In recent years Scandinavia has become a hotbed of cartooning activity, from the internationally acclaimed funny-animal stylings of Norway's Jason to the hilarious slacker romps of Sweden's Martin Kellerman and Dane Nikoline Werdelin's Eisner-Award-nominated urban slice-of-life stories. This anthology of comics -- many of them created especially for this book -- offers an intoxicating and compelling sampling of current works from these countries. Skaal
Jenni Rope Finland] tells a minimalist tale of heartbreak in "The Island"; Peter Kielland's Denmark] Mr. Pig has an eventful day; Joanna Rubin Dranger Sweden] is "Always Prepared to Die for My Child"; Crumb-esque satirist Christopher Nielsen Norway] boils down all of life to an eternal journey up the "Escalator"; Tommi Musturi Finland] provides two full-color Jim Woodringesque romps featuring his "Samuel" character; Johan F. Krarup Denmark] visits a compulsive comics collector in "Nostalgia"; plus Bendik Kaltenborn's Norway] "The Great Underneath," a dazzling wordless piece from Mardon Smet Denmark], the legendary Swedish cartoonist Joakim Pirinen's ultra-virtuoso "My Life," Drawn & Quarterly-published Amanda V h m ki's Finland] pencil-smudged stylings, and much more.