Punaniska
Encyclopedia
Punaniska was a Finnish
comic strip
drawn by Harri "Wallu" Vaalio and written by Rauli "Rallu" Nordberg in the 1990s.
Punaniska was a comic about the American
Wild West in the late 19th century, similar to the Belgian
comic Lucky Luke
, but even less serious. While Lucky Luke revisited factual events in Wild West history, Punaniska mostly had completely fictional stories, most of which were absurdly humorous
.
Despite depicting a unilingually English
culture, the comic was unilingually Finnish
. A great deal of its humour depended on Finnish pun
s that were difficult, if not impossible, to translate into foreign languages. Still, one album was published in Germany
in 1993.
The comic began in the Finnish newspaper
Helsingin Sanomat
, replacing an earlier Finnish comic strip called Taneli, a comic about a kindergarten
-aged boy. It quickly rose in popularity and spawned fifteen comic book albums, which featured Punaniska comics drawn also by other Finnish artists (and some others, too, like Hunt Emerson
from Birmingham
, England
), and articles about the American Wild West.
In 2003 it started again, now in a small Finnish golf
magazine called "Gaddie-magazine". This new comic strip is called Viheriöiden Punaniska "Redneck on the Green" and here Punaniska plays the old Western style golf.
. He had a taste for whiskey and women, and an itchy trigger finger. His most notable characteristic was his poor personal hygiene
.
Dolly : A beautiful woman whom Punaniska lusted after. The relation was mostly (but not entirely) one-directional, as Dolly didn't care much for Punaniska. Dolly's profession was apparently a singer at a saloon
.
Calamity Jane
: In the comic, Calamity Jane was an ugly old woman who lusted after Punaniska. Because of her appearance, Punaniska despised her, and did everything he could to get away from her. However, like the real Calamity Jane, the character was good with a shotgun
and had ways of getting her man.
Billy the Kid
: Like Lucky Luke, the comic emphasised "the Kid" aspect, carrying it even further. Where the Billy the Kid in Lucky Luke was a pre-teenaged brat, the Billy the Kid in Punaniska was an infant, who hadn't even learned to walk yet. He talked in baby-talk, pronouncing "R" as "L" (which led to some untranslatable Finnish puns), and was sometimes overruled by his mother.
Törttö-Bill : A wannabe cowboy, with good intentions, but had a serious lack of intelligence. He wore a raccoon hat.
Psycos-Bill : An outlaw, famous for the duels he had fought. At one time he showed his revolver
gun, whose handle had dwindled to almost nothing due to all the notches he had carved.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
drawn by Harri "Wallu" Vaalio and written by Rauli "Rallu" Nordberg in the 1990s.
Punaniska was a comic about the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Wild West in the late 19th century, similar to the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
comic Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke is a Belgian comics series created by Belgian cartoonist, Maurice De Bevere better known as Morris, the original artist, and was for one period written by René Goscinny...
, but even less serious. While Lucky Luke revisited factual events in Wild West history, Punaniska mostly had completely fictional stories, most of which were absurdly humorous
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
.
Despite depicting a unilingually English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
culture, the comic was unilingually Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
. A great deal of its humour depended on Finnish pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s that were difficult, if not impossible, to translate into foreign languages. Still, one album was published in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1993.
The comic began in the Finnish newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
, replacing an earlier Finnish comic strip called Taneli, a comic about a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
-aged boy. It quickly rose in popularity and spawned fifteen comic book albums, which featured Punaniska comics drawn also by other Finnish artists (and some others, too, like Hunt Emerson
Hunt Emerson
Hunt Emerson is a cartoonist living and working in Birmingham, England. He was closely involved with the Birmingham Arts Lab of the mid-to-late 1970s, and with the British underground comics scene of the 1970s and 1980s...
from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), and articles about the American Wild West.
In 2003 it started again, now in a small Finnish golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
magazine called "Gaddie-magazine". This new comic strip is called Viheriöiden Punaniska "Redneck on the Green" and here Punaniska plays the old Western style golf.
Characters
Punaniska : The main character. Modelled after Rauli Nordberg, writer of this comicstrip, Punaniska was a stereotypical "rough and tough" cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
. He had a taste for whiskey and women, and an itchy trigger finger. His most notable characteristic was his poor personal hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
.
Dolly : A beautiful woman whom Punaniska lusted after. The relation was mostly (but not entirely) one-directional, as Dolly didn't care much for Punaniska. Dolly's profession was apparently a singer at a saloon
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
.
Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...
: In the comic, Calamity Jane was an ugly old woman who lusted after Punaniska. Because of her appearance, Punaniska despised her, and did everything he could to get away from her. However, like the real Calamity Jane, the character was good with a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
and had ways of getting her man.
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
: Like Lucky Luke, the comic emphasised "the Kid" aspect, carrying it even further. Where the Billy the Kid in Lucky Luke was a pre-teenaged brat, the Billy the Kid in Punaniska was an infant, who hadn't even learned to walk yet. He talked in baby-talk, pronouncing "R" as "L" (which led to some untranslatable Finnish puns), and was sometimes overruled by his mother.
Törttö-Bill : A wannabe cowboy, with good intentions, but had a serious lack of intelligence. He wore a raccoon hat.
Psycos-Bill : An outlaw, famous for the duels he had fought. At one time he showed his revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
gun, whose handle had dwindled to almost nothing due to all the notches he had carved.