Tappavat Kädet #1

Written and drawn By Leo Kuikka 

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

32 pages, with A4 translation sheet. 

What happens when you're up to date with the epic Finnish comic book saga Läskimooses? How do you manage the transition back to reality while you wait for the latest issue? With a spin off series of course. 

Tappavat Kädet (roughly Lethal Hands) is set in the same universe, but separated from it as a self contained story. The narrative centres around the thoroughly dislikable Pasi Lihavisto. We follow the trudge of his daily grind - sleeping at his office desk, drinking too much, escalating arguments with his wife, guilt ridden efforts with his children. His real life xenophobic tendencies lead to daily dreams of being a violent Chinese emperor, taken with enacting barbaric punishment to anyone that crosses him. 

The fantasy soon crosses over to real life as a mysterious heat takes over his hands - the best way to describe it is a kind of Kung Fu energy - a powerful weapon against those unlucky enough to get in the way. 

The frameless sketch book style of art gives a lot of fluidity and space to the narrative. It's a welcome expansion to the Läskimooses magaverse, although it's one that is only four parts long. 

Buy a copy here: http://www.kreegah.net/leo-kuikka-tappavat-k%C3%A4det-1.html

And don't forget to check out Läskimooses while you're there. 

Läskimooses - issue 43

Läskimooses - issue 43 

by Matti Hagelberg

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

32 pages, with A4 English translation sheets.

****Läskimooses is an ongoing series. I've read and reviewed all of the previous issues - if you haven't read those reviews, I recommend at least talking a look at the first couple of posts to get a sense of the scope of this epic alternative comic.***

What happens after the end of the world?

What is the psychological aftermath of preparing for the end of the world that doesn't come? 

Close up detail of Matti's trademark scratch style.

At this point in Läskimooses these are the questions our protagonist and antagonist have to face. 

For centuries cults and religions have prepared for the end that never arrives, an enlightenment for a chosen few that is postponed indefinitely. Issue 43 also explores the absurdity of the idea that religious truth comes to those who sacrifice their sensory input to obtain a high level clarity of thought - chastity, starvation, isolation, light and sound proof rooms - all of which are also used as forms of punishment or torture. As history has shown us, sensory deprivation leads to madness unseen by those in the midst of the madness. 

There are flashes of the wider Läskimooses reality amongst the confusion and darkness, the detailed drawings standing out in contrast to the dark abstractions, before we're once again we're left with an uneasy cliffhanger. This is the dark underbelly of Läskimooses.

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

Läskimooses - year #7, numbers 41-42 (2018)

Läskimooses - year #7 (2018 - numbers 41-42)

by Matti Hagelberg 



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

Page count approx 24, with A4 English translation sheets.

If you've been following my previous reviews you'll be pleased to know we've finally caught up with the entirety of Läskimooses back issues, that's all 42 issues read! If you haven't read those reviews, I recommend at least talking a look at the first couple of posts to get a sense of the scope of this epic alternative comic. 

For me the strength of Läskimooses is in its ability to spin multiple stories simultaneously, contained within an overarching narrative. All of those stories have been teased out slowly, the threads forming knots, moments overlapping, subplots mirroring and supporting, but all a kind of mirage of air and deceit. Just when you begin to think everything that has to be said has been said, and you think you can see the general direction, there is a sudden surprise turn in the narrative. 


For example, you can't help but side with our conversationalist when he says: 

"I have a hard time taking that...[word redacted to minimise spoilers]...seriously...but if you say it went like that, so then it is like that". 

And in 2018, that is the cultural climate we're in, when the verifiable is secondary to hearsay and spin. During the seven years of its development it seems Läskimooses has come to contain more truth than contemporary politics (Hi there America, oh hello Russia. Sorry Brexit, I forgot about you). 


Fiction Vs Fact in 2018 - if you say it went like that, so then it is like that. 

Although my box of review copies is now empty, Läskimooses is still not finished (in fact issue 43 has just been published). If you've yet to pick up a copy get on board Läskimooses soon - hopefully this series of reviews has proved it's not too late to catch up. It's been an absolute pleasure to plough through them all. 


At this point I'm left with a dilemma. I would like Läskimooses to end soon, I have questions that are demanding answers, but I would also like the pleasure to continue for quite a while longer. Thankfully, we're looking at two more years longer. 




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

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

Läskimooses - year #5 (2016)

Läskimooses - year #5 (2016 - numbers 30-34)

by Matti Hagelberg 

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

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

A few months ago Matti Hagelberg sent me a huge parcel containing 42 issues of his epic experimental comic Läskimooses, and as with everything else sent to me for review, I'm reading every word.  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. If you've read my previous Läskimooses reviews feel free to skip to the text below the next photo, otherwise here is a quick primer. 

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.

Läskimooses contains elements of pulp sci-fi & pop culture, and the history of the universe. But in essence Läskimooses is a parody of conspiracy theory, you know the kind that underpins TV shows like Ancient Aliens - theories that begin at the fringes of reality and quickly veer off into unhinged absurdity. 

Again, it's hard to describe the content without spoilers, so I'll keep it brief. The first of this set of issues contains a disconcerting moment, and with a tangible backdrop of underlying tension, the diverging narrative is continued. 

The art incorporates elements and styles from a diverse range of sources from The Flintstones to pulp gangster thrillers, via Planet of the Apes and children's illustrated history books. Every issue of Läskimooses also contains a photo-montage on the first page, as well as a detailed, and obsessively drawn image on the back page. It's an additional puzzle to try and fit each of them with the ongoing narrative, more often than not there is no direct correlation - but that obscure/d connection is part of the fun of Läskimooses. 

The back page illustrations for year five range from a couple in fancy dress as Jessica & Roger Rabbit, Hitler sleeping in a deckchair, the pyramids of Egypt, and cos-players dressed as He-Man and Skeletor. Maybe that search for connection is part of the satire on conspiracy theory - the willingness to find connection and causality where there is none.

I can confidentiality state that if you're this far into Läskimooses you'll be hooked. So, get yourself a subscription, ration your reading, and you'll be caught up as the final issue goes to print.

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

Läskimooses - year #4 (2015)

Läskimooses - year #4 (2015 - numbers 23-29)

Matti Hagelberg 

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

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

Please note: The fourth year of Matti Hagelberg's Finnish experimental comic book epic continues the precedent set by the first three years. 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.

It's difficult to review something so experiential, and so narrative led, without spoilers. But I'll do my best. 

Historically the Läskimooses narrative enters modern era conspiracy - the world of shadowy elites, who assassinate those with the true knowledge. Think Cold war spies, New World Order. Or take a trip to a large newsagent, those books you find advertised at the back of UFO magazines? that's where we're at. A self-published book written from memory, itself a memory of book destroyed because of The Truth, a truth passed down through tens of generations. A truth that has the elites jumpy and trigger happy. 

The art is a hybrid of fine art, religious iconography, anime, classic american cartoons, pop culture pin ups, historical photographs, and stylised abstraction. And this season of Läskimooses has my favourite back cover so far - Jesus riding on the back of a dinosaur. 

Year #4 ends with an issue that starts to pull the over arching narrative into focus, a glimpse of our first face to face conversation with our interruption loving companion. It's a cliff hanger in the style that is unique to Läskimooses, perhaps just slightly reminiscent of Samuel Beckett:

"What were you muttering about just now?....Wait here, don't start before...."

Despite how that might sound out of context, it's utterly gripping stuff. 

You can check out some samples of Läskimooses here, along with the international ordering info. Most of the sold-out issues have just been reprinted, so it's a rare occasion that all the issues are available - so get in quickly: 

http://www.kreegah.net/hagelberg-matti-l%C3%A4skimooses-international-subscription.html

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

Review by Nathan Penlington

Läskimooses - Year #3 (2014)

Läskimooses - Year #3 (2014 - numbers 16-22)

Matti Hagelberg 

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

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

€60.00 (Euros - price per year)

Please note: The third year of Matti Hagelberg's Finnish experimental comic book epic continues the precedent set by the first two years. My reviews will take 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 its probably best to read them in order.

Läskimooses continues its cycle of origin stories, ancient myths and religious narratives relocated onto unfamiliar planets and recast with a diverse range of characters. We're not expected to believe these stories are real, just part of an ongoing conversation. So the question becomes one of why? Who is telling these stories, and for what purpose?

Throughout the past fifteen issues a seemly dark undercurrent to the conversational relationship has been slowly revealed. Of course that relationship might turn out to be benign, but at this point the driving force behind the stories seems to be fuelled by madness or menace. 

Our interlocutor's evolution theory is advanced further to a succinct observation in Issue 18:

"You can measure human evolution by looking at how far the anus is from the mouth...the further apart they are, the more evolved a creature"

We've read approximately 600 pages, only to find at the end of this issue that we're told to forget everything that's gone before. The weird passive aggressive captive/incapacitated relationship continues, and we're left at the end of Issue 22 being accused of plagiarism.

So we're left with a conundrum: are the stories in Läskimooses so familiar because they're tropes of alien conspiracy, pop culture, and religious narratives? or because in essence there is a truth in Läskimooses?

At a little over halfway through reading the review pile of Läskimooses before me, I wouldn't want to put my money on either answer. The reason is because you get the feeling that in Läskimooses, anything, and I really do mean anything, can happen. 

Here's a short documentary of Matti working on the series:

https://areena.yle.fi/1-4145622

You can check out some samples of Läskimooses here, along with the international ordering info. Most of the sold-out issues have just been reprinted, so it's a rare occasion that all the issues are available - so get in quickly: 

http://www.kreegah.net/hagelberg-matti-l%C3%A4skimooses-international-subscription.html

Review by Nathan Penlington

Läskimooses - year #2 (2013)

Läskimooses - year #2 (2013 - numbers 10-15)

Matti Hagelberg 

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

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

€60.00 (Euros - price per year)

The second year of Matti Hagelberg's Finnish experimental comic book epic continues the precedent set by year 1. My reviews will take 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 its probably best to read them in order.

A simplistic way to describe the narrative of Läskimooses is a series of nested and interconnected diversions. In year 2 that means exploring the Fu world, and with it the questions that arise: What is Ohto? What is the relevance of the sad life story of the ape-like Antti Treebranch? Our interrupting conversation partner reveals more of his theory about monkey evolution - facts he's combined from sources like Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Tarzan, The Flintstones, and the odd newspaper story. 

Läskimooses hangs over everything, an absence and presence both in the narrative, and the larger world of the comic, always circuitously avoided yet constantly referred to.
Yet, it is the completely textless silence of Issue 14 that leaves the most impact. This is the first time we get a glimpse of the wider world of the narrative, and begins to answer the question of where we are, as we follow the source of the ominous klanking that leaked into the end of the previous issue. What is revealed though only increases the unease, and multiplies the questions. 

Fittingly, the artwork within Läskimooses also diverges in this issue, as 'reality' seems to be constructed with images culled from war comics, "I didn't read that much comics", said our interrogator in Issue 10, "except for war comics. That's a bit like studying history". 

The textual silence continues into Issue 15, when our conversationalist finally returns "What do you say, should we continue?". 

At this stage in Läskimooses, how could you answer anything other than "Yes".

Here's a short documentary of Matti working on the series:

https://areena.yle.fi/1-4145622

You can check out some samples of Läskimooses here, along with the international ordering info. Most of the sold-out issues have just been reprinted, so it's a rare occasion that all the issues are available - so get in quickly: 

http://www.kreegah.net/hagelberg-matti-l%C3%A4skimooses-international-subscription.html



Review by Nathan Penlington

Läskimooses - year #1 (2012)

Läskimooses - year #1 (2012)

Matti Hagelberg 

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

9 issues variable page count (24 pages - 32 pages). 

€60.00 (Euros - price per year)

As I've said before, zine makers are currently reaping the advantages in printing technologies and new distribution channels. Allowing independent writers and outsider artists to create work that are still zines, but also overlap with other forms and formats. 

Läskimooses straddles experimental comics, diy culture, punk aesthetics, and graphic art.  With 42 issues already published, it is the longest single comic book story ever produced in Finland. I've been sent the entire back catalogue for review - but rather than a torrent of single issue reviews, or a huge full series review, I'm going to break it down into years - the same way the subscription is sold. 

Läskimooses contains elements of pulp sci-fi & pop culture, and the history of the universe. But in essence Läskimooses is a parody of conspiracy theory, you know the kind that underpins TV shows like Ancient Aliens - theories that begin at the fringes of reality and quickly veer off into unhinged absurdity. 

Yes, I know what you're thinking - what exactly is Läskimooses? You'll have to read as far as Issue 5 before you can start connecting dots, and the story with the title. The narrative is plotted in an intriguing way. Largely its a conversation between two people - one is unseen (the reader is given their vantage point within the conversation) - while the other person constantly interrupts with counter stories and theories, and frustratingly often wanders off to make coffee. Everything that happens is part of what they are telling each other, and as you begin to piece together details you realise perhaps it isn't as straightforward as that. 

The art is completely suited to the content - abstract frames alternate with fantastical creatures, clearly drawn with an obsessive line. It's that obsessive line grid, combined with a scratch technique to create white on black, that gives Matti's work a distinctive quality.  

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 initial concern was that reading the translations would disrupt the experience, but really it's no different than watching a film or TV show with subtitles. In effect, for me, the Finnish text only helps create a dislocating effect that adds to the strangeness of the story. 

I think you can genuinely compare Läskimooses to the epic TV series phenomenon - the world it creates is huge, the characters intriguing, and its not afraid to push and pull you in directions you think you don't want to go.  So far I've only read to the end of Issue 9, and I genuinely can't guess where we're heading, all I know is I want to stay on the ride. 

Here's a short documentary of Matti working on the series:

https://areena.yle.fi/1-4145622

 

You can check out some samples of Läskimooses here, along with the international ordering info. Most of the sold-out issues have just been reprinted, so it's a rare occasion that all the issues are available - so get in quickly: 

http://www.kreegah.net/hagelberg-matti-l%C3%A4skimooses-international-subscription.html



Review by Nathan Penlington