Allt är allrajt

Allt är allrajt (Everything is alright)

By: Emma Rendel

136 pages, b&w, soft cover

Langauge: Swedish

Publisher: Kartago, 2009

ISBN: 978-91-86003-258

I have written quite a lot lately about Swedish cartoonists getting published around the world. The Swede Emma Rendell is international from the start, working just as much in Great Britain as in her native country. Rendell actually made her debut in the UK, with the book Pentti & Deathgirl, a book which I will return to later. Her Swedish debut came this spring, and consists mostly of comics that she has already published as mini comics in English. Rendell has a unique, easily recognisable style, disfiguring her characters, distorting their features, often giving them eerily extended necks, or funny animal features inspired by Disney. The stories are often about loneliness, trying to fit in and not succeeding in connecting with people. Several of them stick in my mind and pop up days after reading the book, which is a good sign. Another good sign is the fact that this book is labeled "Kartago Debut nummer 1" (Kartago Debut Number 1), which indicates that there is more to come. That is really good news, as we need more publishers who are ready to publish work of new artists in the field of comics.