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Stand Still, Stay Silent

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Stand Still, Stay Silent
The logo as depicted above each page.
Author(s)Minna Sundberg
Websitesssscomic.com
Current status/scheduleComplete
Launch date1 November 2013 (2013-11-01)
End date28 March 2022 (2022-03-28)
Publisher(s)Hiveworks
Genre(s)Post-apocalyptic fiction

Stand Still, Stay Silent is a Finnish-Swedish webcomic started by Minna Sundberg, which ran 2013–2022. Set in post-apocalyptic Scandinavia, the webcomic incorporates Norse mythology, focusing on an adventure into the external "silent world". Reviewers have praised it for its beautiful visuals and cartography. It received a Reuben Award in the "Online Long Form" category in 2015.

Overview

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Stand Still, Stay Silent portrays a post-apocalyptic Scandinavia, set in the near future but echoing a mythical Nordic past populated by legendary monsters and human mages alike.

The narrative begins with a prologue depicting groups of families and strangers around present-day Scandinavia, all witnessing the early phases of a pandemic.[1] The plot, however, picks up a century later with their descendants: "poorly funded and terribly unqualified" researchers[2] venturing outside the heavily fortified settlements that make up what remains of the known world.[3][4] Their adventures in the ruined "silent world" have been compared to a travelogue by Comic Book Resources.

Sundberg is a fan of maps and topography, and her comic makes extensive use of projections of coastlines, mountains, and fjords,[4] as well as charts including a language family tree.[5] These and other expository insertions (such as in-world advertisements) provide context on the regions the characters visit, the hazards they face, and the subtle and overt ways their world has diverged from the reader's own.

Development

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Sundberg created the 500-page long "practice" webcomic A Redtail's Dream in 2012 while studying graphic design in the university of industrial arts in Helsinki. After finishing it, she started Stand Still, Stay Silent in November 2013.[6][7] Since then, she has held an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to publish a print version of the webcomic, which earned almost $125,000 USD.[8] On 27 September 2018, the first "adventure" of the comic ended, with Adventure 2 beginning on 14 October 2018.[9][10] The 1534th page of Stand Still, Stay Silent was released on 28 March 2022, ending the comic.[11]

Reception

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Etelka Lehoczky of NPR praised Sundberg's artwork, saying that "her style isn't unique, and it certainly isn't experimental, but it's perfectly assured" and that though Sundberg's characters "are immediately situated in a comfortable cartoony world", the post-apocalyptic compositions and intricate maps of the world are "awe-inspiring".[8] Emily Gaudette of Inverse called the artwork in Stand Still, Stay Silent reminiscent of J. R. R. Tolkien's drawings of Middle-earth and described it as "breathtaking".[12]

The comic's narrative technique was commended by Emma Lawson of ComicsAlliance, who called its use of exposition "interesting", and praised the fantasy-esque take on a post-apocalyptic setting.[3] Lauren Davis, writing for io9, concurred, stating that "Sundberg has a remarkable ability to balance the charming and the creepy".[1] Though Comic Book Resources complained that Sundberg's use of character profiles "tends to take you out of the story", they still recommended the comic overall.[4]

In 2015, Stand Still, Stay Silent won a Reuben Award in the "Online Long Form" category.[13]

Books

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  • Sundberg, Minna: Stand Still Stay Silent Book 1, s. 324. Author's Edition, 2015. ISSN 2342-8880 (print) ISSN 2342-8899 (online).
  • Sundberg, Minna: Stand Still Stay Silent Book 2, s. 260. Hiveworks Comics, 2018. ISBN 978-1-946698-06-3
  • Sundberg, Minna: Stand Still Stay Silent Book 3, s. 304. Hiveworks Comics, 2020. ISSN 2342-8880 (printed book), ISSN 2342-8899 (online).
  • Sundberg, Minna: Stand Still Stay Silent Livre 1, s. 328. Édition Akileos, 2018. ISBN 978-2-35574-353-5
  • Sundberg, Minna: Stand Still Stay Silent Livre 2, s. 260. Édition Akileos, 2019. ISBN 978-2-35574-363-4
  • Sundberg, Minna: Stand Still Stay Silent Livre 3. s. 304. Édition Akileos, 2020. ISBN 978-2-35574-453-2

References

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  1. ^ a b Davis, Lauren (26 February 2014). "After a global pandemic, monsters stalk post-apocalyptic Scandinavia". io9. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  2. ^ Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (14 August 2016). "The best fantasy comics of 2016 (so far)". Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b Lawson, Emma (8 February 2017). "Exploring the Wild: Should You be Reading 'Stand Still, Stay Silent'?". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Cruz, Larry (5 September 2014). "'Stand Still, Stay Silent' Visits Lovely Post-Apocalyptic Scandinavia". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  5. ^ Trendacosta, Katherine (1 December 2014). "This Linguistic Family Tree Is Simply Gorgeous". io9. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  6. ^ Sundberg, Minna. "About the Comic". Stand Still, Stay Silent. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  7. ^ Morris, Steve (19 February 2016). "Weekender: Brandon Graham, EgyCon, Harpy Gee and 'Stand Still Stay Silent'". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  8. ^ a b Lehoczky, Etelka (31 January 2016). "A Sampler Of Web Comics To Keep You Clicking". NPR. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Stand Still. Stay Silent - webcomic, page 973". 27 September 2018. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Stand Still. Stay Silent - webcomic, page 1". 14 October 2018. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Stand Still. Stay Silent - webcomic, page 560". 28 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  12. ^ Gaudette, Emily (28 January 2016). "The 9 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Webcomics Still Running". Inverse. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  13. ^ Cavna, Michael (24 March 2015). "2015 Reubens: Roz Chast's big award caps a winning event for women creators". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
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