Kalevala Anniversary Edition

By Sami Makkonen

An impressive comic interpretation of the Finnish national epic.

Now available as an anniversary edition remastered by Sami Makkonen. The almost 300-page graphic novel includes both Kalevala and Kalevala Sampo volumes and new pages.

Publishing information

Year of publication

2025

Page count

296

Original title

Kalevala juhlalaitos

Original language

Finnish

Original publisher

Like Publishing

About the author

Photo of author and illustrator Sami Makkonen.

Sami Makkonen (b. 1975) is an accomplished comic book artist who has also worked with American publishers for well over a decade.Makkonen is best known for his four volumes of the Eisner Award nominated Hatter M. series, which has made to The New York Times Best Seller list. Other illustration work includes Ryse: Sword of Damocles, and the artist’s impressive cover art for Clive Barker’s Hellraiser series. Makkonen has also received the Sarjis Award for Best Fantasy Comic, and has been nominated for multiple other prizes, including the Ghastly Award for his work on the Deadworld graphic novel series.In 2019, the artist brought out his first comic novel, Kalevala, which was Makkonen’s first book published in Finnish. This was followed by the epic sequel, Kalevala – Sampo, in 2020. This two-part story is a stunning and gripping comic rendition of the Finnish national epic Kalevala, in which Makkonen mixes horror and fantasy to depict the tales of classic characters from Finnish mythology. 

Author page

Reviews

"An epic rollercoaster through dark Finnish mythology that you don't want to miss. It's grand, it's gripping, and it's every bit as twisted as it needs to be."

9e Kunst

"Sami Makkonen adapted the Kalevala into a contemporary graphic novel, with breathtakingly stunning illustrations.”

Etelä-Suomen Sanomat

"An artistically ambitious masterpiece."

Seura Magazine