Never Goodnight

Seven years after its initial Swedish publication—and two after the release of the critically acclaimed film it inspired, We Are the Best—this graphic memoir finally gets its first official American release. A portrait of Moodyson the artist as a young Stockholm punk rocker during the early 1980s, it’s as much the tale of teenage female friendship as it is a snapshot of punk’s formative years in the Scandinavian music scene—sort of a Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains that never really gets off the musical runway. Ultimately, Moodysson’s band is virtually inconsequential, playing a couple opening gigs that culminate in the group getting booed of the stage by rowdy teenage punks. But the friendships stay strong through the musical dissolution, uneven home lives, bad boyfriends, and overdrinking. Never Goodnight is a delightful look at teenage rebellion, told through Moodysson’s simple, unrefined artwork, which perfectly complements the limitless sense of possibility that helped the DIY movement invigorate a generation. (Sept.)