Frode Øverli

Infobox Comics creator
name = Frode Øverli


imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1968|8|15
location = Bergen, Norway
deathdate =
deathplace =
nationality = Norwegian
area = cartoonist
alias =
notable works = "Pondus" "Riskhospitalet" "Rutetid"
awards = full list

Frode Øverli (born August 15, 1968, in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian comic strip cartoonist, considered one of the most successful in Scandinavia.

Biography

He began his career in 1984 when his parodies of "The Phantom" became a regular feature in the Norwegian publication of the "Phantom" serial comic book.cite journal | last =Harper | first =Morten, "Samtiden" | title =Pondus-en fordomsfull folkehelt | issue =3-2005 | pages =107–117 | url =http://www.samtiden.no/05_3/art0.php [http://www.idunn.no/servlets/dispatcher?marketplaceId=2000&languageId=1&siteNodeId=1854849 PDF] no_icon] At that time, Frode was still a student, but dedicated much of his time to drawing.

Two years later, he was a regular cartoonist for the recently launched humour magazine "Pyton", notable for its gratuitous toilet humour. In the beginning he illustrated stories written by authors Dag E. Kolstad, John Kåre Raake, and later Bjørn Ousland. However, he eventually resigned to write his own material, as it was limited what the others could write for him. The best known comic strips from his "Pyton" period are "Deep Shit Junkies", a comic about a heavy metal band, and "Birger-Egil", about a pair of siamese twins with completely different personalities.

In 1996 he decided to start working on his own, and eventually split with "Pyton". He created a strip first titled "A-laget", about three soccer supporters, but the concept evolved into what became the strip "Pondus", one of Scandinavia's most successful comic strips of all time. Along with "Pondus", he also created two other comics series, "Riskhospitalet" ("The Risk Hospital" - a wordplay on the name of prominent Norwegian hospital, Rikshospitalet (National Hospital)), but Øverli discontinued this series when "Pondus" gained unexpected popularity. In 2000 he began creating the single panel cartoon "Rutetid" (a pun on "transportation schedule" and "time for a panel"), published in "Pondus" and other publications.

Øverli has received the Norwegian Sproing Award twice; in 1998 following the first "Pondus" album, "Alt for Norge" ("All for Norway") and in 2003 for the "Pondus" Christmas album "Pondus Julespesial". In 2006 he received the prestigious Swedish Adamson Award.cite web| last = Ebbesvik | first =Jan Inge, "tv2.no" | title =Pris med pondus til Øverli| date =2006-09-22 | url =http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/ibergen/article746988.ece |language=Norwegian]

In addition to his cartoon work, Øverli has provided illustrations for several books. He currently lives on the Norwegian west-coast island Sotra.cite web| last = Johnsen | first =Yngve, "Askøyværingen" | title =Tror på Pondus-finale | date =2006-09-22 | url =http://www.askoyv.no/sport/tror_pa_pondus-finale/ |language=Norwegian]

Bibliography

Comic strips

Awards

* 1998: Sproing Award, for "Pondus, Alt for Norge" cite web| last = Norsk Tegneserieforum | title = Prisvinnere norsk kategori | publisher =tegneserier.no | url = http://www.tegneserier.no/ntf/sproing.asp?kID=542&side=2402&sprk=1&skat=1375&bhcp=1 |language=Norwegian]
* 2003: Sproing Award, for "Pondus, Julespesial"
* 2006: Adamson Award, for "Pondus" cite web| last = Sørensen | first =Britt, "Bergens Tidene" | title = Prestisjepris til Øverli | date =2006-09-23 | url =http://www.bt.no/kultur/article300532.ece |language=Norwegian]

ources

* [http://www.avistegnerne.no/utstilling/pondus1.html Frode Øverli and "Pondus" dossier] Avistegnernes hus no_icon;Footnotes

External links

* [http://lambiek.net/artists/o/overli_frode.htm Frode Øverli biography] on Lambiek Comiclopedia
* [http://pondus.no/ Pondus official site] no_icon
* [http://pondus.net/ Pondus] fan site no_icon