Every two years, the city of Erlangen, Germany hosts the Erlangen Comics Salon.
In a nutshell, it’s the German version of Angoulême. It’s not as crazy or as big, as the German comics scene is about ten years behind the United States in development. (Which is curious, giving the ubiquitous Franco-Belgian and American comics found at bookstores and newsstands nationwide.)
The show has been running since 1984, and one of the highlights is the awarding of the Max und Moritz Preis, named after the world-famous characters created by Wilhelm Busch. When I attended in 1994, it was held in an opera house, and was preceded by a comedic acrobat troupe.
“The story begins in 1949 and follows Japanese-American comic book artist Kevin Yamagata as he draws the popular detective series “Billy Bat”. When he learns he may have unconsciously copied the character from an image he saw while serving in occupied Japan, he returns to Japan to get permission to use Billy Bat from its original creator. Upon arriving there, however, he becomes embroiled in a web of murder, cover-ups, and prophecy that all leads back to Billy Bat.”
Heilige Fledermaus!
Best German-language Comic Strip
Totes Meer by 18 Metzger
Jungle World / Ventil Verlag
A rare Swiss comic strip! (Most continental newspapers publish few comic strips, nothing like those found in the U.S. or the International Herald-Tribune.)
as a German, I dont know most of the stuff they are mentioning; most comics here are strictly on the funny sidde of the spectrum, and some of that stuff is absolutely great. Very idiomatic though, so it probably does not translate very well ( Fil, Walter Moers ). Ralf Koenig , however , is a riot and should absolutely translate. If you can, check him out.
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Thank you very much for covering this news (to be frank, I’m working for a publisher which is very happy to represent one of the Max & Moritz Award winning titles). Just one curious question: Why is “the German comics scene … about ten years behind” the US “in development”?
I know, I know – in many other countries, the market, publications etc. are more developed than the German comics market – but to extend this to the whole “scene” (!?) would be exaggerated, to my mind.
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Herr Schwarz:
Yes, I referred to comics publishing. I know German fans are just as fanatical as Americans… more so when one realizes that many German fans buy and read the American editions instead of waiting for the licensed translations! (I only did this when Micky Maus Magazin serialized “The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck”!)
While manga is as developed as the American market (and probably even more robust, given the original manga works being created in Germany), I don’t see the wide selection of titles that I find in the U.S. or Montreal. Of course, there are more readers of English and French than of German, so I might be biased in that regards.
Granted, it’s been a few years since I last visited Hannover, and I don’t surf Der Spiegel or the comics boards, so it’s possible that it might be only five years behind. ;) The art schools in Germany are more accepting of comics, especially as a critical medium (thanks to Wilhelm Busch).
I do want to see more German imports into the U.S.! (Especially Carlsen’s Haarmann!)
The above list has many titles that make me curious. We’ll see what appears at the Sondermanns and DCP in October. (And with Finland as the guest, I hope to see more great comics from Europe!)
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Mr Adair,
thanks for the quick response. Indeed, a lot has happened in German comics publishing in the last 5-10 years. I’m afraid I haven’t been to US comics festivals (snif), so I cannot really compare – but at least we never had such a big variety of quality comics by German-speaking authors and artists like nowadays. Many indie / small publishers’ titles are not present at book stores though, so lack of book distribution power (or: lack of interest of book sellers) is an issue here, I think. If you visit Germany sometime, I’d recommend check out comic shops and please don’t miss out on the next Comic-Salon in Erlangen in 2016. :-) The Sondermann Award is history though, as is the comics centre at Frankfurt Book Fair, unfortunately.
Every two years, the city of Erlangen, Germany hosts the Erlangen Comics Salon.
The show has been running since 1984, and one of the highlights is the awarding of the Max und Moritz Preis, named after the world-famous characters created by Wilhelm Busch. When I attended in 1994, it was held in an opera house, and was preceded by a comedic acrobat troupe.
as a German, I dont know most of the stuff they are mentioning; most comics here are strictly on the funny sidde of the spectrum, and some of that stuff is absolutely great. Very idiomatic though, so it probably does not translate very well ( Fil, Walter Moers ). Ralf Koenig , however , is a riot and should absolutely translate. If you can, check him out.
Thank you very much for covering this news (to be frank, I’m working for a publisher which is very happy to represent one of the Max & Moritz Award winning titles). Just one curious question: Why is “the German comics scene … about ten years behind” the US “in development”?
I know, I know – in many other countries, the market, publications etc. are more developed than the German comics market – but to extend this to the whole “scene” (!?) would be exaggerated, to my mind.
Herr Schwarz:
Yes, I referred to comics publishing. I know German fans are just as fanatical as Americans… more so when one realizes that many German fans buy and read the American editions instead of waiting for the licensed translations! (I only did this when Micky Maus Magazin serialized “The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck”!)
While manga is as developed as the American market (and probably even more robust, given the original manga works being created in Germany), I don’t see the wide selection of titles that I find in the U.S. or Montreal. Of course, there are more readers of English and French than of German, so I might be biased in that regards.
Granted, it’s been a few years since I last visited Hannover, and I don’t surf Der Spiegel or the comics boards, so it’s possible that it might be only five years behind. ;) The art schools in Germany are more accepting of comics, especially as a critical medium (thanks to Wilhelm Busch).
I do want to see more German imports into the U.S.! (Especially Carlsen’s Haarmann!)
The above list has many titles that make me curious. We’ll see what appears at the Sondermanns and DCP in October. (And with Finland as the guest, I hope to see more great comics from Europe!)
Mr Adair,
thanks for the quick response. Indeed, a lot has happened in German comics publishing in the last 5-10 years. I’m afraid I haven’t been to US comics festivals (snif), so I cannot really compare – but at least we never had such a big variety of quality comics by German-speaking authors and artists like nowadays. Many indie / small publishers’ titles are not present at book stores though, so lack of book distribution power (or: lack of interest of book sellers) is an issue here, I think. If you visit Germany sometime, I’d recommend check out comic shops and please don’t miss out on the next Comic-Salon in Erlangen in 2016. :-) The Sondermann Award is history though, as is the comics centre at Frankfurt Book Fair, unfortunately.
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