From Publishers Weekly
The longest American book to date (and first hardcover) from Norwegian comics master Jason, Low Moon is actually a collection of five marvelously deadpan short stories. The expressionless anthropomorphic animals who populate his comics milk understatement for all the laughs it's worth; they manage to look bored and detached even when they're brandishing swords or exploring alien planets. (Within the context of one of these stories, Yeah, sure. Why not? is a punch line.) The core of Jason's breed of humor is his protracted silences—the uproariously uncomfortable moments when his characters are standing around waiting for disaster to strike. A couple of these stories are one-joke twist-ending pieces about the intersection of lust and murder, but the other three are keepers. Low Moon itself, initially serialized in the New York Times Magazine, gnarls every convention of the western into knots—the sunrise showdown is a chess match, for one thing, and a bar fight breaks out over an inferior cup of espresso. & presents parallel tales about two people who do terrible things to get what they think they want. And You Are Here is another genre-bender, a decades-spanning micro-epic about a damaged family alternating between domestic drama and impossibly low-key space opera. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"[Low Moon] has filmic moments and comic pathos that have set a new standard for me for short fiction."
― Omnivoracious
"Starred Review. Norwegian-French cartoonist Jason’s new book is the first premiered in hardcover in the U.S. and contains his most minimally formatted stories... If you’re into genre fiction, have a sense of humor but no time for condescension, and haven’t encountered Jason yet, wait no longer."
― Ray Olson, Booklist
"Although the five stories in Low Moon appear to have very little in common, the glue that holds them together is Jason’s sublime artwork… He is an artist who understands the mechanics and timing of visual storytelling, and his highly simplified style has a grace and elegance that makes it aesthetically appealing."
― Marc Sobel, The Comics Journal
"A collection of mostly wordless comedic pleasures."
― Richard Gehr, The Village Voice
"Jason is sly and brilliant. [Low Moon] is highly recommended."
― Corey Blake
"At times both bleak and humorous, these beautifully absurd stories will leave you as speechless as one of Jason’s silent characters."
― Edward Kaye, Hypergeek
"All of Jason’s tales in Low Moon play like a black comedy, tragic yet humorous. Maybe it’s his protagonists blank eyed stares or the fact the characters are all cute animals being put through some troubling things that give these outwardly simple and light cartoons a heavy feel. If you’re a comic fan looking for a change of pace from the tired summer/blockbuster/epic/crossover comic events then this one’s for you."
― Mishka Bloglin
"Known for his ability to convey melancholic, deadpan humor, Jason is as on top of his game as ever with this release... Each story expresses a different degree of the author’s range, mixing dark or mature themes with absurdity to varying degrees... Since it demonstrates Jason’s range and is priced fairly modestly... Low Moon makes for a great starting point for those unfamiliar with Jason’s work."
― Anthony Farruggia, Chicago Examiner
"There’s no other cartoonist who matches Jason’s somber deadpan and this serves as a great introduction to his work."
― John Mitchell, Worchester Magazine
"[Low Moon] is downright silly…as usual with Jason’s work, it entertains with delicate absurdity…Jason’s books have always has a cinematic feel, and he seems to examine this more than ever with direct tie-ins to film concepts playing major roles in several of the stories…entertaining, and fans of Jason should be more than happy to digest five new comics from one of the best in the business."
― William Jones, Graphic Novel Reporter
"Featuring tawdry sex, alien abductions, existential crises, betrayal, and a hundred and one different varieties of murder, this is a book that pretty much has it all."
― Ian Chant, PopMatters
"It’s hard to think of a modern cartoonist with a more recognizable drawing style than Norway’s Jason... But Jason’s storytelling is just as distinctive as his drawing style... [and] the artist’s narrative approach has grown more adventurous over the years. Jason’s latest collection, Low Moon, is evidence of this trend... The reader, meanwhile, just lapses into a giddy comics coma."
― Casey Jarman, Willamette Week
"Unmistakably Jason’s work: minimal dialogue, mixture of comic/serious/absurd/emotional moments, and populated by anthropomorphic animals. He uses crisp, clear lines, and despite the low number of words and the use of animals, conveys a wide range of expressions and emotions. He also effortlessly jumps, blends, and frustrates genres."
― Dave Lartigue, Dave Ex Machina
"Jason is an immensely skilled artist capable of manipulating his self-restricted vocabulary to stretch space and time. Low Moon moves in a slow burn as the two antagonists move closer to their eventual showdown."
― Michael Buntag, NonSensical Words
"Jason is a painfully good comic creator – the man has a phenomenal knowledge of pacing, a sense of humor that’s darker than Darth Vader in a mine at midnight and deceptively simple figurework that says a shitload with very little."
― Bob Temuka, The Tearoom of Despair
"The longest American book to date from Norwegian comics master Jason, Low Moon is actually a collection of five marvelously deadpan short stories. The expressionless anthropomorphic animals who populate his comics milk understatement for all the laughs it’s worth…The core of Jason’s breed of humor is his protracted silences―the uproariously uncomfortable moments when his characters are standing around waiting from disaster to strike."
― Publishers Weekly
"Jason is one of the relatively few working artists that even a jaded, cynical, complain-first critic like me will happily declare a true master cartoonist, without reservation. Jason is―how to put this?―good. Really, really, really good... So, Low Moon? It’s Jason. It’s new. It’s obviously really, really good, you know?"
― J. Caleb Mozzocco, Newsarama
"There’s never been a better time to jump aboard the Jason train. As a fan of Jason, Low Moon is just terrific, far more new stuff in one place than we’ve been treated to before…This is as essential as comics gets."
― Bookmunch
"Now, with Low Moon, [Jason] has clenched his fist around me and won’t let me go - this is easily my favorite of his works to date... Top to bottom, I enjoyed Low Moon very much... A worthy addition to one’s bookshelf."
― Marc Mason, Comics Waiting Room
"Though Low Moon doesn’t have the slow-building impact of Jason’s longer works, he’s still one of comics’ best storytellers, and it’s always a treat to spend time in his world of off-brand pulp clichés and not-always-so-funny animals. [Grade] B+."
― The Onion A.V. Club
About the Author
Jason hails from Oslo, Norway, but currently resides in Montpellier, France. He's won multiple Eisners, a Harvey, and an Inkpot award.
