Lotta Svärd by @setzeri
A simple slice-of-life story about cooking, cleaning, and nursing. Things female volunteers did during wartime. Four girls work together and share joys and suffering during 1940-1945.
This sounds very basic, and it is. Despite the set-up sounding a bit like a moeblob anime, the research and warmth really nails the period feeling. The girls are all quite relatable, from tough Helle (My favourite) to sensitive Lahja. Their little-remembered duties involve cleaning up, dressing up dead soldiers and serving equal amounts of sugar with coffee to hungry workers and soldiers. They suffer bombings, having parents evacuated, and worry about their families. The art style is simple, but it goes well with the heartfelt stories. Buildings and forests are well-rendered in sparse three-tone colours, hearkening to printing techniques of the time.
You can read it here.
