And Then I Read: MOOMIN Volume 10

If only these comic strips had run in our paper when I was young. I loved the Moomin novels for young readers, this would have delighted me. It still does, actually, though perhaps not quite as much. The Moomin creator, Tove Jansson turned the strip over to her brother Lars a few years in, and I think Lars’ work is just as good as Tove’s. The Moomins are a family of plump, somewhat befuddled creatures who seem to keep getting into situations where they’re being taken advantage of. Then, somehow, they manage to turn the tables without ever getting angry or confrontational, and everyone goes away happy. Lots of humor and social satire, and the characters really grow on you. The art is charming, too. You can read any of the volumes in any order. This one has strips about a vampire (actually just a regular bat), television (the Moomins become obsessed), a government aid-worker who wants to “develop” the poor, backward family, and in “Moomin and Aunt Jane,” a wispy poet tries to steal young Moomin’s girlfriend, but the arrival of strict, bossy Aunt Jane has everyone in a tizzy. That last one was my favorite of the bunch.

Recommended.