Album-format
comics have difficulty cracking the Norwegian comic book market. And comics for
kids have difficulty cracking the Norwegian comic book market. So a new, Norwegian
album-format comic book aimed at children, created by a debuting cartoonist, is
not an everyday occurrence.
"Guliver& Bo" is an educational adventure comic for children, starring protagonists
Bo, a young and energetic girl, and her companion Guliver*, a curious little
alien who can travel in time and space. A so-called "audience surrogate",
then, accompanied by a supernatural being; this is a well-known “odd couple”
combination, and it works very well in this comic.
Their first
album, “Why does he moon show the same side the whole time?” was published
simultaneously in Norwegian and English early this summer. While it the story starts out with exploring the
question in the title, this is primarily the story of Norway’s most famous
explorer Thor Heyerdahl (still an iconic figure in the eyes of the Norwegian
people) and his Kon Tiki expedition across the Pacific in 1947. Guliver and Bo encounters
the explorer when they travel to Raroia in the Pacific - initially to check
whether the moon does in fact shows the same side on other side of the world.
This comic easily
meets the first important criterion for an educational comic, namely to avoid
being boring or preachy. The story is structured in an informal and
entertaining way that children can enjoy. Humor is mixed with historical facts
in a way that enhances both elements. A more detailed text, for those who want immerse
themselves in the topics, can be found in the back of the album, but the comic itself
has the right balance between text and artwork.
The artist/writer at her desk
Artist/writer
Leah Laahne, formerly a UN employee with international relations as her special
field, has already found her own style as a comic artist: Powerful lines, sharp
edges, light movements, and eager, inquisitive facial expressions. Her style is
distinctive, but easy to get into.
One problem with
"Why does the moon…" as a debut is that the comic’s concept does not
entirely come into its own in this first album. Due to a sponsor agreement with
the Kon Tiki Museum, this particular story focuses on Thor Heyerdahl, and the
title characters play a more passive role than they’re usually meant to have. However,
Laahne have assured me that they’ll usually play a more active role in their
stories, taking full advantage of Guliver’s aforementioned ability to travel in
time and space. The connection between Guliver and Bo’s “moon mystery” and
Heyerdahl’s Kon Tiki story is also a little thin. The two stories could easily
have been told separately.
But this should be
considered a pragmatic approach. By cooperating with an institution like the
Kon Tiki Museum, Laahne has gotten a comic out and a foot inside the market.
Hopefully, this will prove to be a good starting point. The adventures about
Guliver & Bo have only just begun, and the road ahead, if we are to believe the previews, will be epic and action-packed.
*The name is a
play on word, which is unfortunately lost in translation. Guliver is yellow,
and “Gul” means yellow in Norwegian. His full name is obviously an allusion to
Gulliver’s Travels. He’s named and modeled after Leah Laahne’s favorite childhood
plush toy.
