Almost Silent (JASON OMNIBUS)

Almost Silent packages four original Jason graphic novels - three of them out of print since mid-2008 - into one compact, hardcover omnibus collection. (As the title indicates, this volume favors Jason's pantomime works.) “You Can't Get There From Here” tells the tale, in color, of a love triangle involving Frankenstein, Frankenstein's Monster, and The Monster's Bride. “Tell Me Something” is a brisk near-totally-silent (just a few inter-titles) graphic novelette about love lost and found again, told with a tricky mixture of forward- and back-flashing narrative. “Meow, Baby” is a collection of Jason's short stories and gags, and finally, “The Living and the Dead” is a hilariously deadpan (and gory) take on the traditional Romero-style zombie thriller. All of these yarns star Jason's patented cast of tight-lipped (or -beaked) bird-, dog-, cat- and wolf-people, and show off his compassion and wry wit.

The Guardian

"One gets the sense that … Jason, like poets writing sestinas, [is] testing [his] powers, letting the fierce constraints of the form reveal new possibilities, and it’s a wonderful thing to observe."

Sherman Alexie

"Jason’s work is poetry. Beautiful and frightening. Redemptive and hopeless. He is the Kafka and Keats of the comic world."

Bookslut

"The graphic novel’s cinematic qualities have rarely been so well wielded as they are by the artist known only as Jason."

Nick Gazin, Vice

"[Almost Silent] is a really good book and Jason is a strong cartoonist. He does a lot with his simple-but-well-drawn characters and little to no dialogue. ... you get a nice sampler of what Jason can do. This is entirely worth owning."

Rick Klaw, The SF Site: Nexus Graphica

"Throughout the sublime Almost Silent, Jason examines traditional relationships and social norms via a deliciously warped lens, quite probably one constructed by Dr. Frankenstein himself."

J. Caleb Mozzocco, Newsarama

"Thank God then for Almost Silent, a new collection repackaging some of Fanta’s older Jason books―some of which are no longer in print in their original format―as an anthology the same size, shape and design as Low Moon. ... Buy it to read the stories, keep it to restore order and balance to your bookshelf."

Brian Heater, The Daily Cross Hatch

"This is the output of an artist with a clear vision who is truly at the top of his game. ... Beautifully bound and reasonably priced, you’re not going to find a much better entry point into the world of contemporary graphic novels than Almost Silent."

Michael C. Lorah, Newsarama

"Jason’s simple, elegant artwork... allows any reader to dive right in. ...Jason’s comics… are funny, and absurd, tinged with sadness and loneliness, outrageously goofy, slapstick, human and just plain pretty to look at. … It’s a treat to enjoy a comic like Almost Silent."

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.

Reviews

News