Work – Page 7 – A Spr Sbtl Fkkya

Immunology

I feel I should write something about terrorism and the need for levelheadedness in the face of these things. How it’s important to not become paranoid or racist when attacks like the one in Paris happened. How yes, our Western society and it’s media and its people tend to care more about “our own” French people than the ones in Syria or Beirut or any of the other places where atrocities happen, but it’s still about a lot of people being murdered for reasons that we can’t condone or ignore. I would write that what we do about it is important. Because what we want is peace and not more meaningless bloodshed (see now, I’m trying not to sound like some Defence Leaguer so instead I come off like a hippie, and it’s all the terrorist’s fault).

Maybe somethingabout the Swedish terrorist hunt recently and about how they caught the guy who seems to have just gone on with his life like he wasn’t the Most Wanted (which is kind of suspicious), but I don’t have enough facts about it, so I can’t really say a lot. Except that I didn’t suddenly start trusting the police/authorities in general for no reason…

/Edit: Seems that they let the guy go, so I guess he was innocent. Is there still a terrorist running around the country, or was the whole thing a false alarm? Since they knew exactly who to look for, I would lean more towards a false alarm. They had his name and a pixelated photo, yet somehow they couldn’t find him (he lived at the address he had given to the Migration Boeard, with his name on the door, and his Facebook profile was open and available, so they could easily have found a better photo), and when they did get him, he was just going about his everyday business.

Compare this to when they found lots of explosives in a barn belonging to a Sweden Democrat who was obviously up to no good. In that case they didn’t raise any official nation-wide threat levels. And when a wave of fires against refugee accomodations sweep the country (around 30 so far this year), that’s also obviously nothing to take seriously… End edit/

Definitely something hopeful about how now maybe people will be more understanding towards refugees from Syria. Because this thing happened to people “we” can identify with because maybe we’ve been to Paris or at least seen it in some film. Or maybe something bitter about how it doesn’t seem that way because “we” just put up extra passport controls on the border and people seem to go on being stupid and paranoid about it.

I should also write something about the Roma that were evicted from the Sorgenfri camp in Malmö and who have been sleeping outside City Hall since it happened, even though the City has repeatedly stolen (with the help of the parking guards and police) their trailers, mattresses, blankets, clothes. And now it’s snowing. And the politicians (Social Democrats) do nothing except congratulate themselves and exacerbate their situation.

I probably have something to say about the term racism and how it’s lost all meaning to people who say racist things. To them, it’s just an insult, not a word that means anything. I could also reflect on how cartoon characters used to seem overtly simplified when they talked about themselves as “evil”. I would have said that no one would see themselves as evil. But now I hear that in some mainstream(?) circles in Denmark, for example, they talk about “good” people as some kind of bleeding-heart wimps and/or dangerous enemies of society (because they try to avoid being or acting like racists/fascists). Which I guess means that they consider themselves evil?

Basically, I would talk about how a lot of things are turning more and more to shit.

However, I’ve heard that people prefer to hear good news, so I’ll settle for showing you the comic I got the honorary award for at the Oulu Comics Festival a while ago (it was included in their Hunger of Horror anthology where they spelled my name wrong but who cares?). It’s probably going to turn up in CBA at some point as well, but I’ll show you the whole thing now anyway (more news later about CBA and also about Myling that got 3rd prize and will soon be a Tusen Serier book).

So here it is: Immunology

(click images for embiggening)

Bokomslag! Strejk!

A while ago, I made a cover illustration for a book called Slutsnackat.

Now comes the sequel (book 4 in the series, edited by Frances Tuuloskorpi), which is going to be about strikes (titled Om strejker).

Not the final version of the cover, but here’s my illustration:

More fucked-up…

Never mind my bollocks today. I tired.

I have so much to say but don’t really remember what, it’s probably written down somewhere, but some trolls must have taken my notes.

So fuck you (subtly), I’m gonna show you my complete Novo Doba comic instead. As you may remember, or as you can see if you scroll down just a little bit, do I have to think of everything myself? I mean, you can clearly see that I showed you the first page of it a while ago. And what was I talking about?

Stop questioning me!

Here: comic (click images for bigger)!

In other news. Upcoming release parties, exhibitions etc. Maybe something else? More on whatever it is later. Bye for now!

These fucked-up things…

The theme for next week’s Novo Doba festival is Šta nam rade (means, more or less, “what they are doing to us”). Here’s the first page of what I did for the festival anthology.

I called my submission These fucked-up things they are doing to us… (click image for bigger size):

Trolls seem to be a recurring theme nowadays, but these fuckers are completely different from the ones in The Troll…

Back to Earth

I got asked by Éric Ferrier to make something for his next issue of KIPsek. The theme was “back to earth”, as opposed to last issue’s “scientificoniricofantastique”.

So of course I had to do the sci fi interpretation of the theme… The thing is also that he asked me to do it as a lino cut, which is not exactly new to me but I am completely untrained.

We’ll see if it makes it all the way into the book…

Here’s a few samples in any case:

My favourite parts are the ones where the paint didn’t really take and there are these nice mistake textures…

Today + near future news

The Tusen Serier/Sverok wall/jam comics exhibition that’s been going on this week will be finished today, which we will celebrate with alcohol, of course. We have three jam comics going on the walls, and yesterday we made some connections between the different stories, so they will all be concluded today in a SUPER RAVE PARTY OF DEATH. Literally (or at least in some kind of literal form).

We start at 16 and go on until 22-ish, depending on when we run out of wine…

In other news:

As you may know, I’ve been organizing the AltCom festival (website will soon be updated) for the Swedish Comics Association since 2010. The next edition, however, will be run by CBK in cooperation with Tusen Serier. I will still be the main organizer, but it still feels new and exciting.

And speaking of Tusen Serier, it just completed the transition from a project run by the Comics Association into an organization in its own rights. Which also feels great!

And one last item. A new book from CBK is nearing completion: Creation of a god / Att skapa en gud by Henrik Möller & Lars Krantz, based on a short story by Richard Stanley. Here’s the first official preview of the cover:

All these things…

Ok, so here’s the deal.

Current comics projects:

I was going to get started on Piracy is Liberation v03 this fall, but right now I don’t see it happening. I also had to postpone the Transgressions 2 project I was planning to get started with Brazilian noise band Anarcho Vomit Noise. But I finished The Troll, and when the publisher gets hold of some 3D glasses it’s going to get a proper release somehow. I also have to make the Swedish translation of it as soon as I get some five spare minutes…

First, some short stories. I told you before about Viral that I made for CBA vol 30. I’m also mentally sketching a cover illustration for that issue, together with Kinga Dukaj. I’ve also written a script for something that is currently called Immunology, intended for the Oulu comics festival horror comics competition, whose deadline is approaching. It’s probably going to end up in CBA sooner or later as well. And I have a script for another troll story, but a different kind, for the upcoming Novo Doba festival anthology. Working title: These fucked up things they are doing to us.

Oh, and I’m supposed to make a lino cut contribution to Éric Ferrier’s new zine. Deadline sometime in August, of course. Maybe I’ll do it this weekend…

Spell casting:

A few years ago, I decided that things got more interesting if I view application-writing as casting spells. Because it is a bit like magic. You formulate a spell, you offer it to the gods/spirits/institutions in a kind of ritual that may include going to the post office or completing certain steps online, and then, if these higher powers decide to smile upon you, you get the money you ask for. And then you have to work for it, sacrificing your time and creativity, putting their power sigils/logos on whatever you produce within the boundaries of the spell.

So this is also something I’m going to be doing for a while now. Projects that need financing:
– AltCom 2016: WORK (this time organized by CBK & Tusen Serier)
– Tusen Serier (which was just transformed from a project under the Swedish Comics Association into its own organization. Now we’re just waiting for our magic number that will give us access to new sorts of magic).
– CBK (luckily I’m not responsible for writing these. Mine is more a consulting role. But still, deadline approaching…)

CBK:

So I just finished putting together the new issue of CBA (vol 29), which is a solo issue called What we knew, by Sarah Kläpp. With any luck, we’ll have it in time for the Helsinki festival…

And we’re in the process of making comics for CBA vol 30. Well, the others are. I’ve been done for ages. Luckily.

And some submissions have already come in for CBA vol 32. It’s always a joy to see all the nice comics people are sending to us.

And I hear that Mari Ahokoivu is preparing the material for he solo issue (vol 31).

All of these releases are supposed to result in exhibitions sooner or later.

We just need to sort out the mess that the former editorial crew left behind. A mess that may pose a big problem for us new people. Long story. We’ll sort it out somehow.

Edit: And yes, on top of all this, I’m also going to put togehter another book for CBK: Creation of a god / Vallonden som byggde gud. Comics adaptation by Henrik Möller & Lars Krantz of a Richard Stanley (who made films like Hardware and Dust Devil) short story. My self preservation skills are at 0. I just can’t help myself…

Wormgod:

Not much happening here for the moment, which is probably saving my life right now, because:

Tusen Serier:

August 4-7: Nerd at Pride

1000nerd_pride

We’ll be making a jam comic on the walls during this event. An interactive exhibition with some kind of LGBT/Sci Fi theme that we will figure out as we go along.

August 14: Tusen Stafettserier

Tusen Stafettserier, our jam comics project that we’ve been working on for the last year is now finished and the exhibition which started in Stockholm recently will now be shown in Malmö before going on to Sjöbo, Gothenburg and back to Stockholm again.

August 21: Sofie Hoff (guest exhibition)

We’re lending out the Tusen Serier place for a guest exhibition.

August 28-30: Helsinki sarjakuvafestivaali

Tusen Serier, CBK and Wormgod goes to the Helsinki comics festival! Which is always nice, especially since I haven’t been there for a while now.

September 5: Lillebrors fantastiska mardrömmar release/exhibition/performance

The official release of Lillebrors fantastiska mardrömmar!

September 12-13: Comic Con Malmö

Not sure how this will work out, but worth a try anyway. Tusen Serier & Wormgod at the first Comic Con in Malmö. They seem to base this more on the image of San Diego Comic Con that you see in popular culture rather than focusing on comics. We’ll see…

September 22-27: Novo Doba

Going to Serbia once more for the Novo Doba festival. Family reunion…

September 26: Some exhibition

I won’t be here for this one, but we’ll put some kind of exhibition together.

September 27: Amalia Alvarez at the Gothenburg book fair

Amalia Alvarez will represent Tusen Serier and talk about her new book about prostitutes. Another thing I won’t be here for…

So that’s it…

…for August and September. And after that there is still the issue of the After the ends of the world release party/mini noise festival that was supposed to have happened already, but the venue didn’t work out for different reasons (mainly construction work).

And we were going to show the 8. exhibition in Malmö, maybe in conjunction with a release event for The Troll (and of course for the 8. book). Whenever there is time.

Where is the time? Have you seen it?

Also, could you remind me of all the things I’ve forgotten in this description of what is filling my head right now, because I don’t know where they are or what they look like or what I was even talking about…

Anyway, see you around, somewhere.

8.

It’s been going on since the 4th, but I haven’t really had time to sit down by my computer until now, so, during July and possibly longer, I’m having an exhibition together with Kinga Dukaj (of CBK & Tusen Serier) at Le Garage L in Forcalcier, France.

After the CRACK! festival, we went there to hang out for a while, set up the exhibition and make a small book together. It’s my first screenprinted/handmade book, and it feels really good to have done it, especially at this great place that is the bookshop/print workshop/exhibition space/etc of Le Garage L.

(Both images made by Kinga)

For the exhibition, I brought mostly my Wormgod stuff but also some new prints. Some of them containing 3D images from The Troll, which I got from the printer just the day before leaving for this small European tour.

More on The Troll later, as there will be some kind of release event in Malmö, we’re just waiting to get the 3D glasses so it can be officially released…

The Troll – new cover

Yeah, I changed it since the last post. Otherwise, most of the info was correct. Most of it…

So what else is up?

Waiting for some Tusen Serier books to come from the printer. They should have been here a month ago, but… Anyway, I’ve seen two of them already and they look really nice. When they arrive there will be exhibitions! Hopefully as nice as the one we had last weekend (CBK/Allan Haverholm @ Tusen Serier).

I just started writing an application to get money to go to the Novo Doba festival in September. It’s always “fun” to write these things.

I need to find the time to make some kind of art for the exhibitions at CRACK! (Wormgod/Tusen Serier/CBK) in June and Le Garage L (me and Kinga Dukaj) in July. And to finish my story for CBA vol 30, which I’ve been reworking over and over and never seem to be really happy with for some reason.

And also writing a couple of whateverthehellyoucallthem, you know, the things you write after someone gave you money to tell them that you did al the things they gave you money for. I do take this very seriously, I just can’t think of the word for it in English. I report every month to my “boss”, but I still have to write these things myself for some reason. Maybe you really have to be me to know what I’m doing. As if that would help.

I also should really eat something and then go to bed.

Goodnight.

Coming soon: The Troll

Yesterday I finished the cover illustration for my new book, The Troll, which is what I’ve been working on outside of my other projects these last few months. It’s going to be published by Komika förlag, hopefully in time for CRACK! festival (June 25-28).

Not exactly sure how to describe the thing yet, but it has some elements of family drama, some queerness and an exploration of a fifth dimension concept (which, when I think about it, is kind of compatible with Butlerian queer theory). Mostly it’s been a lot of fun working on it.

It’s an expansion of a 24h comic I made back in 2005 (published in a smaller format by Komika in 2008), that I added 3 new chapters to, which makes it a bit lonjger than 100 pages in total. So it’s been 10 years in the making, as they say.

And it’s partially in 3D (old school 3D glasses will be included), so if you have a pair of 3D glasses, put them on and take another look at the cover!