Tag Archives: Parody

Review: ‘Läskimooses’ by Matti Hagelberg

Panel excerpt from “Läskimooses” by Matti Hagelberg

“Läskimooses,” by Matti Hagelberg, has got to be one of the most unusual of comics. It comes out in single issues and the plan is for the complete collected work to be an epic over 1,000 pages. Currently, this art/sci-fi comic book totals around 700 pages, is published 7 issues per year, and is the longest single comics story ever to be produced in Finland.

Hagelberg is best known for his scratchboard technique that he has used in most of his works, published by L’association and Le Dernier Cri in France (Raw Vision 83). It is a wonderfully obsessive vision, part parody and part stream of consciousness. Hagelberg is on an adventure to find the meaning of life and the secrets to the universe byway of conspiracy theories. Only a determined artist like Hagelberg can sustain such a quest. It makes for fascinating results.

Artist Matti Hagelberg

It’s not uncommon for an artist to keep to one theme or one universe in their body of work. Hagelberg has always drawn stories set in the same universe. His epic Läskimooses comics are quite a dramatic example of focused work harkening back to classic comic strips. His theme of exploring the universe is broad enough to sustain a lifetime’s work. The energy and enthusiasm comes across the page. He has set up some fun devices to keep the narrative flowing like an ongoing conversation between characters discussing cosmic subjects. You don’t need to know how to read Finnish to enjoy it either.

Läskimooses #28

I always enjoy writing about comics from outside the United States. Sometimes, I am not sure how to hook into a work and I find it is better to let it simmer and then I come back to it. So is the case with “Läskimooses.” You can now enjoy an issue of the comic book with a handy translation sheet in English. That will certainly clear up any questions about why you’re seeing a bunch of monkeys or what’s going on regarding a volcanic eruption.

Page from Läskimooses #28

Again, let me emphasize that the visuals are pretty stunning all by themselves. Some issues, like #28 above, are only images, no text at all. Basically, all you need to know to begin with is that Läskimooses and Ohto are both planets and figure prominently in the narrative. The two ongoing characters have their own ideas on existential matters that they’re working through. It’s interesting that Hagelberg’s initial idea was to set his story on the Mars of Edgar Rice Burroughs. He had a spectacle in mind right from the start. Anyway, we’re all working through our own existential issues, right? It’s fun to see an artist with such an unabashed and audacious attitude share with us his vision of the sublime and the profound. I look forward to what develops next with this intriguing and unusual project.

To get an issue of “Läskimooses,” with an English translation sheet included, go to Printed Matter right here.

For a closer look at the artist at work, check out this video right here.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Europe, European Comics, Finland, Matti Hagelberg, Scandinavia, Sci-Fi, science fiction

Star Wars: PAW WARS

PAW WARS

PAW WARS 2013

Did I get the memo right? Soon we will be seeing a new “Star Wars” movie every single day for the rest of our miserable little lives? No, that’s not possible, is it?

Oh, wait, it’s going to be a new “Star Wars” movie every year for the next five years.

Huh?

That’s still pretty weird.

There are rumblings about it, for sure. Read some here and here.

But, hey, why not? Right? Why the hell not?!

Add to the mix, all the wonderful parodies you’ll get to see along the way.

None the least is a “Star Wars” parody with a full animal cast!

Yes, get ready for “Paw Wars!”

Press release follows:

From the Meows Eisley Cantuna on the desert planet of Catooine, to the giant tennis ball of the Dog Star, the adventures of Duke Mousepouncer begin today with The Pet Collective’s newest “Petody”: PAW WARZ.

“These are not the toys you’re looking for,” Ol’ Bengal Catobi tries to persuade cat-eared Poopscoopers using the ways of the Furs. Does it work?

A second episode of the parody that blends Internet cats with the world’s most famous space adventure will follow next week, answering the oft-debated question: Did Haz Alone shoot first?

But the videos are only the beginning of the PAW WARZ Saga (since every saga must have a beginning). They’ll be presented weekly on The Pet Collective, the leading pet-themed channel on YouTube — and poducers of the short parodies have also created a companion website that offers more details on the PAW WARZ galaxy, from spaceships (like the Rex Wing Fighter), characters (including See 3Meow, Boop Boop Beep Boop and Toada) and planets like Dogobath. With help from fans and the Pet Collective community, the PAW WARZ website will continue to grow.

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Filed under Comedy, Humor, Parodies, Parody, Star Wars, YouTube