From Russia with love. In their comic book travelogue Moscow, Ida Neverdahl and Øystein Runde give themselves free rein. Do I need to explain what this publication is about? Well, OK. Russia's largest comic book festival, KomMissia, held in Moscow this year, was visited by a contingent of Norwegians, consisting of the comic book writers Ida Neverdahl, Øystein Runde and Torbjørn Lien, headed by Arild Wærness. The visit (and particularly the experience of taking part in a modern, Russian 1st of May demonstration), inspired Neverdahl and Runde to make a comic book about the trip and it was launched with panache last weekend. It isn't terribly easy to pinpoint what exactly makes Moscow a great read; its episodic nature challenges my relatively rigorous notion of narrative structure and what makes a comic book readable. Much of this confusion is created by Ida Neverdahl. Her success in Norwegian comic-strip circles has come from her combination of the sweet with the bizarre; that is not a bad combination when you want to comment on the chaotic state of affairs in post-Communist Russia. But perhaps equally important is the fact that Neverdahl and Runde glide more or less seamlessly over into each other in this book. That is surprising to say the least, particularly since the differences are conspicuous enough ... For one thing, the two of them have very different priorities. Whilst Ida draws whatever comes to mind, and mostly lets her imagination run riot, Runde is more down-to-earth, making it clear that he is extremely interested in the political scene. On the other hand, they move toward each other's drawing style. Well, in fact, Øystein draws closer to Ida, than vice versa. Ida has her own distinctive style (manga-inspired naïve art?), and it would be a pity if she compromised it. Øystein draws himself in much more detail than Ida does, but apart from that it isn't immediately clear to detect who is who, and what is what, from one artist to the other. Since the duo are in complete agreement in their satire on Putin, that also contributes considerably to the positive overall impression. Moscow is one of this year's most original, funny and reflective Norwegian comic books. In addition it confirms an earlier impression that Ida Neverdahl is a comic book writer with a great future. By Trond Sätre, Serienett
About the Author: Runde has written and written the graphic novel Soga about Olav Sleggja (2009) and written the script for the comic albums Futen and the graphic novels De Fire Store, which Geir Moen illustrated . He has designed and co-co-authored the series Margarin, which he created with Kristopher Schau . Schau and Runde and their mutual friend Frode Hanssen made the 80% podcast from 2019 . In the same year he set up a Patreon, where he offered blog posts, videos and assistance in developing his own drawing skills for financial contributors. Runde is also known as the creator of the humorous superhero comic Bjartmann. He co-wrote and co-authored the experimental comic memoir Moscow with Ida Neverdahl . Runde has made short films, written for the magazine Rocky and part-financed the Norwegian underground film SINUS . He had the script and co-directed (with Torstein Jacobsen) on the feature film Last Christmas (2015). In 2015, Øystein Runde was one of the main guests at the Raptus comic book festival. Ida Eva Neverdahl is a 23-year-old comic artist from Stavanger, Norway. Ever since she was a child, she has loved telling stories through her drawings and texts. At 11 she began drawing cartoons about her cat and has since turned her passion into a profession. Neverdalh's first book, Moskva (Jippi Forlag, 2013), was published together with Øystein Runde and has been translated into English and Polish. Moskva takes a satirical look at contemporary Russia and President Putin. In 2016 she published her second book called Gelé, a collection of shorter cartoon series produced between 2012 and 2016. She draws cartoon series for the big Norwegian newspapers VG and Dagbladet. Her drawings have also attracted international attention. The renowned American comic artist and researcher Scott McCloud, for instance, has used her drawings for his lectures. Ida Eva Neverdahl likes drawing on topics or individuals that currently interest or concern her. Her art also deals with mental illnesses. Besides her passion for drawing, she studies medicine and loves jogging and practicing martial arts.