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Rocky #1
Rocky, Vol. 1: The Big Payback
Firmly in the tradition of Fritz the Cat, Hate, and Clerks, Rocky is his mostly autobiographical daily strip detailing the rudely hilarious travails of a young cartoonist and his circle of layabout pals and neurotic, indignant girlfriends.
In this action-packed volume collecting the first year of the smash-hit strip, Rocky gets tossed out of his apartment, flies across the pond to visit a gay African-American pal (not realizing he lives in deepest Harlem); is ill-advisedly given the mission of euthanizing a friend's beloved pet rabbit ("Tom, give this job to Clemenza." "Yes, Godfather."); makes a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to trade in his girlfriend for her younger, more buxom sister; gets a bowel inflammation and a colonoscopy; goes to a costume party dressed as Tinky Winky; tries to get laid while camping out at a rock festival-and basically drinks and fornicates (or tries to) his way through Stockholm and New York, with hangover following drunken binge and mortification following faux pas as night follows day.
What will probably be amazing to American readers is how similar the day-to-day experiences of these Seinfeld-watching, Big Mac-eating, hip-hop-listening Swedes is to theirs. Rocky is a reminder as to how utterly global our culture has become-and a reminder that laughter is truly universal.
In this action-packed volume collecting the first year of the smash-hit strip, Rocky gets tossed out of his apartment, flies across the pond to visit a gay African-American pal (not realizing he lives in deepest Harlem); is ill-advisedly given the mission of euthanizing a friend's beloved pet rabbit ("Tom, give this job to Clemenza." "Yes, Godfather."); makes a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to trade in his girlfriend for her younger, more buxom sister; gets a bowel inflammation and a colonoscopy; goes to a costume party dressed as Tinky Winky; tries to get laid while camping out at a rock festival-and basically drinks and fornicates (or tries to) his way through Stockholm and New York, with hangover following drunken binge and mortification following faux pas as night follows day.
What will probably be amazing to American readers is how similar the day-to-day experiences of these Seinfeld-watching, Big Mac-eating, hip-hop-listening Swedes is to theirs. Rocky is a reminder as to how utterly global our culture has become-and a reminder that laughter is truly universal.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Martin Kellerman
69 books25 followersMartin Kellermanis a Swedish cartoonist, mostly known as the creator of the successful strip 'Rocky', published in many big, mostly Swedish, newspapers.
The semi-autobiographical cartoon 'Rocky' was created after he was just fired from his position as a cartoonist for the gentlemen's magazine Aktuell Rapport, was dumped by his girlfriend and thrown out of his subleased apartment.
'Rocky' has since then, among other things, been published as a magazine, twelve books with cartoons, wall calendar, Christmas calendar, and a stage play, touring around Sweden. Kellerman has also worked as an illustrator for other works.
The semi-autobiographical cartoon 'Rocky' was created after he was just fired from his position as a cartoonist for the gentlemen's magazine Aktuell Rapport, was dumped by his girlfriend and thrown out of his subleased apartment.
'Rocky' has since then, among other things, been published as a magazine, twelve books with cartoons, wall calendar, Christmas calendar, and a stage play, touring around Sweden. Kellerman has also worked as an illustrator for other works.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 16, 2015
I read three comics; the first two are (if you are from Sweden) quite predictably: Charlie Christensen's Arne Anka & Joakim Pirinen's Socker-Conny (and his others, of course). Nothing strange there. The odd one is Martin Kellerman's Rocky, which I absolutely adore, but can't really tell you why.
Kellerman's 4-square comic strip (and the occasional full-pager) brilliance relies heavily on recognition and an extremely keen eye for his contemporaries and society. The weird part is that he is a bit younger than me and very much a big city youth (in the early books, now even he is a big city middle age, haha, he caught up with me in age). Rocky was juggling free-lance assignments and moving by subway between sub-let rooms (or even attic storage) and friends couches and spending the occasional night in the drunk tank when I was working steadily at a hospital, living in my own apartment and paying my bills on time in my 25000 inhabitant birth town. And also, he listens to Hip Hop.
Basically, the only common ground I see is our mutual disinterest in sports, and that's really not much to base recognition on (especially since he doesn't express it much at all). Still, I love Kellerman's work.
This, the very first book in the series is really good and the rating of 4 out of 5 is only due to my familiarity with the later offerings. An occasional dud is found here, some remnants of his earliest works for various men's magazines and the like, and the drawings have also improved dramatically with time. But it's great - and there's still better to come!
Kellerman's 4-square comic strip (and the occasional full-pager) brilliance relies heavily on recognition and an extremely keen eye for his contemporaries and society. The weird part is that he is a bit younger than me and very much a big city youth (in the early books, now even he is a big city middle age, haha, he caught up with me in age). Rocky was juggling free-lance assignments and moving by subway between sub-let rooms (or even attic storage) and friends couches and spending the occasional night in the drunk tank when I was working steadily at a hospital, living in my own apartment and paying my bills on time in my 25000 inhabitant birth town. And also, he listens to Hip Hop.
Basically, the only common ground I see is our mutual disinterest in sports, and that's really not much to base recognition on (especially since he doesn't express it much at all). Still, I love Kellerman's work.
This, the very first book in the series is really good and the rating of 4 out of 5 is only due to my familiarity with the later offerings. An occasional dud is found here, some remnants of his earliest works for various men's magazines and the like, and the drawings have also improved dramatically with time. But it's great - and there's still better to come!
November 16, 2016
En bakfylleångestfylld dag kände jag att det var dags att ta upp bekantskapen igen med världens bästa och mest fördomsfulla, egocentriska, kvinnonedvärderande (eller kanske mer människonedvärderande) vovve som någonsin satt sin fot i Metros seriespalter. Rocky. I första volymen finns ALLT. Rocky är liksom så mycket av allting. Han är extremt lat, extremt egoistisk och extremt rolig. Han gör väldigt mycket också, ger sig iväg på resor till USA och flyttar in och ut ur polares lägenheter på löpande band. Jag har för mig att Martin Kellerman förklarat det med att han i första albumet kunde ta roliga anekdoter från hela sitt liv fram tills tiden då han började skriva Rocky. Ju senare vi kommer i serien desto mer lugnare fika-snack blir det, mer reflektioner och färre händelser. Det blir verkligen inte sämre - men just här i början är det så mycket energi i Rockyalbumet. Jag tror också att i de senare volymerna så smälter Kellerman ihop med sin karaktär mer och mer. I det första albumet är fortfarande Rocky mer av en verbal papperskorg till karaktär, där alla negativa och dolt fördomsfulla åsikter som Kellerman snappar upp från kompisar, sig själv och sin omgivning blandas ihop. Rocky får stå för alla våra synder, på något sätt. Och även om man kan tycka att Rocky är både homofob, kvinnonedvärderande och typical white male så är det oftast inte han som får sista ordet. Kvinnorna tänker exakt de här sakerna om honom, de är inte så dumma och blåsta som han tror att de är. Samma med Rocky homosexuelle kompis som driver med sin fobiske vän, och i serierutorna framkommer det vem det är som är den patetiske - Rocky. Det är hela tiden tydligt att det är Rocky själv som är det största skämtet i serien, utan att han kanske själv vet om det. Det är på Rockys bekostnad som Martin Kellerman kan få oss att se vad som är problematiskt i vår vardag, alltid med glimten i ögat och på ett dolt roligt sätt. Det är mycket samhällskritik, inbakad med skitig elegans. Rocky alltså <3
July 29, 2011
Kolme tähteä on keskiarvo neljästä ja puolesta, jonka huippukohdat ansaitsivat ja puolestatoista, jota osa edusti. Jäin miettimään, tahdonko tuntea miessukupuolen edustajia enää lainkaan. Tai nais. Ja silti hihitin.
October 16, 2021
⭐⭐½ = Bell'inizio, poi oscilla e si perde.
L'inizio mi era piaciuto parecchio. Un po' alla Zerocalcare ma meno ingenuo e nerd. Più politically scorrect e rock'n'roll. Poi imperversa con la tematica sessuale spicciola, riducendo l'intera esistenza a "voglio scoparmi una tipa" (nella declinazione maschile) e "mi faccio scopare da un tipo" (nella declinazione in gonnella).
Un pizzico di omofobia - forse per ridere, forse no... - , tutto semplificato all'andar per feste, sbronzarsi, evitare di pensare allo spreco dell'esistenza. Ma quello ci può stare - magari la forma mentis svedese lo prevede.
Per fortuna nella seconda metà si riprende un po' e comincia a snocciolare aneddoti di vita vissuta col giro d'amici e quella parte è carina. Leggera. Spassosa.
Nell'ultima parte, a una manciata di pagine dalla fine, l'albo diventa banale e torna ad affossarsi sulla solita triade annoiante: sesso-feste-alienazione.
Insomma... l'ho trovato un po' troppo sopravvalutato, per i miei gusti. Assai meglio Zerocalcare.
Tecnicamente, comunque, son 2 stelline e mezzo.
L'inizio mi era piaciuto parecchio. Un po' alla Zerocalcare ma meno ingenuo e nerd. Più politically scorrect e rock'n'roll. Poi imperversa con la tematica sessuale spicciola, riducendo l'intera esistenza a "voglio scoparmi una tipa" (nella declinazione maschile) e "mi faccio scopare da un tipo" (nella declinazione in gonnella).
Un pizzico di omofobia - forse per ridere, forse no... - , tutto semplificato all'andar per feste, sbronzarsi, evitare di pensare allo spreco dell'esistenza. Ma quello ci può stare - magari la forma mentis svedese lo prevede.
Per fortuna nella seconda metà si riprende un po' e comincia a snocciolare aneddoti di vita vissuta col giro d'amici e quella parte è carina. Leggera. Spassosa.
Nell'ultima parte, a una manciata di pagine dalla fine, l'albo diventa banale e torna ad affossarsi sulla solita triade annoiante: sesso-feste-alienazione.
Insomma... l'ho trovato un po' troppo sopravvalutato, per i miei gusti. Assai meglio Zerocalcare.
Tecnicamente, comunque, son 2 stelline e mezzo.
November 7, 2012
Lyhyesti kiteytettynä: ruotsalaisen Martin Kellermanin käsikirjoittama ja piirtämä "Rocky" (Egmont, 2009) on erinomainen strippisarjakuva. Se on alusta loppuun tasalaatuisen hauska, eikä piirrosjäljessäkään ole mitään moittimista, sen verran ilmeikkäitä eläinhahmot ovat.
Ensimmäinen suomeksi julkaistu Rocky-albumi kokoaa yhteen vuosina 1998-1999 ilmestyneitä strippejä, jotka muodostavat lukijan kannalta kiinnostavan, jatkuvajuonisen kokonaisuuden.
Nimihahmo Rocky on korsolainen sarjakuvataiteilija, koiraksi kuvattu kaksiviitonen sarjakuvataiteilija, joka sinnittelee urhoollisesti eteenpäin, vaikka niin ihmis- kuin työsuhteet ovat pätkittäisiä, kämppä menee alta, valomerkki tulee liian aikaisin, saatille pääsee vain suohirviötä (kirjaimellisesti) muistuttavan tytön kanssa ja maailma potkii muutenkin päähän kaikin mahdollisin tavoin. Ehtaa Charles Bukowskia, siis. Elämän karikoissa auttavat kuitenkin eteenpäin enemmän tai vähemmän lojaali ystäväpiiri, ajoittainen perseiden vetäminen olalle sekä jatkuva itsesäälissä rypeminen.
Sarjakuva voi teemojensa perusteella tuoda helposti mieleen Lise Myhren "Nemiin", mutta luullakseni parempia vertailukohtia voisivat olla Peter Baggen mestarillinen "Buddy Bradley" ja pienin varauksin myös Charlie Christensenin "Arne Ankka", vaikka jälkimmäisenä mainitun yhteiskunnallista kommentointia se ei harrastakaan. Bagge on muuten ilmoittanut kuuluvansa "Rockyn" ystäviin - joukkoon, johon nyt kuulun minäkin
Ensimmäinen suomeksi julkaistu Rocky-albumi kokoaa yhteen vuosina 1998-1999 ilmestyneitä strippejä, jotka muodostavat lukijan kannalta kiinnostavan, jatkuvajuonisen kokonaisuuden.
Nimihahmo Rocky on korsolainen sarjakuvataiteilija, koiraksi kuvattu kaksiviitonen sarjakuvataiteilija, joka sinnittelee urhoollisesti eteenpäin, vaikka niin ihmis- kuin työsuhteet ovat pätkittäisiä, kämppä menee alta, valomerkki tulee liian aikaisin, saatille pääsee vain suohirviötä (kirjaimellisesti) muistuttavan tytön kanssa ja maailma potkii muutenkin päähän kaikin mahdollisin tavoin. Ehtaa Charles Bukowskia, siis. Elämän karikoissa auttavat kuitenkin eteenpäin enemmän tai vähemmän lojaali ystäväpiiri, ajoittainen perseiden vetäminen olalle sekä jatkuva itsesäälissä rypeminen.
Sarjakuva voi teemojensa perusteella tuoda helposti mieleen Lise Myhren "Nemiin", mutta luullakseni parempia vertailukohtia voisivat olla Peter Baggen mestarillinen "Buddy Bradley" ja pienin varauksin myös Charlie Christensenin "Arne Ankka", vaikka jälkimmäisenä mainitun yhteiskunnallista kommentointia se ei harrastakaan. Bagge on muuten ilmoittanut kuuluvansa "Rockyn" ystäviin - joukkoon, johon nyt kuulun minäkin
January 25, 2010
(I'm going to put one review for the 3 books)
I love Rocky, so when I got a bunch of Rocky books for Christmas I read them all. They're not too long though, so I figured that 3 of them should count as 1 regular book.
So as I said, I love Rocky, I think the books are hilarious and yeah... that's about it.
I love Rocky, so when I got a bunch of Rocky books for Christmas I read them all. They're not too long though, so I figured that 3 of them should count as 1 regular book.
So as I said, I love Rocky, I think the books are hilarious and yeah... that's about it.
August 4, 2022
Eppure credo che la traduzione non sia delle migliori. Ho letto questo volumetto sia in inglese sia in italiano e mi pare che si siano parecchie cose che mi hanno lasciato perplessa.
Comunque mi dispiace che la BD non abbia continuato a pubblicare le strisce di Kellerman. Erano un interessante, ed educativo, punto di vista sul mondo dei maschietti.
Comunque mi dispiace che la BD non abbia continuato a pubblicare le strisce di Kellerman. Erano un interessante, ed educativo, punto di vista sul mondo dei maschietti.
October 9, 2016
The situations all feel very true to life and the art is pretty good. It’s only mildly amusing though.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews