CBK – A Spr Sbtl Fkkya

NEW RELEASES: ParaVox & CBA

Two new anthologies were officially released this weekend.

The one I’ve worked on the most is ParaVox #1: PALESTINE from Tusen Serier. Last fall we put together an editorial group and sent out a call for submissions for the first 4 issues at once (we’re still open for submissions to #3 and 4), and now the first one is finally here!

The plan is to release all four over the summer, so it’s a lot of work but also feels really good. Not least because they all deal with very relevant topics. Far too relevant, even, with Palestine, Snitch Society, Misinformation and the ever-present (Anti)racism.

You can subscribe and you can order the first issue.

I just showed off a page from my comic in a previous blog post, so I’m not going to post that again here, but have a look at the cover, by Anuj Shrestha:

All the money from sales of this first issue go to Senabil Society to support the people of Gaza.

You can read more and see sample of the content here.

I’m now in the process of putting together the second issue, which should be out in time for the CRACK! festival in June.

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Also just released: CBA vol 73: BUGS

As with ParaVox, you can also subscribe to CBA, and/or just order the issue.

Cover, by Aiden Kvarnström, a new addition to the editorial crew and the main editor of this issue:

You’ll find samples here.

Here’s a page from my comic:

I’ve been having a problem with my right wrist lately, so I decided to draw this one with my left. Due to poor self-preservation skills, I ended up doing it with both, but the one used here is the lefthanded version, which I think gave the linework a nice unhingedness.

Hopefully you’ll be able to also see the righthanded version at some point in the future…

WEIRD FOREST

CBA vol 72: WEIRD FOREST is out soon! This is the latest issue I’ve done work on as main editor, and it’s a good one if I may say so. And who’s going to stop me?

So we didn’t make an open call for this issue, because we had some material from earlier that hadn’t fit into previous issues. So WEIRD FOREST is actually a theme constructed to work for those comics. And then I headhunted a couple more artists I liked that I thought would fit for the issue.

And I made a comic myself, because a story came to me and I had these photos of the woods just next to Angered from an earlier project, and I thought it all fit together.

Here’s a small sample:

It’s set up as a dialogue between three persons (does that make it a trialogue?) but you don’t see any of them, you just hear them talking. So it’s the opposite of the talking head-comic I’ve made for CBA vol 73 (more about that later because I don’t even know if it’ll be accepted). Maybe influenced by me currently writing a (non-comics) book (more on that later as well)?

I also wrote a text, which deals with the Dark Forest theory of why aliens haven’t contacted us (as far as we know), as presented by Cixin Liu in his 3 Body book series, and why I think he may be wrong.

And I made the cover, which is a photoI took in the woods just next to the school where I studied art, outside Skellefteå in the winter of 1998 (possibly 1997). I developed it myself in the school’s phot lab and I’ve always liked it but never used it for anything until now. It’s of course modified and mixed with some ink splotches and a scanned circuitboard (also found around that time, in a dump in Skellefteå, but this one I’ve used for a lot of things since then).

Here’s a scan of the original photo:

The official release date is March 3, when it’ll be available at hybriden.se and the usual retailers and online bookstores. If you order it now from Hybriden, you will get the book around the release date.

CBA vol 72: WEIRD FOREST
116 color pages
ISBN: 978-91-87825-45-3

You have entered into the weird forest. You are one of its creatures now. Welcome. You will never leave. The only path laid out before you, your only choice, is to go deeper, deeper, until you are completely and utterly lost. Not until then can you find who you are and where you’re going.

If you’re lucky.

Comics by: Tomasz Kontny [PL] & Tomxyz [PL], Mattias Elftorp [SE], Michael Elton Crye [US], Athanasía Aarniosuo [FI], Knut Larsson [SE], Susanne Johansson [SE], Svalan Sörblom [SE], Xico Santos [PT/SE]. Text & illustration by: Mattias Elftorp [SE]. Cover & main editors: Mattias Elftorp [SE].

Go to the CBK website to see sample images from all the comics at the .

Kulturkanonen 2026 calendar

CBK just released a calendar for 2026, in protest against the recently introduced official Swedish cultural canon. We think it’s not only unnecessary but also a nationalist attempt at building a national identity and therefore counter to the very evolution of humanity.

Since it’s aimed at a specifically Swedish context, it’s written in Swedish and illustrated by Oskar Aspman, Jakob Dittmar, Caroline Ulvros and me. Printed in 2-color risoprint. Cover by Oskar Aspman.

ORDER IT FROM HYBRIDEN

Många är säkert överens om att den officiella svenska kulturkanon var ett onödigt projekt, ett försök att bygga en nationell identitet genom att lyfta upp ett antal verk och företeelser som skulle sammanfatta den svenska folksjälen. Efter att ha hånat projektet (både dess syfte och urval) över en middag i Ystad, satte sig fyra illustratörer och valde ut 12 saker som också format Sverige men som inte direkt bidrar till nationell stolthet. Resultatet blev denna kalender för 2026. Köp den som julklapp till den som behöver påminnas om hur landets historia också är fylld av mindre smickrande element, eller den som vill gotta sig lite åt hur värdelöst det är med nationalism. Från skotten i Ådalen till Vipeholmsexperimentet, Boforsaffären och Rasbiologiska Instotutet.

Tryckt i tvåfärgsriso för en grafisk upplevelse som varar hela året!

As a sample, I’ll let you see my three illustrations, for February, July and November:

Some context:
February is about the pension reform of 1993/-94, because in the official canon, they included an earlier, more egalitarian pension system. This one, however, which was insituted by a similar right-wing government to the one we have now, made sure to better preserve class differences even after the end of our work lives. Which, for example, will probably make it impossible for me to be able to relax during my time as a pensioner since I will need to keep finding other ways to pay my bills.
When it was introduced, it was made too complicated for the news to properly report on what it would entail, so public debate before it was too late was more or less nonexistent.

November is about Karl XII, the Swedish king from the 1600s whose death brought what is called (and was called even in its own time) the Age of Liberty. He also lost a lot of territory previously occupied by Sweden and was killed (possibly) by one of his own soldiers with a button since they were out of bullets. These days he is only celebrated by Nazis.
My drawing is, as you can see, a before/after version, with the kingkilling button/bullet included in the corner there.
I once illustrated a book about the clashes between Nazis and AntiFascists in Lund during the period 1998-2008, which I still have a few copies of, but that’s another story…

Speaking of the cultural canon, I made a comic about the project in 2023, around the time when it was first announced, shown in Tusen Serier‘s (Anti)rasism exhibition and in an issue of Brand.

CUTZINEfest & Asylkalendern 2026

I will be with the rest of Hybriden (Tusen Serier & CBK) at CUTZINEfest which is at Tomrummet (Kopparbergsgatan 15, Malmö) next Saturday (13/12) between 12-17!

You’ll find all the info about the event at their website: CUTZINE.org
or:
Mastodon
Pixelfed
Facebook-event
Instagram #cutzine

Here’s the full list of participants!

Important: you need to become a member of Tomrummet to get in at CUTZINEfest. You can do that (for free) before Dec 11 here: tomrummet.xyz/register

This will also be an opportunity to get Asylkalendern 2026 where I have an illustration.

AND the brand new, risoprinted, Kulturkanonen from CBK, a 2026 calendar in opposition to the official Swedish cultural canon (I’ll post image later)…

BUGS call + Russia exhibition

CBK just released it’s 69th volume, the exhibition is still up, and we’re already gearing up for our next release: CBA vol 70|71: A RUSSIAN DANCE WITH SHACKLES. The exhibition for it (our 101st publication) opens on Monday (Nov 24) between 15-18. Come check it out!

This issue of CBA offers new insights through voices of resistance from a neighbor who affects us all: Russia. How were its dreams of democracy shattered? How did it go from flaunting extravagant Eurovision stunts to prisoners dying at the frontline in Ukraine? From celebrating V-day with Americans on the Red Square to threatening nuclear war. Is it possible to steer into other pathways? Through the stories of Russian and ex-Russian artists, these comics share rarely heard perspectives on what it means to live within these changes, reflections that are normally out of reach for Western readers.

I’m not involved personally in either book or exhibition, but I am main editor and cover artist for the issue after that, CBA vol 72: WEIRD FOREST, which is almost finished. It won’t be released until next year but we did recently make the call for submissions for the issue after that:

CBA vol 73: BUGS
Main editor: Aiden Kvarnström
Deadline: Feb 15, 2026

One day, Gregor Samsa woke up and found himself transformed into an insect. Do you think that bugged him?

Puns aside, insects are fascinating. Many people find them disgusting and associate them with filth and decay, but without them we wouldn’t have anything to eat, considering they’re also the main pollinators of our plants. How could we survive in a world with no bugs? Then again, fleas were quite significant in spreading the plague.

Insects are hailed as the protein of the future and shunned as vectors of disease. They’re pests, pets and objects of fear and fascination. But they aren’t the only kind of bug out there. If you’re sick, you’ve caught a bug. If your computer program doesn’t run as intended, it’s due to a bug. If you experience a glitch in the matrix, there might be a bug in the very fabric of our reality. If something is bugging you, you can’t stop thinking about it. And remember: shrimp are also bugs.

Give us your best stories rooted in entomology, annoyance, glitches or any other kind of bug out there! Exoskeletons, hive minds, metamorphosis, silk, webs and rot; we’re sure you all have something to say about bugs.

Check the call for submissions for more details and submission guidelines…

69 release

CBA vol 69 is coming! It’ll be out this Friday, with me and Kinga Dukaj as main co-editors! As you may guess from the numbering, this one is about SEX.

It’s also the 100th publication from CBK, which is pretty cool if we may say so ourselves. I haven’t been involved in all 100 myself, but a whole bunch of them.

The release, with an exhibition, will be at Rum för Serier (Friisgatan 12, Malmö) this Friday, Oct 31 between 17–21. Hope to see you there!

We’re doing it! And by “it”, we mean, well, haha: SEX.
We’re diving into it; Queer, straight, emotional, horny, funny, serious. Comics that explore intimacy, desire, awkwardness, joy. Stories where sex moves the plot, reveals character or simply celebrates pleasure and the sheer joyfulness of a great fuck.

Here’s a page from my comic contribution:

I was trying to think of what’s sexy in 2025, and came to the conclusion that, well, it is the era of Luigi, and of Trump/Project 2025, so there was really only one way to go… With that said, it should maybe be pointed out that the comic is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, as well as events in the past or future, are purely coincidental.
It’s also a time travel story, because I can’t help but complicate things, for fun. Straight stories are just too boring.

You’ll find more samples from the comics here, and you can order the book at Hybriden and/or subscribe to CBA (4 issues – new subscribers also get 4 back issues).

Feel free to invite people to the Facebook event and share wherever you can!

Jury Duty @ Seriefest

In collaboration with Malmö Seriefest, Fanzineverkstaden, Malmö University Comics Hub and Bildvärld Gränsland, CBK were behind this new award at Seriefest 2025, where we selected the winner of the festival’s best zine.

So I was part of the jury, which was nice. It gave me the opportunity to read a lot of zines I’d’ve missed otherwise, since I’m not made of zine money… In the end, we agreed on a winner and 5 honorary mentions. The winner was:

Lovisa Prage – Saltvatten
Ett fanzine som samlar alla aspekter: en stark historia, uttrycksfullt tecknat, genomtänkta materialval och papperskvalitet. Ett helhetsverk som en enig jury valde som vinnare.
instagram: @lovisa.prage

Go to the blog post at CBK to see the whole list.

Seriefest was also the release for a new book from CBK: Julia Nascimento‘s A Perfect Place to Call Home, which you should check out.

A Perfect Place to Call Home is Julia Nascimento’s first collection of visual narratives about her experiences and reflections of life in different places as a foreigner. Stories about living everywhere and living nowhere.

Julia Nascimento is a Brazilian illustrator and cartoonist. While living in Japan she pursued postgraduate studies in fashion and worked in different sectors of the fashion industry. In 2017, she launched her career in illustration and comics, which solidified after her relocation to Sweden. Julia Nascimento’s work has been published in books and periodicals in Japan, Sweden, USA, and in the UK.

Available at Hybriden and other places…

September festivals: Ystad + Seriefest

This weekend I’ll be with Hybriden (CBK/Tusen Serier/Wormgod) at Ystad Seriefestival, and the next at Malmö Seriefest.

Read my interview in the Seriefest blog.

I don’t know what to say about it. These are application times, so I’ve used up most of my brain power already trying to find ways to keep everything afloat next year.

But I’ll be there, there’ll be books, possibly prints, you know the drill.

See you there!

Sannolikhetsdrift

OUT NOW!

Sannolikhetsdrift
By Mattias Elftorp
2025 April
24 pages.
(also available in English as Probability Drive from Wormgod)

FRAMTIDENS UTOPI har en besättning på tre: Astrid, Isak och Katten, var och en med sina hemligheter. På sin väg mot människokolonin på Nya Paradiset får de problem. De har fått stopp i sin sannolikhetsdrivna Schrödingerianska osäkerhetsmotor och de har viktig last som måste nå kolonin.
De kan bli tvungna att öppna lådan…

AVAILABLE NOW at HYBRIDEN!

About the process behind the book:
Sannolikhetsdrift/Probablilty Drive is a space operette in comics form, also published in English in CBA vol 64. It was made to connect to a guitar body I painted for Ruokangas Guitars and their Art Infused Collection. Elements from the painting were used in the comic, and the story itself evolved due to that collaboration.

I enjoy taking scientific concepts and seeing what can happen if you stretch them and twist them around a bit. This comic was inspired by a few different sources, such as Sven Linqvist‘s Utrota Varenda Jävel (Exterminate All the Brutes) and Ursula K LeGuin‘s The Word for World is Forest. Both books deal with subjects of racism, colonialism and genocide. That felt like a logical backdrop for this story of space colonisation. And of course there’s my complete bastardization of the Schrödinger’s cat parable and the related theories of probability/uncertainty.

It’s also funny that this is one of the few times I (or CBK for that matter) publish anything in Swedish, even though it is my native tongue, and it’s something as un-Swedish as a sci fi story…

Anyway, here are a couple of SAMPLE PAGES:

Nominated for Urhunden 2025!

This is big!

It was just announced at Uppsala Comix that Piracy is Liberation 013: Missile Crisis has been nominated for Urhunden 2025: bästa originalsvenska seriebok 2024 (best Swedish original graphic novel)!! It’s kind of the Swedish version of the Eisner Award, and not normally given to a sci fi comic, which makes it extra special. I wasn’t there myself to receive the nomination but the lovely Patrik Schylström took it my place.

I’m not always one to put a lot of weight on awards in general, but I think this is my best book so far and I really appreciate the recognition for it.