Animal Loneliness: An Interview With Norwegian Comics Star Jason
On waiting 10 years to be discovered, and what it means to make comics today. Plus an excerpt from Lost Cat.
Comparisons are never fair, but I've always thought of Jason as the Norwegian comics cousin to Haruki Murakami. His expressionless animal characters roam rain-soaked streets and tobacco-choked bars straight out of classic films. They barely talk at all, and they mostly wish they weren't living in bachelor pads, frying eggs for dinner. Sometimes they time travel, or meet supernatural monsters, or go on convoluted detective hunts, but mostly they're looking for someone missing, someone they quietly love.
In his latest book, Lost Cat, a bored detective trails errant people for their jealous spouses. He hates his work with all his heart. One day, a lost cat leads him to a lovely woman — a bookstore keeper — who disappears on their second date. For the rest of his life, he goes on a surreal search for her, imaging the life they could've had.
You see what I mean about the Murakami thing. By no means does he just mash the B-minor key, though. Jason's deadpan wit comes when you least expect it. He's made Sherman Alexie a fan, and you should probably read him too.
You can read an excerpt from Lost Cat below, as well as our interview with Jason about waiting 10 years to be discovered, and what it's like to make comics in Norway.