The twisted mind of Scandinavian writer and artist Jason is difficult to fathom.

My first exposure to his work was the haunting Hey, Wait..., a tragic story of a single moment that changed everything. Next was Why Are You Doing This?, in which a pivotal moment in one person's life had disastrous results.

Bear in mind that Jason's characters are mostly anthropomorphic animals that, in another setting, would be cute and comical. In these books, however, they are just average people caught during a dark turn of the wheel.

Meow, Baby! evinces Jason's more light-hearted and comical frames. The book collects a series of short vignettes -- ranging from a few panels to a few pages -- in which a variety of characters (skeletons, zombies, mummies and vampires, Van Helsing, Elvis, aliens, cavemen, Godzilla, the Terminator and more -- all, of course, drawn in cuddly anthropomorphic style) live out their lives.

Witness the vampire's morning ablutions and his failed attempts on the singles scene. Learn Van Helsing's fate once he's bested his foe. Watch what happens when monsters get bored, disturbed or, worse yet, ignored by their potential victims. Join a couple of zombies at home on Christmas.

How does a wandering mummy handle a sudden, embarrassing erection? What will a werewolf do when he disturbs a sleeping neighbor? Can you groom the primitive side out of a caveman? And, haven't you always wondered who would win in a fight between Godzilla and Elvis?

This book doesn't induce belly-busting laughter. It evokes smiles, chuckles and the occasional wince -- not just for the humor, but often for the sheer unexpectedness of the directions Jason takes his characters. After all, you wouldn't expect Dracula and Van Helsing to interrupt their mortal combat for the ice cream truck, but there you are. And if a corpse-eating zombie shows a few table manners, who's to tell him no?

After the wrenching sadness of his earlier books, Meow, Baby! is a refreshing demonstration of Jason's versatility. I already knew he had depth; it's nice to know he has breadth as well.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
29 July 2006