Athos in America. Jason (Writer & Art), Hubert (Colours), Kim Thompson (Tanslation). Fantagraphics Books (2011)

A mixed collection of stories , crime, science fiction, horror and apparent autobiography and drama, some of which work more effectively than others.
The art and layout of the stories is very distinctive, a four panel grid is used for every page and all of the cast are animal  or bird headed humaniods. The effect of the page layouts is to give equal significance to each panel, the normal ways that panels are used to suggest the passage of time or to give a additional dramatic context to the story are missing here, the content of the panel has to carry all the weight of the story and intent. Due to this the more successful stories have very strong plots that give the content the force needed to make the most of the restrictions Jason imposes on himself.
A Cat from Heaven, a story that features the messy  breakdown of a relationship and its aftermath of a comics creator called Jason who is identified in the story as the creator of several of Jason's own books is not served well by the storytelling process. It is too slow and even, it does not give greater emphasis where it is need to give the story a lift or give the conclusion some weight. The flatness imposed is not lifted enough by the content. The same applies to the title story, Athos in America where Athos, from the Three Musketeers has a conversation in a bar. The action has happened off screen and is being reported in the conversation, the layout does not give the room needed to involve the reader very much.
The other stories all have the virtue of clever, frequently very nasty plots, to drive the action and use the layout to lift the story.
The Smiling Horse is a very pared down story of the results of a kidnapping and it uses the enforced pace of the panels to superb effect, the inevitable gains weight and force as it creeps up to the conclusion.  On the other hand The Brain that Wouldn't Virginia Woolf , a horror love story mixes mad science and love with care and melancholy. The structure of the story is superb, nicely teasing the readers expectations.
Tom Waits on the Moon  does not quite work, the idea is clever and the structure is excellent, it just does not quite give the cast enough of a connection to make the finale come off as it should.
So Long, Mary Ann is a gem, hard edged and flinty it works on every level. A criminal escapes from prison and is going to seek out an old confederate to get his share of the loot. The story features a theatrically violent gangster and has a true noir spirit of damaged romance. The heightened content works because of the restraint of the art and layout , it packs a considerable punch.
A striking and enjoyable collection of stories.

Low Moon. Jason (Writer & Artist). Kim Thompson (Translation). Fantagraphics Books (2009)

This collection of stories features very strong story ideas, deadpan delivery and sharply bitter outcomes combining to from a great set of comics. "Emily says Hello" is a tale of revenge, murder and sexual favours. What is left out is as important as what is included and as you read the story the absences draw you into the narrative as you imagine the back story for yourself."Low Moon" is a brilliant re-imagining of "High Noon" with a game of chess rather than a gunfight at the heart of the story. "&" is a twin track narrative about the lengths people will go to achieve their goals and the slippery nature of such goals. "Proto Film Noir" plays off "The Postman Always Rings Twice" in the story of a drifter and a woman who murder the woman's husband with very unexpected results. "You are Here" which about an alien abduction and its consequences is the strongest story in the collection, while still very harsh it gives it cast more depth and feeling.
The initially most striking aspect to the stories is the art, all the cast are anthropomorphic, with dog and bird like heads on human shaped bodies. The body language and facial expressions are very expressive and they are as far as possible from "funny animal" drawings. The use of a regular four panel grid for all the stories means that the layout offers no cues about the narrative, this deadpan delivery draws the reader in as you have to decide for yourself what the emotional speed of the story is.
The colouring is restricted and flat which sits comfortably with the layouts, the cool tones are easy to read and flow beautifully. With so little direct support from either the art, the layout or the colouring the writing has to work extremely hard to be effective. The ideas have the necessary strength and apparent simplicity to fit with the structure and are executed with such spare and detailed exactness that they shine. The stories have a crisp momentum that is a pleasure to read, the content is sharp and bitter, the skill in the writing is such that they are a pleasure to read. This is an extraordinary comic, it exploits unexpected minimalist possibilities superb effect.

The Left Bank Gang. Jason (Words & Art), Hubert (Colours). Fantagraphics Books (2008)

Jason's mastery of the high concept, allied to his superb technical skills and gifted storytelling abilities mean that The Left Bank Gang is clever, entertaining and ultimately very moving. The high concept is to have Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Ezra Pound and F. Scott Fitzgerald all as cartoonists living in Paris in the 1920's. They are all struggling to be artists and creators and finding the going very tough and it takes a toll on their lives. In particular F.Scott Fitzgerald has a troubled relationship with his wife Zelda who is frustrated with him and her constrained life in Paris. Hemingway suggests that they rob the box office at the big upcoming boxing match. The heist is described in a Rashomon like fashion from the viewpoint of each of the participants, so the the unfolding disaster gradually becomes clear.

Jason draws all his cast as anthropomorphic animals, dogs and birds which very quickly ceases to matter, the characters are strongly enough realised to be very distinct individuals regardless of their outward form. The time that Jason takes to explore their lives, in particular Hemingway and Fitzgerald and the artistic circles they move in is thoughtful and expressive. There is a very strong and truthful sense of the relationships within the group of writers and within the marriages of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. The robbery arises naturally, it is not shoehorned into the story and the way it is played out is masterful. It is both an effective crime episode and a strong study of the cast and how they interact. This gives a considerable depth to the outcome of the robbery, the conclusion is grim, satisfying and true to the noir genre and the book as a whole. Jason's technique of using a regular grid for every page allows the story to breathe and emerge very strongly, the reader is not directed overtly by the art, the pacing has to work structurally from the story itself. Jason has fashioned a superb piece of work from an idea that sounds too clever by half and with a crime element to forced to be natural.