Drawn & Quarterly will publish the
first of a five-volume series of
MOOMIN: THE COMPLETE TOVE JANSSON COMIC STRIP
in September 2006, it was announced today by
Chris Oliveros, President & Publisher of the
Montreal-based graphic novel and arts publishing
house. This is the first time the strip will be
published in any form in North America and
will deservedly place cartoonist and author Tove
Jansson among the international cartooning greats
of the last century.
"All of us at D+Q are huge fans of Jansson's
Moomin children's books, especially the editor
of the series, Tom Devlin, who brought the Moomin
comic strips to our attention," said Oliveros.
"The quality and quantity of what Tove created
in the MOOMIN comic strip is nothing short of
astounding."
"To comic strip fans, there are few surprises
or unknown strips outthere that have yet to
be published in North America," said Tom
Devlin, Editor and Production Designer. "To
be the editor of a five-volume series that
will bring the comic strip of one the most
internationally renowned children's authors
nd her creation to a whole new audience is
thrilling. Comic strip fans as well as fans
of the MOOMIN chapter books will be fascinated
by the caliber of Tove's cartooning skills."
Jansson is revered around the world as one of
the foremost children's authors of the twentieth
century for her illustrated chapter books
regarding the magical worlds of her creation,
the Moomins. The Moomins saw life in many forms
but debuted to its biggest audience ever on the
pages of world's largest newspaper the London
Evening News, in 1954.
The strip was syndicated in newspapers around
the world with millions of readers in 40
countries. MOOMIN: THE COMPLETE TOVE JANSSON
COMIC STRIP; BOOK ONE is the first volume of
Drawn & Quarterly publishing plan to reprint
the entire strip drawn by Jansson before she
handed over the reigns to her brother Lars
in 1960.
The Moomins are a tight-knit family - hippo-
shaped creatures with easygoing and adventurous
outlooks. Jansson's art is pared down and
precise, yet able to compose beautiful portraits
of ambling creatures in fields of flowers or
rock-strewn beaches that recall Jansson's Nordic
roots. The comic strip reached out to adults
with its gentle and droll sense of humor.
Whimsical but with biting undertones, Jansson's
observations of everyday life, including
guests who overstay their welcome, modern art,
movie stars, and high society, easily caught the
attention of an international audience and still
resonate today.
Tove Jannson (1914 - 2001) was a legendary
Finnish children's book author/artist and
creator of the Moomins, who came to life in
children's books, comic strips, theater,
opera, film, radio, theme parks, and TV.
For more information, visit
www.drawnandquarterly.com
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Dylan Horrocks on Tove Jansson
http://www.hicksville.co.nz/Tove%20Jansson%20tribute.htm
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Bands/music Named after Tove Jansson characters:
The Hattifatteners
Little My
Baby Snufkin
The Hemulen - Ray Rumors