Cartoon Review | The Swedish cartoon about teenagers has a message that is healthy for all of us

Culture|Cartoon review

Comics

Hanna Gustavsson: Iggy 4-Ever. Finnish Elias Lahtinen. Frog. 216 pp.

Iggy 4-Ever – in the Swedish book Hanna Gustavsson continues the story of 14-year-old Ingrid, which began in the first comic Night child. The main character, called Iggy, is still interested in boyish popular culture. There is a poster of the punk band Dead Moon on the wall and the favorite series is the Walking Dead.

Cultural references can also be smelled in the title of Gustavsson’s comic book. It reminds by Lukas Moodysson from the movie Lily 4-everbut more likely refers to To Iggy Popwhen the story has no connections with the film.

Iggy hangs out with her best friend Julle at the mall. Mostly they are normal teenagers who are bored. The boys in the class are especially angry when they bully Iggy.

Considerably more interesting is Jasse, who is a year older, and joining the group of friends brings a spark to Iggy and Julle’s life. Being interested in Jasse even puts a wedge in the friendship between the girls.

The night child appeared in Sweden in 2013 and Iggy 4-Ever 2015. Since then, Gustavsson has not published any new comics.

In his two books, Gustavsson vividly describes the activities of young people and their social structures. He has said that his own teenage diaries have inspired comics, which however are not directly autobiographical.

In that sense, Gustavsson’s cartoons are similar Petteri Tikkanen Eeroseries. The biggest difference is that in five parts, Tikkanen has built the growth story of his main character from childhood to the threshold of adulthood, but Gustavsson portrays his Iggy as only 14 years old.

Tikkanen (b. 1975) invested Eron to the time of his own youth and the rural landscape where he grew up. Gustavsson’s (b. 1985) Iggy lives in the suburbs of Stockholm just like him, but in modern times.

If you read their cartoons side by side, you can compare Nordic youth in the country and in the big city, at the end of the last century and at the beginning of this one. It is perhaps no surprise that there are more similarities than differences.

Big in Sweden some of the cartoons depend largely on the text. The drawings are often suggestive, even rough. Of course there are exceptions, as we are well-known Joakim Pirinen – and Gustavsson.

Gustavsson, who studied graphic design and illustration, draws a lot of details and also tells with pictures. His smooth comics are easy to read, even if the content is not always light.

Iggy in 4-Ever Ingrid’s working-class status is highlighted. When her smartphone breaks, the single mother can’t afford to buy a new one, so Iggy gets a crappy antique handset instead. And he doesn’t have money to eat pizza or go to the movies at the pace of other young people.

The loss of a smartphone is undoubtedly a great social tragedy for today’s youth. From that, Gustavsson has built a comic chain of events for Iggy, a series of pains, which shows an excellent sense of drama.

It will do also about teaching young readers. You shouldn’t dry everything in the microwave. Otherwise, Gustavsson doesn’t teach, at least not with his fingers raised.

But quietly, through Iggy’s mistakes, he offers a model of how one can perhaps survive from social poverty. That message may come in handy for some and be healthy for everyone.