Swedish Comics 1
Political comics reveal social structures by clos
ely observing situations that reproduce or reinforce social and cultural conventions such as genderrelated power dynamics. Liv Strömquist, a comic artist whose works reference an eclectic list of sources ranging from the Bible to American TV series, has taken examples from religion, politics and pop culture and drawn the pants off the patriarchy in her five published volumes. Nina Hemmingsson, Sara Granér and Sara Hansson are three more artists who work in a visual world where events and absurdist humour are employed to describe experiences that are part of a larger structure. The autumn of 2014 saw the publication of an anthology entitled Kvinnor ritar bara serier om mens (‘Women Just Draw Comics about Periods’) in which some 30 comic artists address the subject of menstruation with the aim of smashing that taboo and getting us to talk about some red-letter days. Alongside graphic titles that tackle political and social issues, highly personal autobiographical works have had a strong presence since the second half of the ’90s. Notable works in this category include Martin Kellerman’s hugely successful Rocky series as well as the more low-key Hey Princess by Mats Jonsson, published in 2002. Then there’s also Sjunde våningen (‘The Seventh Floor’) by Åsa Grennvall, Aldrig godnatt (‘Never Goodnight’) by Coco Moodysson and Misslyckat självmord i Mölndals bro (‘Failed Suicide at Mölndals Bro’) by Linda Spåman. The currentvitality of the Swedish comics scene is due in part to the training courses available for comic artists – most notably at the Serieskolan (‘Comics School’) at Kvarnby Folkhögskola in Malmö. “Serieskolan in Malmö has managed to expand the scene by nurturing people you might not have thought would become comic artists. There’s kind of an ‘everybody can draw’ atmosphere. At the same time, they’ve got a wide range, from political comics and documentary reportage to science fiction, adventure stories and manga,” Rolf Classon said. These days, political comics and cartoons have a secure place in our culture and are published in many newspapers, cultural magazines and on social media. Meanwhile, comics have gained a more prominent position in editors’ literary repertoire, as well as on the stage. Comic artists whose works have been successfully adapted for the stage include Liv Strömquist, Nina Hemmingsson, Nanna Johansson, Joakim Pirinen and Henrik Bromander. Alongside political and feminist comics, which are often text-driven, there is a more literary graphic subgenre located in an image-driven, subversive tradition. Works by Joanna Hellgren, Emma Rendel, Emelie Östergren and Anneli Furmark fit into this category. Andreas Berg, an art historian, author and professor of illustration at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, believes that the Swedish comics scene has become more international. It’s grown up and opened up to the world. “Swedish comics have got better at mixing autobiographical elements with fiction,” he said. “Graphic titles have become increasingly allegorical and have begun to appreciate the literary and visual qualities we often see in works from France. Previously, the focus had been more on the American tradition, on autobiography.” Berg is also happy about the status of political comics in Sweden. “I think the feminist discussion that’s being conducted in Swedish comics is probably unique,” he said. 3