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Mister Morgen
Mister Morgen je kompilacija trinaest priča koje su nastajale u razdoblju od deset godina. Taj niz priča u početku nije bio povezan te se tek s vremenom pokazalo da ih, osim mračne atmosfere, povezuje ambijent bezličnih predgrađa. Kao inspiracija za strip poslužile su crtice iz Igorovog života u Novom Zagrebu, Novom Beogradu i ljubljanskoj Šiški. U pričama se isprepliću sudbine raznih likova uronjenih u gradske okoliše, a naslov stripa, Mister Morgen, inspiriran je poznatim evergreenom Ive Robića s kraja 1950-ih. Naslov je odabran radi snažnog kontrasta osjećaja optimizma i bezbrižnosti koje je ta pjesma pobuđivala nekad, i današnjeg prevladavajućeg osjećaja beznađa.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 9, 2018
"Igor Hofbauer is the Charles Burns of the Balkans." —Nina Bunjevac (author of Fatherland, her family story of Yugoslavia.
Igor Hofbauer is a Croatian poster artist, who is inspired by German Expressionism and Russian constructivism. This is Hofbauer’s first collection of comics, and are interesting because they are not traditional narrative; they feel very often surreal and nightmarish, with brutal Eastern Bloc settings. Not for everyone, as the low Goodreads rating implies, but I think the artwork—all black, white and red—is the most strikingly aspect of this book. And the Charles Burn reference seems just right, for style and tone, though Burns’s work is generally more narrative than Hofbauer’s here.
Here’s a look at a few pages:
http://www.conundrumpress.com/new-tit...
Did I “like” it? That isn’t exactly the question. Do I find it interesting and thought-provoking? Yes. I gave it four stars because it is for me a completely original experience, maybe in the genre of horror as much as anything, related perhaps to some grim Yugoslavian history?
Igor Hofbauer is a Croatian poster artist, who is inspired by German Expressionism and Russian constructivism. This is Hofbauer’s first collection of comics, and are interesting because they are not traditional narrative; they feel very often surreal and nightmarish, with brutal Eastern Bloc settings. Not for everyone, as the low Goodreads rating implies, but I think the artwork—all black, white and red—is the most strikingly aspect of this book. And the Charles Burn reference seems just right, for style and tone, though Burns’s work is generally more narrative than Hofbauer’s here.
Here’s a look at a few pages:
http://www.conundrumpress.com/new-tit...
Did I “like” it? That isn’t exactly the question. Do I find it interesting and thought-provoking? Yes. I gave it four stars because it is for me a completely original experience, maybe in the genre of horror as much as anything, related perhaps to some grim Yugoslavian history?
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August 27, 2020Artwork: Klare 5 Sterne!
Inhalt: Stark irritierend, brutal, beunruhigend. Heftiger als Charles Burns oder David Lynch.
Auch nach mehreren Anläufen habe ich es nicht geschafft, das Buch im Stück durchzulesen.
Inhalt: Stark irritierend, brutal, beunruhigend. Heftiger als Charles Burns oder David Lynch.
Auch nach mehreren Anläufen habe ich es nicht geschafft, das Buch im Stück durchzulesen.
February 20, 2018
Rendered in black, white, and red this powerful Croatian graphic novel is a gorgeous mix of Seth Toboncan (World War 3 Illustrated) and Charles Burns art styles. In my opinion, that is a good thing. As for the stories, I would say they range from horrific to bizarre to weird. I would not recommend this book to younger readers.
Publisher Conundrum (Canada) has taken a big risk with this challenging work.Hofbauer’s pedigree is top notch (L’association) and in my opinion the risk paid off. If you haven’t explored the Conundrum catalogue please do. I loved the Ant Sang collection and their David Collier books.
Publisher Conundrum (Canada) has taken a big risk with this challenging work.Hofbauer’s pedigree is top notch (L’association) and in my opinion the risk paid off. If you haven’t explored the Conundrum catalogue please do. I loved the Ant Sang collection and their David Collier books.
January 13, 2020
My European comics experience outside of Britain has been embarrassingly low. That’s why when this book was in the discount bin of one of my local comic shops, I jumped on it. I’ve heard of comics from countries like Belgium, France and even Amsterdam, but the more Eastern Euro countries like Croatia and other Balkan countries weren’t even a blip on my radar. Well, they are now. Mister Morgen was such an awesome and surreal experience, I’ve never read anything like it.
Mister Morgen is a series of at first unconnected vignettes that are pretty abstract and expressionistic. There’s heavy symbolism that deals with themes of poverty, fascism and racism/discrimination. There’s a bunch of stories in here and even the ones that are too abstract to penetrate remain entertaining due to Hofbauer’s striking visual style.
The stories themselves were all pretty good, my major flaws with them like I said was sometimes they get a little too abstract and devolve into just well drawn, weird images that get stuck in the reader’s brain. And this makes sense knowing Hofbauer was known for his single image posters.
That’s actually the main appeal of this book in my opinion. Igor Hofbauer is a MASTER of the medium. His visual storytelling and layouts have such a one of a kind feel to them that just makes my heart warm. There’s a panel with a man peeing off a bridge and the urine seamlessly travels through the page in between the panels to a bottom panel. When a cartoonist draws a panel with the whole page in mind it always makes me happy, it’s the sign of a brilliant artist. Hofbauer’s expressions and movement is all done expertly as well.
Overall, this was a SOLID read and will definitely be something I revisit multiple times throughout the year. A fast read, but will take a while to digest
Light 9/10
Mister Morgen is a series of at first unconnected vignettes that are pretty abstract and expressionistic. There’s heavy symbolism that deals with themes of poverty, fascism and racism/discrimination. There’s a bunch of stories in here and even the ones that are too abstract to penetrate remain entertaining due to Hofbauer’s striking visual style.
The stories themselves were all pretty good, my major flaws with them like I said was sometimes they get a little too abstract and devolve into just well drawn, weird images that get stuck in the reader’s brain. And this makes sense knowing Hofbauer was known for his single image posters.
That’s actually the main appeal of this book in my opinion. Igor Hofbauer is a MASTER of the medium. His visual storytelling and layouts have such a one of a kind feel to them that just makes my heart warm. There’s a panel with a man peeing off a bridge and the urine seamlessly travels through the page in between the panels to a bottom panel. When a cartoonist draws a panel with the whole page in mind it always makes me happy, it’s the sign of a brilliant artist. Hofbauer’s expressions and movement is all done expertly as well.
Overall, this was a SOLID read and will definitely be something I revisit multiple times throughout the year. A fast read, but will take a while to digest
Light 9/10
August 4, 2017
The best part of this book is how Igor Hofbauer builds a 'place,' with recurring characters and sights. After reading this, I really felt like I spent a long dark night in this David-Lynchian nightmare city. Also, Igor is a great illustrator with his Soviet-propaganda/noir art-style. The pages are enjoyable just to look at, especially when the book bogs down into abstract or gross meaninglessness every now and then.
September 7, 2024
Premio al pick random wtf estoy leyendo de la biblio del mes 😶🌫️
April 1, 2018
I picked this one up for the fascinating combination of artistic styles that is super dark and creepy. The art didn't fail to impress, but I never really got very invested in any of the stories or characters. This book did succeed in evoking a strong sense of grotesque discomfort...if that's your thing.
July 26, 2017
Electrifyingly dark nightmares.
April 28, 2023
I don't know if Hofbauer is the "Charles Burns of the Balkans" and all that, but his cartooning is remarkable nonetheless. He delivers such an impeccably dour tone through all of the short stories collected in Mister Morgen, and the entire read felt heavy despite the rather sparse scripts for most stories. The shorts in Mister Morgen are not really connected (aside from a couple recurring characters), but indeed they feel connected by atmosphere and theme. There's an undercurrent of industrial decay, brutalist architecture and surrealism that permeates each story, making me feel more disoriented with each page turn.
I can't say that I totally got every story, but the experience was mesmerizing nonetheless, especially due to Hofbauer's gorgeous linework that almost looks like woodcuts had they not been interspersed with vibrant spots of reds. The pages look like they could have been taken right from Soviet posters/propaganda and this design aesthetic is incredibly well realized. Igor Hafbauer is definitely a cartoonist to keep an eye out for.
I can't say that I totally got every story, but the experience was mesmerizing nonetheless, especially due to Hofbauer's gorgeous linework that almost looks like woodcuts had they not been interspersed with vibrant spots of reds. The pages look like they could have been taken right from Soviet posters/propaganda and this design aesthetic is incredibly well realized. Igor Hafbauer is definitely a cartoonist to keep an eye out for.
April 22, 2020
Locked in the cold embrace of brutalist architecture and bizarre, almost surrealist events, Hofbauer's characters stumble through the nightmare of the post-Yugoslav world we are all living in.
Hofbauer is one of the best authors to have emerged from the Balkan comics underground scene, and his aesthetic will remind the reader of Daniel Clowes and David Lynch, but his style is ultimately unique.
Difficult to swallow yet unfailingly true to life, his panels are instantly eye-catching and richly multilayered, and literally each page could hang on the wall of a museum. A bitter, horrifying, disturbing read, but an essential one.
Hofbauer is one of the best authors to have emerged from the Balkan comics underground scene, and his aesthetic will remind the reader of Daniel Clowes and David Lynch, but his style is ultimately unique.
Difficult to swallow yet unfailingly true to life, his panels are instantly eye-catching and richly multilayered, and literally each page could hang on the wall of a museum. A bitter, horrifying, disturbing read, but an essential one.
January 20, 2022
This was an odd book of several short stories that clearly portrayed brutalism and Russian constructivism, as mentioned on the front inside flap. Constructivism was my initial interest in the book; but I think the German expressionism escaped me. The stories were nothing like what I was expecting, however, they did deal with intriguing themes commonly encountered in The Twilight Zone; themes like desolation and suffering. After reading the afterword for Western readers, I could understand the Croatian historical backdrop. Despite the strange and disturbing stories, the artist displayed exemplary talent in his architectural concepts. While I enjoyed this, the book overall was not for me.
February 26, 2020
Underground Balkan graphic novel similar to Soviet propaganda woodcut Kafka-esque Charles Burns-like strangeness. Throw in a little horror flick "Train to Busan" similarity with noir mutants. Sex, Death and Bacteria Felt that there was intentional mystery inserted. Imagine a sentence with every two or three words erased. Entertaining however wished just bit more.
December 20, 2020
I appreciated the art and brutalist vaguely Soviet but never connected with any of the stories or characters. Maybe if I was in a better place to be ready to enjoy these comics that don’t really conform to the standards of Western comics I would have enjoyed this more but I did like the dark, foreboding atmosphere.
February 5, 2019
With only black, red and white it goes deep in subconscious' horror side.
May 31, 2019
Think of Thomas Ott and Charles Burns and their story-telling sensibilities, add Central European-style irony (with a Balkan twist): eerie, macabre—pick your dark adjective, it's here.
September 18, 2019
Although too dark for me, but it is pretty wild.
July 15, 2022
the artwork depicting Soviet architecture is so sick but everything else is try hard and confusing
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January 21, 2018I don't know how to rate this cause this might be the single weirdest thing I've ever read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews