I’ve never been big into comics.  My brother would read them ever Sunday morning from front to back and laugh hysterically.  I’m not sure why I never got into them, but I can say that I am more interested in Norwegian comics because they present at least a bit of a challenge.  I find that reading comics in a second language, similar to reading poems, can be difficult.  If you are interested in Norwegian comics, you should definitely check out Pondus.  Pondus, written by Frode Øverli, has brought laughs to Norwegians since 1994.  It has even been translated into 10 different languages!  Pondus entered newspapers in 1996 and became a monthly publication in 2000.  Not many other comics have made it to the point of a monthly magazine.

One of the reasons Pondus is so popular among Norwegians, and Scandinavians alike, is because it seems that he represents the average Norwegian man.  He loves fotball (soccer), is a stand-up family man, and says far less than he thinks, even though he has opinions about everything.  Øverli uses Pondus and the strip to make fun of things and people that it may praise the next day, so nobody and nothing is safe from a little ridicule here and there.

Pondus and his wife, Beate have a son, daughter, and dog named Bjarne.  Jokke is Pondus´best friend. Jokke is dating Camilla, with whom he has a baby, Gordon (funny name for a Norwegian name, isn´t it;) ?  Click here to go to the Pondus homepage.

This is part of Pondus´debut in Finland.

Click here to be taken to the Pondus section of Dagbladet newspaper.

I apologize if you cannot read the small print, but then you just have to go to the website or read it in the newspaper!  Pondus is in 80 newspapers in Norway:)