Creator: Fredrik Rysjedal
Independently published, 2024
The scarification of the childhood psyche by overly cautious parents seems to be a universal phenomen. “Watching too much television will give you square eyes.” “An apple a day will keep the doctor away” (actually an advertising jingle by American apple growers, unable to supply their fruit to cider makers during Prohibition). “Don’t pull that face: if the wind changes, you’ll be stuck like that.” Ïf you eat an apple core, the seeds will grow in your stomach.
And the most famous of all, particularly in Anglophone countries, “Don’t swim too soon after eating or you’ll get cramps and sink.” This title, written and drawn by Fredrik Rysjedal, looks at a variation of that them in Norway. Cramp is a funny exploration of the haunting of the protagonist by his mother’s admonition that one should never swim alone in a fjord, because if you suffer from a cramp, you’ll drown. Fjords are extremely deep, and extremely cold.
Here is the promotional copy for this title:
Cramp is a short comic about being afraid to swim alone. My mom always told me to not swim alone, but how long does that rule last? I’m now 42.
This is the comic for you that loves the joy of the ocean, or maybe you know someone who does. For those of us that grew up by the sea or a lake, safety has for most of us been an important part of our upbringing. In this auto-biographical comic, these values are challenged by my more safety-liberal family in law.
The comic is printed on Risograph at Pamflett in Bergen, in a limited edition of 100 copies, signed and numbered.
We recently spoke to Mr Rysjedal about Cramp:
WCBR: My personal experience with a Norwegian fjord was in July 2014. As an Australian, I was mortified by the contrast between the warm and happy summer air against the dark, depth and cold of Oslofjord (near Drobuk). The cold was breathtaking and gave me a headache. Your panel depicting the potential for Viking bones in the sediment really resonated with me. There almost certainly are! Is this apprehension about bottomless ravines of ancient water ingrained in Norwegian culture?
FR: Not quite ancient water in deep ravines as far as I know, but the sea and lakes have an important position in life and myths in Norwegian and Sami culture. The lakes have more mystical and magic lore connected to them, and when it comes to the Viking bones, freshwater and marshes sediments preserve very well😅, and there are traces of iron and stone age all over the place, but hidden under ground, so it is more a reference to that. The sea has maybe a more hostile status in our folklore, as home of hideous creatures, mermaids, seal people, living dead sailors and sea monters:) So the Norwegians’ fear and respect for the sea I think is ancient. Cool that you took a dip in Drøbakk! Yea, the temperature contrast is refreshing😂.
WCBR: I noticed that some of the dialogue spills out of the word balloons. Was this a consequence of translation? Did you find yourself wrestling with idioms? (Back in 2019 we reviewed Jens Styve’s Dunce https://www.worldcomicbookreview.com/2019/01/06/dunce-1-4-review/ and one of the jokes literally did not translate, leaving Mr Styve to sort of shrug his shoulders.)
FR: Jens! He is so nice! Always ask me to join saunas at comic festivals! So nice that you know of him! All my typography spills and placements are intended and they are quite similar in the Norwegian edition. It’s just simple visual cues to back up the meaning of the sentences. When the Cramp figure mentions shallow waters, the type lies close to the bottom of the balloon, and when the answer is the opposite of what Cramp wants, even the text is leaving the balloon. The whole presentation is a bit unconventional and rough compared to mainstream comics. And that’s just a result of my search for a distinct expression. I have tried to be a bit playful and treat the visuals in a more poetic way with rhythm and how the text is presented. If this makes sense.
WCBR: What is your next project? I assume there is no horror sequel planned entitled “Drowned”?
FR: Hahaha, good idea, writing that down. Cramp is a part of my indie publishing and artists book practice. So my next title was drafted this summer and will be called The Red Stone and will be fiction. The theme is the contrast between modern and ancient times and revolves around a flint stone the main character finds on a beach. We don’t have flint in Norway, so it is either brought here by ancient people or the glaciers. But right now I’m drawing two comics in commission. One for the City of Bergen and the other for a research in war [project] by the Institute of Christian Michelsen. So when they are done, I’m prioritising drawing The Red Stone, which I will hopefully release in 2026. It will be a bit under 100 pages and with a more traditional panel layout. But I will try to be playful as well☺️.
**
Otherwise, we enjoyed the title for the dreamy art. The characters give the impression of being a single line drawing, and the blues and greens are almost ethereal. The illustrations are languid, and float.
We recommend this title. It is available for sale via Cramp / Fredrik Rysjedal — NORTHING