Why Are You Doing This? [Paperback]

Jason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

In this deadpan, Hitchcock-meets-Jarmusch thriller, a moody twenty-something wallowing in post-breakup depression finds himself drawn into a paranoid's worst nightmare after his best friend is murdered and the blame is pinned on him.

Imagine a long-forgotten, never-produced Alfred Hitchcock "wrong man" thriller screenplay discovered, adapted and filmed by a modern minimalist like Jim Jarmusch and you'll have some idea of the unique flavor of Jason's latest graphic novel. The protagonist, a moody twenty-something wallowing in depression after a breakup with his long-time girlfriend, finds himself drawn into a paranoid's worst nightmare after his best friend is murdered and the blame is pinned on him. With the help of a single mother who spontaneously throws in her lot with him (not to mention her precocious daughter), he sets out to clear his name. Soon new relationships are forged, dark secrets from the past are revealed, and the real killer comes back into the picture...with a vengeance.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Norwegian French master of the noir graphic novel deploys a more-or-less full palette, albeit very tonally subdued (don't expect blood reds or sky blues), and several panels whose perspectives are as much as 30 degrees from the horizontal (hitherto a rarity in his work) to tell a story that an only slightly less gloomy David Goodis might have written. Alex is in seriously dumped condition. His friend Claude shows up to ask him to water the plants while he's out of town. He does and one time sees a man in the apartment across the street. When Claude gets back, Alex goes to see him, only to wind up framed for murder and on the run. A woman shopkeeper recognizes him, believes his story, and takes him to her place. The pair fall in love as Alex sleuths his own case. Things just might work out, but . . . Jason's tall, thin, expressionally limited, animal-headed figures seem downright Bogey-and-Baby-ish in this ever-so-satisfying, archetypal exercise in romantic fatalism. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

An economy of expression [gives] Jason's work a poetic edge. -- The List

Jason's tall, thin, expressionally limited, animal-headed figures seem downright Bogey-and-Baby-ish in this ever-so-satisfying, archetypal exercise in romantic fatalism. -- Booklist, 1 June 2005

Jason's work is poetry. Beautiful and frightening. Redemptive and hopeless. He is the Kafka and Keats of the comic world. -- Sherman Alexie

One of the medium's finest storytellers. -- Publishers Weekly

The use of animals as human stand-ins turns the tales into Aesop-like fables with a modern, existential twist. -- Time.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560976551
• ISBN-13: 978-1560976554
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Fantagraphics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner for Jason, July 18, 2005

By 

Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Are You Doing This? (Paperback)

Jason, a Norwegian writer and artist -- who, like Madonna, Cher, Bert and Ernie, goes by a single name -- supplies a bittersweet tale about being in the wrong place, making the wrong turn and being mistaken for the wrong man. Sure, it's in Jason's signature style, wherein all of his characters are anthropomorphic animals, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the price Alex (and his friend Claude) must pay for looking through the wrong window at precisely the wrong time.

Alex thinks nothing of it when he sees a man in a window across the street from his friend Claude's apartment, but the man doesn't want any witnesses to his activities there. So the stranger lies in wait and kills Claude when he returns, then frames Alex for the murder. Now Alex is on the run, and only the kindness of shopkeeper Geraldine keeps him beyond the reach of the law.

It's not a straightforward romance by any stretch, and yet a certain tenderness develops between Alex, Geraldine and Geraldine's young daughter. But the police haven't given up on Alex, and the stranger in the window is on his trail, too.

Jason's art is sparing of detail -- his characters' large, oval eyes lack even pupils -- but it communicates a full message regardless. Emotions are clear through a character's posture, the tilt of a head, a closeup of the lines above the eyes. Dialogue is also sparse at times, and yet the powerful story flows without a bump or hesitation.

Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, and justice is not a guarantee. This story -- Jason's first full-color graphic novel -- will tear a little at your heart.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rear Window with furries!, August 10, 2005

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Are You Doing This? (Paperback)

Jason, Why Are You Doing This? (Fantagraphics, 2004)

The newest short, punchy piece of artwork from single-named artist Jason is a twisted noir tale about a guy who, while taking care of a friend's apartment, sees a man in the window across the way, after which very bad things start happening to everyone around him. It's Rear Window without Jimmy Stewart (and the wheelchair). For a modern graphic novel, it's incredibly short (48 pp., almost the length of your basic comic book), but that better serves to deliver the incredible sense of despair that comes crushing down on our hero. Despite its brevity, the ending packs a serious punch. Good stuff; I'll definitely be checking out more of Jason's work in the future. *** ½

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Dope., December 17, 2011

By 

Because Its Real! - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Why Are You Doing This? (Paperback)

The story was dope. The art was dope. What else do you want? The book was like 10 bucks and it didn't even really cost me anything because I went to the CVS CoinStar and took this old Jason Kidd shoe I use as a piggy-bank full of shiny nickles and instead of just getting a cash voucher like I usually do. My hommie Danny Spit told me you can get a Amazon gift card and they don't tax you that 9.8 % like they do when you get that voucher. I was like "Fo reals?!" So boom I put in the coins got like 18 bucks printed out my receipt with the gift card code. Came home hopped on this computer and bought this dope a** book. It got here like in 3 days. I was like "Oh word?" Then I started reading it and after every page I would literally say out loud "Oh Spit!" That's how good it was. Jason is the illest comic noir writer ever. The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars is because it wasn't long enough. If you like reading dope stories and looking at dope art I recommend this book to you. As soon as I get that Jason Kidd shoe piggy-bank filled back up with coins you can best believe I'm hitting up CoinStar and getting another one of Jason's books. Holla! Because It's Real!