You Can't Get There from Here

by Jason

by Jason
A very funny, very deadpan, and very poignant comedy of romance, featuring the classic romantic trio of the mad scientist, the monster, and the bride of the monster.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Horror, Comix, Bande Dessinée

64 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

John Arne Sæterøy, better known by the pen name Jason, is an internationally acclaimed Norwegian cartoonist. Jason's comics are known for their distinctive, stone-faced anthropomorphic characters as well as their pace reminiscent of classic films.
Jason was born in 1965 and debuted in the early 80's, when still a teenager, in the Norwegian comics magazine 'KonK'. His first graphic novel Pocket Full of Rain (1995) won the Sproing Award, one of the main national awards for cartoonist.
In 2001 Jason started a fruitful collaboration with the American publisher Fantagraphics, which helped him gain international notoriety. Besides Norway and the U.S., his comics have appeared in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil.
Jason's stories feature a peculiar mix of dry humour, surrealism and tropes from a variety of pulp genres, such as noir novels and monster movies. His most celebrated works include: Hey, Wait... (2001), a tale of childhood and trauma; You Can't Get There from Here (2004), a re-telling of the myth of Frankenstein; The Left Bank Gang (2007), featuring fictional versions of Hemingway and other writers living in Paris in the 1920s; I Killed Adolf Hitler (2008), a story that mixes romance and time travel; The Last Musketeer (2009), a love letter to old sci-fi imaginary featuring king's musketeer Athos; Low Moon (2010), one of his many collections of short stories; Werewolves of Montpellier (2010); Isle of 100,000 Graves (2011), a pirate story co-written with French cartoonist Fabien Vehlmann; Lost Cat (2013), a thriller with a surreal spin.
Jason won a Harvey Award for best new talent in 2002 and Eisner Awards in the category 'Best U.S. Edition of International Material' for three consecutive years (2007-2009).
He has lived in Denmark, Belgium, the U.S., eventually setting for Montpellier, France in 2007.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite titles for a book (though many writers have used it, admittedly). Another genre-bender from Jason, who just loves playing with the conventions of genre as a way of exploring the art of graphic storytelling. His artistic intentions are serious, and yet clearly he is playful as he creates a version of The Bride of Frankenstein romance/monster comic in part inspired by the Boris Karloff films more than the original book by Mary Shelley. And then there’s this layer of melancholy he manages to get in here. Not his very best work, but it is still great. How can he be so playful and yet so moving?

Some pages from the book:

https://www.google.com/search?client=...

[Archit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason, Man you are a bombshell.





From the master of graphic emotions, comes another spine-chilling work.

The blurb advertises this one as

one of the oldest love triangles in the world: Mad scientist creates monster, mad scientist creates woman for monster, mad scientist...falls in love with the woman he created for the monster!

And then this for a starting image.



The fabled Frankenstein has now started stealing A+ content from the stores and watching women take a shower. His peeping tom characteristics were something his creator has not extrapolated.

So to compensate for the loneliness of the monster - he creates another one. A companion of sorts.
He his not sure whether they will be together or whether he will tear her apart. After all he is a monster. Nothing can be assured.

But the fact remains that the real monster lies within our very own selves.

The mad creator sees both the monsters getting along too well. They have become soulmates. He should be happy as a creator. He not only created two people but people who can love each other. That's not an easy thing to do, right?

Only that he is now envious of them.

Yes, the monsters.

His own companion has left him. His assistant is fed up of his erratic behavior and seeking an escape. And his loneliness is killing him.

So our mad scientist does something that he should not have done.

And then they call his creation - the monster! Ah! His act is justified.

Jason is a master class act with his swinging graphics that flip one page at a time. His pantomime sequence of drawings etches out a story so so heart wrenching that it makes you take a second look.

You are honored to be reading this work, dear reader. This is pure class in action. You Can't Get There From Here bears the trademark nonchalance of the writer watermarked with his thirst for the blood of the reader's curiosity. The fabric woven around the conversations of the assistants in the cafe and the mob that chases one to death. Remember, Jason writes to dread your innerself down.

The horrific incidents and the melancholy screams the loudest. There are moments that contains raw acts of passion that are enough to tear your soul apart. Like the one where the monster walks into the misdeed his creator is committing.

Blinded with rage, he becomes what he is named.

A MONSTER.

The grid of 6 panels speak a thousand words with elegance that is one of its kind.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a kid who uses toys of his favourite characters to create his own stories, Jason takes the cast of the classic Universal Frankenstein movies and concocts a brilliant new tale of love, lost and found.

Frankenstein’s creation is getting into trouble stealing porn and watching women in the shower so Dr Frankenstein creates a female companion to calm him down: the Bride. But the Dr sees his two creations happy together and feels the pangs of loneliness and jealousy as his own (human) partner has left him - and then he does something drastic about the pairing. Also, his assistant Igor is looking for someone to be with as well as a change of profession after seeing his boss’s increasingly erratic behaviour.

I think Jason is the only comics creator whose work I’ve read in their entirety and loved everything they’ve done – he’s actually incapable of crafting a bad comic! He’s such a natural storyteller who makes what he does seem effortless.

You Can’t Get There From Here is a good example of the kind of work he produces: animal-headed characters based on pop culture in a story filled with pathos and emotion, despite the limited range of expressions he gives his characters. There’s some humour at first, a sweet romance, some very dark material (Dr Frankenstein drugs, then rapes, the Bride), and some everyday banality with Igor and another assistant meeting in a café to shoot the breeze. There’s even an angry mob with pitchforks and torches like in the movies!

Jason’s art is very understated but elegant. Every page is a 6 panel grid with minimalist detail, only two colours are used, black and a dark blue, and most of the comic is silent with Igor and his friend providing the only dialogue, so the panels for the most part are even less cluttered with word balloons. This tends to be Jason’s style in all of his comics, though recently he’s taken to including more words.

Underneath it all is a faint but tangible sense of sadness that’s the hallmark of Jason’s work. While there is a sense of tragedy to the tale, it’s not the most powerful of Jason’s stories. While it’s a very good book it’s falls somewhere in the middle for me. It’s not as moving as Hey, Wait… or as funny and crazy as The Last Musketeer; it’s a bit of both but not quite as amazing. It’s still a great comic though, especially if you’re a fan of the Karloff movies. You can’t go wrong with this creator – pick any of his books for a memorable and enjoyable comics experience!

[Tony Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some grimmer fare from our misanthropic Norwegian scribbler. Utilizing the bare bones of The Bride of Frankenstein's plot, Jason draws out a nearly dialogue-less story about a sociopathic scientist who decides to play God for a second time, and make Frankie's Monster a babe to keep warm at nights with. But when the bad Doc grows jealous of the innocent love of two resuscitated corpses, he hatches a scheme to get the undead knockout for himself. All the hallmarks of a Jason comic are here: cool posturings, overwhelming loneliness,a playful sense of adventure, the casual cruelty of people, sincere attempts at love, gentle humor, and tragedy.

[Larnacouer de SH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jason'ı okurken azıcık dikkat dağınıklığı, odak kaybı yaşıyorsanız yandınız hangi karakter hangisi bi' tepetaklak oluyor her şey. Ama tarzını tanıyan ve bilene hep çok keyifli.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing Jason's thematic obsession with movie monsters.

We have a mad scientist creating a bride for his monster. Two old assistants chat with each other in a Denny's to complain about the mad scientists they work for. One talks about wanting to be in a relationship - but imagining a woman being in to him is like science fiction.

There's some pretty comedic romantic twists going on as the mad scientist falls for the bride and tries to replace her with another woman.

[Verba Non Res · Rating 3 out of 5]

El de Jason es un arte minimalista. Cada una de sus historias está armada con un puñado de elementos narrativos, ninguno propiamente original; sus personajes son animales antropomórficos con una expresividad ínfima; a veces no usa palabras y a veces casi no las usa. También suele emplear componentes tomados de uno o de varios géneros ficcionales, fáciles de reconocer, pero sin que su historia llegue a inscribirse en ninguno de esos géneros. En la combinación digamos dodecafónica de estas piezas emerge el estilo distante y surrealista de Jason.



En You can’t get there from here, las dos piezas fundamentales son el argumento de la película de 1935 La novia de Frankenstein y un triángulo amoroso. Un científico loco crea un monstruo, el monstruo entra en la adolescencia, el científico decide hacerle una novia monstruosa para mantener a raya sus apetitos sexuales, y termina enamorándose de ella. La mayor parte está narrada sin utilizar palabras, pero hay algún segmento en el que el ayudante del científico se encuentra con un colega, y los dos charlan de la vida y de las investigaciones profanas en las que trabajan sus respectivos jefes.

[Suni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonostante sia un breve racconto a fumetti con pochissimo dialogo questo libro è una mazzata.
Usando e rieaborando i personaggi di Frankenstein Jason mostra vicende di solitudine immerse «in una drammatica e orrorifica storia quotidiana, dove l'atto più terribile è quello di amare e il desiderio più folle è quello di veder ricambiato questo sentimento» (dal risvolto di copertina).

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love is hard to find...

A story hugely inspired by Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein.

Simple but cool.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A criatura de Frankenstein e a noiva de Frankenstein se encontram numa comédia de humor negro neste outro trabalho de Jason, chamado Daqui, não se Chega Lá. Dito isso, achei esse o trabalho de Jason que menos me envolveu na história, que por vezes eu não entendi o que estava acontecendo na narrativa. Uma das coisas que esta história em quadrinhos de Jason nos faz perceber é que suas tramas se passam em um universo compartilhado, já que alguns personagens citam situações que se passam em outras revistas em quadrinhos dele já publicadas aqui no Brasil também trazidas pela Editor Mino.

[Ray Nessly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Such a great title. A riff on Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. Three color art. Although it's part of the Almost Silent collection, there's actually some dialogue in this one, between the two "Igor"-like assistants to the scientist, you know, the guys who do all the dirty work like digging up graves ,hauling jars of brains, etc. Their casual patter on coffee breaks is pretty funny. Particularly loved their silent nonchalance as angry "villagers" run outside their window, bearing the usual pitchforks and flaming torches.
Read in Feb. 2022 as part of the collection, Almost Silent. Added the separate book so I don't forget I've already read it, so I don't go out of my way trying to seek it out.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. Short, but interesting to read.

[Marcelo Soares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bom, não é o trabalho mais impressionante, mas, como os outros, há um certo brilho nos detalhes; ciúmes, solidão, inveja, um pouco de violência insensata e uma leve pornografia.
Dois assistentes de laboratório de cientistas malucos tomam um café e reclamam dos seus mestres, como qualquer um de nós faz quando encontra colegas do mesmo escalão; enquanto isso, após criar o Monstro, o Cientista Maluco resolve criar uma companheira para ele, afinal o Monstro vive se metendo em confusões dignas de comédias sexuais dos anos 80 - acho que o Cientista usou partes de adolescentes sexualmente reprimidos, sei lá. Enfim, criando a Noiva, o Cientista olha para os dois juntos - Noiva e Monstro - e sente um certo ciúme, um pouco de inveja, porque, lá no fundo, o Cientista é um cara solitário - totalmente pirado, mas solitário. Há uma série de pequenos encontros e desencontros entre os personagens da trama e "Daqui, não se chega lá" porque nunca se sai daqui, a história é um tanto circular e essa circularidade demonstra uma das partes mais intrigantes da solidão na nossa vida moderna; a idealização.
A maioria dos personagens parece construir - algumas vezes literalmente - a pessoa perfeita que os tire da solidão, claro, isso não acontece, não existe perfeição, então um fica procurando incessante por aquele ideal e outro começa a construir o seu; sem nunca sair daqui.
Contudo acho importante fazer uma ressalva, como o Jason não utiliza diálogos pela maior parte da obra, talvez eu esteja colocando as palavras que eu quero nos quadrinhos. Isso pode acontecer.

[Tawfek · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the best of jason but none the less i loved it

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A playful homage to classic monster films of old, like Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, Jason continues to find ways to produce subversive, imaginative and engaging comics. Almost entirely wordless save for a small portion half way through, You Can't Get There from Here follows a winding narrative of a mad scientist, his monster, and the created bride for said monster. A few other characters flesh out the rest of the cast, but the bulk of the story is produced in small vignettes that require the reader to piece together the overarching narrative in lieu of missing captions and contextual dialogue. Jason doesn't make this part too challenging as the characters all have distinct enough features, though I wouldn't blame anyone for needing 2-3 reads to properly grasp the story here.

The minimal dialogue and narration means that Jason needs to be as expressive with his artwork as ever, and to no surprise, he succeeds on that front. Much of the comic features Jason's typical genre- and trope-bending style, forcing the reader to reel from the herky-jerky pacing. It's got all that a classic Jason piece needs, though I did find this one to not be nearly as engaging as some of his other works. Nonetheless, the playfulness and creativity of the storytelling more than makes up for it and produces a generally entertaining short comic.

[Verba Non Res · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jason's art is minimalist. Each of his stories is constructed with a handful of narrative elements, none of them particularly original; his characters are anthropomorphic animals with minimal expressiveness; sometimes he does not use words and sometimes he almost does not use them. He also usually employs components taken from one or more fictional genres, easy to recognize, but without his story falling completely into any of those genres. In the dodecaphonic combination of these pieces, Jason's distant and surreal style emerges.



In You can’t get there from here, the two fundamental pieces are the plot of the 1935 movie Bride of Frankenstein and a love triangle. A mad scientist creates a monster, the monster enters adolescence, the scientist decides to make him a monstrous bride to keep his sexual appetites in check, and ends up falling in love with her. Most of it is narrated without using words, but there is a segment in which the scientist's assistant meets a colleague, and the two chat about life and the profane investigations they work on with their respective bosses.

[Pok Manero · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Un triángulo amoroso entre el doctor Frankenstein, su criatura y la “novia”? ¡Pero claro! Jason nos muestra al científico como un ser mezquino y envidioso de la felicidad ajena. Cuando su monstruo se mete en problemas por andar de calenturiento, crea a una mujer para él. Pero al verlos tan enamorados, decide arrebatarle lo otorgado (pretendiendo sustituir a su amada con una nueva creación) y poseer lo que nunca fue suyo. Lo que comienza con mucho humor y ligereza, poco a poco empieza a mostrar matices grises y siniestros hasta llegar a un final que simplemente nos rompe el corazón. Como siempre, el caricaturista noruego nos muestra que es capaz de transmitirnos una gran carga emocional a través de una impresionante economía de palabra e imagen y con su acostumbrado humor lacónico.

[Nestor B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Bride of Frankenstein», as reimagined by Jason, tells the story of the monster finding happiness with his mate — until the scientist who created her decides he wants her for himself. The scientist turns out to be thoroughly unsympathetic, and there’s a brutality to the story that feels unusual for Jason, animal characters or not.

The comic is largely silent, as is typical for Jason, but it’s amusing that the most dialogue-heavy scene is a side story with no real plot or influence on the main narrative, just two men talking. A fascinating mix of the tender and the unsettling, Jason’s take offers a fresh, minimalist perspective on a classic tale.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE by Jason - continuing my trek through Jason’s oeuvre: this one is a little more memorable, but also more gimmicky (it’s the one with the Frankenstein monster). I often find myself, both in the moment of reading and looking back in reflection, underwhelmed by Jason’s work (which is to say, underwhelmed considering his obvious mastery of cartooning). Maybe I’m guilty of taking him for granted, but I also think that not all of his high concept ideas end up being equally grabby/compelling once they’re put into practice.

[Maddox Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason's take on Frankenstein and made scientists proves to be an interesting and fun adventure through his universe, one explicitly connected to at least one of his other stories, I Killed Adolf Hitler. While I still don't think this is his best I've read, (that goes to Werewolves of Montiplier), I also don't think it's his worst, (which I'd say is probably Why Are You Doing This).

8/10.

[Bobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Not his best work, but I like some of it. The stuff with Igor was cool. If you want to read this, you should probably buy Almost Silent, it includes this but has some Jason stories that are a bit better.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warrants additional, closer readings

[Nikola Novaković · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and beautiful: Jason's signature style.

[Luna]

CW Rape

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short. Transitions were abrupt and almost non-sequitur up front. Got easier to follow as I moved forward.

Alright as a comic with virtually no dialog at all.

[Jesse Grubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

[Stein Roar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I "Du går feil vei" møter vi igjen Frankenstein. I en stort sett ordløs tegneserie følger vi Frankenstein i jakten på kjærligheten. I kjent Jason stil, så blir det mørkt og morsomt.

[Caroline Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in the catalogue when I was looking for a book with the same name. Reserved both of them :)

[Canavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

✭✭✭

[Rambunctious Romulus · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5 out of 10 - Really inventive storytelling wrapped up in a badass art style. This was a fast paced and great read.