Moa Ramonova is back! Five years after her debut graphic novel Goblin Girl stormed the U.S. and won an Eisner, Romanova is back with another funny, yet slightly harrowing autobiographic novel.
If you are already aware of Moa Romanova’s previous works, then you will be struck with recogition (and maybe some second-hand anxiety) when reading Buff Soul. In this graphic memoir, We follow Moa as she joins her best friends/swedish punk band ShitKid on their U.S. tour. Similar to Romanova’s fanzine On Tour, the group get up to their usual shenanigans which includes drugs, sex, alcohol, and the occasional psychotic breakdown (usually brought on from the drugs). While Moa sets out to ‘take it easy’ on the tour, unaddressed adolescent trauma rears its head and takes Moa on a transformative journey in which she can no longer avoid her self-destructive tendencies…
Buff Soul begins as an insanely comical, hedonistic road trip, with some very relatable spreads of Moa watching The Lord of the Rings on the flight to L.A., but it soon turns to become a dark, twisted story about facing one’s past and doing what you can to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. It’s also about figuring out how to get up once you hit rock-bottom and being by your friend’s side no matter what (which sometimes includes pulling a tampon out of her when it gets stuck).
Moa Romanova’s captivating illustrations have grown in character and style since her debut graphic novel, with exaggerated character designs that puts Romanova in a league of her own. Her restrained colour pallette and use of geometric shapes keeps your eyes hooked on every panel, page, and spread, taking in the carefully-crafted, yet somehow chaotic story laid out before you. When transported pack to the past, the sudden muted colour is reminiscent of a scandivanian TV drama and keeps you absorbed in Moa’s messy and realistic adolescence.
As someone with experience in the art of overthinking, the graphic novel’s strengths lie in the simplistic yet eloquent facial expressions worn by the Moa and the rest of the characters during the story’s crescendo. The themes of frienship, addiction, and grief are heavily exposed during this and without giving away too much, the title used for the English translation, “Buff Soul”, is explained and what a touching interpretation it is.
Moa Romanova has outdone herself with Buff Soul, and with it being her second graphic novel, there is still plenty to come from this Eisner-winning comic book artist.
