book-launch in angoulême

The second French Dunce-book was launched at the 50th Angoulême Comic Festival. I was there to sign books at 404 Comics all weekend, and it was an awesome experience! The reception in France has been simply amazing, read about it in the Reviews-section.

I’m still on the look-out for Dunce-publishers in other languages.

DUNCE IN SPANISH

The publisher Oceano Mexico has launched the first Dunce-collection in Spanish! The book will be distributed to all Spanish language countries, PLUS the Spanish book-market in the US.

I was at the book-launch, signing and giving interviews, at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, fell instantly in love with Mexico.

christmas SPECIAL

Christmas got saved (four times)! For the holiday seasons of 2021-24, there were Dunce Xmas Specials out in stores (in Norwegian). The books contained regular Dunce-strips and storylines, PLUS brand new (18-25 pages long!) Dunce-stories made especially for these books! Reviews were amazing overall … You can still order these online from the publisher Strand, or find it in bookstores like Norli and Ark. If all goes well, there will be an x-mas special in 2025 as well!

dunce - maskiner som kverulerer

OUT NOW: Maskiner som kverulerer (Machines that Quarrel) is the sixth hardcover Dunce-book. At Jens K’s house, with his son Gustav and their dog Brego, technology is a constant source of enthusiasm and frustration. In Machines that Quarrel, their AI robot gets a new module for human emotions and communication, making it completely impossible to understand. Not only does the robot master irony, but it also gives Brego some serious competition for the title of ‘man’s best friend.’

The Dunce series alternates between everyday struggles and deep, existential crises. The whole thing is drawn and told so funny, and so warm-hearted, that one can hardly put the book down.

The book is out (in Norwegian), find it in your local comicshop/bookstore or order from the publisher Strand.

Jens K Styve’s Dunce got the Sproing Award in the category Best Norwegian Comic! Sproing is the Norwegian “Oscar” for comics, which has been awarded annualy since 1986. International winners through the years have been amazing artists like Bill Watterson, Jeff Smith and Carl Barks…

Six Norwegian hardcover Dunce-collections are all over bookstores (real ones, and online). Beautiful, tactile books, each around 200 pages, tons of strips, sketches, bonus stories, and also some exclusive guest covers++. Foreign rights have been sold to France, Finland and Spain/Latin-America, for agent info, see the page “Books from Norway”.

Order the books (in Norwegian) at the publisher Strand’s webshop!

It started in 2016, I had been working on an autobiographic strip for a while. I picked a handful of strips, and shipped them off to the Norwegian strip competition runned by Dagbladet (a tabloid newspaper). For some reason, I’ve allways been drawing myself with a cone-like hat, a dunce-cap, so I named the strip Dunce. 

Dunce ended up winning the whole thing. The jury stated that “Dunce is a really good and unique strip that (…) has cracked most codes for becoming a successful comic strip. (…) It has interresting, recognizable characters that you want to get to know, a lovely snap in the dialogue, and a timing and communication skill that makes you read with anticipation from panel to panel, without knowing what will happen next. Styve has also succeded in filling his characters with a lovely hot temper that creates great comedy.”

Best of all, the main prize was to be printed in the newspaper, on a daily basis, for four months, it ended up running there permanently.

Norwegian newspapers and magazines (23) running the Dunce strip: Klassekampen, Bergens Tidende, Adresseavisen, Stavanger Aftenblad, Fedrelandsvennen, Teknisk Ukeblad, digi.no, Firda, Haugesunds Avis, Nordlys, iTromsø, Avisa Nordland, Namdalsavisa, Tidens Krav, Harstad Tidende, Folkebladet i Troms, Altaposten, Framtid i Nord, Fredrikstad Blad, Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad, Lunch, Pondus and Framtida Junior. In Sweden (4): Helsingborgs Dagblad, Landskrona Posten, Nordvästra Skånes Tidningar, Sydsvenska Dagbladet. AND in Latin America (!): Un Pasquín (Colombia).

Book rights – In Norwegian there are six hardcover book collections:  Dunce - Maskiner som kverulerer (2024), Dunce - Impulskontroll (2022), Dunce - Nedetid (2021), Dunce - Apokalypse Snart (2020), Dunce - Lut og kaldt vatn (2019) and Dunce - Førstebossen (2017).

What can I say?

It’s pure awesomeness.