Baby Blue

by Bim Eriksson

Baby Blue är en dystopi om ett lyckofascistiskt samhälle som bannlyser misslyckande, sorg och psykisk ohälsa. Fritt inspirerad av Karin Boyes Kallocain tecknar Bim Eriksson ett samhälle där ohälsotalen ökat lavinartat. För att inte samhällsekonomin ska kollapsa tar staten till drastiska åtgärder. En ny folkhälsomyndighet inrättas för att radera data över ohälsan. Man censurerar information på Vårdguiden och startar massvaccinationsprogram där de medborgare som ägnar sig åt orostankar blir placerade på vårdinrättningar med dropp för att återfå det rena psyke som eftersträvas.

På en sån vårdinrättning träffar den vilsna Betty en märklig kvinna i kaninmask. Det är Berina som är en del av den motståndsrörelse som huserar i en herrgård djupt inne i Södertörns skogar. Allt Betty någonsin trott sig veta om världen ställs på ända.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Queer, Bande Dessinée, Dystopia, Swedish Literature, Fiction

259 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2021

About the author

Brim Eriksson is a Swedish cartoonist and visual artist.
Born in 1991, Eriksson first major work was the graphic novel I felt nothing when my feelings died (2016). Her international breakthrough came with Baby Blue (2021), a dystopian thriller about a society that polices emotions, published in eight languages.
Her other short comics have appeared in anthologies and magazines, including Swedish illustration magazine 'Galago', Italian magazine 'Internazionale', French newspaper 'Le Monde diplomatique'.

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

in this near-future dystopian graphic novel, crying in public is grounds for institutionalization - emotions are punishable, and much music and other evocative media have been outlawed. after being captured for "treatment" for shedding some tears, betty meets berina and her underground resistance group.

though the fascist system in this book is horrifying, it's so encouraging to see its representation of necessary resistance. it's a reminder that however bad things may get, we are capable of organizing, resisting, finding community, and fostering mutual aid.

i love the surreal tone, absurd character designs, and blue and white color palette! i also love the way an oppressive regime is contrasted with secret clubs where people can go to sing and drink and cry, and even attend screenings of sad movies. a whole culture popping up around the fact that our sad feelings are sacred.

the author's playlist at the end of the book is a wonderfully ambient bonus!

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scandinavian authors have a particular knack for creating disconcerting dystopias, very European in their coldness and efficiency - here's another one! And it's actually not that cold, with a lot of outsiders finding and supporting eachother. This is all very timely, of course, with real life turning into, or already being, a dystopia, with a constant 'othering' of people and trying to erase them from existence.

That all sounds quite heavy, but the book is much lighter, with a beautiful surreal tinge and lots of humour. In fact, the book might even be a bit too positive for my tastes, with a too hopeful ending, but on the other hand, that's probably what we need now; a message of hope.

The art is absurd and wonderful, really quite excellent. Overall, an excellent book for our time.

(Thanks to Fantagraphics Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley)

[Pernilla (ett_eget_rum) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopi i serieformat, loved it, läs den.

[Ajeje Brazov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un ottimo esempio di "resistalpotentosi" questa graphic novel, che ho scoperto per caso, scarrellando fra il catalogo di una casa editrice che mi sta sbalordendo sempre più: ADD Editore.
Con illustrazioni davvero particolari, che se ad una prima visione potrebbero risultare scarne, invece hanno reso alla perfezione l'atmosfera alienante e di soppressione indotta.
La resistenza, a qualsiasi forma di prepotenza e soprusi, è la nostra salvezza!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkAe3...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOCWm...

[Mikaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Väldigt ambitiös och välgjord serieroman. Bim Eriksson har skildrat en väl uttänkt dystopiskt berättelse som på många sätt speglar en samtid där det är viktigt att visa sig lycklig, glad och framgångsrik. Att bilderna dessutom är fantastiskt fina stör ju inte direkt. Enda på minussidan är att den känns lite för kort samtidigt som jag förstår och uppskattar det enorma arbetet bakom, och att berättelsen kanske känns lite väl onyanserad och svartvit i vad som är rätt och fel. Det finns inget riktigt som skaver.

[John Blacksad · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Yolgezer” yeni bir yayınevi ve bu da ilk kitapları. Editörü, dergilerden tanıdığımız “oky”. Alternatif basan her yayınevi gibi hemen dikkatimi çekmiş fakat internet tanıtımlarından bir türlü ısınamamıştım. Sonra kitapçıda bizzat inceleme fırsatı bulunca alma isteği oluştu.

Hemen almama sebeplerimden biri çizimleriydi. En basit ifadeyle “güzel” bulmamıştım. Okuma sonrası fikrim değişmedi fakat diğer taraftan çok rahatsız edici olmadığı hatta özgün ve anlattığı distopyaya uygun olduğu söylenebilir.

Orwell’in 1984’ünden (zikretmeden distopya yorumlamak mümkün mü? 🙃) Bradbury’nin Fahrenheit 451’ine çağrışımlar yapacak tanıdık bir distopya. Maalesef bir orijinallik yakalayamıyorum. Kitabın sonunda bir devam iması var. Devam eder mi bilinmez ama mevcut haliyle doyurucu olmaktan uzak. Kitabın “kötü”lerini, Halk Sağlığı Kurumunun felsefesini daha iyi anlamak isterdim. Akıl sağlığı, toplumsal normlar, iyi-kötü vatandaş, otokrasi ilgi çekiciliklerini (çokça işlenmesine rağmen) muhafaza eden kavramlar. Fakat tabiri caizse “koklatılmış”. Aslında işin zihin sağlığı yönü, tedaviler, kimin hasta/normal/sağlıklı olduğunun tanımlanması, tedavide zorunluluk / onar ve gönüllülük, toplum sağlığı/selameti adına karar veren fazlaca güçle donatılmış “erk”ler (taze pandemili dünyadan bakınca) mesleki olarak da ilgimi çok çekti fakat dediğim gibi aradığım derinliği bulamadım. Bir yayınevinin ilk kitabı olarak iyi bir seçim mi emin değilim.

Diğer taraftan genç bir İsveçli sanatçı okumaktan memnun oldum. Farklı ülkelerden işler okumak (aklıma hemen Baobab’dan İran Usulü Metamorfoz - İran ve Grimr Destanı - İzlanda geliyor, çok iyilerdir) başka ülke/ kültür / arka plandan beslenmiş bir sanatçının iyi ürününe ulaşmak hoşuma gidiyor.

***

Ek: Tamamlayınca aklıma geldi. Orman evi/arazisi bölümleri M. Night Shyamalan’ın “The Village” filmini hatırlattı. Aslında hepimiz “benim arazim, benim kurallarım, benim doğrularım” diyebileceğimiz mahrem bir hürriyet alanı hayal etmiyor muyuz?

[Laurent De Maertelaer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geweldige grafiek.
Het verhaal zakt hier en daar ietwat in, maar blijft een bloody darn good read.

[Tessa1316 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

This was an okay read, though very timely.
As an introduction to reading about fascism it is good, but in comparison to similar stories, it doesn't do anything new.

The art style is very unique. While not being something I want on my wall, I know it will be loved by many people.

On the back it is described as 'haunting' and a 'thriller'. In my opinion, neither of these words are very accurate. Because I have read similar stories it was all quite predictable, therefore taking away any and all thrills and nerves. I also found there were some plot holes/ lacking plots. Though these will probably be rectified if there are follow ups.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Normally I feel indifferent towards graphic novels, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance

[Paz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

A dystopian tale set in Sweden. It's sad to say, but it is a timely story about oppression and silencing diverse voices. The plot is pretty straightforward so I won't say much, just that we are following a girl in her twenties, struggling with depression and feeling lonely. Her mood quickly catches the eye of the peacekeepers, and she is soon forced to start therapy and put on aggressive meds. In here, she'll meet a mysterious girl, someone fighting against injustice and oppression.

First, the positives. I really enjoyed the art style. It's not a common style, the character design is not pretty per se, but it's original. I liked the masks the characters wear, they are a bit grotesque sometimes but makes the aesthetic something unique. As for the plot, I liked that this story centers a lot in mental health. I also feel like the pacing is good, balanced.

When you have read other dystopian stories, they feel quite predictable and Baby Blue is not the exception. It was a fine graphic novel, but nothing that I could truly call special. I appreciate the message, as always, and sadly with the current political landscape stories like these are quite important to have. So, if you feel like supporting an indie author that is trying to elevate the voices many people are tryng to silence today, you should give this a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Fantagraphics Books for this advanced copy of the graphic novel.

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

thanks to NetGalley and also Fantagraphics Books for granting my wish with this one!

this one will be released March 11th, 2025.

--

i didn't know what this was about, i saw that it was a graphic novel and it was queer and i clicked WISH PLEASE.

first of all, i loved the art in this. you're not getting your standard graphic novel fare of cartoonish characters, the way that people were drawn was really cool and really eerie, i thought the art lended itself so well to the plot.

so betty lives in a world not unlike 1984. there's officers on every street, hunting down people who might be displaying any emotion that isn't blank acceptance and affability despite the fact that there's still poverty in spite of the circuitous grind of meaningless labor. capitalism is in full swing and people have lost their rights to complain about it. betty expresses emotion when she sees her friend jump in front of a moving train. she's taken to a facility and pumped full of iv drugs. there, she meets berina, who the drugs don't seem to be working on.

betty ultimately goes down a rabbit hole with berina, secreting away to places where laws are ignored, queerness is rampant and joyful, and people are bright and expressive and full of emotion and life.

kind of a harrowing read considering the state of the world currently and various acts by politicians to exhibit the kind of control that stamps out the uniqueness and beauty in us all, but i loved reading a work that was so joyfully full of resistance. a great, quick read.

[michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

the name of the graphic novel originally drew me in being a fan of king krule and that song of the same name being my first love of his. the cover itself is super fun with its iridescent elements and overall design. artistic style is fun and expressive and loved that it was in blue ink!

eriksson's graphic novel feels very on the nose and contemporary as a critique about criminalizing mental health but through institutionalizing, which is nothing we haven't seen before with women in the 19th and 20th centuries and hysteria. she generalizes it out to the general public of sweden but the story still focuses on women specifically, which i like. the specific ad placements are all very pointed, calling out the companies that inundate us with their products through advertisements and trends. i loved the acab sentiments and it felt a bit matrix-y which is cool. love the wlw action too.

[Malin Davidsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Den här serieboken hade allt jag söker. Så rolig och smart! Skrattade rakt ut åt vissa bilder ibland.

Det är en dystopi där staten förbjudit all form av psykisk ohälsa. Sånt kostar nämligen samhället för mycket, så alla måste gå runt och vara glada och nöjda hela tiden. Skulle man uppvisa ett avvikande beteende hamnar man på institution och tvångsvårdas. Ska inte säga för mycket men motståndsrörelsen är det mest ikoniska jag sett.

Rekommenderar samtliga!

[lisamargar3ta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grafisk roman om ett dystopiskt samhälle där de styrande har bestämt att befolkningen inte får må dåligt. Jag tyckte jättemycket om den!

[Wilma (Enby Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5]
In a close-futuristic Stockholm, Betty is caught crying in public and gets taken in for mental health treatment. But everything is not as it seems, when she meets Berina, her eyes open up to the resistance.

We went on such a journey with Betty in this graphic novel! Her story is one that everyone experiences at some point in their life (hopefully), of going from a place of thinking everything is wrong with you to realizing everything is wrong with a world that made you feel that way. While this story is sad and dark, even more so because of it's realistic nature, I think it's a call of action. A call to community organizing, queer liberation, self reflection, and vulnerable friendships.

The one odd thing about the book was around the reveal of Berina's income and how the resistance functions in regards to gaining funds. It didn't make much sense to me, and we didn't get to explore that part of the plot. I was hoping for more in-tell on how the resistance organizes themselves especially in terms of leadership, as the information we got was rather sketchy and unclear. But I also appreciate that it wasn't the main focus of the story. I would have liked even more queerness, and norm-breaking characters and relationships in a book like this all around.

It is rare to get an adult graphic novel with such poignant themes for our time, with the most stunning, unique art. Especially fun as a Swedish person, seeing places and names that I know! Incredible line art, character illustration, that made the reading experience just that much more enjoyable. I really appreciate this novel, in all it's beauty. And it comes with a playlist!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Fantagraphics for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baby Blue is the most recent Swedish import from publisher Fantagraphics, originally published by Galagos a few years prior. Written and drawn by Bim Eriksson, Baby Blue details a dystopian near-future in Sweden where a fascistic government has outlawed sadness. Presented through the perspective of the aimless young twenties Betty Pott, the story quickly outlines just how damned Betty and many in her generation truly are by this autocratic regime. It doesn't take long for Betty to be picked up by the government - the catalyst being a mixtape of emo songs that manifests into a public outburst of grief. The absurdity in the premise allows for some decent bouts of humor though, so this is far from the typical fascism-tinted narratives that tend to come off as oppressive. Eriksson's art accentuates the comedy as well, with stilted action and peculiar character designs coming off as being funny just as much as it can be disconcerting.

Perhaps it is the humor that lessens the more poignant points Baby Blue has to make, but the underlying themes still resonated enough for me. It's okay to be sad, even publicly so, because there's nothing more human than that. Suppressing that is an unnatural state, and the sheer preposterousness of the story here highlights just how terrible it would be to litigate emotions.

[Simone]

La Svezia di Baby Blue è un luogo in cui qualsiasi cosa lontana dal benessere psicofisico è bandita; non puoi essere felice, serenə e contentə della tua vita, devi esserlo, e questa è una differenza importante.

Betty Pott, protagonista di questa storia, sente di essere “un tamburo fuori tempo” (ho immediatamente pensato a Sylvia Plath che ne La campana di vetro scrive “Mi sentivo come un cavallo da corsa in un mondo senza piste”) e si trova in difficoltà, impossibilitata a procedere in un mondo in cui dolore e ansia non sono permessi, pena il ricovero forzato in clinica per “ristabilire l’ordine”.

Tra una canzone malinconica – recuperata illegalmente, perché in questa distopia non c’è spazio per la tristezza – e una sigaretta fumata nel bagno del bar in cui lavora, Betty fa la conoscenza di Berina, e il suo mondo viene completamente stravolto.

È giusto sopprimere le emozioni “non-positive” (non uso l’aggettivo negativo per un motivo ben preciso) e fino a che punto la soppressione di tali emozioni può contribuire a un’esistenza priva di intoppi?

Bim Eriksson ha realizzato un’opera che rileggerò sicuramente, specie nei momenti più critici - mentalmente parlando.

[Debo · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Be lesbian, fight fascism ✨

CNs for depression, forced institutionalisation, drug use and a bad trip, sexual assault, psychopharmacy, fascism (conformism, state abductions and murder of dissidents), physical violence

[Princess Consuela Bananahammock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nästan en femma!!

[Iván Grande López · Rating 5 out of 5]

No sabía qué esperarme al leer este cómic y me he encontrado con una joya distópica con temas de salud mental y representación LGTBI y un estilo de dibujo muy característico.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

En intressant, smart och dyster dystopi som behandlar psykisk ohälsa och vårt samhälles obehagliga strävan mot att alltid maximera och optimera livet. Som i alla bra dystopier känns många av resonemangen igen från idag, inte bara i relation till psykisk ohälsa. Fint tecknat med miljöer och karaktärer som skapade en obehaglig igenkänning. Tyckte dock att berättelsen gick lite fort fram, framför allt mot slutet.

Citat från berättelsens statsminister:
"Var Sverige ett vilset land? Absolut, och därför har landet tjänat på ett hårdare politiskt styre. Sverige har det starkaste folkmaterialet i världen, men precis som alla folk så behöver även svenska folket vägledas. Ett folk kan inte bli lyckligt utan tydlig bekräftelse på vad som är rätt och fel. /.../ Som jag nämnde har Sverige och svenskarna en otrolig potential, men som vi alla vet kan det växa ond frukt även på friska grenar. När det händer krävs åtgärder för att se till att rötan inte sprids. Den som vägrar rycka upp sig eller rätta sig efter majoritetssamhället kan inte heller förvänta sig tillgång till samma medborgerliga rättigheter som den goda medborgaren."

[wilma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jag har sett denna serieroman lite överallt och har länge varit sugen på att läsa den. Boken verkar lovande med en spännande premiss och snygga illustrationer. Jag läser boken i en sittning för att den är så spännande och uppslagen är konstverk. Texten flyter mestadels som ett rinnande vatten. Det är rappt och roligt och sorgligt på en och samma gång. Ibland blir dialogerna lite stolpiga men det kan vara ett medvetet val för att det stämmer väl överens med robotliknande vårdpersonal och så vidare. Jag förstår vilket otroligt jobb det måste ligga bakom den här boken, ändå kan jag inte låta bli att tycka att den är lite för kort och att allt avrundas lite för plötsligt, att hela sista delen är lite för korthuggen helt enkelt. En annan sak som vara ett resultat av det korthuggna är att boken inte alltid känns nyanserad; det är väldigt svart och vitt. Boken var hur som helst spännande och jag tyckte verkligen om greppet att skildra en specifik person och hur den påverkas av en dystopisk värld (likt All Systems Red av Martha Wells). Jag vill ha flera dystopier som är skrivna ur det perspektivet!

[Hilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stark och vackert om psykisk ohälsa! Dystopisk totalitör stat i Stockholm och de coolaste badass kvinnorna, jättefint! Kul att läsa en serie som är fiktiv nu efter alla romanovas, älskar ju dystopier !

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Såå himla bra! Läs den! NUU!

[jonina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stark 3.5:a (!!)

[Sofie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

en himla fin bok (passligt lättläst när hjärnan har dimma)

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dünyanın en iyi çizgi romanlarından biri bence. Bitmesini hiç istemedim.
Yazarın yaratmış olduğu distopya o kadar korkunç ki çoğu yerde kendimi o düzende hissettim resmen. Lorde, The Velvet Underground, The Smiths gibi pek çok grubun ve sanatçının yasaklandığı bir düzende yaşama fikri bile o kadar boğucu ki.
Kitabın tasarımı hakkında net bir yorum yapamıyorum çünkü orijinalinde mavi-beyaz renk paletine sahip bir kitap ama bizde siyah-beyaz olarak basılmış(bir kere de şaşırtın).

[Libri di Smeraldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐

👁️‍🗨️ "Baby Blue" di Bim Eriksson è ambientato in un futuro non troppo lontano da noi, in cui felicità e benessere psicologico sono imposti per legge.

🙂 Un apposito ministero traccia ogni sintomo di devianza psichica, controlla la circolazione delle informazioni e interviene, tramite i suoi socioguardiani, ogni volta che una persona manifesta un'emozione diversa dal sorriso.
Insomma, vietato essere tristi. Perché la tristezza, come diceva Huxley ne "Il mondo nuovo", ci permette di pensare, e il pensiero è una cosa intollerabile in un regime totalitario.

👩🏼‍⚕️ In nome della produttività si fanno trattamenti sanitari obbligatori e vaccinazioni contro tutto ciò che viene identificato come malattia mentale.
Il corpo dei socioguardiani e il personale sanitario sono costituiti da persone che sembrano robot, che agiscono senza pensare a ciò che stanno facendo, che propinano il messaggio del governo come fosse verità assoluta. Sono persone senza anima, meri strumenti nelle mani del governo.

🏨 Dopo una giornata impossibile, Betty Pott viene convocata all'istituto di psichiatria e di salute popolare dove, mentre subisce una flebo di stabilizzatore emozionale, conosce Berina.
L'incontro con Berina le apre le porte di un mondo di cui non sospettava nemmeno l'esistenza, un mondo dal quale opporsi al regime, "la resistenza che germoglia negli inferi".

🔵 Il tratto dei disegni è blu, per cui, sono presenti solo il bianco e il blu come colori. Non so quale fosse la reale intenzione dell'autrice, ma la mia personale interpretazione è che abbia scelto il blu per via dei suoi effetti sul nostro corpo. Infatti, è stato dimostrato che questo colore riduce la frequenza cardiaca, la pressione arteriosa e la frequenza del respiro, facendoci quindi "rilassare". Perfetto per una distopia in cui il benessere psicologico è imposto per legge.

[Il lettore sul trespolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lettura veramente interessante.
Non sono molto avvezzo alle graphic novel ma questa mi sembra veramente ben fatta, con della bella critica sociale e delle belle riflessioni.
Certo, non credo si arriverà mai alla distopia del libro, e di solito non sono un fan di queste esagerazioni, ma in questo caso porta a molte riflessioni reali e per nulla banali, soprattutto nei dialoghi tra Baby e Berina, e ciò non è poco.
Una bella scoperta.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

modern day 1984, a complete slay! Love the art style