{"id":33455,"date":"2025-07-31T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T08:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=33455"},"modified":"2025-07-30T16:46:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T16:46:42","slug":"moomin-volume-9-the-complete-lars-jansson-comic-strip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/07\/31\/moomin-volume-9-the-complete-lars-jansson-comic-strip\/","title":{"rendered":"Moomin volume 9 – The Complete Lars Jansson Comic Strip"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Lasse Lars Jansson<\/strong> (Drawn & Quarterly)
\nISBN: 978-1-77046-157-4 (HB) eISBN: 978-1-77046-556-5-<\/p>\n

Today 25-years ago in Helsinki Lars Fredrik Jansson died. His work and that of his sister lives on.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tove Jansson was one of the greatest literary innovators and narrative pioneers of the 20th<\/sup> century: equally adept at shaping words and images to create worlds of wonder. She was especially expressive with basic components like pen & ink, manipulating economical lines and patterns into sublime realms of fascination, whilst her dexterity made simple forms into incredibly expressive and potent symbols. So was her brother\u2026<\/p>\n

Tove Marika Jansson<\/em> was born into an artistic, intellectual and rather bohemian Swedish family in Helsinki, Finland on August 9th<\/sup> 1914. Patriarch Viktor<\/em> was a sculptor and mother Signe Hammarsten-Jansson<\/em>\u00a0a successful illustrator, graphic designer and commercial artist. Tove\u2019s brothers\u00a0Lars<\/em> AKA \u201cLasse<\/em>\u201d and\u00a0Per Olov<\/em>\u00a0became – respectively – an author and cartoonist, and an art photographer. The family and its close intellectual, eccentric circle of friends seems to have been cast rather than born, with a witty play or challenging sitcom as the piece they were all destined to inhabit.<\/p>\n

After extensive and intensive study (from 1930-1938 at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Graphic School of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and L\u2019Ecole d\u2019Adrien Holy <\/em>and L\u2019Ecole des Beaux-Arts<\/em>, Paris), she became a successful exhibiting artist through the troubled years of WWII.<\/p>\n

Brilliantly creative across many fields, she published her first Moomins<\/strong> fable in 1945. Sm\u00e5trollen och den stora \u00f6versv\u00e4mningen<\/em><\/strong> (The Little Trolls and the Great Flood<\/em><\/strong> – latterly and more euphoniously The Moomins and the Great Flood<\/strong>) was a whimsical epic of gentle, inclusive, accepting, understanding, bohemian misfit trolls and their strange friends\u2026<\/p>\n

The term \u201cMoomin\u201d came from maternal uncle Einar Hammarsten<\/em> who tried to stop Tove pilfering food when she visited by warning that a Moomintroll guarded the kitchen, creeping up on trespassers and breathing cold air down their necks… you can check out our other reviews such as Christmas Comes to Moominvalley<\/a> <\/strong>for how the critter became a mega franchise and proto-mythology. Here and now, let\u2019s discuss how Lars got involved…<\/p>\n

More popular with each successive book, global fame loomed. And in 1952 Finn Family Moomintroll<\/strong>\/The Happy Moomins<\/strong> was translated into English to great acclaim, prompting British publishing giant Associated Press to commission a daily newspaper strip starring the seductively sweet & sensibly surreal creations. Jansson had no misgivings or prejudices about strip cartoons as she had already adapted Comet in Moominland<\/strong> for Swedish\/Finnish paper Ny Tid<\/em><\/strong>. Mumintrollet och jordens underg\u00e4ng\/<\/em>Moomintrolls and the End of the World<\/strong> was hugely popular and she welcomed the chance to extend her eclectic family\u2019s range. In 1953, The London Evening News<\/strong> began the first of 21 Moomin strip sagas which captivated readers of all ages. Tove Jansson\u2019s involvement in the cartoon ended in 1959, a casualty of its own success and the punishing publication schedule. So great was the strain that she had already recruited brother Lars to help. He quietly took over, continuing the feature until its close in 1975. His tenure as sole creator officially began with the sixth collection in this series and reaches its penultimate volume here\u2026<\/p>\n

Liberated from cartooning pressures, Tove returned to painting, writing and other pursuits: generating plays, murals, public art, stage designs, costumes for dramas and ballets, a Moomin opera and 9 more Moomin-related picture-books and novels, as well as 13 books and short-story collections strictly for grown-ups. She died on June 27th<\/sup> 2001, with awards too numerous to mention, and her face on the national currency…<\/p>\n

Lars Fredrik Jansson<\/em> (October 8th <\/sup>1926 – July 31st<\/sup> 2000) was almost as amazing as his sister. Born into that astounding overachieving clan 12 years after Tove, at 16 he started writing – and selling – his own novels (nine in total). He also taught himself English because there weren\u2019t enough Swedish-language translations of books available for his voracious reading appetite. In 1956 at his sister\u2019s request he began co-scripting the Moomin strip: injecting his own witty whimsicality to \u2018Moomin Goes Wild West\u2019<\/em>. He had been Tove\u2019s English language translator and sense-reader from the start, seamlessly converting her Swedish into text and balloons even the British could grasp.<\/p>\n

In 1959, when her contract with The London Evening News<\/strong> expired, Lars officially took over, having spent the interim period learning to draw and perfectly mimic his sister\u2019s art style. He had done so in secret, assisted and tutored by their mother Signe Hammarsten-Jansson<\/em>. From 1961 to strip\u2019s end in 1974, Lars was sole steersman of trollish tabloid tails (I fear that could be much misconstrued these days…).<\/p>\n

\u201cLasse\u201d was a man of many parts. Other careers included aerial photographer, professional gold miner, writer and translator. He was basis and model for ultimate cool kid Snufkin<\/em> and his Moomins<\/strong> exploits were subtly sharper than his sister\u2019s version: far more in tune with the quirky British sense of humour. Nevertheless, his whimsically wry sense of wonder was every bit as compelling. In 1990, long after the original series, Lasse began a new career, working with Dennis Livson (designer of Finland\u2019s acclaimed Moomin World<\/strong> theme park) as producers of anime series The Moomins<\/strong> and, with daughter Sophia Jansson in 1993, on new Moomin strips\u2026<\/p>\n

Moomintrolls are easy-going free spirits: polite modern bohemians untroubled by hidebound domestic mores but under Lars, increasingly diverted and distracted by societal pressures. Moominmama<\/em> is warm, kindly tolerant and capable, if perhaps overly concerned with propriety and appearances, whilst her devoted spouse Moominpappa<\/em> spends most of his time trying to rekindle his adventurous youth or dreaming of fantastic journeys. Their darling son Moomintroll<\/em> is a meek, dreamy boy with confusing ambitions who adores – and moons over – permanent houseguest the<\/em> Snorkmaiden<\/em> – although that impressionable, flighty gamin prefers to play things slowly whilst awaiting somebody potentially better\u2026<\/p>\n

A particularly acerbic affair, this 9th<\/sup> monochrome compilation revisits serial strip sagas #34-37, and opens with Lars in full charge as confusion blooms with the arrival of cinematic thespians and sundry other playactors all concerned with immortalising a \u2018Damsel in Distress\u2019<\/em>.
\n\"\"
\nSadly our happy family and most of Moominvalley are utter neophytes regarding the miracles of the moving image and understandable initial confusion soon grows into envy, dangerous jealousy, unleashed ambition and when Moominpappa leaps to a wrong conclusion, frustrated heroism and vigilantism once the old stalwart spots ladies tied to railway tracks and caped mustachio-twirling figures lurking about…<\/p>\n

No soon does that furore die down than domestic strife manifests as \u2018Fuddler and Married Life\u2019<\/em> finds the androgynous collector and equally ambiguous new spouse Jumble <\/em>exploit everyone\u2019s goodwill and happy wishes to unwisely expand their personal button collection into a rapacious runaway commercial enterprise that soon leaves them homeless and straining the good will of all around them. Luckily, Moominmamma is on hand to take over babysitting chores whilst the drama sorts itself out…
\n\"\"
\nRampant unchecked capitalism gone mad is also the order (to go) of the day in \u2018Sniff\u2019s Sports Shop\u2019<\/em> as the exceptionally shy and nervous critter inherits a thriving activities emporium from an uncle whose sole previous contact was a monthly stipend for staying the full length of the valley away from him…<\/p>\n

Moomin is there to support Sniff\u2019s crash course in commercial enterprise and unwise quest for a game or endeavour he can take up as his very own, but the escalating chaos inevitably ends in tizzies, higgledy-piggledy behaviours, embarrassment and injury, before the sporting mogul wisely calls it a day…<\/p>\n

Concluding proceedings is the sorry salutary saga of \u2018Mymble\u2019s Diamond\u2019<\/em> wherein the impulsive, impressionable, incurable romantic shows everyone the flashy ring she\u2019s been given by latest flame Rinaldo<\/em>, and certain tongues begin wagging once again…<\/p>\n

Soon the valley is afire with stridently expressed opinions and mounting certainty that \u201csomething should be done\u201d, but what and to whom and – for pity\u2019s sake – why?
\n\"\"
\nA cautionary tale exploring the power of gossip and apparently irresistible need for some to judge others, here is a perfect example of cartoons\u2019 power for cultural commentary and social satire, and a splendid place to pause and think quietly for a moment…<\/p>\n

This compilation again closes with a closer look at the creator in \u2018Lars Jansson: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get to Work\u2019<\/em> courtesy of family biographer Juhani Tolvanen, extolling his many worthy attributes\u2026<\/p>\n

These are utterly, adorably barbed tales for the young, laced with the devastating observation and razor-sharp mature wit which enhances and elevates only the greatest kids\u2019 stories into classics of literature. These tomes – both Tove & Lars\u2019 – are an international treasure trove no fan of the medium – or carbon-based lifeform with even a hint of heart and soul – can afford to be without.
\n\u00a9 2013 Solo\/Bulls. \u201cLars Jansson: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get to Work\u201d \u00a9 2011\/2013 Juhani Tolvanen. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lasse Lars Jansson (Drawn & Quarterly) ISBN: 978-1-77046-157-4 (HB) eISBN: 978-1-77046-556-5- Today 25-years ago in Helsinki Lars Fredrik Jansson died. His work and that of his sister lives on. Tove Jansson was one of the greatest literary innovators and narrative pioneers of the 20th century: equally adept at shaping words and images to create … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Moomin volume 9 – The Complete Lars Jansson Comic Strip”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[42,113,255,63,125,97,363,148,111,156],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of-british","category-comedy","category-environmentalism","category-european-classics","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-moomins","category-romance","category-satirepolitics","category-world-classics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8HB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33455"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33462,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33455\/revisions\/33462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}