Moomin Adventures: Book One

Moomin Adventures #1

by Tove Jansson, Lars Jansson

The classic comic strip by Tove Jansson and Lars Jansson in a new paperback series

Presented in an all new softcover format that collects the all ages comics of both Tove Jansson and Lars Jansson, the five-volume Moomin Adventures series will introduce the timeless comic strip to a new generation of readers of all ages. The strip’s gentle humor and subtle yet sharp musings on life relay an utterly human existence through the lives of Moomin, Moominmamma, Moominpappa, Snufkin, Little My, Snork Maiden and more.

Moomin Adventures: Book One kicks off with perhaps the most famous adventure of them all, Moomin on the Riviera, which was adapted into an animated feature and debuted at the London Film Festival. In Moomin’s Desert Island, the entire Moomin family is stranded on a desert island—the very island their ancestors came from. The Moominvalley hijinx continued with a charming mix of strips from Finland’s most famous writer/artist Tove Jansson, and her brother Lars Jansson who taught himself how to draw in order to take over the strip when it was in syndication.

When D+Q debuted the Moomin comic strip in 2007, it was the first time that the comic strip had been published in english since its original appearance in the London Evening News. The series has gone on to sell 400,000 volumes.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Classics, Childrens

312 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2024

About the author

Tove Jansson was born and died in Helsinki, Finland. As a Finnish citizen whose mother tongue was Swedish, she was part of the Swedish-speaking Finns minority. Thus, all her books were originally written in Swedish.

Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.

Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945), during World War II. She said later that the war had depressed her, and she had wanted to write something naive and innocent. Besides the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson also wrote and illustrated four original and highly popular picture books.

Jansson's Moomin books have been translated into 33 languages.

Reviews

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian]

I can absolutely see how this is charming for other people, but it is not for me.

[Eva Shellabarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely important to my development. Moomin interrogates the absurd expectations of modern life and society. It is very charming and silly and deep!

She is so creative with the different uses of panels and dividing lines. It is clear how strong a writer Tove Jansson is. Her musings about life and society combined with her whimsical drawings is really delightful to read. It seems like this family represents different positions in her mind conversing back and forth about philosophical questions. I love it when seemingly childlike comics are really tackling big issues of the time. It really works here when it comes to big deal problems like war, capitalism, migration etc!

Moomin forever 💖

[Méli]

Moomin on the Riviera slaps

[kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering moving to a house in a field with a bunch of friends. Just farming and doing a bunch of side quests.

[kait ✍️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

comics for people that like little characters and also have small attention spans

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of the Moomin comic strips. Until I saw this book, I didn't know that Tove's brother took over the strip for her and continued it for 14 years!

I love how subversive the strip was! Highly recommended for the social commentary as well as the charming drawing style, wacky plots, and quirky characters.

A friend told me about the Sour Cherry Comics store, so I went down there to check it out and got this book. Didn't realize it had just come out last month until I opened Goodreads just now to review it. Serendipity at work!

[rowan]

Why I read it: Long have I wanted to read the Moomin comics, so I was very glad to see this new volume in a bookstore.

Thoughts: Not much to say! I expected they would be cute, fun, quirky, charming, witty. They exceeded my expectations, and I had a very good time reading them! The storylines were sweet and all of them very funny and clever. It's the sort of stuff I wish I'd grown up with, but nothing to scoff at even as a salty adult.

Would I read more from this author: Yes.

Would I recommend it: Yep!

[Nestor B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a random selection of Moomin comic strips from both Tove and Lars Jansson — but when the quality is this high, randomness is hardly an issue. Each strip carries the charm, wit, and depth that have made the Moomin series timeless.

The Jansson siblings had a rare talent for blending humor with quiet wisdom, creating stories that are both lighthearted and meaningful. Whether it’s Tove’s delicate storytelling or Lars’ later contributions, every strip is a reminder of why Moomin remains beloved across generations.

The format is perfect — easy to read, beautifully presented, and a joy to flip through. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer to the world of Moominvalley, this collection is a delightful addition to any bookshelf.

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was an avid lurker on Something Awful growing up - I learned quite a bit from the experience and I can't say I'd recommend it for anyone. But one of the positive aspects was a series of megathreads I always found myself coming back to again and again focused on newspaper comic strips - from the mind-bogglingly awful ones to gawk at (who keeps publishing 9 Chickweed Lane, anyway?) to the ones that expanded the possibility of what the medium was capable of in ways I still can't get over (Paul Kirchner's The Bus being the best of the best - if I ever find a copy of that in the wild, it's mine as soon as I stop hyperventilating at it). The comics based on Tove Jansson's series of Moomin stories sit very firmly at the top of the second category. The Jansson siblings' playful love of storytelling and cheekily subversive sense of humor shine brilliantly through every single panel. Even something as basic as the dividing lines separating panels from each other becomes something to mess around with, changing to fit the themes of the story or the environment the characters find themselves in, turning to fireworks, telephone cords, fishing poles, a funeral banner - anything the moment or the joke requires. The way the Janssons play with the very medium of newspaper comics is strikingly ahead of its time - in today's eminently meta culture, it's still a bit shocking to see a story from 1959 (Moomin Under Sail) start out by having the characters directly address the idea that they're being watched by the readers and therefore must come up with some convoluted adventure to entertain us with. Not to mention, the Janssons' gift for character design and expression just pops out at you - they're overflowing with wonderful ideas to the point that they're constantly filling the panels with odd little creatures that are absolute delights to encounter. You can constantly reread this strip and never stop finding some odd little touch that makes it all that much more of a joy to take in. And this collection from Drawn & Quarterly is a fantastic introduction to the world of the Moomins. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good entry point into Finland's pride & joy and I eagerly await volume 2 - I'll be sure to pester my local comics shop until they get it in.

[Sebastiaan Buts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moomins avonturen worden rijkelijk geïllustreerd. Zijn leven is turbulent maar ten allen tijden bereid tot het drinken van een smakelijke filterkoffie. Na verloop van tijd worden de avontuurtjes van Moomin best voorspelbaar en verliezen ook de bijzondere karakters hun flair.

Gelaagd in reflectie over kunst en kapitalisme houdt Moomin ons op een vermakelijke en simpele manier een spiegel voor. Mijn volgende koffie is op het terras van een stedelijke keten. Misschien heb ik daar de tijd om verder na te denken over die keuze…

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you will all know, I love Moomins and I wanted to read more about them.
This book with the comics felt really random and I did enjoy some of them but the change in humor was noticeable between Lars and Tove. I also like the spot the images which are used on the mugs and such.
My favourites were Moomin on the Rivera, The Conscientious Moomins and Moomin under sail which were all by Tove.

[mooniepal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute collection of the moomin comics. The first few stories tickled my fancy more, then I kinda checked out (that's more of a me issue than anything tho). I have a difficult time following the way the Jansson's tell stories at times. As a newer moomin fan though, I'm still glad I decided to check out this book!

[Aezrii · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore moomin. It's nice to finally read the comic strips after seeing the cartoon. I love their carefree attitudes and zero cares for money. The moomins simply want to live. I love the way they highlight the absurdity of money and greed. Live on the cozy simple things.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC from Edelweiss.

[LudmilaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. Wonderful, charming, fun!

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

CAUTION: VERY WHIMSICAL. Funny, strange, and quirky.

[Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

i didn’t know moomins as a child, but someday mine will know them well.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Are they cute? Are they creepy? After reading two of these fever-dream "stories" I wholeheartedly believe Moomins would commit genocide while making flower wreaths.

[Maisie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorably whimsical art style with genuinely funny social commentary that hasn’t aged.

[John Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this, funny and subversive on modern society.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical in the best way. (Which is being whimsical yet down to kill a man)

[Ana_Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun collection of comics. ^_^