There are a lot of things that could turn you off about Jason.1) He’s been called the Alfred Hitchcock of graphic literature.
2) His drawings are spare.
3) His dialogue is spare-to-non-existent.
4) His characters are all people bodies with expressionless animal heads.
5) His non-linear storytelling style could have some putting more effort into reading than enjoying.
What amazes me is how much tension, mood, suspense, and texture Jason is able to derive from expressionlessness, and rudimentary shapes. What keeps me coming back to Jason is the invention, nuance, commitment, and humour inherent to everyone of his panels. Unlike some wordless story-tellers, Jason is near-perfect in his ability to change points-of-view, and show an object or a space several times in order to control the reading tempo, without boring you, erroneously adding details to the background, erroneously mixing in uncomplimentary emotions. In Jason's world, every detail is of the utmost importance.
I Killed Adolf Hitler is the story of a burnt-out hitman and his girlfriend connecting with a scientist who’s created a time machine that will send the occupant back to kill Hitler, but takes 50 years to recharge. This leads to a time-mishmash that’ll have you grabbing your forehead and shouting, “Who comes up with this stuff?” What’s so great about all Jason’s work is the utter seriousness with which he approaches the zaniness of his plots. Imagine that Ed Wood still made the movies he made, but as a genius storyteller, and a stellar craftsman. Instead of as a crackpot.
