Jason Lutes
Jason Lutes (born December 7, 1967) at Comic Creator is an American
The New York Times Book Review
''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...
'', and acclaimed comics creator
Chris Ware
Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his ''Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (2012 ...
."Jar of Fools" webpage at Drawn & Quarterly's website.
''Jar of Fools'' is the story of a tormented magician named Ernie Weiss (likely based on
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
, whose name was originally Ehrich Weiss"Fools of Wisdom" - An article on Metroactive Books about ''Jar of Fools''.). His brother, Howard, has died and he has become estranged from his girlfriend, Esther O'Dea. The story of the comic retells Ernie's struggles to get himself back on track and find himself, in part through the guidance of Al Flosso (likely also based on a real magician of the same name"Al Flosso" at the Magic Directory.).
The strip first ran weekly in '' The Stranger'', a weekly
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
alternative newspaper. Lutes self-published a collection of strips at first (as Penny Dreadful Press in 1994), then in 1996
Black Eye Productions
Black Eye Books (formerly called Black Eye Productions) is a small but influential Canadian comic book publishing company founded by Michel Vrana. Under the auspices of Vrana, Black Eye was known as a publisher of artfully designed alternative com ...
released the series in a two-part collected graphic novel. The book was later published by
Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, ...
in 2003, where Lutes also released his ''
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
'' series.
''Jar of Fools'' was one of Lutes's first mainstream successes, earning him praise from many publications.
Chris Ware
Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his ''Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (2012 ...
, one of the most popular alternative comics writers, said of ''Jar of Fools'': "Reading Jar of Fools is like getting a slow motion punch in the face. There’s plenty of time to get out of the way, but something compels you to wait and find out if it’s actually going to hurt as much when it hits. And, of course, it does."
Will Shetterly
Will Shetterly (born 1955) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction best known for his novel '' Dogland'' (1997). The novel is inspired by his childhood at the tourist attraction Dog Land owned by his parents. He won the Minnesota Bo ...
and
Emma Bull
Emma Bull (born December 13, 1954) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her novels include the Hugo- and Nebula-nominated '' Bone Dance'' and the urban fantasy '' War for the Oaks''. She is also known for a series of anthologies ...
picked ''Jar'' as one of the two best graphic novels of 1994, describing it as "an astonishingly mature work.""Comics 1994," ''
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
''Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' was a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press from 1987 to 2008. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition included a number of retrospective ...
: Eighth Annual Collection'', p.xc
The success of ''Jar of Fools'' came as something of a surprise to Lutes. On that subject he says: "I think it was well-received partly because I set out specifically to tell a story that could be picked up and read by people who did not usually read comics, and partly because the reader could in some way participate in the same process of discovery I went through in its creation.""An Interview with Jason Lutes" at Silver Bullet Comics.