Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Has the Sarjakuva Finlandia lost it's credibility?

In two weeks we will know who has won the fourth Sarjakuva Finlandia (the yearly award for "best comic book of the year"). M.A. Numminen will choose his favourite from the shortlist of 10. Check out those ten here

Now, I don't know who I am writing this for, since this is probably only interesting for Finnish people and the text will be nonetheless in english. But I just have to get this off my chest before the award is over and this text wouldn't be relevant anymore.


But before I start giving my personal opinions and findings about this comics prize, I have to admit that I am a bit upset with Sarjakuvia Finlandia, so a little negativity certainly plays a role in this post. The main reason for being disappointed is that Huuda Huuda again does not have a single book being shortlisted this year. Look I am not saying we are the greatest publishers of finnish comic books out there, but I dare say if the The Comics Journal says "Finland’s most innovative publisher Huuda Huuda, ... displayed their formidable line of quality art-comics, Finnish and international", it means we are not just some random small press publisher. But no, no Huuda Huuda books this year. Actually, throughout the whole Sarjakuva Finlandia we only have had 1 nominee (Tommi's Samuelin Matkassa).


That being said, I do think the whole Sarjakuva- Finlandia is a great idea. For those people who are not familiar with the Finlandia awards (there's a Finlandia award for general fiction, one for the best youth novel,..), here's the basic idea: a jury makes a selection and then appoints a "dictator" who then reads all the nominated works and decides on his own and according to his own personal standards who will win the prize.
Every year now the organisers of the Sarjakuva-Finlandia have managed to get interesting cultural figures to choose the award winner. This years dictator especially, M.A. Numminen, will bound to pick an interesting winner. The genious idea behind choosing an "outsider" authority is that it undermines all possible criticism on the winning book. Since, you know, it's just one person's opinion. You are basically outsourcing the task, or, to put it more accurately: as the official instute you wave off the responsibility and hand it to an outsider.

In that sense, if there is any criticism to give to the Sarjakuva Finlandia, it should be aimed at the selecting process of the nominated works. Who are the member of the jury, how do they come to their final decisions, what are the criteria to select works,etc? Ever since the beginning there has been criticism especially towards the jury at Kvaak for example. Okay, I am sure for the seasoned pro's in finnish comics I don't have to explain the merits of Kirsi Kinnunen, Ilpo Koskela or Kristiina Kolehmainen for example, but who on earth came up with the idea of putting a teenager on the board each time, even though he or she is an "avid comic consumer"? Is that because comics are still childrens fare? C'mon, I thought we are already way beyond that point.

Also I am pretty confused on the choosing methods: the selection is based on discussions by email. What? There is no money to get all 4 jury members in the same room for a couple of hourse to come to mutual agreements? May I remind you that all publishers pay 30 euros per book they sign up for the award ( small press publishers 10 euros). This year that money adds up to 1550 euros. I would be totally fine if a few hundred euros would go to transport and meeting expenses so that jury members would at least see and discuss face to face for this important matter.

What I find most unfortunate about the whole Sarjakuva Finlandia, are the previous years winners. There has yet to be awarded a really great / genre transcending / ambitious book. No offence Petteri, I do liked "Eero" (last years winner) but you should have won the first year with "Kanerva ja yksi juttu", which is a much rounder and better balanced book. The whole crying shame about this, is that Finland has produced the kind outstanding books the last few years that were needed to kickstart more artistic appeal to finnish comics. But they somehow didn't make it to the official selection or weren't picked as the winner. Especially the 2008 selection was a very good year for finnish comics and in all fairness Ville Ranta should have won with his "Kajaani", which was an ambitious historical fiction comic book the likes of which hadn't yet been made with such great elegance in Finland (or elsewhere for that matter). Instead the price went to "The sands of Sarasvati", a totally bland kind of comic whose only merit was in the rehashing of Ristomäki's genious ideas. I am already now pretty sure that another book from that year, for example Meti (which was translated into French last year and nominated for best comic in Angouleme) will easily outlive Sarasvatin Hiekka.

This lack of masterful winners has really undermined the whole price category already. Publishers are not signing up books anymore and the whole press attention has watered down. The first year there was still some sort of buzz around the Sarjakuva Finlandia: 10 minutes of nationwide morning tv devoted to the selection of the nominees, the complete fronpage of Helsingin Sanomats cultural section,... Now, it has shriveled down to Yle copy pasting the press release to their website. This watering down of the events importance, combined with the dubious jurywork has made the selection of this year a sad sight to behold.

The most important finnish comic book that came out last year, Matti Hagelbergs Silvia Regina wasn't even signed up by the publisher. The reason for this being, I believe, Hagelbergs aversion to this kind of open competitions. As i recall, Matti used the words "perseestä" when I asked his opinion about awards and competitions in general.
Another crucial absentees were Kivi Larmola's "Päällystystakki" (okay, I understand his drawing style might be a bit put-offish at first but story, dialogue and atmosphere are topnotch) or Ville Pirinens "Yhesti Yhes Paikas" booklets (hilarious anecdotal storytelling).

But for Pitkämies, the main let down was Jyrki Nissinens "Viihdealus Dreamzone" absence from this years nominations. Actually if you look at the previous years shortlistings you will not find a single book of Jyrki Nissinen there. If that's not a shocker for you then I don't know what is. Jyrki Nissinen has in the last 4 years produced 2 long graphic novels, 3 collections and 8 comic magazines. Are you telling me that none of these 13 comic books were good enough to be nominated? That's a joke, right? First of all, Jyrki was by far the best selling artist in the Pitkämies (outselling even Pertti Jarla) and secondly, I honest to god don't know anybody who doesn't like Jyrki's comics. (Really, can't come up with a single person) His Borgtron series is hilarious and upholds a steady quality, and his longer Viihdealus Dreamzone is among my personal favourites.

That first year when the Sarjakuva Finlandia was organised Marko Turunen) reviewed all nominated books fairly and argumentatively (reviews in the comment sections). Earlier in his blog he named the nominated books "harrastajien ja fanipoikien kyhäämää kevyttä viihdettä" (fanboy light entertainment), which was lifted verbatim (and out of context) from the blog and put in his mouth in the Helsingin Sanomat page (illustrated by Ville Ranta). Which in its turn provoked Jyrki Jantunen to write this bitter post in Suomen Kuvalehti (with especially an interesting and fierce reader's section). These comments are a good reminder of a: Marko Turunen being a straight up guy and b: the infantile hatred some people seem to grudge against "artistic comics".

I would like to continue this post with my personal views on the nominated books. I probably won't be able to handle the job as well as Marko, but I will give it my shot. (As further proof of the Sarjakuvafinlandia decreasing importance, nobody has been bothered to do this yet this year)


Amerikka (Heikki Paakkanen)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? I have had the pleasure of meeting Heikki in the flesh only a couple of times so I am not that familiar with him. Nonetheless he struck me as the kind of guy you wish you had as an older uncle, a witty guy who would be your salvation during family parties. His thank you speech would for sure be memorable.

Fingerpori: Heräämisopas ( Pertti Jarla)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? Pertti is a funny guy, he makes funny strips. Probably the only three panel strip comic I read. Pertti has been nominated quite some time, why not give it to him and get it over with
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? Heräämisopas seems more like a commercial "let's squeeze out the money out of Fingerpori while it lasts" collection, then a real book. Still props to colouring lots of these jokes which before were only in black and white

Huomenna on se päivä (Sanna Ala-Ojala)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? It would mean the triumph of the smaller indie publisher and proof that it's not always bigger publishing house that take the prizes home (as in all previous Sarjakuva-Finlandia editions)
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? Pauli, seriously: put some money in the production of your books. It's starting to get on my nerves. Also, again autobiographical comics? Yawn...


Kuka pelkaa Nenian Ahnavia? (Kati Kovács)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? Kati deserves a price for all the outstanding work she has done in the past. Does this mean that her new book is all killer no filler? Can't say...
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? I dunno, I don't think I would feel any negative emotion what so ever if Kati wins with this book.

Mummo (Anni Nykänen)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? Although Mummo seems to be hugely popular, I can't really get into it. The main reason for that being that I just not a fan of the typical three panel joke kind of comics.
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? First of all, is this old lady speaking "dialect"? I am afraid so. Now, if there is one thing I really, genuinely, truely hate from the bottom of my heart it is the use of dialect in humour, more specifically if the fact that somebody speaks with a certain regional accent is funny on itself. Is poetry "funny" because it is written in Turku dialect? No it certainly isn't. Is this joke working? No? Well, let me change it so that the main character speaks Westcoast dialect. Hey, and I 'll make him / her react slower, like a real country bumpkin.:: Aaaarghh On a whole different matter: finnish people delude themselves in thinking they have many dialects. Wake up call: if there's only a handfull words that are strictly locally used but for the rest of the country the vocabulary is the same but spoken with slightly different vowels / accents; well then you live in a pretty standard language country without real dialect.

Nanna (Tuuli Hypen)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? A young and upcoming comic artist who snatches away the main prize out of nowhere? I kind of dig that.
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? I haven't read yet a joke by Nanna that made me laugh. Then again, I am not the target audience, so what do I know. The drawings are sleek and professionally looking, however lacking any character. If Numminen chooses this, I'll personally send him Jarno's Tunteiden Maisteri and Jarno Markuksen Kauneimmat just to balance his view of finnish comics.


Paratiisisarja (Ville Ranta)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? It's an overall great comic book, a personal take on the Adam and Eve story, funnily and insightfully told. Reads like a train, with Ranta's signature watercolouring to feast your eyes over. I would genuinely be happy of Ville wins. Second best book in the competition.
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? Maybe because Kajaani should have won the Finlandia already in 2008, not Paratiisisarja. My only critique to the book is the last scene in the book where Adam and Eve devour the tiger. Without fire. So they eat the meat raw? Urg.

Saniaislehdon Salaisuudet (Kati Närhi)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? This is my personal favourite book. Not in the least because I didn't have any expectations when I read it (being unfamiliar with Kati's earlier work) and I really enjoyed reading it. The book managed to avoid all clichés that 90% of finnish comics seem to plague: it is not autobiographical, it is not a three panel joke collection, it is not overdisplaying Finland as a driving factor of the story. Give me more of this.
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? I guess the only complaint I would have would be that the original intended target audience are teenagers / young adults. So again, kind of, it would mean an underappreciation of comics as a grown up art form

Tour d'Europe (Kaisa and Christoffer Leka)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? Back in the eighties when i was young and even in the nineties still, it was not uncommon to be dragged by your parents to visit family friends or relatives who had just returned from holidays and organised a slide show evening. During that evening the lights were turned off and for the next hour or two you were exposed to an intensive travel report through slides and anecdotes. Kaisa's and Christoffer's book feels a bit like that. They document in their Tour d'Europe their travel experience to bicycle from Finland to the south of France. The good thing with comic books is that you can lay down to book and have a break at your own will (which wasn't possible at slide show evenings). Personally I liked the book since I am belgian and i am interested in all things bicycle related (why oh why finnish tv does not show live broadcasts of the Tour de France or Paris-Roubaix?? Now there's a sport for you...) The book has been nominated for being the most beautifull book of the year. Rightfully so; the bookrelated merchandise such as the yoga postcardset or the map of Europe and bicycle gazette, were amazing and ambitious. Props!
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? I wouldn't, but if I may point to the major flaw in the book? Tour d'Europe lacks drama. It is actually pretty similar to a slideshow: you know all the events that will happen beforehand (tiredness/flat tires/meeting of strangers/..) and there is no real dramatic events. So in that sense a bit boring

Viivi ja Wagner: Sika pussaa (Juba Tuomola)

Why I wouldn't mind this book winning? Viivi and Wagner isn't all bad.
Why I would be pissed if this book wins? Juba's last years nominee (Minerva 2) was a lot better and a really decent childrens comic. The whole Viivi and Wagner joke has now run it's last year I may hope. The Sika Pussaa collection is just what the name suggests: a random collection of recent strips without too much cohesion. People who collect the series would like this. I don't.