Jetlag: Five Graphic Novellas

This is basically five of Keret's stories in graphic novel format. The stories are great - as are all of Keret's stories - but the purpose of illustrating them is a mystery to me. Keret's texts rely so much on suggestion that coming up with an action to draw must have been a challenge for the artists. In this respect, one succeeded, three did a decent job, and one failed miserably. The successful one is definitely Yirmi Pinkus who managed to add a few details that completely fit in with the "Margolis" story - like portraying Mr. Margolis inside the mailbox and showing the narrator's disgust over his hot chocolate with skin by wrapping him in it like a blanket. Batia Kolton, however, managed to turn one of the freakiest of Keret's tales show more into a benign travesty with her cuddly teddybear drawings - even the blood looks soft and inviting. Fail. The other three stories are decent and the different drawing styles of Mira Friedman, Rutu Modan, and Itzik Rennert are good enough to keep the reader's/viewer's attention. However, I'd still opt for a "regular" Keret book if I had to choose. show less

My tolerance for quirky-serious Lynchian stories with woodcut-style art is currently at an all-time low.