Preview of a couple of almost-finished paintings/drawings for the Wormgod: AFTER THE ENDS OF THE WORLD exhibition during AltCom 2014. Coming in November!
The world ended in many different ways at once, creating time lines diverging from the straight line that used to be known as history. Self-destruction! Extra-terrestrial invasion! Undeath! Catastrophe! These are visions of the futures that came after the end of life as you know it.
Page one from my contribution to the Novo Doba anthology.
Without lettering…
About a year ago, the Husby riots happened.
It doesn’t matter if you support the rioters or not, if you can figure out WHY these things happen you should work to change those elements and it won’t happen again.
It seems to be a similar scenario no matter if it’s in Stockholm, London or Paris, and here’s a hint: the problem is NOT that there are too few cops.
Here’s a trailer for Riots Reframed:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnAUs1F1oyY]
And here’s a chapter from Me & my Daddy & Zlatan:
Order the book from Hybriden, some of the Swedish comicbook stores or any of the Swedish web-based bookstores…
There’s a review of Me & my Daddy & Zlatan at Litteraturmagazinet (in Swedich).
Maskerna är ett effektivt sätt att skildra den sortens “assimilering” som i själva verket består av annorlundaskap och uteslutning. De kan tyckas frånta berättelsen en del av den realism som Elftorp annars eftersträvar, men samtidigt är det också en slags överrealism som belyser de inslag i vår verklighet som vi inte kan få syn på om de inte understryks och överdrivs. Ett konkret sätt att skildra något som är abstrakt för dem som slipper drabbas, men farligt påtagligt för alla drabbade.
Berättelsen om Sara engagerar med sin tunga sorgsenhet. Hon bär på sina smärtsamma minnen av att ha sett en person som stod henne nära mördas. Hon kommer till ett land som inte alls släpper in henne, som inte vill ha henne där. Elftorps seriestil bidrar effektivt till känslan med sin myckna gråhet, sina få – men mycket uttrycksfulla – färger och till synes slarviga, men i själva verket väldigt exakta linjer.
And another one, at Goodreads (in English).
This story is told in a sketchy, artistic style, and the allegorical possibilities of comics are used extensively as all immigrants in this version of reality are required to wear a mask with the Swedish flag over their faces at all times. This works brilliantly as a visual metaphor for the pressure asserted on immigrants in Sweden and in many other countries to fit in and “go native” so to speak”.
The focus on the girl and her experience means that the story never gets stuck in a political placard mode, though. And the ending of this graphic novel is very strong and emotional, and if you haven’t read the shorter earlier version, unexpected and rather unsettling.
And here are some sample pages from the very beginning of the story (click images for bigger pictures) (Swedish version here):
The exhibition will be up a while longer, but it will only be open sporadically.
This week, we will be open Monday-Wednesday between 14-16.
–
From the opening/release party (because of a fire alarm, we moved the party to the garage for a while):
Ny bok från Tusen Serier & Wormgod:
JAG & MIN PAPPA & ZLATAN av Mattias Elftorp
[Scroll down for English translation]
Releasefest och utställning:10 maj kl 14-19 på Tusen Serier (Mitt Möllan, Claesgatan 8, Malmö)
Vin, chips och serier på väggarna, vad mer kan du behöva en lördageftermiddag?
Ta med dina vänner och häng ett tag på Tusen Seriers lokal på Mitt Möllan!
OM BOKEN:
Sara brukar spela fotboll med sina kompisar. När hon och hennes pappa blir tvungna att lämna sitt land är hon överlycklig över att de ska flytta just till Rosengård i Malmö, staden där Zlatan bor. Hennes högsta önskan är att få se honom spela och kanske till och med träffa honom.
Men allt är inte helt bra. Kanske kommer de inte att få stanna. Och det är någonting konstigt med det här nya landet där man måste bära en svenskmask för att dölja att man är “annorlunda”.
Ska hennes drömmar gå i uppfyllelse?
JAG & MIN PAPPA & ZLATAN bygger på den prisbelönta (ISV 2009, Kemi 2010) serienovellen med samma namn. De enkla teckningarna och symboliken bakom maskerna i serien gör att huvudpersonens öde blir lätt att leva sig in i och känna med då hon möter det svenska samhällets fram- och baksidor.
Boken finns i två versioner: en på svenska och en på engelska.
ENDAST 100:- på releasefesten (gäller även övriga böcker från Tusen Serier)!
Går också att beställa från
http://www.apartforlag.se/
http://www.serieaffaren.se/
http://www.wormgod.net/ (PayPal)
+div nätbokhandlar
OM MATTIAS ELFTORP (författare & tecknare):
Gör den postapokalyptiska cyberpunkserien PIRACY IS LIBERATION och den argt politiska ARG KANIN. Aktuell som medförfattare av BEKELE och känd från Bamsedebatten 2011. Aktiv i konst- och seriekollektivet Wormgod och håller i undergroundseriefestivalen AltCom i Malmö (årets festival blir i november med temat POSTAPOKALYPS). Fiende till Migrationsverket och andra avarter av det svenska samhället.
http://www.elftorp.com/
Mer om Tusen Serier: http://www.tusenserier.com/
—–
New book from Tusen Serier & Wormgod:
ME & MY DADDY & ZLATAN by Mattias Elftorp
Release party and exhibition: May 10 14-19 at Tusen Serier (Mitt Möllan, Claesgatan 8, Malmö)
Wine, chips and comics on the walls, what else could you need for a Saturday afternoon?
Bring your friends and hang out for a while at the Tusen Serier place at Mitt Möllan (Malmö)!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sara used to play soccer with her friends. When she and her dad had to leave their country she was happy that they were going to Malmö, Sweden, where Zlatan lives. Her greatest wish is to see him play and maybe even meet him.
But all isn’t completely well. They may not be allowed to stay. And there is something strange about this new country where you have to wear a Swedish mask to hide that you are “different.”
Will Sara’s dreams come true? Or will her nightmares?
ME & MY DADDY & ZLATAN is based on the award-winning (ISV 2009, Kemi 2010) comics short story of the same name. The simple drawing style and the symbolism behind the masks in the story make it easy to empathize with the main character as she experiences different sides of Swedish society.
Bekele is available in two versions: one in Swedish and one in English.
ONLY 100:- sek at the release party (same goes for the other books from Tusen Serier)!
Order from
http://www.apartforlag.se/
http://www.serieaffaren.se/
http://www.wormgod.net/ (PayPal)
+various Swedish web-based bookstores
ABOUT MATTIAS ELFTORP (författare & tecknare):
Creator of the cyberpunk postapocalypse comic series PIRACY IS LIBERATION, the furiously political comic ARG KANIN/ANGRY ANIMALS and has been published in various anthologies. He is active in the art- and comics collective Wormgod, arranges the underground comics festival AltCom in Malmö (this year in November, theme: POSTAPOCALYPSE) and is one of the comics activists running Tusen Serier. Enemy of the Migration Board and other abuses performed by the Swedish society.
http://www.elftorp.com/
More about Tusen Serier: http://www.tusenserier.com/
This came out a while ago, but hasn’t been mentioned here yet:
DYSTOPIA 13
Heidi Somero/Mattias Elftorp split
28 pgs, color
Designed and edited by Mattias Elftorp
ISBN: 978-91-86667-26-9
Price: 50 SEK
SIDE A
Title: LIFE
Story & art by Heidi Somero
10 pages
A study of what life does to you, and how it effects one family.
SIDE B
Title: 3 DAYS OF DARKNESS
Story & art by Mattias Elftorp
7 pages
The end of 2012 is here, and with it comes the end of the world. Doesn’t it?
Wormgod book 025.
January 2014.
Very soon now, possibly as soon as tomorrow night, BLÅ and BEKELE will finally arrive to Malmö!
BEKELE will be available in one Swedish and one English version, so I’m doing this presentation in English:
Bekele is married to Johannes in Malmö, Sweden. They have to go to regular interviews at the Migration Board to prove that their marriage is real.
But what will they do when their lives are suddenly turned upside down? When something happens that puts more on the line than just their relationship?
This is the story of Bekele, Johannes and Simon, but also about the Sweden of today…
Script by Raquel Lozano & Mattias Elftorp
Art by Emre Özdamarlar
Only 120:- (SEK)!!
Direct link to the book (Swedish version only) at Apart’s webshop, the only place to find the book until we have it in Malmö.
Language: Swedish + separate English edition.
About Raquel Lozano (författare):
Swedish-Colombian nursing assistant. Debuting as a writer of graphic novels with BEKELE.
About Mattias Elftorp (författare):
Creator of the cyberpunk postapocalypse comic series PIRACY IS LIBERATION, the furiously political comic ARG KANIN/ANGRY ANIMALS and has been published in various anthologies. He is active in the art- and comics collective Wormgod, arranges the underground comics festival AltCom in Malmö and is one of the comics activists running Tusen Serier.
About Emre Özdamarlar (tecknare):
Moved from Turkey to Sweden in 2005 to work as an engineer. After 4 years he quit his job to start drawing comics. Emre graduated from the Malmö Comics School in the spring of 2013.
This book has been a long time in the making, but now it will soon become reality as a collaboration between Tusen Serier and Wormgod.
There will be more information soon, I just wanted to post the cover right now because I’m so excited. I wanted to pick a few preview pages, but it’s too late to do that now so I’m seving it for later.
This may well be the best single graphic novel I’ve made so far, on many levels. It’s not really like anything I usually do, leaning more towards the mainstream rather than cyberpunk or the various other styles I usually work with. You will see, sometime during the upcoming spring months…
So here are the two covers for the Swedish & English editions:
