And Then I Read: MOOMIN Volume 9

Image © Solo/Bulls

The Moomin comic strip that ran in British papers (and elsewhere) is what I would call charmingly silly. Lars Jansson continued the strip started by his sister Tove Jansson, and produced it for many more years after she tired of the comic strip grind. His stories are just as entertaining, in my opinion, and fun to read. What are Moomins? Something like funny animals, but not exactly. You’ll have to try it and see. This time we have four stories, “Damsel in Distress” about a film crew making a melodramatic movie serial (think “Perils of Pauline”), but of course the Moomins take the actors at face value. They capture and imprison the movie villain for starters. “Fuddler and Married Life” shows that Lars completely understood the nerd collector mentality. Fuddler and his girlfriend are button collectors, and it’s their consuming passion. In all other things they are clueless, but somehow manage to bumble along in life. Here they decide to marry simply so they can a have a house together to house their button collection. In “Sniff’s Sport Shop,” the Moomin’s friend Sniff inherits a business, which he decides to run, but he has no idea how. Before long he’s giving away all his merchandise. Finally in “Mymble’s Diamond,” young lady Mymble has been given a large diamond ring by a suitor, and decides she must now live a completely different kind of life worthy of such a valuable gift. These stories are light weight, but full of pleasant social satire, some slapstick comedy, and endearing characters.

Recommended.