"Megg & Mogg in Amsterdam: and Other Stories" by Simon Hanselmann

(The moment I saw that image of a witch smoking a blunt with a cat in what I can only assume is space, I KNEW I needed this to be my webcomic of choice.)

Megg and Mogg and Owl is really something! 

Is it filled with dark humor that could be offensive at times? Maybe. Is  it a piece of art that gives a darker, more realistic outlook to our normal-day lives? Also maybe .

Who would’ve thought the crazy misfortunes between a witch, a cat, an owl, and sometimes even a werewolf, could be so relatable? This is a series that doesn’t focus on having “normal” characters, in order to be more gender neutral and, once again, more relatable to the viewers.  Some people can relate to Megg’s struggles with anxiety. Some will relate to Mogg’s insecurities with this size. I mean, I related to Owl for 90% of the stories! The long voice of reason from this group. It’s clever storytelling through the classical comic format. 

It’s interesting to see how such webcomics went on to become so successful to the point of becoming their own trilogy of physical books. It’s nice to see that, even through the digital age, the opportunity for someone’s comics to be sold and made into a physical copy can still be a possibility. You just have to get with the times the same way Hanselmann did! 

I was very surprised to find out that the author himself can relate more than we would expect, even going further as to go through crazy adventures to gain inspiration. As he mentioned in an interview with TheGuardian once, 

“If I don’t do stupid things every now and then, I will run out of stupid things for Megg and Mogg to do” 

Instead of writing about myself in cartoon from, or making a character the complete opposite of him as if to avoid such similarities, Hanselmann chooses the path of dark realism. 

“Life is not nice. Existence is sad and cruel,” he mentions in the same interview. He’s gone through some rough patches in his life and wants to share such occurrences through such odd characters. Whether his intentions are for the viewer to learn NOT to be like the gang, that we don’t know for sure. The fact is, in my personal opinion, I want to believe these series of comics are meant to be entertaining, yet also educational. In the ways of “don’t be like Megg… or Mogg… or Werewolf Jones!” I see the comics as a method for Hanselmann to entertain himself and tell his own life experiences through his own method, and from there he normalizes the idea of a darker reality, also allowing people to learn from his mistakes or relate to them. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the comics more than I expected (Except for the relationship between Megg and Mogg.. That’s a big NO) The illustrations are also simplistic yet colorful. If you’re okay with dark humor and are interested in reading something with the intention of entertainment rather than your regular narrative structure with a happy ending, this could be it!

(I ‘ll leave this particular panel here, as this was the exact same way I felt two weeks ago after a Wisdom tooth freakout)