Stand Still, Stay Silent

Stand Still, Stay Silent is a Finnish-Swedish webcomic started by Minna Sundberg in 2013. 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.

Stand Still, Stay Silent
The logo as depicted above each page.
Author(s)Minna Sundberg
Websitesssscomic.com
Current status/scheduleOngoing; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Launch dateNovember 1, 2013 (2013-11-01)
Publisher(s)Hiveworks
Genre(s)Post-apocalyptic fiction

Overview

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

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 September 27, 2018, the first "adventure" of the comic ended, with Adventure 2 beginning on October 14, 2018.[9][10]

Reception

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".[11]

The comic's narrative technique was commended by Emma Lawson of Comics Alliance, 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.[12]

Books
  • Sundberg, Minna (2018). Stand Still Stay Silent - Book 1. Stand Still Stay Silent. Hiveworks. ISBN 978-1-9466-9805-6.
  • Sundberg, Minna (2018). Stand Still Stay Silent - Book 2. Stand Still Stay Silent. Hiveworks. ISBN 978-1-9466-9806-3.

References
  1. Davis, Lauren (2014-02-26). "After a global pandemic, monsters stalk post-apocalyptic Scandinavia". io9. Archived from the original on 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  2. Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (2016-08-14). "The best fantasy comics of 2016 (so far)". Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  3. Lawson, Emma (2017-02-08). "Exploring the Wild: Should You be Reading 'Stand Still, Stay Silent'?". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  4. Cruz, Larry (2014-09-05). "'Stand Still, Stay Silent' Visits Lovely Post-Apocalyptic Scandinavia". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  5. Trendacosta, Katherine (2014-12-01). "This Linguistic Family Tree Is Simply Gorgeous". io9. Archived from the original on 2017-01-29. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  6. Sundberg, Minna. "About the Comic". Stand Still, Stay Silent. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  7. Morris, Steve (2016-02-19). "Weekender: Brandon Graham, EgyCon, Harpy Gee and 'Stand Still Stay Silent'". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on 2017-04-02. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  8. Lehoczky, Etelka (2016-01-31). "A Sampler Of Web Comics To Keep You Clicking". NPR. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  9. "Stand Still. Stay Silent - webcomic, page 973". 2018-09-27. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  10. "Stand Still. Stay Silent - webcomic, page 1". 2018-10-14. Archived from the original on 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  11. Gaudette, Emily (2016-01-28). "The 9 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Webcomics Still Running". Inverse. Archived from the original on 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  12. Cavna, Michael (2015-03-24). "2015 Reubens: Roz Chast's big award caps a winning event for women creators". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
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