I Killed Adolf Hitler

Title: I Killed Adolf Hitler

Series: Original Graphic Novel

Publisher: Fantagraphics Books Inc.

Publication Date: 2006 (France), 2007 (USA)

Creative Team:

            Writer & Artist: Jason (John Arne Sæterøy)

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Relationships

I Killed Adolf Hitler was the book that introduced me to Jason.  I have been reading comics for years but I’ve never encountered another comic creator quite like him.  His work is deceptive within the medium’s American comic landscape.  It would be easy to pass his work on the shelf and assume that you were looking at a comic made for children.  His characters are anthropomorphized dogs, rabbits, and birds.  His dialogue is simple and sparse.  His illustrations have a minimalist style.  It would be easy to think you were looking at a children’s book. However, that assumption would be very wrong.

From the classic Children's tale 'Mom is Horny but Daddy is a Hitman'

Jason is actually the nom de plume for Norwegian comic creator, John Arne Sæterøy.  Apart from living in Norway he’s also lived in Denmark, Belgium, and France.  Much of his work began life overseas before being translated to english and published in the United States by Fantgraphics. The interesting thing about European comics to me is how differently they have evolved over time compared to American comics.  In 1950s, American comics were attacked by Fredric Wertham in his now infamous book, Seduction of the Innocent.  These ideas gained traction when Senate hearings on the subject forced the comics industry to self regulate by forming the Comics Code Authority.  The Comics Code pushed some publishers to the point where they had to close their doors and forced entire genres out of the American comics medium.  The regulations were so draconian that famous comics writer Marv Wolfman was not allowed to have his last name in print because of its association with the mythical half-man/half-wolf creature.  But comics in Europe didn’t face these trials they weren’t forced to adapt or die.  They were allowed to grow as an art form.  In the United States, the stigma of being seen as juvenile and trivial has forced many comics creators away from anything that even gives the appearance of youthful frivolity.  A comics creator like Jason would have a hard time finding a place in mainstream American comics.  But lucky for us, he’s not American.

Nobody noticed Hitler's illiterate attempt
to read a gibberish newspaper due to an assassin's arrival. 

I Killed Adolf Hitler follows the tale (no anthropomorphic animal pun intended) of a hired hitman, his girlfriend, and a time machine.  A story with a title like this one sounds like it would be all about putting Hitler on ice but really it’s more about relationships and timing.  The story starts out in present day with the hitman and his girlfriend (who are never named) clearly having problems in their relationships.  Our hitman’s business is positively booming.  He has calls from people from all walks of life to kill people for all sorts of petty reasons.  If that weren’t bad enough competition in the hitman business is pretty stiff.  Assassinations of average people in broad daylight are a common occurrence.  The hitman would continue killing lousy bosses and noisy neighbors if it wasn’t for a client with a time machine.  The hitman can’t pass up the chance to kill Hitler and accepts but things quickly go awry.

Who hasn't tried to hire someone to kill there mother?

Just another day in the life of a hitman.

Jason’s works is often almost completely silent.  While I Killed Adolf Hitler has sparse dialogue, it’s quite verbose in comparison to works like You Can’t Get There From Here and Sshhhh!.  The dialogue Jason does include is very concise.  This works in interesting concert with his illustration style.  While his characters are dogs, cats, birds etc, there faces are almost always stoic.  They rarely betray emotions.  His stories depend more on slow burning plot lines to instill emotional weight.  He could have a character say they were lonely or their face could look depressed but instead Jason chooses to show a lonely life over time.  Through repetition he gives a clear view of what the character must be feeling without having to spell it out.  He’s not a writer you would ever accuse of telling more than showing.

Jason’s art work seems partly inspired by Herge’s ligne claire (“clear line” in french) style.  His line work has equal weight.  He never uses illustrated shading.  His colors are usually flat rather than employing the use of gradients.  His work is a fun change of pace visually from most other American comics.  However, his simplistic art style occasionally makes distinguishing characters a bit of a chore.  There was a point in the story where I had a difficult time seeing that a character had aged significantly and there were a couple times where I didn’t realize I was following a new character.  Both these issues threw off the the story for me momentarily.  

Overall I Killed Adolf Hitler despite the morbid subject matter is a lot of fun.  I think most people can relate to the relationship issues at the core of the story and who doesn’t like a little zany time travel from time to time.  If you decide to check this comic out and find you like it then I would greatly suggest looking into Jason’s other work.  Hey, Wait... is probably my next favorite of his works but be ready for a rather heartbreaking story.  Enjoy!

Grade: A+