MRR Comics & Art Issue Artist Q&A with Jyrki Nissinen
This month’s MRR magazine is the Comics & Art Issue! Throughout March we are highlighting some of the participating artists right here on MRR.com. Today we hear from Jyrki Nissinen from Helsinki, Finland.
What are your main publishing projects?
From 2001-2003 my first zines were Vainajan Velat (Liabilities of the Dead) issues 1-3, and Vierailuni Italialaisessa Kodissa (My First Visit in an Italian Household) issues 1-3. Since 2000, I’ve done fifteen issues of Borgtron magazine and 4-6 comic albums (depends on how you count them), record covers, T-shirts for my own bands and some for Finnish punk bands and compilations, such as Kakka-Hätä 77, Moderni Elämä, Neither East Nor West comp, gig posters for Cooperative-82 and numerous miscellaneous gigs… Also been in some European comic anthologies.
What are some of your artistic influences?
Never read comics that much. I like books and pictures separately… But I like Finnish underground artists such as Kalervo Palsa, Tommi Liimatta, Kati KovÁ¡cs and the drawings of Läjä Äijälä … though I also like old Beetle Bailey and the Phantom.
Musical influences?
It all started from the bands on the Russia Bombs Finland compilation (Terveet Kädet, Maho Neitsyt ect.). Black Sabbath and then went on rife.
How would you describe your style of drawing?
Simple, figurative, primitive yet disciplined.
What other punk projects are you involved with?
I play in bands (Seksihullut, Hot Visions, Isotissinen, RokkiMari, Vieremän Tappokone), do posters and go to gigs. And my art in general—in how it looks and how I deliver it—owes quite a lot to punk.
What’s in the future for you as a cartoonist/artist?
It seems I have to make proper webpages, so everybody can poke ’em on their mini-computer-telephones.
For links and more info about this artist and all of the artists in our Comics & Art Issue, check out the artist bios page.
