Swedish Comics 1
Nina Hemingsson Nina Hemmingsson (b. 1971) focuse
s on artistic illustrations and sharp satire in single-frame pieces or brief strips. She attended art school in Trondheim, Norway and has published six graphic titles since her debut in 2004. Her most recent volume, Snyggast på festen (‘Cutest at the Party’), came out in 2014 from Kartago. Nina Hemmingsson highlights societal norms and scrutinises notions of love, sexuality, gender roles and neuroses. Her female characters are forthright and coarse. They don’t beat about the bush and are not presented in a flattering light. Feisty, foulmouthed old women share space with fierce girls reminiscent of Tove Jansson’s Little My character. Hemmingsson takes a behaviour generally regarded as ‘typically male’, twists it and lets her female characters act it out. The results make readers think as well as wince. 17