Tove Jansson’s Moomin Modernism
Tove Jansson’s Moomin newspaper comic was one of the most widely distributed daily comics of its time, eventually reaching distribution in around 40 countries and 120 newspapers. Between 1954 and 1957, Jansson wrote and illustrated the comic based on her Moomin series of children’s books, achieving newfound recognition for herself and her characters, while testing themes that would find their way into her later fiction. Jansson’s role in comics history is remarkable not least as a female cartoonist in a male-dominated industry but also as a major innovator of the comics form.