Anders Loves Maria is an online comic

Webcomic

Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....

 revolving around the titular couple, Anders von Silfersked and Maria Holm in various locales around Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. It is written and drawn by Swedish cartoonist Rene Engström. The comic began on September 11th, 2006 and ended on February 5th, 2010.

Development

Initially, Engström was commissioned to make a serialized strip to targeting young families in their 20s and 30s in order to attract members to an online community. After creating Anders and Maria, the author said "I fell in love with the look of them and the story and supporting cast started to form itself. I was almost manic when it was all coming to me, and I wrote obsessively for weeks." The author wrote the comic in English since it is an accessible language. The author had planned the general story line, but adjusted details as the comic progressed. Engström said that most of the changes in the script were due to Anders making mistakes.

Originally the author did not intend for Anders to cheat on Maria. Originally she planned for Anders to cleanly break with Maria and then begin dating Tina. Engström said that when she began to write about Anders' encounter with Tina, "it just didn't seem natural to Anders anymore" for the original scenario to play out. The author explained "because it felt more natural that way, so I had to do it, even though it hurt." Engström explained that Anders has a non-confrontational personality and "he is, at heart, a decent person but he can be kind of a passive aggressive dick at times." The author said that "It was difficult for me to have Anders cheat on Maria" and "[t]hat moment stands out and was tough for me emotionally." In addition the author did not add a romance between two secondary characters, Brad and Yumi, like she originally planned because of pacing concerns.

The comic uses the word "bork," a word associated with the Swedish Chef

Swedish Chef

The Swedish Chef is a Muppet that appeared on The Muppet Show. He was operated by Jim Henson and Frank Oz simultaneously and is now puppeteered by Bill Barretta.-Character:...

 of The Muppets

The Muppets

The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...

, as onomatopoeia for anal sex

Anal sex

Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...

. The author was thinking of the Swedish Chef when she chose to use the word; as of 2009 Sweden does not have an onomatopoeia word for anal sex, so Engström had chosen to make "bork" the onomatopoeia for anal sex.

Style

The comic is unique in its combination of English with Swedish words at points (for instance, a sign characters pass by). Engström’s cartooning style becomes far more refined as the comic goes on, typically using a pastel

Pastel

Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....

 palette for her colors. There are certain times where she uses watercolor in lieu of her usual computer program coloring, and has also drawn the comic on the face of a full painting instead of drawing the background.
Nudity and sex are prevalent in the story, but it remains tasteful for whatever scenario the characters are in. Some strips feature underage nudity and sex (usually involving Maria Holm as a teenager) but Engström warns her readers ahead of time.

Future

Engström has indicated that Anders Loves Maria will be translated into book form eventually, though when this will happen is still unknown.

Setting

The majority of the narrative occurs in present-day Sweden. The story darts all along the country, as well as different times in the character’s life to shed light on their backgrounds

Plot

The story takes the place of nine months, from conception of the baby to its birth, and then a flash-forward to its childhood. Throughout, the back stories of near-all the characters are revealed.

Characters

• Anders von Silfersked: Son of artistic recluse Madame von Silfersked. Anders is a renowned artist known for his photography. Essentially the protagonist of the story, it is Anders who prompts Maria to have a baby with him. A womanizer, he tends to sleep with the occasional woman/girl instead of thinking things through.
  • When asked in an interview which character surprised her the most, the author said "Anders has surprised me the most, and he continues to surprise me. Of all the characters, he is the most real to me, and I even regard him as a good friend. How crazy does that make me?"
• Maria Holm: The mother of Anders’ child, Maria studied painting at the university Anders attended. An adventurous and free-spirited girl, she ingested mushrooms as a child to pretend she was a Viking and became very ill. Afterwards, child services collected her and her brother Johan; they were relocated to live with Tina Törnros and her father.
• Johan Holm: Maria's brother, Johan cares very little for Anders. On a number of occasions he causes acts of vandalism. He is an avid video gamer, and quickly becomes friends with Tina during his time in their home. He and Tina eventually became romantically involved.
• Tina Törnros: Tina works at the petrol station in Maria's home town. She was romantically involved with Johan when they were teenagers. Anders works at her gas station after he is involved in a scandal in the city, and she falls in love with him. His eventual rejection of her leads to her crippling depression.
• Björn Soiva: Maria’s much older ex-boyfriend, whom she met through Johan. He is also quite the womanizer and plays guitar.
• Jenny Bergström: 30-year old Jenny is a musician who once had a romantic relationship with Anders.
• Anna von Silfersked: An ex-girlfriend of Anders, Anna is now the girlfriend of Anders' mother. Anna, a feminist, also acts as the family lawyer.
• Madame von Silfersked: Madame von Silfersked, Anders' mother, has not left her flat since Anders had completed his university studies. Engström describes her as "slightly batty."
• Yumi: In the beginning of the story, Yumi is Maria's coworker at the call centre.
• Magnus: Magnus is Yumi's flatmate, and an employee at the call centre.
• Lena: In the beginning of the story, Lena is Anders' best friend.
• Brad: Nicknamed "The Gimp," Brad is a quadriplegic rock climber.

External links

• Anders Loves Maria
• Anders Loves Maria (Archive)