The Left Bank Gang

In The Left Bank Gang (2006, Fantagraphics), Norwegian cartoonist Jason reimagines Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and Ezra Pound as struggling cartoonists in 1920s Paris, blending literary history with the rhythms of a comic-book bull session. Written by Jason and translated by Kim Thompson, this single-issue graphic novella distills the author's signature deadpan style—anthropomorphic animals, sparse dialogue, and quiet melancholy—into a clever meditation on art, ambition, and the creative life. It stands as a singular, wry homage to the Lost Generation, recontextualizing their rivalries and camaraderie through the medium they might have chosen today.