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In this full-color graphic novel, Jason posits a strange, violent world in which contract killers can be hired to rub out pests, be they dysfunctional relatives, abusive co-workers, loud neighbors, or just annoyances in general-- and as you might imagine, their services are in heavy demand. One such killer is given the unique job of traveling back in time to kill Adolf Hitler in 1939... but things go spectacularly wrong. Hitler overpowers the would-be assassin and sends himself to the present, leaving the killer stranded in the past. The killer eventually finds his way back to the present by simply waiting the decades out as he ages, and teams up with his now much-younger girlfriend to track down the missing fascist dictator... at which point the book veers further into Jason territory, as the cartoonist's minimalist, wickedly dry sense of humor slows down the story to a crawl: for long patches absolutely nothing happens, but nobody can make nothing happening as riotously entertaining as Jason does... and finally, when the reader isn't paying attention, he brings it together with a shocking, perfectly logical and yet completely unexpected climax which also solves a mystery from the very beginning of the book the reader had forgotten about. As always, I Killed Adolf Hitler is rendered in Jason's crisp deadpan neo-clear-line style, once again augmented by lovely, understated coloring.… (more)
User reviews
The plot of I Killed Adolf Hitler is entirely too original and convoluted to be paraphrased here; suffice to say that Jason is up to his usual tricks in presenting a storyline that is just complicated enough to prompt some extra thought from the reader, all while moving along at a brisk pace that doesn't always stop to acknowledge the underlying structural complexities. Which is all to the good - Jason is talented enough to make this improbable mix of elements come together elegantly.
Jason creates a world in which assassins can have a legal business that allows people who are having issues with others can go to have the problem "taken care of". From noisy neighbors to disgruntled children many people hand their problems over to assassins. Jason depicts the popularity of this option by depicting an office with a line of people waiting for their appointment with the main character who is an assassin for hire.
While business is good, this character has troubles dealing with the fact that he kills people for a living. Sometimes for nothing more than playing their music too loud at night. It affects every aspect of his life, including his relationship with his girlfriend. When he gets the opportunity to kill Hitler, he jumps at the chance. From then on, life gets complicated.
Jason's simplistic art and dry humor really add to the story that is, to its core, the story of an assassin coming to terms with his life. While it would seem that the killing of Hitler would be the main focus of the story, it's actually just a catalyst to the true story, albeit a fascinating one.
Even though some may be annoyed at the fact that this book turns into more of a story about a relationship, I thought that it was a rather brilliant idea. How many times has the killing of Hitler been speculated on in historical fiction? In truth, the subject has been written about time and again, and I was actually hesitant to read this because of that particular issue. I was pleased to discover that this was something very different. I thought this book was very creative, and I plan on reading more books by Jason. I really liked his simple, minimalist form and believe that it adds to this story rather than takes away.