Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.10.2019, Qupperneq 2
First 06: Netflix Hurts Feel- ings Of Former PM 08: Killing Sheep For Halloween 12: Catholics In Iceland 1
6: Art Advocates
For Nature
24: Bló!mör Rocks! \m/
32: The Icelandic Comic
Society Is Born
T h e r e h a s
been a heated
debate about
Marvel movies
in the global
p r e s s . O l d
m a s t e r s o f
cinema have stepped up and
expressed what many are think-
ing; that superhero movies are
not art; they are more like a roller
coaster in Disneyland. It’s not
really productive to debate taste.
Some liked Rambo while others
never did. Who cares. But there
is an element that is forgotten in
this whole debate, which is the
foundation of the Marvel movies:
the comics.
And then we are suddenly tread-
ing into a different kind of debate,
since comics are definitely a liter-
ary medium, and if you would ask
me which one is better, Maus or
The Godfather, well, my answer
is simple; Maus. But, like you're
probably figuring out now, that's
an unfair comparison.
What Icelanders are seeing now is
an interesting new wave of comic
authors like Atla Hrafney, a young
woman that we interviewed on
page 32, the founder of The Icelan-
dic Comics Society. This small
group’s generation grew up with
the superhero movies and they
looked at the core of it, the litera-
ture that these movies were based
on. More new artists are stepping
up and writing comics which are
closer to the novel than the super-
hero comics we saw in the middle
of the last century. If you wanted
to, you could look at the superhero
genre like the crime noir genre in
the literature world. A lot of those
books end up as movies, and a lot
of those movies are not art. The
same goes with the Mafia-theme
in movies. A lot of it is shit. So it
goes.
So, although I agree with Scorcese
and Coppola to some degree, I still
recognise that the huge popular-
ity of superhero movies could
actually produce some meaning-
ful art in the comic scene. And if
the result will be something like
Maus, it will all be worth it. And
who knows, perhaps a great movie
will come out of it. VG
EDITORIAL The Future
Of Comics
34: Eight Cocktails To
Rule Them All
36: Disaster Tourism
42: So You Wanna Be
An Influencer?
Elín Elísabet is an illus-
trator and cartoonist
born and raised in
Borgarnes. At the
tender age of 15, Elín
moved to Reykjavík
and hasn’t looked
back, except for the
annual springtime
impulse to move
someplace quiet
and keep chickens.
Elín likes folk music,
stationery, seal vid-
eos, the country of
Ireland, and eggs.
Hannah Jane Cohen is
based out of Iceland
by way of New
York. An alumni of
Columbia University,
Hannah has lived
on five continents
and speaks three
languages fluently.
Her visionary work is
known for expand-
ing the definitions of
emotion, introspec-
tion, and above all
else, taste.
Alexander Jean
Edvard Le Sage
de Fontenay is a
Reykjavík-born part-
time DJ (under the
pseudonym Bervit),
event-planner and
lover of art, creation
and aesthetics. Most
recent endeavors in-
clude co-producing
The Grapevine’s own
Grassroots concerts
at Húrra and LungA
Art Festival’s busy
event schedule.
Lea Müller first
came to Reykjavík
in 2016. Three years
of long-distance, a
bachelor’s degree
in cultural and busi-
ness studies, and
uncountable visits
to Iceland later, she
finally decided to
move here. Apart
from her writing,
she’s currently
learning to let go of
her perfectionism by
learning Icelandic.
Samuel O'Donnell
Sam is an English
major from The
United States. He
has his Bachelor’s
Degree, and keeps
telling himself that
this is the year he
will begin pursu-
ing his Master’s. In
his spare time, he
enjoys playing video
games, writing short
horror stories, listen-
ing to all kinds of
metal, and reading.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
is our Art Director.
He's responsible for
the design of the
magazine and the
cover photography.
When he's not work-
ing here, he DJs as
Terrordisco, hosts
the Funk!átturinn
radio show, or sits at
a table in a Laugarda-
lur café, drinking
copious amounts of
co"ee and thinking
about fonts.
Andie Fontaine has
lived in Iceland since
1999 and has been
reporting since 2003.
They were the first
foreign-born mem-
ber of the Icelandic
Parliament, in 2007-
08, an experience
they recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
a rawlings is Grape-
vine's literature
correspondent, also
covering environ-
mental news, travel,
and more. An inter-
disciplinary artist
whose work focuses
on environmental
ethics, dysfluency,
and watery bodies,
her books include
'Wide slumber for
lepidopterists' and
'Sound of Mull.'
Lóa Hlín Hjálmt!sdóttir
is a national treasure.
One of Iceland's
leading illustra-
tors, when she's
not drawing in her
unique style, she's
the front-woman of
Icelandic electro-
pop supergroup FM
Belfast. Her comic
strip Lóaboratorium
appears every issue
on page 8, and is also
available as a daily
dose on her Twitter.
COVER PHOTO:
Hör"ur Sveinsson
hordursveinsson.com
ART DIRECTION:
Sveinbjörn Pálsson,
Hör"ur Sveinsson
MAKE#UP:
Karitas Heimisdóttir
ASSISTANT:
Nicholas Grange
Tasked with illustrating
the ongoing break-up of
an active band, we ended
up with a pretty literal
take, because it was fun
to do. The Grísa boys are
a joy to work with.
Find us:
#intotheglacier
www.intotheglacier.is
Daily departures from
Húsafell, Reykjavík and !ingvellir National Park
Experience
the amazing
Langjökull
glacier tunnels