Page 45 Review by Stephen
Classy collection of four silent books, previously available separately, from the creator of I KILLED ADOLF HITLER, LOW MOON, IF YOU STEAL, ON THE CAMINO all reviewed with interior art so that you can get an idea of what Mark's talking about.
Of Tell Me Something, Mark wrote:
Two conventions, one from comics, one from film, both from the same ear. All the faces here have blank eyes, no pupils (think Harold Gray). This tempers the expressions and makes each face (whether bird-like or dog-like) a mask. This is added to the use of (silent) film titles and the characters' actions (hard) boiled down to archetypes. You've got the femme fatale with the two rival suitors, one from the wrong side of the tracks, a disappearing father and hired goons. Very refreshing to see Jason keep the 'beauty' drawn in the same style as the rest of the cast. Too many times I see an artist abandon a (for instance) gritty style to up the cheesecake on the dame. Just a pet peeve.
Of You Can't There From Here [one of my favourite titles to any book -- think about it!], Mark wrote:
Two evil henchmen take time off from fetching fresh brains for the evil scientist masters to have lunch in town. While they complain about the hours and the pay there is bedlam and love happening around them. The mad scientist has fallen for the bride of the monster but the monster doesn't want to give her up. Jason adds a mundane layer to the horror story.
Of The Living And The Dead, Tom wrote:
Second instalment in the Norwegian cartoonist's horror/comedy trilogy which started with 'You Can't Get There From Here'. This time he offers flesh-eating funnies with a George A. Romeo by way of Buster Keaton Zom-Rom-Com. Truly original twist at the end too, but I won't give that away. This is carried once again by Jason's intrepid use of timing, each panel perfectly captures the motion and the meaning of each second. Being almost silent - the little dialogue there is interrupts the visuals by stealing its own panel much like a silent film would give a few frames for the same effect - this almost invites you to steam through the action until you're flying through the pages like a flip-book. More please, sir!
Of Meow Baby, Tom wrote:
Fun, short, mostly silent tales about Jason's non-specific anthropomorphic versions of Hammer Horror staples Elvis, Godzilla, Godzilla's mum, The Terminator, a caveman, a '50s-esque Alien, a lynch-mob and an ice-cream vendor. Difficult to convey just how visually funny these are, but if you've read his more sombre tomes such as HEY WAIT, imagine the same heart-rending, understated timing applied to comedy. It's pitch-perfect.
And of Almost Silent, Stephen wrote:
Classy collection of four silent books previously available separately.
Never let it be said that I don't do my research.
