Review: Facsimile collections

Its December the 20th and today we have baked bread, made cookies, prepared a lot of Christmas food, wrapped presents and played in the snow. Now when the calm has settled its time for today's review(s). Here are some books which might make a good present to either a nostalgic reader, remembering comics from way back when, or a younger, but historically interested comics reader.

Title: Kalle Anka & C:o- Den kompletta årgången 1964: 5
Editor: Germund von Wowern
Language: Swedish
332 pages, colour, hardcover
Egmont Kärnan, 2009

Title: Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1958: 2
Editor: Ulf Granberg
Language: Swedish
372 pages, colour, hardcover
Egmont Kärnan, 2009

Title: 91:an - Den inbundna årgången 1964: 2
Editor: Björn Ihrstedt
Language: Swedish
336 pages, colour, hardcover
Egmont Kärnan, 2009

Title: Bamse Biblioteket vol. 32
Editor: Joakim Gunnarsson
Language: Swedish
336 pages, colour, hardcover
Egmont Kärnan, 2009












Egmont Kärnan is the biggest publisher of comics in Sweden, and among the things they publish are facsimile collections of their more long-running titles. Out of these, the most popular and most extensive one is the collected edition of the Donald Duck magazine Kalle Anka & C:o. So far, 57 volumes (and six special volumes) have been published (that's more than two meters of books...), collecting every issue since the start in 1948, up until the end of 1964, and they just keep coming. In addition to the comics, each issue has a foreword with facts about Disney comics, some of which have been written by yours truly...

The second most extensive set of facsimile books is that of Bamse, with 32 regular volumes (and some special volumes as well), collecting every issue from the start of the title in 1973 up until 1988. These collections are edited by Joakim Gunnarsson from the editorial staff of the regular magazine Bamse, and he fills every new issue with never before seen artwork, unpublished sketches etc., making them a treasure trove for people interested in the history of both Bamse and his creator Rune Andréasson.

And then there are the two more recent additions to this facsimile trend: Fantomen (The Phantom), collecting the anthology magazine containing Lee Falk's classical comic strip as well as many other translated and some original Swedish comics. So far, 25 volumes have collected the title from the start in 1950 up until 1958. And then there's 91:an, an almost all-Swedish humour magazine, based mainly on a military character, not unlike Beetle Bailey in his anti-authoritarian, anti-military attitude. Here, 12 volumes have collected the magazine's issues from the start in 1956 up until 1964. Both Fantomen and 91:an have very interesting forewords, containing lots of information about the comics and the creators behind them. Invaluable!

Egmont haven't committed to re-publishing every single issue of these titles, but as long as the sales are good enough they will keep producing them. I for one hope this will continue as long as possible, as these books are both good-looking and practical, since they make long since sold out comics easily available both for reading and for historical studies.