Jason (cartoonist)

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Jason or John Arne Sæterøy (born 1965) is a Norwegian cartoonist, known for his sparse drawing style and silent, anthropomorphic characters. He has been nominated for the Ignatz Award twice (2000: Outstanding Story and Outstanding Series, 2001: Outstanding Story and Outstanding Series), has received praise in Time Magazine, and has won the Harvey Award for best new talent in 2002. His comics have been published in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, USA, and Germany. His American publisher is Fantagraphics.

Jason debuted in 1981 in the Norwegian comic book KonK and contributed with several short stories during its lifespan. In 1989, he was admitted to Norway's National Academy of the Arts, the most prestigious school of its kind in Norway, where he studied graphical design and illustration. He won the Norwegian Comics Association award in 1991 for the short work pervo (perv).

In 1995, Jason published his first graphic novel Lomma full av regn (Pockets Full of Rain). He was given the Sproing Award (the most prestigious comic book award in Norway) that year. In 1997, he started making Mjau Mjau, a semi-regular comic book featuring nothing but his own works. In 2001, he was once again given the Sproing Award, this time for Mjau Mjau 10. Since 2002, Jason has concentrated on making graphic novels.

Jason's comics are usually drawn in a minimalist, clean style, inspired by Hergé. His protagonists are usually antropomorphic animals and/or B-movie monsters. There is little or no talking, nor are there any captions; unlike most comic books, the reader is forced to rely on the pictures to understand the comics. The net effect is that the comics become reminiscent of silent films and Ernest Hemingway's short stories, where an important part is what is left out.

Despite international acclaim, Jason has been given little recognition outside of academic circles in his home country and comic book fandom, a fate he shares with most Norwegian cartoonists. He is most popular in France.