On 13th February the Norwegian recognized comics creator Håkon Aasnes turned 80, and the publisher Egmont Norway celebrated this productive cartoonist by releasing an 80 pages book including much of his work. Learn more about this Homage To One Of Norway’s Most Recognized Comics Creators.
The book is enlightening and appetizing, but at the same time also a little sad since too much of Aasnes’ impressive catalogue is not readily available.
Håkon Aasnes was born in Oslo (13 February 1943) and started drawing at the age of two, with a carpenter’s pencil on wrapping paper. He self-published his early comics, such as ‘Avkroken’ (1960) and ‘Zantar’ (1964) while working. He had already created the first version of his character ‘Tobram’ in 1960, when he was seventeen.
Related: Disney Characters with Scandinavian Connections
From 1976 to 1979, or intermittently until 1993, Aasnes wrote and illustrated several stories for the magazine Donald Duck & Co, drawing Disney characters licensed for Norway. He was the very first Norwegian to work for Disney with his Donald Duck stories, and whose own drawings, stories, and scenarios based on his own ideas received official publication by Disney.
Nevertheless, Håkon Aasnes may not be an artist many non-Norwegians know but in the last 50 odd years he has drawn over 440 different comic stories including his own creations the Phantom, Vi på Eiketun, Annika, Gråtass and Olsenbanden. However, in the last decade or so, he has produced some amazing commissions for phans from around the world celebrating his favorite era of the Phantom universe.
Homage To One Of Norway’s Most Recognized Comics Creators, text follows below illustration.
Related: Innovation Norway Joins Forces With Disney
Aasnes made his debut in 1972 by selling the humorous adventure series “Seidel and Tobram” to Norwegian newspapers. The series was published until 1991, was published in over 17 newspapers and consists of more than 5,000 strips. This is the saga of two loafers looking for easy money in rural Norway. The series has never been published as a collection, with the exception of a small selection of tiny booklets more than 30 years ago.
From 1983 he has written and illustrated the comic strip Smørbukk, and from 2005 also the comic strip Nr. 91 Stomperud.
Many consider that the series “Vi på Eiketun” is Aasnes’ greatest achievement. This is a children’s series which, over the course of 1159 pages, developed into “an advanced family series” and finally a purely adult series that contains most of the practical problems and moral dilemmas that can arise in a Norwegian farming community.
According to the records of Mine tegneserier, he has contributed to 440 cartoons.
You can buy the book “Håkon Aasnes: Norges største tegneserieskaper” her.
Homage To One Of Norway’s Most Recognized Comics Creators, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): Nr. 91 Stomperud, Christmas 2012.