Läskimooses - year #6 (2017)

Läskimooses - year #6 (2017 - numbers 35-40)

by Matti Hagelberg 



23cm x 17cm, black and white, colour covers.

6 issues, variable page count (approx 24-38 pages), with A4 English translation sheets.

If you haven't read my previous reviews of Läskimooses here's a quick recap from my review of year #5:

Läskimooses straddles experimental comics, diy culture, punk aesthetics, and graphic art. It's already the longest single comic book story ever produced in Finland, with about two years left to run. Läskimooses is written entirely in Finnish but thankfully, for the non-Finnish speakers, each issue comes complete with an A4 sheet containing English translations.

My reviews are taking the series year by year, until we catch up with the latest issue #42 - the full set of reviews will be found here, and like the the series itself it's probably best to read them in order. 

Year six of Läskimooses opens with the continuing story of Agner Mang - what unfolds is a story of a race with the dream of total planetary dominance, one that mirrors Earth's history of colonialism, with an additional secret society - a golden age conspiracy theory trope - at its core. 

But it's the last two issues of year six, particularly the bumper issue 40, that brings the larger narrative into focus and starts to tease at who is telling these stories, where we are, why we are here, and what our relationship is with the only other person in the 'now' of the narrative.

It's smartly plotted, edging the conspiracy theory satire into the formation of cults - the object of devotion being Läskimooses of course. The last issue of year six ends with six black squares, the final square just contains the words: "And Läskimooses didn't come". Another cliffhanger in pure Läskimooses style.

If you're reading the English translations you'll find a couple of small errors - a misplaced word, ie 'if' for an 'it', and once or twice you might find the page numbers don't correlate. But they are tiny, easily overlooked mistakes in an epic work. Certainly not enough to mar your engagement with the narrative. 

There is now an updated shop for international orders, where you can buy back issues by year. The sold-out issues have just been reprinted, so it's a rare occasion that all issues are available - so get in quickly! 

http://www.kreegah.net/l-skimooses.html

Or ask your local independent comics dealer to get Läskimooses  in stock.

You can also check out some samples online here. 


Review by Nathan Penlington