B. Virtanen
B. Virtanen is a Finnish comic strip written by Ilkka Heilä.
The strip is about the family and work life of a typical Finnish man named B. Virtanen. (His full first name has never been explained, and few, if any, Finnish names start with the letter.) He is married and has a steady job, but both cause him constant trouble, as he is hen-pecked by his wife at home and oppressed by his superiors at work.
What the B stands for is told in interview of Heilä like this: Heilä made the character for a newspaper comic strip contest in 1989, and almost the first thing in his mind was the name. In that time, people used to talk about "A-class" and "B-class" citizens. B. certainly isn't second class, but his life isn't really "A-class" either. The idea of the series is simple, everyone walks over him. Heilä made about 20 strips of that idea, and got the shared second prize of the competition.
As for the "B" as a name, in Finland it is usual to write people's names shortened this way in some situations; the first letter of the first name, and the full family name after it.
Major characters include:
- B. Virtanen
- The main character. A middle-aged man who works in some kind of office. Extremely overworked, and hen-pecked by his wife.
- Armi
- B. Virtanen's wife. She runs things around their home. She often tries to cook food but she is a terrible cook.
- Marko
- B. Virtanen's son. A grade school -aged boy who rebels against his parents, does badly at school and sometimes gets into trouble.
- Pasi
- B. Virtanen's cat.
- Reino Murikka
- A project manager, B. Virtanen's immediate superior. Murikka is fat, bald and middle-aged. He is very harsh towards B. Virtanen and often makes him work overtime. He has big difficulties to make double-sided photocopies or to work with computers. Murikka still lives with his mother Selma Murikka and has very little experience in dating or relationships.
- Selma Murikka
- The former's nurturing mother who has a highly overprotective attitude towards her son. She relates critically to her son's would-be relationship with Miss Jantunen.
- Miss Jantunen
- The company's secretary. Reino Murikka has a crush on her.
- Lennart Nilkén
- A middle manager. Very fashionable and always follows the latest trends. Likes to hear himself praised.
- Director Hynälä
- The company's CEO. A stereotypical director who only cares about his company's profits.
- Topi
- The youngest employee in the company, and the only one who can be said to be in a lower position than B. Virtanen. However, this is only because of his shorter time in the company, and he is looking forward to promotion.