Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Recent reading -- comics
I've been reading some excellent graphic novels and comics. I'll write a bit about them over the next few days.
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, vos 1 and 2
Tove Jansson was a brilliant writer and artist, and for five years she produced a daily comic strip about the Moomins and the other residents of Moomin Valley. (She had already been writing books about them.) The comic strips are now being collected together in what is going to be a series of five books, published by Drawn and Quarterly.
I picked up these books without knowing anything about them - and they were great. I enjoyed them, and so did two of my kids (ages 14 and 11 -- my eight-year-old was not crazy about the Moomins).
The stories centre on Moomin, his parents, his sort-of girlfriend Snork Maiden, and a cast of characters who come in and out of the stories. There is Snufkin, a quiet wanderer; Little My, who causes lots of mischief; Sniff, who is always looking for new ways to make money fast -- and many others.
The Moomins seem most interested in eating, sleeping, and pretend and real adventures.
I think what makes these stories work so well is the combination of simple drawings, characters who are childlike, whether or not they are children, and humour based on misunderstandings that build and build -- like the time the Moomins stay at a fancy hotel, but have no idea they are supposed to pay. They think the suite is too big, and they build a tent in their four-poster bed. They order oatmeal for breakfast and pay extra for it because it is not on the regular men. And when it comes time to pay, they use Snork Maiden's casino winnings, which up until then were so unimportant to her, she had forgotten where she put the money.
One of my favourite characters only appears in one story. His name is Mr. Brisk, and he arrives in the valley full of energy and enthusiasm for winter sports. The Moomins are roly-poly characters who like to sleep a lot. Mr. Brisk organizes skating parties and ski competitions, and tells them that the "time for leisure is over Moomins!". I love that idea. That participating in sports is different from leisure. ¶ 9:00 AM
I've been reading some excellent graphic novels and comics. I'll write a bit about them over the next few days.
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, vos 1 and 2
Tove Jansson was a brilliant writer and artist, and for five years she produced a daily comic strip about the Moomins and the other residents of Moomin Valley. (She had already been writing books about them.) The comic strips are now being collected together in what is going to be a series of five books, published by Drawn and Quarterly.
I picked up these books without knowing anything about them - and they were great. I enjoyed them, and so did two of my kids (ages 14 and 11 -- my eight-year-old was not crazy about the Moomins).
The stories centre on Moomin, his parents, his sort-of girlfriend Snork Maiden, and a cast of characters who come in and out of the stories. There is Snufkin, a quiet wanderer; Little My, who causes lots of mischief; Sniff, who is always looking for new ways to make money fast -- and many others.
The Moomins seem most interested in eating, sleeping, and pretend and real adventures.
I think what makes these stories work so well is the combination of simple drawings, characters who are childlike, whether or not they are children, and humour based on misunderstandings that build and build -- like the time the Moomins stay at a fancy hotel, but have no idea they are supposed to pay. They think the suite is too big, and they build a tent in their four-poster bed. They order oatmeal for breakfast and pay extra for it because it is not on the regular men. And when it comes time to pay, they use Snork Maiden's casino winnings, which up until then were so unimportant to her, she had forgotten where she put the money.
One of my favourite characters only appears in one story. His name is Mr. Brisk, and he arrives in the valley full of energy and enthusiasm for winter sports. The Moomins are roly-poly characters who like to sleep a lot. Mr. Brisk organizes skating parties and ski competitions, and tells them that the "time for leisure is over Moomins!". I love that idea. That participating in sports is different from leisure. ¶ 9:00 AM
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These collections are fantastic! I hope your christmas and new years were good. Drop by my blog, I just posted my first web comic. By the way I'm no longer at Woozles, my pocket money is now earned by teaching.
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