Mattias Elftorp's Blog, page 24
May 14, 2015
Sketches: Skulls & girls…
A while ago I downloaded an app called Draw n Sketch. I wanted something that would allow me to draw stuff without having to leave my bed in the morning. It’s pretty fun to play around with, even if it’s limited when it comes to work-related stuff. Which didn’t stop me from making a few comics on it. Anyway, here are some loose sketches:
Thing is that I usually don’t do sketches, and I hardly ever draw stuff when it’s not meant for something specific. So this got me started doing some non-workrelated stuff. Which was fun, I guess.
I’ll show you some more of this stuff later. Probably…
May 4, 2015
SIS – Stockholm International Comics festival
I’m going to be at this year’s��Stockholms Internationella Seriefestival (SIS), at the tables of��Wormgod,��Tusen Serier and��C’est Bon Kultur��(but mainly with Wormgod – check the others’ websites to see what they will bring)!
I will bring the Wormgod titles:
NEW:��After the ends of the world by Wormgod (Me, Susanne Johansson & Heidi Somero) with soundtrack by Concrete Threat, Knullkraft, Feberdr��m, Nimam Spregleda & Dekoder��
Transgressions��by me and Susanne Johansson, soundtrack by Feberdr��m
Me & my Daddy & Zlatan by me
Piracy is Liberation v01: Only Sinners Disobey by me (cyberpunk postapocalypse, collection of books 001-006)
Piracy is Liberation v02: Download Everything��by me (cyberpunk postapocalypse, collection of books 007-011)
A Subtle Fuck You��by me (collection of short stories)
and a bunch of prints…
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I will also bring an assortment of other stuff that I’ve been involved with in some way, or that I just like and want to share:
ner0blio # V
Slutsnackat
Trettionde november
La Korto
Komikaze
QCDA
etc
April 24, 2015
Review: Jag & min Pappa & Zlatan
Review (in Swedish) at��Bild & Bubbla��of my book��Jag & min Pappa & Zlatan, published by Tusen Serier &��Wormgod.The book is available in both Swedish and English…
Med sin ber��ttelse om Sara ger Elftorp en tankev��ckande bild av ett svenskt samh��lle pr��glat av en f��rt��ckt men passionerad str��van efter assimilering. Ett samh��lle d��r svaret ���jag bor i Sverige och vi har f��tt uppeh��llstillst��nd��� s�� klart inte ��r tillr��ckligt f��r fr��ken i f��rberedelseklassen som fr��gar varf��r man k��nner sig som en svensk. Ett samh��lle d��r fr��ken ist��llet ger luddiga f��rklaringar till vad svenskhet inneb��r, f��rklaringar som bara landar i sj��lvgoda plattityder om att Sverige ��r bra och att svenskar ��r ordentliga och g��r r��tt f��r sig.
(���)
en intim, ber��rande serieber��ttelse som skildrar s��v��l dessa minnen och mardr��mmar som Saras nuvarande vardag i ett nytt och ��� ��tminstone p�� ytan ��� tryggare land. Som l��sare ��r det sv��rt att v��rja sig f��r den finst��mda portr��tteringen av det of��rst��ende, utsatta barnet Sara.
April 20, 2015
CBA vol 28: Signs and science!
Rumors are going around that I’m back in C’est Bon Kultur, the comics association I started together with three others back in 2001, publisher of the international art comics anthology CBA. The rumors are true, and it actually feels good. I left in 2009 to start Wormgod with Suss, because CBK was going in directions I just wasn’t interested in, and it felt like that was a finished chapter. Obviously I was wrong, even though I was right at the time.
I’m still not sure what direction this (almost completely) new editorial crew is going, but I’m looking forward to finding out. The breaking point will be CBA vol 30, coming out in September(?), which will be the first anthology issue with the new crew, but I have also been involved in CBA vol 28 which is released this Thursday.
In this issue is my story Singularity, which you may have read before in the Novo Doba 2014 anthology (Turbo Comix) or in After the ends of the world (Wormgod, 2015). And also I helped put the issue together since the old crew had left it haning and we needed to finish some of their stuff before going on with the new. Don’t get me wrong, this issue has some good stuff. It is the last issue compiled be the former crew, the end of an era.
In any case, the release event will be at the Tusen Serier place (Mitt M��llan, Claesgatan 8 in Malm��) (see how all the things in my life converge?) on Thursday, April 23, 17-21 and there will be an exhibition called SPACE, which has been shown in Norway and will also be in Finland soon, with Fr��ydis Sollid Simonsen, Karoline Stjernfelt and Mari Ahokoivu. We’ve also added some of the other material from the issue to the exhibition, since they both came out of the same concept.
So anyway, see you Thursday!
March 30, 2015
Slutsnackat
Cover I made for the book Slutsnackat, edited by Frances Tuuloskorpi.
It’s the third part of a series of anthologies about work-related conflicts.
Here’s the (Swedish) back cover text:
- Det spelar ingen roll om jag s��ger ifr��n p�� jobbet.
Det ��r ofta sant. Men testa att byta ut jag mot vi. Testa att byta ut jag mot alla. D�� kan det bli folkr��relse i st��llet f��r gn��ll. Som h��r i Slutsnackat d��r brevb��rare och t��gv��rdar ber��ttar om hur de kommer fram till att s��tta stopp f��r ��vertidsarbete. Sopgubbar f��ljer regler till punkt och pricka s�� att chefen sliter sitt h��r. Sjuksk��terskestudenter i Inte under 24000-r��relsen f��rvandlar anst��llningsintervjuer till l��nekamp. Personliga assistenter s��tter ner foten f��r att f�� m��nadsl��n. Sjuksk��terskor s��ger upp sig kollektivt inf��r hotande f��rs��mringar. Deltidare och visstidare tar t��ten i striden f��r ett hotat helgtill��gg. Timanst��llda tackar nej till kortare arbetspass. Bemanningsanst��llda s��ger Solidarnosc! H��r finner du ocks�� en urskruvad saftblandare, tio kilo g��md blandf��rs, n��stan en ockupation, en uppviglande tomte och den stora kjolstriden.
Read more about it at Folkr��relselinjen.
March 29, 2015
VAMPYRES!
From Kunst Kabinet 451:��
The new issue of ner0blio black zine is ready!
ner0blio # V – Vampyr –
a5 size, b/w, cover screenprinted gold,
lim ed. 50 copies numbered
Special number featuring a lot of international artists:��JULIEN KAFARD -MAXIME TACCARDI – AKAB -NICOLAS KRIZAN – LE NEVRALGIE COSTANTI – MARTA LODOLA – CORINA PACURAR – REIJO KARKAINEN – SOFIA FERREIRA – LE CRABE – ROBIN WIBERG – NATHALIE COHEN – ZIGENDEMONIC – KINGA DUCAJ – PAOLA VERDE – SHALTMIRA – SERHIY KRYKUN – RICALETTO – CLOPINE MALAUSSENE – MATTIAS ELFTORP – ZEKE – RAC- TIMOLEUM B.
Release party TONIGHT (but far from where I am right now so I won’t be there) at Urban Strasse 88, Berlin Hermannplatz…
My contributions (I haven’t seen the book��myself so I don’t know if they used both or just one):
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March 23, 2015
After the ends of the world
AFTER THE ENDS OF THE WORLD, the newest book from Wormgod, is now available!
Art/stories by Susanne Johansson, Mattias Elftorp & Heidi Somero
Industrial/HNW soundtrack (downloadable) by Dekoder, Nimam Spregleda, Feberdr��m, Knullkraft & Concrete Threat
Order it from Wormgod, Agera Distribution or one of the Swedish internet bookstores. Will also be at Textival (G��teborg March 27-28), SIS (Stockholm May 9-10), CRACK! (Rome June 25-28) etc.
The world ended in many different ways at once, creating time lines diverging from the straight line that used to be known as history. Self-destruction! All-consuming fire! Undeath! Catastrophe! These are visions of the futures that may yet come after the end of life as you know it.
The book is an expansion of the Wormgod��exhibition of the same name, held at AltCom 2014.
Want a review copy? Write to us at info (at) wormgod (dot) net
Edit: WATCH OUT FOR NEWS OF A FUTURE RELEASE EVENT! There may be a live gig involved, depending on the success of��our plans…
March 4, 2015
2015
So. We’re a couple of months into 2015 and for the moment there’s a lot of different projects that are approaching completion. Here are a few:
TUSEN SERIER
Four books are in the works. In order of probably appearance:
Lillebrors fantastiska mardr��mmar
This one is finished. Just waiting for test prints to see that the colors are ok. It’s been a complex process, not without problems, but finally we are at the finishing line. By Meisam Azimi, Aida Ghardagian, Mauritz Tistel�� and Bekim Ga��i, translated into Farsi, Bosnian and English, this will be the first book to be published under the TUSEN SERIER GR��NSLAND imprint (even if Destrukt��rerna was technically the first) for books in the borderlands between comics and illustrated litterature.
Finsmakarna
I finished most of the other work last night, so now I’m working on the translation for this sequel to Destrukt��rerna from 2013. Written by Rub��n Aguilera, with beautiful art by Marco Leal. Another GR��NSLAND book.
Myling
Yossra El Said is currently adapting Amanda Casanellas‘ short story. Both versions of the story will be included in the book.
Fem prostituerade kvinnors historier
I will soon meet with Amalia Alvarez to see her work so far on her follow-up to Fem pappersl��sa kvinnors historier.��
There are also more coming, but later during the year.
Tusen Stafettserier
This subproject to Tusen Serier is getting closer to be properly launched and finished at more or less the same time. The last workshops will happen during March and then there will be a book + exhibition of jam comics that will tour some Swedish cities during the spring.
WORMGOD
I so wish I had time to start working on Piracy is Liberation vol 03, but it looks like that’s gonna take a while longer. There are also plans for making the first two volumes available in digital form, but that’s probably going to wait some more as well.
On the other hand:
After the ends of the world
This one is being printed as we speak and should be available pretty soon, with an expanded revisiting of the exhibition of the same name from AltCom 2014. Look for it! By me, Susanne Johansson and Heidi Somero, with a soundtrack by Dekoder, Nimam Spregleda, Feberdr��m, Knullkraft and Concrete Threat.
THE TROLL
This is a book that was supposed to come out last year, a re-publishing by Komika f��rlag of an old 24-hour comic of mine. Since it was delayed, we’ve been talking about expanding the story with more pages. I’m aiming at between 48-72 new pages of story. A new beginning and a new ending. Like the original story, this new creature will be heavily inspired by the films of Shinya Tsukamoto and the music of Chu Ishikawa. Probably some more Manga/Anime influences as well. If all goes as planned, it will be released in time for the Stockholm International Comics Festival (SIS).
FESTIVALS
So far, I’ve been to ��-fest in Borg��/Porvoo (Finland) to represent Tusen Serier.
Next one will be Textival in G��teborg in the end of March.
And I guess the next one after that will be SIS in May, but there’s also a book fair(?) in Botkyrka (Stockholm) in April…
C’EST BON KULTUR
I’M BACK IN CBK! After a 5 year absence, I’m back where I started 15 years ago, in an almost completely new editorial crew. So far it’s mostly been about finishing up after the former crew, putting together their last issue (CBA vol 28), where I happen to have a comic (Singularity, which is also published in the Novo Doba 2014 anthology and After the ends of the world. It is being printed right now and will come soon. I’m going to look at some proofs today.
I also made a comic, Viral, for the first anthology issue featuring the new crew: CBA vol 30, coming this fall. I also sent a b/w version of this story to Stripburger, so maybe you’ll see it there first. Maybe…
What else is happening?
Oh yeah, there’s some union-related stuff happening at work (the Comics Association). More on that later, unless it gets resolved.
Also some conflicts at my freelance work, after Sydsvenskan bought Helsingborgs Dagblad. More on that also later unless it gets resolved…
Also coming later: sample art, etc.
Exciting times…
February 16, 2015
KOMMER SNART: La Korto
Yarden: en ber��ttelse��by��Kristian Lundberg��will soon be published in Esperanto, titled��La Korto: rakonto.
I made the cover (this is a poster version):
February 4, 2015
KOMMER SNART: Lillebrors fantastiska mardr��mmar
Kommer snart fr��n Tusen Serier:
LILLEBRORS FANTASTISKA MARDR��MMAR
av Meisam Azimi, Aida Ghardagian, Mauritz Tistel��, Bekim Ga��i
- Jag spelar inte teater, det ��r inte s�� jag ser det. Jag spelar roller, roller som jag under mitt liv blivit p��tvingad.
- Om jag tror p�� ��det?
- Det som h��nder kommer att h��nda.
Omslag av Aida Ghardagian
Denna bok bygger p�� Mejsams mardr��mmar. Hans ber��ttelse byggs ihop med medf��rfattarnas mardr��mmar och blir till en l��ng f��rd mot befrielse och uppvaknande.
Vad som fr��n b��rjan var ett terapeutiskt arbete har f��rvandlats till en bok som ocks�� ��r ett m��te mellan fyra konstn��rer. Ett konstprojekt och samtidigt ett m��te mellan det existentiella i, och det samh��lle som skapar f��ruts��ttningarna f��r, v��ra dr��mmar och mardr��mmar.
Dr��mber��ttelsen ��r ett s��tt att komma bort fr��n de roller som lagts ��ver oss; pappersl��sa, medborgare, arbetare, konstn��rer.
Ett s��tt att fly och f��rst�� v��ra liv.
H��ll ��gonen ��ppna f��r kommande releasefest med utst��llning av bilder ur boken.
Lillebrors fantastiska mardr��mmar ing��r i Tusen Seriers nya underkategori GR��NSLAND, med b��cker som befinner sig i gr��nslandet mellan serier och illustrerad litteratur.
