Niels Søndergaard

Den danske tegneserieforfatter og -oversætter Niels Søndergaard blev født 12.10.1947. Han voksede op i Rødovre og efter studentereksamen fra N. Zahles Gymnasium snuste han til bibliotekar-, engelsk-, russisk og kunsthistoriestudierne. I starten af 70erne begyndte han at skrive SF-noveller, digte og rocktekster. Samtidig var han beskæftiget som skuespiller, bl.a. på Bådteateret som Fenrisulven i Ebbe Kløvedal Reich og Ejvind Larsens Til kamp mod dødbideriet i 1973.
Midt i 70erne begyndte Niels Søndergaard at oversætte bl.a. westernromaner og tegneserien Superman. Det førte større oversætteropgaver med sig, bl.a. romaner som Frank Herberts Klit og Doris Lessings Shikasta-kvintologi. I 80erne og 90erne er det desuden blevet til massevis af film- og tv-oversættelser samt ikke så få tegneserier, bl.a. Steen og Stoffer og Anders And & Co. Det sidste blev Niels Søndergaard "headhuntet" til.
I 1980 fik Niels Søndergaard Science Fiction Cirklens pris for bedste novelle, Øffernes planet, og 1. prisen ved SF-kongressen i Stresa, Italien for novellen Manden der myrdede Stalin. Derefter blev det så som så med at realisere egne forfatterambitioner. Oversættelserne krævede sin mand.
Til tegninger af norske Bjørn Morisse leverede han imidlertid under fællespseudonymet Søndermor 1981-82 ideer og tekst til stripserien Jøsses. Den blev først bragt i hæftet Danske striber og derefter i Kystbane Komix.
I forbindelse med markeringen af Superman's 50-års jubilæum gav det amerikanske tegneserieforlag DC sine europæiske udgivere tilladelse til at producere en Superman-historie med nationale forfattere og tegnere. Kun det danske forlag Interpresse tog udfordringen op og i 1990 udkom Superman og fredsbomben, skrevet af Niels Søndergaard og tegnet af Teddy Kristiansen.
Dermed gik en gammel drøm i opfyldelse for Niels Søndergaard, som da også leverede et oplagt og underfundigt manuskript med udgangspunkt i den klassiske Superman-myte. Albummet udkom samtidig i Holland, Danmark, Norge, Sverige og Finland og kravet var da også, at handlingen skulle omfatte de fem hovedstæder.
I Danmark blev det pænt modtaget, men svenske anmeldere talte om genoplivning af Den kolde Krig, mens norske anmeldere var dybt forargede over, at Superman raserede og smadrede Wiegelands-parken - selvom han reparerede skaderne til sidst.
Derefter indledte Niels Søndergaard et samarbejde med tegneren Ole Comoll Christensen. Det resulterede i udgivelsen af albummet 1. maj mysteriet i 1991, første bind i serien Dimensionsdetektiven - tegnet i meget stilsikker "new wave"-tradition.
Udgangspunktet for Niels Søndergaards intelligente historie er "hvad-nu-hvis?"-ideen kombineret med eksistensen af parallele dimensioner: vores nutidige/en verden, hvor Hitler har vundet 2.verdenskrig/et Danmark, hvor Kommunistpartiet - ikke Socialde-mokratiet - har været ved magten siden 20erne.
Historien bringer den nutidige danske detektiv Clement Skunk-Petersen i kontakt med flere parallel-dimensioner og dobbeltgængere og sætter ham i gang med at opklare et mord på sig selv - begået af ham selv! Albummet indbragte forfatteren De danske Tegneserieskaberes pris for bedste historie.
Det efterfølgende album, Den anden præsident, som udkom i 1993, var fuldt på højde med 1. maj mysteriet. Samme år modtog Niels Søndergaard og Ole Comoll Christensen derfor fortjent Ping-prisen.

The Danish comics author and translator Niels Søndergaard was born in 1947. After high school he dabbled in library science, English, Russian, and art history studies. In the start of the 1970’s he began to write science fiction short stories, poems and rock music lyrics. At the same time he worked as an actor in Danish alternative theater.
In the mid-1970’s Niels Søndergaard began to translate, among other things, western novels and the comic book Superman. These led to bigger translation projects, such as novels like Frank Herberts Dune and Doris Lessing’s Shikasta quintet. In the 1980’s and 1990’s he translated a great deal for film and TV, as well as comics such as Calvin and Hobbes and Donald Duck & Co. He was chosen by "headhunters" for the last-mentioned assignment.
In 1980 Niels Søndergaard received Science Fiction Circle’s prize for Best Short Story and First Prize at the Science Fiction Congress in Stesa, Italy. After that, there was little opportunity to realize his own ambition as a writer. Translation was very time-consuming.
Working with the Norwegian artist Bjørn Morisse, with whom he shared the pseudonym Søndermor, he contributed ideas to and wrote the comic strip Jezz! (Jøsses) from 1981-82. This work’s main character shared several traits with Jesus. It first appeared in the comic book Danish Strips (Danske striber) and later in Kystbane Komix.
In connection with the celebration of Superman’s 50th Anniversary, the American comic book publisher DC gave its European publishers permission to produce a Superman story done by local writers and artists. Only the Danish publisher Interpresse took up the challenge and in 1990 released A tale of five Cities, written by Niels Søndergaard and drawn by Teddy Kristiansen. This was the fulfillment of an old dream for Niels Søndergaard, who produced a spirited and clever manuscript against the background of the classic Superman myth. The album was released simultaneously in Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and one of the conditions was that the action should include the five capital cities.
The album was well-received in Denmark, but the Swedish critics spoke of a renewal of the Cold War. And the Norwegian critics were deeply offended that Superman razed and smashed up Wiegeland's Park, even though he repaired the damage in the end.
Niels Søndergaard next entered into a collaboration with the artist Ole Comoll Christensen. That resulted in the release of the album Mayday Mystery (1. maj mysteriet) in 1991, the first volume in the series The Dimensional Detective (Dimensionsdetektiven) - drawn with a sure touch in "new wave" tradition.
The starting point for Niels Søndergaard’s intelligent story is the "what if?" idea, combined with the existence of parallel dimensions: our present/a world where Hitler has won the Second World War/a Denmark where the Communist Party, not the Social Democrats, has been in power since the 1920’s. The story brings the contemporary Danish detective Clement Skunk-Petersen in contact with many parallel dimensions and doubles and starts him unravelling his own murder - committed by himself! The album earned its author The Danish Comic Book Artists’ prize for Best Story.
The next album, The Second President (Den anden præsident), appeared in 1993 and was as good as Mayday Mystery. That same year Niels Søndergaard and Ole Comoll Christensen deservedly won the Danish comics award "Ping".