Elegant Simplicity For Humans (Select Work Of Jason)

[@Juay_deRito]

When I read "I killed adlof hitler" I thought it was gonna be about time travel and preventing WW2, man I was not ready for that tale of heartbreak.

[@mrtchadd]

One of the things I love about Jason is the malleability of his style. He does genres ranging from Noir to Horror to Scifi to Memoir to Absurdist comedy and every variation in between, but he draws the same animal-ish characters and the same angle on the action and the same limited emotions. He rarely even does more than 4 panels a page at this point. It shows that a lot detail and rendering and visual excess isn't necessary and may even detract from storytelling. It's pure cartooning. Thanks for highlighting him, I hope more people give his work a try.

[@astromus]

Happy to see you covering a European comic book creator working in a "non American" tradition (not throwing shade here, it's just rare that I see European comics discussed on KZbin). I've loved Jason's comics since the early 2000's when "Hey, Wait..." came out in Norwegian. Keep up the good work!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I think the reason European work in generally is rarely talked about is two interrelated points. North American audiences are not overly exposed to European comics. And videos about such work generally don't do well on KZbin.

[@kojo7485]

​@@StrangeBrainParts ❤🎉Read 📚 More Comics 🎉❤

[@jakepalermo9181]

@@StrangeBrainParts Wonder if Tintin, Asterix, Lucky Luke, or Dylan Dog would have better luck appearing.

[@palchristianandersen9086]

@@StrangeBrainParts If you ever check out any European comics again, I want to recommend the works of Manu Larcenet. I've read Blast and Ordinary Victories by him and they're both fantastic. His latest comic is an adaptation of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but I don't think it has an English translation yet.

[@TitularHeroine]

​@@palchristianandersen9086Holy ---- I have to find that McCarthy book at some point, regardless if I understand the captioning. Thanks for mentioning that

[@jakepalermo9181]

One Jason story I've read that sticks with me is Hey Wait... both with how open ended it feels and for feeling for its main character going through grief and trauma. Not to mention that one story where a detective finds his neighbor's cat and gets to know her. But it turns out she's an alien. They feel like lonely souls trying to find connection after spending their lives in isolation.

[@GyroFootlose]

I've read all I can find by Jason. Big fan. My favorites are the Left Bank Gang, his adaptation of The Iron Wagon, The Isle of 100 000 graves, and I Killed Adolf Hitler is also great. I quite like his stories with the immortal Musketeer Athos (The Last Musketeer is for Flash Gordon's fan), and the ones with Hemingway. Also, his autobiographical work is quite inspiring IMHO, especially On the Camino.

[@theprince4793]

I had never heard of Jason before this video. After your video, it seems that I should read him at once.

[@edatthegovernance]

Engaging comments. So glad to see Jason getting some focus.

[@vigsaminathan5910]

I loved 'I Killed Adolph Hitler'. I always recommend it to people who want something that isn't mainstream superhero comics.

[@Brainiac1138]

Thanks again for covering something new and different, for me at least. My main exposure to European comics was Heavy Metal when i read it. Its nice to get a taste of something other than American superhero books, not that i dislike those. I will look up Jason's work thanks to this.

[@Jo-Jet]

A long time back I remember my brother had a copy of "I Killed Adolf Hitler". I think I as in my later teen, and was coming from mostly reading Manga and Super Hero comics, so it was a interesting read that suck with me, particularly that ending of "It's okay, it happened a long time ago". ( I think that was the line) That stuck with me for quite some time.

[@palchristianandersen9086]

Hey, Wait! is only one of two comics in my life that's made me cry. In Norway there used to be a whole business model of taking popular newspaper comic strips and putting them together into monthly magazines. Before Jason made graphic novels he used to do guest strips in one of those magazines similar to the Star Wars gag in the video. That's how I discovered him.

[@AndresAnLozadaLopez]

I have memories of a brief review of Low Moon on Wizard magazine back in 2009. I was completely oblivious to Jason's work. This video completely convinced me of tracking down his work

[@stephenjohnson9745]

I'm primarily familiar with Jason by reputation. I have always thought that I'd enjoy his work but this video fully cemented that I want to pick some of his stuff up, it seems just up my alley

[@bmhernandez8798]

I love Jason! I first saw his wordless comics and then I read I Shot Adolf. I recently got very lucky and found a used copy of Why Are You Doing This? in a resale shop. This is a great presentation on his work.

[@31LaschG]

When he started his career he used the pseudonym Jaxxon. Still in his teens he created these impressive comic strips that were published in the norwegian magazine Konk ( busted or bankrupt).

[@kevinjara5267]

Great video pal! My favorite is "Hey... Wait" I also think "Why Are You Doing This?" is quite a Masterpiece. Although I love all his work.

[@zackeryparkerson]

You exposed me to something very new and very interesting.

[@TimHotchkin]

Jason has been one of my favorite creators since I discovered Low Moon & I Killed Adolf Hitler. I've collected all his works since and am always surprised/excited when someone else knows who he is. Thanks for the video!

[@wernersiegmund9544]

Thank you for letting me know I will be checking out his work. It seems like it right up my alley

[@Mouseskitter]

I quite enjoy his work.

[@kf8113]

Been a huge appreciator of his work since high school, read almost everything he published in a year or two. When I think about what stuck with me, it's either the end of "Hey, Wait" or the end of "Lost Cat". Jason's is a singular talent.

[@ArtisticSoul347]

I got Isle of 100,000 Graves from the library a few years ago. I tried to find more work from the artist but I couldn't at the time. The more indy and alternative comics I read, the more I realize that there's an audience for stories that are non-traditional, and that I am very much part of that audience.

[@Bubblegob]

... When you say he's not known enough in America I think you can extend this comment to most european comics. Jason is an amazing artist I'm glad he managed to break the glass ceiling that seems to block european comics from gathering an audience overseas. Having grown on Tintin, Asterix and later Moebius, Bilal, Tardi, Loisel or even yes Jason, my hope is that comic buff like yourself fall in love with the artistry of this very vivid industry. For the life of me I don't get why european comics can't seem to make it internationally.

[@terribled]

This is what made me fall in love with your channel. Exposure to works I haven't experienced.

[@staplegenius]

I love JASON. THE LEFT BANK GANG is in my Top 10 graphic novels.

[@luciferfernandez7094]

Oh! Here I was already resigned to the idea that I’d never hear SBP talk about a comic beyond the anglosphere - and a great author at that! More!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I've discussed work outside of English comics before. :)

[@lobodezink]

Hola, saludos desde Chile. I really love your videos and Jason It has a special place in my heart. I have many of his works: (Isle of 100,000 Graves, I killed adolf Hitler, The left bank gang, Why are you doing this, What I did, and El carro de hierro (Jervognen), which apparently is not translated into English) My favorite is also The left bank gang, but in here is call "No me dejes nunca" which means "Never leave me".I read his first comic in the Santiago public library when I arrived in this city in 2004 and since then I have been a great promoter of his work among my friends. Thank you for your incredible work.

[@BLACKLODGEREVIEWS]

Hola, yo igual soy de Chile y me gusta mucho Jason. Mi favorito también es Hemingway. "No me dejes nunca" es la frase final que dice Hemingway en la última página del Comic. Espero algún día comentar en mi canal los comics que tengo del. El carro de Hierro si está en inglés. En inglés hay más material de Jason que en español!

[@raptorskilltor4554]

Sweet comic I never heard of till now

[@MiniGamerDusty]

Jason makes me want to make comic books. After watching this, I gave my paycheck to Fantigraphics.

[@adrianpokmanero4539]

Jason’s style has always reminded me of the movies by Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kaurismäki, those directors are masters of deadpan humor, narrative economy and minimal simplicity. My favorite Jason book is The Last Musketeer.

[@BLACKLODGEREVIEWS]

On the book that collects his 90s work there's a comic adaptation of a scene of a Kaurismaki movie. Also he mentions him on an interview contained in the same book. Pocket full of rain it's called.

[@Queen-of-Tresserhorn]

I always love the comics you highlight, definetly checking these out tonight

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Excellent! I hope you enjoy them.

[@robertopulitano8093]

I love the balance between complex stories and simple presentations. I believe his comics, in the hand of another more detailed/line-oriented, wouldn´t have the same impact.

[@IndolentSuperhero]

I’ve loved Jason since the early 00s and looked forward to each Fantagraphics release. I haven’t kept up with most of his work since about 2010 and I need to fix that. Keep up the analysis.

[@eduardoruiz1364]

I see Jason, I give a like

[@Chanex73]

I'm so happy that you're covering Jason's works. This video is so insightful. Hopefully you can cover more of his works in detail. Also I love your video essays as well. Keep up the good work!

[@robling1937]

A suggestion from you is a STRONG endorsement, so I'm definitely going to explore that.

[@archeogeek315]

Jason was my gateway to frenco/belgian comic books even though I am french I had never heard of him until one of my favorite french KZbinr talked about is favorite comic (it was I killed adolf). Then I discovered he collaborated with another french chanel named @lefilsdebulle who only talks about frenco/belgian comic books and that's how I got back in this medium. This might sound strange to some of you but you have to understand that modern french comics that we call BD is a very niche "genre" in France, except for the old stuff like Asterix or Tintin and some exception most modern french BD are not mainstream. My favorit Jason comics is probably Le Dernier Mousquetaire but overall I am more a fan of Lewis Trondheim (the master of absurd scenario). PS : If you ever need stuff translated from french I would be happy to help you.

[@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em]

For what i understand Spirou and Asterix are still enormously popular and tintinophilia is really strong in most of europe. Although american comic books and manga have started becoming more popular in Spain (i've travelled to spain a lot) so the same might be happening in France.

[@sethleoric2598]

I feel like Jason is genuinely impressive, i picked up The Last Musketeer and even though it still has the same animal people on it i could easily imagine all the human emotions and facd going through every character.

[@thetrixter2012]

Jason has been on my radar for years but I’ve never pulled the trigger on reading his work cuz I’ve never really known where to start. Great video thanks!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

You're welcome. Hopefully you now know what you should try first. After that, you're on a slippery slope. :)

[@ctbinary42]

Truly a hidden gem that most people would never hear of if not for your video. These underground artists are so amazing

[@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em]

I love european comics, it would be cool if you also made a video on Moebius or the rivalry between Le Journal de Tintin and Le Journal de Spirou, as just like the rivalry between Marvel and DC in the american comic book industry, the Tintin-Spirou rivalry defined to european comic book industry. By the way the video has a little mistake, as besides said marvel short story, another mainstream story made by Jason was in an issue of Star Wars Tales by Dark Horse publishing.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Totally missed that in my search. Thank you!

[@amanzeihedioha]

Finally! I've been curious about this series for yrs since I saw that kill Hitler cover!

[@hotdoglife]

good to see Jason making an appearance on the channel! amazing cartoonist.

[@star_spring]

Great video

[@barryvercueil2346]

More please

[@TheRealQuester]

Nice video about Jason! This channel is really good. In "The Left Bank Gang" instead of a Rashomon style Jason directly utilizes the ending of the movie The Killing by Stanley Kubrick almost verbatim, what makes everything really funny, he is a master of parody also. And one of his major influences is the finnish director Aki Kaurismaki, one cannot deny the influence after watching movies like Ariel and I Hired a Contract Killer, he translates perfectly the best that the language of cinema has to his comics. Nice video, just subscribed.

[@TitularHeroine]

My copies of "Low Moon" and "I Killed Adolf Hitler" are on the way now! I appreciate your recommendations a great deal. Mentally I kinda kept conflating the latter title with that of the film "I Shot Andy Warhol". WAY different materials...😂 Thanks again.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Hah! Yup, that is way, way different material. I hope you like graphic novels when they arrive!

[@NemesisMvC]

loved this one

[@hsatin20]

This was cool. I have never seen this before.

[@coinopanimator]

I love Werewolves of Monmarte

[@colinynwa]

Oh superb. I read I Killed Hilter years ago when I was lent it. Really, really enjoyed it but wasn't reading 'that sort of comic' at the time. More recently I've been reading 'that sort of comic' and that has lead me back to Jason and I've been buying things up at a fair ol' rate but still have a way to go. I'm generally picking up the Fantagraphic hardcover compilations. For now I'm going to say 'Almost Silent' is my favourite, but suspect as I go on and read more, and re-read others that will change. Almost Silent made me laugh out loud serveral times and that rarely happens... I mean I do laugh, alot, just not often while reading... well reading things other than Jamie Smart... and Jess Bradley... I'm getting distracted... and then to move onto the other genre friendly, but far more moving stories while making everything feel like it has the same tone somehow is astonishing. To do all that with next to no dialogue is beyond astonishing. To say I'm excited to get deeper and deeper into his work would be an under statement - so thank you very much for this video, perfectly timed for me.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I wish I could hide this behind a spoiler warning: The society they live in, where assassination is commonplace/a profession, evolved out of there being no World War II.

[@thingsofsuch]

Engagement is engaged

[@sethleoric2598]

Hopefully Strange Brain parts covers even more Euro comic creators like Fabien Vehlmann and Spirou artists like Emile Bravo.

[@BLACKLODGEREVIEWS]

Beautiful Darkness is amazing

[@sethleoric2598]

@@BLACKLODGEREVIEWS Marquis Of Anaon is my personal favorite.

[@BLACKLODGEREVIEWS]

@@sethleoric2598 i've heard it's good but have not read it yet.

[@TitularHeroine]

Wow. I haven't heard of him til now. I'm wanting to ask about parallels between other books but I get the feeling these are pretty unique. I have to admit that I missed the Patreon drops intentionally: I'm just getting over RSV, and being quite dangerously sleep deprived the past couple weeks. But hey -- unforseen benefit of recovering *now* is I saw this alert pop on-screen! Stay safe & thank you!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Hey, I hope you feel better soon! And the videos are always there. You can watch them whenever. :)

[@TitularHeroine]

​@@StrangeBrainPartsI'm trying to remember where I saw the quote "yeah I have one foot in the grave but in a fun, flirty kind of way" Yeah, it's like that 😂😭😂

[@wrenatthewood]

I'm honestly underwhelmed by Jason's work. It's high quality but often leaves me more hollow (see dead eyes and suppressed personalities) than I want from something aping more exciting and interesting genres. That said, happy it works for you all!

[@anibalberrey338]

I already knew his work by the time he came to Argentina, in 2016 I guess. He didn't speak a lot.

[@hazzaeatsshorts]

Any chance on getting a video where you explore silent comics? I've got one called The System sat on my shelf and it's a very interesting little thing to own

[@TitularHeroine]

One of my favorite silent books is Silent City by Erez Yakin.

[@TheRedSweater]

I loved so many of his books but it is such a pain to look up his work when his pen name is just "Jason"

[@BLACKLODGEREVIEWS]

Wikipedia has the full list

[@jonfowler7182]

I'd like to hear more....

[@TitularHeroine]

I apologize for double-commenting: would you ever consider covering Mrr. X (by Dean Motter I think??) or the Romeo and Juliet that was done by DeLuca? Regardless, I always appreciate your episodes; thank you!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I thought I covered Mr. X and his many variations long ago. Either I thought I did, but didn't or it was something I deleted years ago. So, yeah...a good possibility.

[@TitularHeroine]

​@@StrangeBrainPartsOh okay -- I'll look through the playlists. Thanks again for your time

[@samael450]

I'll hopefully read this, seems pretty distinct from the crapload of DC and Marvel I read.

[@1travstone]

This is reminiscent of Achewood.

[@oleottosen4707]

Have you done a video, or will do, a video on Grant Morrisons «Seven Soldiers»?

[@javib2978]

Gemini Man is just like Looper. But with genetic cloning instead. I thought it was a rip-off of Looper.

[@javib2978]

Also, Primer is an American version of Steins Gate.

[@CRUCIFi777]

Economy of line, or open style to attract younger audiences for his debased degenerate diatribes? Latter.

[@TitularHeroine]

......what??

[@Lomaxxx53]

Schizo comment

[@TitularHeroine]

​@@Lomaxxx53You might be right; it certainly is disconnected from anything in reality