Low moon [graphic novel

Five yarns from the Norwegian master: the titular New York Times serial collected for the first time and four all-new stories featuring murder, cavemen, sex, and alien abduction. Funny, poignant, and wry, this is Jason at his best.The acclaimed graphic novelist Jason returns with his most eagerly awaited book yet, thanks to the inclusion of the title story, the world’s first (and likely last) chess western, originally serialized in 2008 in the New York Times Sunday Magazine “Funny Pages” section. This 216-page hardcover book features five yarns—all brand new with the exception of the aforementioned “Low Moon,” which is collected into book form for the first time. The new stories lead off with “Emily Says Hello,” a typically deadpan Jason tale of murder, revenge and sexual domination. Then, the wordless “&” tells two tales at once: one about a skinny guy trying to steal enough money to save his ill mother, and the other about a fat guy murderously trying to woo his true love. The reason we follow these two parallel stories becomes obvious only on the very last page, in Jason’s inimitable genre-mashing style. “Early Film Noir” can best be described as The Postman Always Rings Twice meets Groundhog Day. But starring cavemen. And finally, “You Are Here” features alien kidnappings, space travel, and the pain and confusion of family ties, culminating in an enigmatic finale that rivals Jason’s greatest twists. Funny, poignant, and wry, Low Moon shows one of the world’s most acclaimed graphic novelists at the absolute peak of his powers. 216 b&w illustrations

Five yarns from the Norwegian master: the titular New York Times serial collected for the first time and four all-new stories featuring murder, cavemen, sex, and alien abduction. Funny, poignant, and wry, this is Jason at his best.

Publishers Weekly

The longest American book to date (and first hardcover) from Norwegian comics master Jason, Low Moon is actually a collection of five marvelously deadpan short stories. The expressionless anthropomorphic animals who populate his comics milk understatement for all the laughs it’s worth; they manage to look bored and detached even when they’re brandishing swords or exploring alien planets. (Within the context of one of these stories, “Yeah, sure. Why not?” is a punch line.) The core of Jason’s breed of humor is his protracted silences—the uproariously uncomfortable moments when his characters are standing around waiting for disaster to strike. A couple of these stories are one-joke twist-ending pieces about the intersection of lust and murder, but the other three are keepers. “Low Moon” itself, initially serialized in the New York Times Magazine, gnarls every convention of the western into knots—the sunrise showdown is a chess match, for one thing, and a bar fight breaks out over an inferior cup of espresso. “&” presents parallel tales about two people who do terrible things to get what they think they want. And “You Are Here” is another genre-bender, a decades-spanning micro-epic about a damaged family alternating between domestic drama and impossibly low-key space opera. (June)

Front cover......Page 1 Title page......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Contents......Page 4 Emily Says Hello......Page 6 Low Moon......Page 37 &......Page 89 Proto Film Noir......Page 134 You Are Here......Page 165 Back cover......Page 208 Collects five graphic stories by Norwegian artist Jason, including "Emily Says Hello," "Low Moon," "&," "Proto Film Noir," and "You Are Here."