– I hope young people who dream of making this type of cartoon dare to bet on it, says cartoonist Helen Kaldheim. She is originally from the small western village of Odda, but now lives in Oslo. news meets her at home in the apartment, where she also works. Ever since she made her debut last year with the comic book “Mørkalven”, which made a mark on the sales lists, she has at times worked around the clock to finish the sequel, which will be released in March. Kaldheim’s figures have large, characteristic eyes, colorful hair and expressive body language. The style is easily recognisable. – I spend around one day completing an entire page in the book, from sketching until everything is on, says Helen Kaldheim. Japanese manga is usually published in black and white, while much of Nordic manga is characterized by colorful drawings. Manga?Manga is the Japanese word for comics. In the West, this is a term that often also refers to a specific type of Japanese drawing style, storytelling technique and action. In Japan, manga is an important and recognized part of the culture and is very popular among both adults and children. Nordic manga mania Her fascination with Japanese culture was already in her childhood. – I think it is connected to the fact that my generation was brought up with things like Pokémon and Digimon. I don’t quite know why it became manga, but for me it was love at first sight, she says. In recent years, there have been a number of Norwegian comic books that are strongly inspired by Japanese comics, also called manga. This wave has received the label “nordic manga”, or Nordic manga. The term was created by the publisher Egmont, which itself bets heavily on comic books within this term. Nordic manga is often in the fantasy genre and often takes the recognizable visual cues from manga and mixes it with a drawing style reminiscent of Disney’s animated films. Of the book series in this wave, we find, among other things, the huge success “Nordlys” by Malin Falch, which is often singled out as the catalyst for this trend in Norway. The titles “Ragnarok”, “Dragon’s Eye”, “The Inventor” and “The Snow Cat Prince” can also be found on the ever-growing list of Nordic manga. The publishing house Outland also regularly publishes the anthology “Rakkan” with Norwegian comics in pure manga style. BOOK NUMBER TWO: In the universe of Kaldheim, all dark elves have been exterminated – all but one. We follow the dark elf Caim through a world that he would prefer dead. Then he hears about a place where everyone can live in peace. Will he find this mysterious place? Photo: Helen Kaldheim / Egmont Defying reading and writing difficulties Before the story of the outcast dark elf Caim was taken under the wing of Egmont, Kaldheim had already been working on his series for many years. But the fact that she was to have a book published has not always been a matter of course. Ironically, she has struggled with reading and writing difficulties all her life. Despite this, Kaldheim has read a lot over the years, which she thanks to manga and other comics. – It is a very good entry into the world of books, at least it was for me. If you don’t like reading big books, I would recommend starting with comics. In addition to being a manga creator, Kaldheim is also a dedicated cosplayer. On the right is the new book cover for Mørkalven 2. Photo: Helen Kaldheim – What is interesting is that manga has become very popular again. I think some of that is due to TikTok, which many young people use to cultivate their interest, says the cartoonist. Videos with the subject tag #mangatiktok, for example, have around 38 million weekly plays at the time of writing on the popular app. Now Helen Kaldheim’s dream is to have the book series reach an international audience. – We have been able to sell it to Denmark, but it would have been incredibly fun to publish it in even more languages. “Mørkalven” in English and Japanese would have been really cool. – Comics are being taken more seriously Drawing and storytelling styles from the internet are spreading faster than before. Nordic manga is – despite the name – an international style right now, says editor Walter Wehus in the comics magazine Empirix. – There has been a “boom” of Nordic manga in recent years. And it has really struck a chord with young readers who may have been a bit starved for rich, exciting stories that can be devoured in an afternoon, he says. Kaldheim estimates that there will be around seven books in the “Mørkalven” series. – I can sit here and draw for hours. Photo: Xin Li / news At the cartoonist’s home, the bookshelves are filled with manga. The classic “Ranma ½” was one of the very first she read, and is still a favorite today. Photo: Xin Li / news The fact that “Nordlys” was a huge success among young readers meant that publishers dared to bet on a number of young debutants who wanted to create ambitious comic books. These are particularly aimed at a target group that has been difficult to reach with comics in recent decades, says Wehus. – We will see more of this. There are many Norwegian series in the starting pit right now, so this will probably be a significant investment from the publishers for a long time to come. Helen Kaldheim is happy that comics now seem to be taken more seriously. – This wave proves that there is actually a market for this here in Norway. I both believe and hope that even more people will try, she says. Interested in reading more cultural matters? Check these out:
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Helen (27) makes a living by making Norwegian manga – news Culture and entertainment
