Grovel

Written by: Jason
Art by: Jason
Publisher: Fantagraphics
First published: 2005

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Jason’s full length books have a style all of their own - anthropomorphic animal characters give his work a cartoonish look that disguises a far deeper and tragically comic view of the world. Meow, Baby! is a collection of shorter pieces but the style is unmistakably Jason’s.

There are a number of characters who run throughout this collection: an Egyptian mummy trying to live a normal life in the modern world; a caveman struggling to date women without clubbing them over the head and dragging them home by the hair; and a motley collection of horror movie staples like zombies, vampires and werewolves. Jason’s ability to rebuild these characters as upright-walking animals then place them into absurd but familiar situations to further accentuate their strangeness, is ingeniously funny.

His timing is impeccable, and his art and scripting are pared down to the raw basics, leaving nothing but a series of deadpan jokes, masterfully told in his inimitable style. Short, stylish and witty, this will appeal to anyone with a wicked sense of humour and a love of the absurd.

Other titles by Jason:

• Meow, Baby
• Why Are You Doing This?
• Last Musketeer, The