Debut graphic novel
Krakarna över Helsingfors
This is my debut graphic novel and a playful tribute to Helsinki. The idea emerged after I moved to Berlin and realised both how beautiful my hometown was and how rarely it appeared in popular culture.
Inspired by Sven Nordqvist’s richly detailed illustrations and the cut-out pages of Tove Jansson’s The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My, I set out to create the fantasy story Helsinki was missing.
Selected illustrations from the book are also available as posters and postcards, offering a closer look at its characters, details and imagined version of Helsinki.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I printed, cut and bound 300 numbered copies by hand—a time-consuming but surprisingly relaxing process.
The self-published book is written in Swedish, my native language, and the entire story is told in traditional rhyming verse.
The illustrations were drawn by hand and coloured digitally, with each scene set in a location familiar to Helsinki locals.
Most of the characters are animals representing different stereotypes, although Finnish rock legend Andy McCoy also makes an appearance.
Beneath its playful surface, the story also explores more difficult subjects, including substance abuse, suicide, racism and prostitution.
The book is filled with inside jokes, including a few that perhaps only I understand. Here I poke fun at the Kamppi Chapel, which has always looked like a kebab to me.
The colour palette and its progression throughout the book were carefully planned to create a strong and consistent visual flow.
The cover is printed in gold on matte black card, and the back features one of my favourite jokes: an anonymous two-star review poking fun at ratings and faceless criticism.
Press and features
Indiebok blev julklapp åt Kjell Westö
– Hufvudstadsbladet, 2021
Bakom kulisserna på Krakarna över Helsingfors
– Studentbladet, 2022
Sebastian Björkman ställer ut sin bok “Krakarna över Helsingfors”
– Seriehörnan, 2026