Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 03

Moomin Comic Strip #9-13

by Tove Jansson

Moomin has been swiftly making its way into the hearts of North Americans ever since Drawn & Quarterly began collecting the strip in 2006. It debuted in the London Evening News in 1954 and has become the fastest-selling D+Q series to date. Fifty years ago, Tove Jansson's observations of everyday life-whimsical but with biting undertones-easily caught the attention of an international audience and still resonate today.

This third volume returns to Moominvalley, where its beloved inhabitants get tangled up in five new stories. Moomin falls in love with a damsel in distress, an unseasonably warm spell turns the valley into a tropical rain forest, and a flying saucer crashes into Moominmamma's garden. Moominpappa decides to live out his dream of occupying a lighthouse and writing a great seaside novel, only to discover that he hates the sea so close up and has no interest in writing about it, and a variety of curious clubs spring up in the valley. Moomin and Moominmamma do their level best to avoid the whole mess but, of course, get drawn into the muddle.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Graphic Novels Comics, Finnish Literature

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

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

[Jon Von · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book but a step above the second. Jansson’s ink pen art style is a little more elegant and the art returns to more intricate compositions and relies less on printing techniques for shading. Very quirky and funny with an often acerbic tone that contrasts with the cute Moomin family. Shows flashes of heart but mostly content to introduce more goofy little guys and situations. I’ll keep chugging along, these have been great so far.

[Elina Mäkitalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muumit ei petä. Tässäkin oli viisi eri sarjakuvaa ja jokainen oli omalla tavallaan hyviä. Tykkään muumien selkeistä kuvista, omalaatuisesta elämästä ja oivaltavasta tekstistä. Sarjakuvaklassikoiden kolmas osa.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw two stuffed Moomins in the window of a shop in Plymouth when I was there for Seth Lakeman's pieces with the BBC orchestra. That reignited an old love I had for them. I got this from the library today -- the first volume wasn't in, but I've now reserved it, ha! It's so cute, and often quite funny -- I mean, they're Moomins, but they're just, oh, people. Like Moominpappa wanting to move away to a lighthouse to write a novel and then finding out that it isn't what he wanted at all, and Snorkmaiden feeling jealous, and...

Best quote: "Indeed you are the most idiotic family I ever saw -- but you are at least LIVING every minute of the day!"

[Eva B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these guys so much!

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume collects five short stories. The illustrations are fun and quirky, the plots funny, yet poignant.

[Hanneleele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siin on koomiksikujul ”Muumipapa ja meri” aga ka täiesti raamatukstegemata lugu marslastest ja muumioru röövliklubist (Haisuloom on gängster?) jpm. Piripiiga ja Muumitrolli armulood on hirmus tyytud kui aus olla. Muumimamma on koomiksites mu lemmiktegelane. No ja siin on Tuutiki, kes abivalmilt kummitusel kummitada aitab, nii et tema on ka tore. Ega koomiksitegelastel oma raamatuvastetega alati palju yhist ole, siin on nad rohkem typaažid, karikatuurid - nii et kuigi need pole sugugi pahad, imelikkus jätkub.

[a ☕︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

do you know the difference between the first love and the last? it’s this: you always think the first love is the last and the last the first...words of wisdom from circus starlet lagoona’s horse, which are promptly ignored by an irate moomin (his response: oh, shutup. ⋋_⋌). a lovely aquatic volume, in which moomin dotes on a willowy moomingirl to snorkmaiden’s ire, waterlily homes are promised to one another, and moominpappa writes his magnum opus by the sea—all while accompanied by radio-nesting mice, bashful phantoms, and foggy moonrises. perhaps my favorite collection so far.

[shion tia ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

'moominvalley turns jungle' has to be one of my favourite moomin comics so far, 'moomin and the sea' a close second

[Viivi / Kirjailuja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ihan oivaltavaa muumeilua, mutta meno ei ollut yhtä terävää ja hulvatonta, kuin edeltävissä sarjiksissa.

[Juushika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This annoyed me less than previous volumes, which may in large part be because I took a break in reading the series, but is also because the shorter narrative arcs leave less room for absurdity. But neither did I enjoy it more than the rest of the comics. It has the same strengths (art, approachability) and same limitations (not as evocative or emotionally robust as the novels), and leaves me as apathetic. I think that means it's time to give up on the comics.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's wintertime and I enjoyed Tove Jansson's stuff for adults so much it was time to finally read some Moomins. Obviously everyone loves Moomins, but for a reason - her sense of humor is so delightful and warm.

[tsukibookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has five stories instead of four. It was fun to read and more more adventurous. Moomin family is indeed a weird family, living in their own way and make the best of each time they have. That's what make them memorable and loved around the world. I too, have started to liked them more.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niin hauskoja ja erinomaisen osuvia kuvauksia! Lempparini näistä sarjakuvakirjoista tähän mennessä.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moomins are at it again. Stinky can't stop robbing and Moomins are not hippos.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tästä tulee pieni herkkä kirja, jonka nimi on 'Ikävöin turvaisaa kuistiani'."

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been seeing Moomin figures and cartoons around for a while, at some point there was even a Christmas exhibition near my house and so I decided to finally find out what Moomin is. I got my hands on this edition and enjoyed it. I am not sure if it is for children as some claim, it is too mature in many aspects, but it is different and original!

The artwork is cute, and even though the stories end happy they are always realistic when it comes to people's whims and characters.

9- Moomin falls in Love- love vs infatuation and lasting attachments
10- Moominvalley Turns Jungle- question of wild animals in zoo, would they be happier in the wild?
11- Moomin and the Martians-"curiosity killed the cat"and informer
12- Moomin and the Sea- dreams of adventure
13- Club Life in Moominvalley- middle age crisis and staying loyal to friends' with conflicting interests

[jzthompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and very offbeat, most stories follow a meandering logic that is dreamlike in the most literal sense, often taking place in surreal worlds-turned-upside-down. The humour comes from the reactions of the emotional, unreliable, but essentially decent Moomins.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Moomin comics are so weird and yet I can't stop reading them. I don't understand.

[Connie T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't get the appeal of this comic strip/ graphic novel.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series presenting the original Tove Jansson comics about her surreal creations, the Moomins. In this volume, we get five stories: Moomin falls in love with a visiting actress and his girlfriend Snorkmaiden gets jealous; when Moominmamma sows some mysterious seeds in the middle of a heatwave, Moominvalley becomes a tropical paradise overnight; a Martian comes to visit the Moomins and causes everyone to grow, shrink or levitate; Moominpappa takes a job as a lighthouse keeper and tries to write a novel; and lastly, social clubs in Moominvalley cause all kinds of chaos. Surprisingly, the wandering philosopher Snufkin doesn't appear at all, and Sniff appears so briefly that you forget he’s supposed to be living with the Moomin family in their house. Sometimes you wonder how it became popular with children, as the the bizarre logic of the storylines can be a little hard to follow and the Moomin philosophy is quite esoteric. But mostly, the comics present an entertaining caricature of Finnish society in microcosm. These are always fun to read and the odd-looking actors make it all the more amusing.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't always love the stories in these comics - sometimes they're a little too tongue-in-cheek, like the "too many clubs" episode that closes out this volume, but ones like the lighthouse story throw everything back into balance. It's one of my favorites - funny and dark, with wonderful characters and jokes that hit a little too close to home for writers. I love the fisherman, too; it's random characters like that who really make the moomin-world so unique and wonderful.

I also thought it was pretty funny that there's an entire story in here that seems to have been solely written to prove that moomins are, in fact, not hippos.

And the little martian was very cute, although I would've liked a little more substance to his story. And sometimes Snorkmaiden gets on my nerves. Still, the art is always wonderfully expressive, with every panel giving you something fun to look at.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more bookish opinions, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

Delightful as always.

Join the Moomin family in this volume where adventure takes the lead as they adapt to life in the jungle, encounter visitors from Mars, become lighthouse keepers, and more.

Wonderfully odd stories and charming artwork filled with humor.

The third collection of comics includes "Moomin Falls in Love", "Moominvalley Turns Jungle", "Moomin and the Martians", "Moomin and the Sea", and "Club Life in Moominvalley".

Such a wonderful series filled with humor, insight, and the bittersweetness of life.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a weirdly charming, surreal all-ages strip about the Moomin family. I found it particularly amusing when animals were freed from the zoo and the zookeepers kept calling the Moomins hippopotamuses, while trying to take them back to the zoo. There's a lot of really odd twists, but they all pretty much make sense in the odd world of Moomin, and the art is quite good. Lots of gender conflict throughout this volume, and plenty of the usual "appreciate your family and your home" themes that populated the previous volume. Solid, fanciful work.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's not to like about Moomins? It was interesting to see the tales moved from children to adult topics, although there was a certain amount of recycling in ideas, situations and dialogue. The path of true love proves a bumpy ride too, something you'd never have got in the kids books. The comics were interesting, with lovely illustrations, but somehow missing something a bit deeper found in the books.

[Nestor B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Tove Jansson's Moomintroll at its best, 5 stories each of which is a small classic in itself, but with "Mummitroll and the sea" as a literary highlight, perhaps one of the best stories in the entire series.

[Tairachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow not as amazing as Volume 1 but I still enjoyed each story almost equally. Was hard to choose which chapter I enjoyed the most. Re-ordered volume 2 and ordered volume 4 as well. Hope they all arrive this time!

[Quynh]

features the alternative stories of fin family moomintroll, moominsummer madness, and moominpappa at sea. i prefer the books for the first 2 stories, but greatly enjoyed the comic more for the sea one! tone is surprisingly more whimsical & i love too ticky <3

[Suzanne Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another set of Moomin family adventures. Particularly enjoyed Moominvalley turns Jungle.

[... · Rating 3 out of 5]

tämä oli itseasiassa ihan mukavaa luettavaa, ei niin täynnä problematiikkaa kuin kaksi edellistä

[Pia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primadonna, ufot, Tuutikki ja viskistä nauttiva Muumipappa. Paremmaksi ei juuri sarjakuvapätkät muutu!