New Swedish Books, Autumn 2017 1
75 Autumn 2017 Erik Svetoft (b. 1988) Mondo Publi
sher/rights Sanatorium förlag jens@sanatorium.se Works Limbo 2014 Hakken 2016 Mondo The dialogue is striking in its absence, but the images speak for themselves as illustrator Erik Svetoft appears, without restriction, to push every absurd idea he’s ever had to its absolute limit. As a reader you’re more than happy to let yourself be swept along with the crowd of characters and taken to all of Svetoft’s mysterious places. Like a surrealist George Pérez he seems determined to populate every single millimetre of the page with dynamic personae, distorted events and elaborately detailed work. Dreamlike miniature scenes follow full-page illustrations. In one example we pursue a dog, just squeezed out of a tube, on various adventures and transformations, some of which are hard to describe but seem completely normal when you’re in the grip of Svetoft’s pen. Bright colours are swapped for sections in just black and white, which keep you on tenterhooks. The eccentric lineup of characters fall in love, dance, stare at a man escaping the heat by hiding in the supermarket’s freezer section, and create music under chaotic circumstances. Mondo is an incredibly rich piece of work. Comic book absurdity at its finest. Photo: Martin Jönsson