Description
Description
John Pham's simple-seeming stories of best friends Jay and Kay and their misfit friends weave in and out, with unexpectedly sad twists and comical turns, all steered by Pham's mastery of the cartooning craft and the language of comics storytelling. Pham's bold use of bright color and high hilarity draws the reader in, only to slowly reveal extra layers of psychological acuity, character depth, and existential gravitas.
For all of its emotional richness, at its heart, J + K remains laugh out loud funny throughout, whether driven by Pham's gift for memorable one-liners, his expertly delivered sight gags, or the inherent humor in his character designs and their physicality on the page. This new paperback edition will feature a few of the extra items that were included in the hardcover edition package -- collectible trading cards, a mini magazine with inserts, a sticker sheet, and a fold out map and poster -- which will all be printed as interior pages within the book. Combined with Pham's brilliant use of color and innate grasp of printing, packaging, and graphic design, J + K is a chiseled gem of comics perfection.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Pham crafts a funny and surprisingly affecting story of two slacker friends and their marginal lifestyles. This jumble of gags and lovable and loving outsiders succeeds through sheer, unrelenting weirdness.-- "Publishers Weekly"
A delightful mix of cute moments and 'tragically sensitive' bummers. Packaged as one of the most beautiful books I've ever seen, Pham unites weird with wonderful. So weird, that by the end, you'll think a pimple pus character named Bacne is adorable.--Aminder Dhaliwal (Woman World)
A utopic psychedelic motley of Tove Jansson's Moomin, The Muppets, Garfield and scenery on par with Hokusai.-- "XS Noize"
Slightly crushing, deeply satisfying, a testament to the power of comics in print.-- "Comics Beat"
John Pham is the most artistically inventive, generous, and kindhearted cartoonist of his generation, and J + K is one of the very finest graphic novels of the past decade. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.--Chris Ware
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Fantagraphics Books
Pub date:
2024-06-24
Length:
160 pages
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