Month: February 2016

Den sommaren by Mariko Tamaki My rating: 5 of 5 stars A beautiful graphic novel, with lavish blue-tinted images. But even if I can lose myself in the pictures for ever, it´s the story that captivates.

Lektioner i mord by Henrik Lange My rating: 3 of 5 stars An entertaining book for those of us who have read a Swedish crime novels, or seen a version on TV, which should by now include most of the world’s population … This is a variation on Lange’s winning concept to summarise novels and…

När David tappade rösten by Judith Vanistendael My rating: 4 of 5 stars A beautiful graphic novel about dying of cancer, not a heroic fight and win over the decease, but actually dying from it. We follow David who learns that he has throat cancer, his adult daughter who recently had a baby, his new…

Vandrande stjärnor del 2 by Lars Krantz My rating: 5 of 5 stars Lars Krantz is likely THE most different and artistically interesting Swedish comics artist working right now. This second and final part of his epic Vandrande stjärnor (Wandering stars) is incredibly beautiful with its well-composed images, pages and spreads with black and white…

Find Me In This City by Mari Ahokoivu My rating: 5 of 5 stars Mari Ahokoivu is fast becoming one of my favourite Nordic comics artists. No sooner had I reviewed her beautiful children’s comic Sanni & Jonas: Vinternatt, than this book pops up; published almost simultaneously, which is a feat as there are not that many Finnish comics…

Tack och förlåt by Fanny Agazzi My rating: 4 of 5 stars Fanny Agazzi makes her book debut with a graphic novel of how it is to have a close friend dying abruptly and way too early in life. The story is autobiographical and woven into the story of how her friend Nabil passed away…

Frisörbesöket by Claes Jurander My rating: 3 of 5 stars Claes Jurander is an unusual fish in the Swedish comics pond. Art Professor, sculptor, animator and creator of what is probably the first Swedish graphic novel (Nilsson, 1974). That Jurander is a fine artist is also reflected in the comic books he creates (which, incidentally,…

Det kunde varit jag by Sara Olausson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This really is a book that touches it’s reader. No-one in Sweden at least will have missed out on the fact that comics artist Sara Olausson has a burning commitment to changing the fate of an EU migrant/beggar that she has befriended.…

Every year, my wife Hanna creates a Christmas card featuring our ever growing family, drawn in the style of some famous comics artist. For new years, she also draws a one-page cartoon about the year that has passed and what we have experienced. The latter has been on hiatus for a while now, since we’ve…

Det är inte meningen att man ska vara här by Thomas Olsson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thomas Olsson made his debut in the mid noughts with the satirical strip Rogert. 2013 came the graphic novel Församlingen (The Congregation), about growing up in a fundamentalist Christian environment. Olsson’s latest graphic novel, Det är inte meningen…

Blå är den varmaste färgen by Julie Maroh My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a book that I looked forward to reading, not least after it won the Audience award in Angoulême a few years ago. And maybe I had set my hopes too high, for I was not as smitten as I…