The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. Art speaks louder than words when the Journal interviews two cartoonists who have had success with "silence." Norwegian Jason, who populates comics such as Hey, Wait..., The Left Bank Gang and I Killed Adolf Hitler with deadpan anthropomorphic animals, muses on the thin line between tragedy and laughter and why B-movie creations continue to resonate with the 21st century public. Lio comic-strip cartoonist Mark Tatulli talks to the Journal about bringing kids and ghouls together on the Funny Pages in Lio, one of the most innovative and entertaining comics strips in recent decades. Plus: Christmas cards from Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, the Hernandez Brothers, Seth, Bill Griffith, Peter Bagge and others. And: a color comics gallery goes back to the early days of one of the world's longest-running comic strips: Billy DeBeck's Snuffy Smith precursor, Take Barney Google, F'rinstance, spanning 1919 to 1921. Cover by Jason.

Letters
Blood & Thunder (p. 18)
News
Greg Stump and staff, Journal Datebook (p. 20)
Datebook Focus: EC Artist Jack Kamen Dies at 88 (p. 23)
Interviews
Matthias Wivel, The Jason Interview (p. 28)
Andrew Farago, The Mark Tatulli Interview (p. 78)
Reviews
Chris Lanier, Rodolphe Töpffer: The Complete Comic Strips and Father of the Comics Strip: Rodolphe Töpffer, (p. 116)
Tim O'Neil, The Complete Terry and the Pirates Vol. 1 and Meanwhile… (p. 124)
Kristian Williams, This Book Contains Graphic Language (p. 129)
Rich Kriener, Thoreau at Walden (p. 132)
Mini-reviews of Trains Are … Mint, Big Questions #10, Welcome to the Dahl House, M, The Twilight Zone, Crooked Little Vein and At a Crossroads (p. 137)
Jared Gardner, Barney Google: The Early Years 1919-1923 (p. 142)
Columns
R. Fiore, Funnybook Roulette: "Defending the Indefensible" (p. 174)
Tom Crippen, Post-Human Review: "Typos" (p. 184)
R.C. Harvey, Comicopia: "Us and Them Political Cartooning" (p. 187)
John A. Lent, Speaking in Tongues: "The Potholed Road to Artistry for Cameroonian Cartoonist Issa Nyaphaga" (p. 191)
Donald Phelps, The Observer: "Modest Riches" (p. 195)
Kenneth Smith, Time Out of Joint: (B) "Soulcraft" As Soulless Techne (First Part) (p. 198)
Coming Comics (p. 206)
Illustrations
Holiday Cheer: Christmas Cards from Cartoonists (p. 100)