Moomin [Volume 2] by Tove Jansson
Categories: Reviews
Moomin [Volume 2]
By Tove Jansson
Drawn and Quarterly
In his native Scandinavia, Moomin is the subject of several animated series. His hippo-like face can be found gracing t-shirts and coffee mugs and the side of a full-sized McDonnell Douglas passenger plane in Finnair’s fleet. A Finnish themepark and separate museum have been erected in his name. Mention him to any Finn or Swede, and you’ll likely be greeted with the flood of memories generally attributed to characters on the level of a Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse.
Try the same trick in the States, and you’ll almost certainly find yourself on the receiving end of little more than a baffled stare or furrowed brow.
The lack of success on the part of Tove Jansson’s titular troll can’t be chalked up to cultural differences, however. For their part, Moomin and his family possess all of the universe charm of fellow European exports Babar and Tin-tin. Rather, the absence of recognition can be entirely attributed to the fact that, until Drawn & Quarterly stepped up to the plate last year with the first part of this series, Moomin had never seen the light of day in North America, despite the fact that a number of the strips were originally published in English.
This stunningly packaged second installment is another unmistakable reminder of exactly what we’ve been missing all of these years. Beautifully drawn and wonderfully scripted, Jansson’s masterwork follows the chapter length adventures of the Moominvalley residents, which play out like Pogo minus the political bent or Peanuts without the crippling depression. The Moomin clan are naturally curious, charmingly daft, occasionally nervous, and above all, ultimately happy.
That Moomin has been previously unavailable in our neck of the woods should be considered a crime. Fortunately, D&Q’s collection does the work justice, with books that would sit happily on any shelf next to Fantagraphics’ Krazy Kat, Peanuts, and Popeye collections—company with which Jansson’s work has every right to stand, a sentiment echoed by the quotes from Jeff Smith and Neil Gaiman that grace the book’s back cover.
However, this collection should be regarded as more than just quote fodder amongst the comics elite. Moomin deserves to be shared with anyone—adults and children alike—who have love for a beautifully crafted story.
–Brian Heater
The Moomin comics may not be well known, but the Moomin prose books are in print, in bookstores and libraries, and have been steady, popular sellers for decades. Moomin as a beloved character for kids may not be huge in the U.S., but it there are many kids reading Moomin books and many adults here that grew up with them. Indeed, I suspect the largest audience for the D&Q books are current and past fans of the prose books.
Hi Lenny,
According to D&Q’s site, this collection marks the first time these strips have been printed in North America. I suspect that anything else that was available here was either a collection of different stories or an import of the original British collections.
“According to D&Q’s site, this collection marks the first time these strips have been printed in North America. I suspect that anything else that was available here was either a collection of different stories or an import of the original British collections.”
Brian, he said “prose books” *twice* in three sentences.
i clearly need more sleep.
The comics are incredibly marvelous, but really, the prose books are transcendent. I could have gone to my grave happily if I’d only seen the stories; the fact that there are comics too is some sort of crazy blessing from a very kind god.
For people who haven’t seen them: the “prose books” are not just beautifully written, they’re also heavily illustrated by Jansson, and the illustrations are AMAZING. The comic strips are great too, but they’re a very simplified version of what she could do with pen and ink.