...my attempt to write legends of my own to fit my private languages was the tragic tale of the hapless Kullerva in the Finnish Kalevala. It remains a major matter in the legends of the First age... -J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 257, 1964
"You come one fine day upon the Kalevala, the land of heroes. Then you are indeed in a quite new world and can revel in an amazing new excitement..." -J.R.R. Tolkien
"The colours, the deeds, the marvels, the figures of the heroes are all splashed onto a clean bare canvas by sudden hand; even the legends concerning the origin of the most ancient things in the world seem to come fresh from the singer's hot imagination of the moment." -J.R.R. Tolkien
BEFORE THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, AND GAME OF THRONES THERE WAS THE EPIC THAT INSPIRED IT ALL!
A stunning comic adaptation of the epic The Kalevala, which inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings. It's the foundational epic of the fantasy genre.
The story tells of the adventures and fates of wizard Vainamoinen, warrior Lemminkainen, blacksmith Ilmarinen and other larger-than-life characters seeking love, riches, and magic in the faraway lands of the ancient North.
This is a bold approach to Kalevala by an established talent - visually powerful and accessible.
Sami Makkola is bringing Kalevala to a whole different level and emphasizing the elements of horror in Kalevala, which are often left in the background when only the main events of Kalevala are discussed.
Sami Makkola is internationally renowned. He has received the Sarjas Award for Best Fantasy
Comic and has been nominated for a number of other awards, including the Ghastly Awards for
horror work. His awards include:
Sarjakuvantekijat RY award 2007 (Sarjas Award for Best Fantasy Comic)
Independent Publisher Book Awards Graphic Novel/Drawn Book - Drama/Documentary 2010
Independent Publisher Book Awards Graphic Novel/Drawn Book - Drama/Documentary 2011
USA Best Book Award Comics: Graphic Novels 2013