The left bank gang by Jason.
This short (ninety-page-ish) story revolves around four struggling cartoonists in 1920s Paris; Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fiztgerald, Ezra Pound and James Joyce, i.e. some of the most notable names in twentieth century literature in general and the "Lost Generation" in particular. Because all is not great and making comics is hardly enough to make ends meet, family-man Hemingway has an idea to solve their problems…
The story follows Jason’s usual style of twist within twist with a deep human core to every action and decision the characters make, a very enjoyable foundation that rewards revisiting the work substantially.
Reading this comic for the second time, I enjoyed it much more than I did before, even if not that much time has passed (about seven or eight months). Also, having read The Sun Also Rises, Jason’s favorite novel by his favorite author (Ernest Hemingway), I can tell the American influenced the Norwegian considerably in the crafting of mood and in making the stories transmit a certain emotion, an aspect that really came to the forefront on this read.
Other than mood and atmosphere, Jason's cartooning is clearly the stand-out element. It's incredible how much emotion he can create out of dead-eyed anthropomorphic animals, especially with some of the characters like Hem or the Fitzgerald marriage. The use of color, unusual for the author, also aids in the creation of that aforementioned emotion-rich atmosphere, especially his use of reds towards the second half.
Overall, I consider his cartooning (and this comic) to be nothing short of brilliant and definitely up there with the likes of Hanselmann and Graham as one of the best in recent years.
The comet of Carthage by Yves Chaland.
At 46 pages, Chaland's Comet of Carthage, is by no means a long comic, but definitely one that sticks with you. It’s a bizarre story that weaves realism and fantasy in a very interesting way that is, by no means, logical or consistent, but that brings a sort of fever-dream sensation to the forefront.
It's also absurd to the point where it breaks the narrative. Events take place without cause and characters act without reason. You can never truly tell for sure whether it's happening or it's all part of some complex mental breakdown.
Done in a style that resembles the classics of the ligne claire (Hergé, Jije, Franquin...), but that both pays homage and does parody, the entire story feels like a return to the classics, with heroic speeches and blonde toupees (a la Tintin), but also laughs at the childishness of those overly optimistic and innocent stories by adding selfish and extremely flawed characters. There’s also this eerie feeling throughout the story that something’s wrong, that it doesn’t all ad up, which is the result of the absurd and surreal nature of the story.
Artistically speaking, it is far from the most innovative or experimental story, which, in a way, aids in the juxtaposition between what is expected from a ligne claire adventure story and what Chaland delivers in this twisted, jarring comic.
Overall, The Comet of Carthage is among the most original and interesting comics I've encountered both within the Franco-Belgian scene and in comics in general.
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