means when we lose someone we felt so close to through their art. It's a very nice last page and ending, especially since I have issues with a good number Jason's endings, one of which is exemplified in the next story, The Diamonds—I did a really great transition back there. If there is one thing I learned how to do well in university it's transitioning my ideas in a very smooth way, like butter slathered in oil.
The Diamonds is a very byzantine crime story about a sting, infidelity, parenthood and god knows how much more. It was very confusing at times but definitely kept me on the edge as tension built. But then the story just kind of stops and I didn't really feel much satisfaction. Jason has a great talent for ripping out the rug from under the reader at the end of his stories but not following through to give us something to reflect on. I reread the story so I could understand what Jason was trying to go for but I could not, for the life of me, see it. I mostly felt disappointed because the story was so well paced but did not deliver in the end. Perhaps it could have been better as a full graphic novel rather than a short story. Who knows.
I have no transition to the final and title story O Josephine. Wait let me think of one. Ummmm... Speaking of stories that are better, the best story in this foursome goes to O Josephine. Easily the most bizarre of the bunch. I have a really hard time explaining what it's about so I reccomend that you just read the story because it is very good and I think you will be entertained by it so it is not a chore to read. Also it's a short story comic book with four panels a page, you could finish it in half an hour. However, to give you my best summary, it starts with a romance between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker and then slowly becomes a multigenerational feud of ego, forbidden romance, thievery, and espionage. It's a wild ride. Jason does his classic jarring flash fowards—where he'll just flash forward like fifty years in between two panels—and it works great for this story. There are so many twists and turns and it all has such a beautifully told reflection on ego, especially as it pertains to our image and what we see of Napoleon. I dunno. His stuff is fairly cryptic so I feel like I have to do some legwork to get meaning out of it.
So why do I like his stuff when it reminds me of the stuff I don't like was the quetstion I proposed at the begginign of this book review and then refused to answer. I dunno I only listed two things so I doubt that it's a trend. I also needed a good hook for the beginning of this and I guess that worked. Sorry for wasting your time :(
I reccomedn you pick up a comic my mr. Jason. He's great! I wouldn't recommend this one as a first. Try reading Athos in America or maybe even one of his full graphic novels like I Killed Adolf Hitler. I dunno. Alex out. That's what I'm going to say at the end of my goodreads reviews from now on. Alex out.
Norwiegen born graphic novelist, John Arne Sæterøy (who goes by the pen name Jason) does sort of comic book short story collections (?). All his stuff is very simple and stark. Presented in an emotionless and, I guess, objective way. As I said before he plays with genre in a very ironic and low key way. I guess it evokes some of Jarmusch's more Genre heavy stuff like Ghost Dog or Only Lovers Left Alive (hey, a comp from someone I like, the exception to the rule I guess). Much like Ghost Dog, his stuff can be violent, depressing, sick and hilarious while always maintaining a slow, even, mundane pace. He has a very unique vision that, even when it flops, almost always has something to offer me.
This book has four stories in it. The first, is a fairly different direction from Jason as he venture into, I assume, memoir territory. The story left no big impression on me but I found it cute and his off kilter storytelling made great headway for a travelogue.
The next story L Cohen: A Life seems to be a testament to the, then, recently diseased Leonard Cohen. It's funny. It exaggerates some of ol' Lenny's life story to make him get into wacky situations, like getting into fistfights with Ernest Hemingway, or having his songs be used as the soundtrack for a porno film. It's all very funny. I enjoyed it and my sides??? well... let's say that they were split! Also the ending leaves us with a really evocative image that really reflects on how much an artist can affect us personally and what it means when we lose someone we felt so close to through their art. It's a very nice last page and ending, especially since I have issues with a good number Jason's endings, one of which is exemplified in the next story, The Diamonds—I did a really great transition back there. If there is one thing I learned how to do well in university it's transitioning my ideas in a very smooth way, like butter slathered in oil.
The Diamonds is a very byzantine crime story about a sting, infidelity, parenthood and god knows how much more. It was very confusing at times but definitely kept me on the edge as tension built. But then the story just kind of stops and I didn't really feel much satisfaction. Jason has a great talent for ripping out the rug from under the reader at the end of his stories but not following through to give us something to reflect on. I reread the story so I could understand what Jason was trying to go for but I could not, for the life of me, see it. I mostly felt disappointed because the story was so well paced but did not deliver in the end. Perhaps it could have been better as a full graphic novel rather than a short story. Who knows.
I have no transition to the final and title story O Josephine. Wait let me think of one. Ummmm... Speaking of stories that are better, the best story in this foursome goes to O Josephine. Easily the most bizarre of the bunch. I have a really hard time explaining what it's about so I reccomend that you just read the story because it is very good and I think you will be entertained by it so it is not a chore to read. Also it's a short story comic book with four panels a page, you could finish it in half an hour. However, to give you my best summary, it starts with a romance between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker and then slowly becomes a multigenerational feud of ego, forbidden romance, thievery, and espionage. It's a wild ride. Jason does his classic jarring flash fowards—where he'll just flash forward like fifty years in between two panels—and it works great for this story. There are so many twists and turns and it all has such a beautifully told reflection on ego, especially as it pertains to our image and what we see of Napoleon. I dunno. His stuff is fairly cryptic so I feel like I have to do some legwork to get meaning out of it.
So why do I like his stuff when it reminds me of the stuff I don't like was the quetstion I proposed at the begginign of this book review and then refused to answer. I dunno I only listed two things so I doubt that it's a trend. I also needed a good hook for the beginning of this and I guess that worked. Sorry for wasting your time :(
I reccomedn you pick up a comic my mr. Jason. He's great! I wouldn't recommend this one as a first. Try reading Athos in America or maybe even one of his full graphic novels like I Killed Adolf Hitler. I dunno. Alex out. That's what I'm going to say at the end of my goodreads reviews from now on. Alex out.
June 8, 2019
This collection of stories was an enjoyable read - as I’ve liked Jason’s work and enjoy his ability to use simplicity to create an emotional tone in his stories.
The stories seem to move from a fairly straight-forward travelogue to more abstract stories where there is a lot that the reader has to fill in between panels. Sometimes those gaps are narrow - but often they are very wide and you have to really exercise creativity to bridge what may or may not be missing.
This is probably what I like best about Jason’s work - it’s not just given - it’s involving.
The stories seem to move from a fairly straight-forward travelogue to more abstract stories where there is a lot that the reader has to fill in between panels. Sometimes those gaps are narrow - but often they are very wide and you have to really exercise creativity to bridge what may or may not be missing.
This is probably what I like best about Jason’s work - it’s not just given - it’s involving.
November 23, 2019
Jason's O Josephine! is an odd, surreal collection of stories. They are quirky and fun, though a couple rely heavily on a mixture of absurdity and gallow's humor, which may not be to everyone's taste.
The first story comes across as somewhat autobiographical, but I can't really say. It's about someone taking a long walk in Ireland. It had its funny and odd moments.
The second is a surreal biography of Leonard Cohen with a funny mixture of true and false facts about his life.
The third is twisty.
The fourth is similar to the Cohen story but told in a more narrative format, and this time the subjects are Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker. It appears to be set in the early 1800s, early 1900s, and modern times all in the same story.
All in all, I think I like Jason's style. This is my first exposure to him, and it makes me want to check out more of his stuff. I need more Norwegian in my life.
Slightly better than just liking it, so I give it a 4 out of five.
The first story comes across as somewhat autobiographical, but I can't really say. It's about someone taking a long walk in Ireland. It had its funny and odd moments.
The second is a surreal biography of Leonard Cohen with a funny mixture of true and false facts about his life.
The third is twisty.
The fourth is similar to the Cohen story but told in a more narrative format, and this time the subjects are Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker. It appears to be set in the early 1800s, early 1900s, and modern times all in the same story.
All in all, I think I like Jason's style. This is my first exposure to him, and it makes me want to check out more of his stuff. I need more Norwegian in my life.
Slightly better than just liking it, so I give it a 4 out of five.
August 8, 2020
El más reciente libro de Jason, con el cual ya puedo decir que he leído su obra completa (al menos lo publicado en inglés). Este libro nos presenta cuatro relatos, lo cual se siente como poco tras los once incluídos en If You Steal. Y el tono es distinto al que generalmente usa, podemos ver que su voz está cambiando conforme continúa madurando.
The Wicklow Way sigue la pauta de su libro anterior, On the Camino, en el cual Jason habla de manera autobiográfica por su nueva vocación como peregrino/caminante, plasmando sus pensamientos, desventuras y reflexiones mientras hace largas caminatas. Su imaginación ocurrente y su arte de línea clara, cada vez más enfocado en retratar paisajes de una forma naturalista, hacen de este relato una pieza entretenida y contemplativa a la vez.
L. Cohen: A Life es una biografía libre sobre el músico canadiense, interpretando y reinterpretando ciertos aspectos de su vida, a veces literalmente, otras con tintes de surrealismo y de historia alternativa. Divertido e intrigante, pues de inmediato dan ganas de averiguar de dónde proceden las falsedades que Jason inventa para aderezar el recuento de una vida de por sí llena de cultura y relevancia.
The Diamonds es una historia un tanto experimental en cuanto a que no nos presenta una conclusión. Pero más que tener un final abierto, las distintas historias entrelazadas se quedan en suspenso. De esta manera, queda manifiesto que lo importante aquí no es la historia o las consecuencias que podamos imaginar tras los sucesos mostrados, sino la naturaleza de las relaciones entre padres e hijos.
El libro cierra con el relato titular, en el que Napoleón Bonaparte conoce a Josephine Baker y, tras un tórrido romance, se enfrascan en un pleito de décadas que llega hasta la actualidad y tiene consecuencias trágicas para sus hijos. Jugando no solo con los obvios anacronismos, este cuento va más allá de la historia alternativa para plantear una interacción entre egos excepcionales y corazones despechados.
Las tres historias de ficción tienen algunos elementos compartidos que vinculan una con otra mediante pequeños detalles visuales. Si bien retiene el humor y la ironía propios del estilo de este autor, se nota una transición hacia una etapa de mayor madurez. Ahora sólo resta esperar a que publique su siguiente libro, para averiguar a dónde lo llevarán estos cambios estilísticos.
The Wicklow Way sigue la pauta de su libro anterior, On the Camino, en el cual Jason habla de manera autobiográfica por su nueva vocación como peregrino/caminante, plasmando sus pensamientos, desventuras y reflexiones mientras hace largas caminatas. Su imaginación ocurrente y su arte de línea clara, cada vez más enfocado en retratar paisajes de una forma naturalista, hacen de este relato una pieza entretenida y contemplativa a la vez.
L. Cohen: A Life es una biografía libre sobre el músico canadiense, interpretando y reinterpretando ciertos aspectos de su vida, a veces literalmente, otras con tintes de surrealismo y de historia alternativa. Divertido e intrigante, pues de inmediato dan ganas de averiguar de dónde proceden las falsedades que Jason inventa para aderezar el recuento de una vida de por sí llena de cultura y relevancia.
The Diamonds es una historia un tanto experimental en cuanto a que no nos presenta una conclusión. Pero más que tener un final abierto, las distintas historias entrelazadas se quedan en suspenso. De esta manera, queda manifiesto que lo importante aquí no es la historia o las consecuencias que podamos imaginar tras los sucesos mostrados, sino la naturaleza de las relaciones entre padres e hijos.
El libro cierra con el relato titular, en el que Napoleón Bonaparte conoce a Josephine Baker y, tras un tórrido romance, se enfrascan en un pleito de décadas que llega hasta la actualidad y tiene consecuencias trágicas para sus hijos. Jugando no solo con los obvios anacronismos, este cuento va más allá de la historia alternativa para plantear una interacción entre egos excepcionales y corazones despechados.
Las tres historias de ficción tienen algunos elementos compartidos que vinculan una con otra mediante pequeños detalles visuales. Si bien retiene el humor y la ironía propios del estilo de este autor, se nota una transición hacia una etapa de mayor madurez. Ahora sólo resta esperar a que publique su siguiente libro, para averiguar a dónde lo llevarán estos cambios estilísticos.
April 22, 2020
Po ocenach spodziewałem się czegoś o wiele słabszego, tymczasem z czterech zamieszczonych tu opowieści trzy trzymają świetny poziom, a jedna wprawia w zakłopotanie, co ostatecznie też może być zaletą. Po kolei, najpierw swoista kontynuacja "On the Camino", relacja z wyprawy (tym razem Irlandia) snująca się własnym tempem dostosowanym do tematyki i przetykana tak cenionym przeze mnie jasonowym humorem. Potem świetny hołd dla Cohena złożony z okruchów jego biografii oraz nieraz bardzo zabawnych zmyśleń. Co jest prawdą, a co konfabulacją? To zadanie do odrobienia przez czytelnika. Później najmniej oczywista rzecz tutaj, typowy dla Jasona ciąg zdarzeń związanych z kryminalną inrygą, którą trzeba sobie samemu w głowie poukładać, ale tym razem bez logicznego rozwiązania. Kończysz i raczej nie wiesz o co chodzi. Eksperyment? Ćwieczenie? Gra z odbiorcą? Na koniec kapitalna historia o kiełkującym związku Napoleona i Josephine Baker oraz do czego to doprowadziło - jest naprawdę osobliwie.
Być może nie najlepszy, ale kolejny bardzo dobry zbiór historii jednego z moich ulubionych twórców.
Być może nie najlepszy, ale kolejny bardzo dobry zbiór historii jednego z moich ulubionych twórców.
October 25, 2021
I met Jason by his earlier works , so seeing his work in black and white or only in two colors felt weird to me. I know that is his original style but to me it felt unfinished. Regardless i did enjoy this book. There is something whimsical about the Wicklock way, i looked up pictures of the real place and was left speechless. The story really me want to walk in nature for a long period.
The Bonaparte one, was classic Jason and got lots of laugh out of me. The other stories werent that strong but i did enjoy them. I dont know who i could recommend this too but if you are a Jason fan, is definetly worth checking out.
The Bonaparte one, was classic Jason and got lots of laugh out of me. The other stories werent that strong but i did enjoy them. I dont know who i could recommend this too but if you are a Jason fan, is definetly worth checking out.
June 15, 2019
As usual, Jason's works are perfectly brief. Not too long to be drawn out but not too short to leave you wanting. His use of historical figures is always wonderful and absurd ( Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Baker here). His first story about walking the Wicklow Way in Ireland makes me want to return to the country. Honestly, probably the best comic I've read this year outside of Michael DeForge's work.
November 18, 2019
Strange and weirdly (but only slightly) affecting stories told with blank-eyed, flat featured animal faced characters. It was difficult to keep the characters straight at times and the stories don’t really tell stories but provide glimpses (sometimes intimate) into the characters’ lives, which allows the reader to see, understand, maybe even feel their emotions even if he or she doesn’t really care much about those same characters.
June 28, 2022
"Å, Josephine!" av Jason byr på fire forskjellige tegneserier. I "The Wicklow Way" møter vi igjen forfatteren på pilegrimstur, denne gangen i Irland. "L. Cohen: Et liv" er en alternativ biografi om Leonard Cohen, morsom. I "Diamantene" møter vi to detektiver som strever med sitt. I tittelfortellingen «Å, Josephine!» forteller Jason den lettere anakronistiske historien om den tragiske kjærligheten mellom Napoleon Bonaparte og Josephine Baker, festlig!
January 26, 2025
Four stories: first, another walking journey reminiscent of Jason's previous book, this time in Ireland. I really liked that one. Next is a deliberately imprecise summary of Leonard Cohen's life, likely inspired by his passing around this time. It's mildly amusing. The last two stories are fine but don’t become particularly engaging. Jason sometimes walks a fine line between intricate and confusing, and when it’s unclear what’s happening, the result can feel a bit disengaging.
February 5, 2020
Jason's drawing and the sense of presence are genius as always but the storyline is not sharp and penetrating as usual. Need to reread though.
-- The Wicklow Way. On the Camino light version: the rain and loneliness.
-- Leonard Cohen: I'm a fan of L.Cohen's songs but not of his persona, so it's a miss for me.
-- The Diamonds. The old brilliant Jason. Need to reread soon. Still not got it completely.
-- O Josephine! Napoleone meets Josephine Baker. Could have been longer.
-- The Wicklow Way. On the Camino light version: the rain and loneliness.
-- Leonard Cohen: I'm a fan of L.Cohen's songs but not of his persona, so it's a miss for me.
-- The Diamonds. The old brilliant Jason. Need to reread soon. Still not got it completely.
-- O Josephine! Napoleone meets Josephine Baker. Could have been longer.
July 18, 2019
One of my favorite graphic novelists; I always get a little thrill when I see a new book by Jason on the shelf. I was going to savor this book, but I devoured it all on a recent flight. His stories are consistently funny, winsome, cool, and stylish.
April 13, 2021
Everything he does amazes me.
Probably one of the best samplers of Jason’s work there is, you have every type of Jason story here. The story this collection is based off of is also a top 5 Jason story for sure.
Probably one of the best samplers of Jason’s work there is, you have every type of Jason story here. The story this collection is based off of is also a top 5 Jason story for sure.
October 21, 2021
what I love about jason is you must read his comics at least twice: the first for his simple, strict artwork contrasted by his sometimes silly dialogue, the second noticing his oh so subtle nuances allowing you to understand the story
also so cool to see him in Ireland
also so cool to see him in Ireland
December 8, 2024
My first time reading Jason’s work. I loved the short story about walking the Wicklow Way in Ireland--some of the others (particularly the ones about Leonard Cohen and Napoleon) got a bit too out there for me, but the guy definitely has an interesting style.
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