Lately it seems like the only books I can really, truly get my enthusiasm up about, as opposed to give five stars to because I recognize their influentiality or craft, are the ones that are strange and wonderful and give me some hope that there's still magic in this world. This is one such. It's a collection of early (='90s) stories and strips from wonderful Norwegian funny-animal artist Jason, and it surprises, spooks and delights. The title story is this beautiful, heartaching story about young lovers trying to escape from her boyfriend on Easter Island, and her ex-boyfriend loves to blow bubbles, and is a hitman, and has a wolf's head, and suddenly it's raining hats and then we are at the Taj Mahal with a balding man preparing to be deus ex machina, and then we're back to lying around naked listening to Leonard Cohen and being nineteen. It sends up little green shoots in my soul. and Jason knows that, and also knows that they're not the kind of shoots that survive long, and his story reflects that sadness.

Then there's a bunch of jokey strips that range from surreal to sophomoric to sad. Jason's art hadn't perhaps settled down 100% yet, but the ideas, in all their dark Vitamin D-deficient Norwegianness, are here. ( )

http://geekylibrarian.wordpress.com/2... ( )

Really, really good. I wish more Americans knew how great Jason is. ( )