Kurpitsakermaa #7

The seventh installment of the Finnish anthology Kurpitsakermaa arrives in 1996 with Matti Hagelberg doing it all — writing, drawing, inking, and lettering — making this a singular creative vision from one of Finland's most distinctive comics voices. The cover, rendered entirely by Hagelberg, sets the tone for a story whose title translates roughly to "Matti Hagelberg Meets Death," suggesting a darkly playful, perhaps autobiographical encounter with mortality. At 45 FIM, this is a fine entry point into Hagelberg's idiosyncratic world for anyone curious about the offbeat edge of 1990s Nordic comics.