Black Mirrors — Current Graphic Novels from Germany

To mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of Sibylla Schwarz, Max Baitinger has spent time examining the life of...

To mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of Sibylla Schwarz, Max Baitinger has spent time examining the life of this literary prodigy. After living her entire life within the span of the Thirty Years' War, despite only

reaching the age of 17, Schwarz used to be considered as perhaps the most important Baroque poet. Thanks to

the fragmentary nature of the available sources and the resulting narrative freedom for the artist, the result is a

biography by no means typical. Baitinger humorously mixes different narrative levels, adding reflections on his own three-year creative process to the episodes from Schwarz's life. The central question is how this young woman’s creative spirit could unfold in contrast to the brutal reality of her life. The work was awarded the Comicbuchpreis of the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung.

Temple of Refuge was created as an art project of the Gesellschaft für Neue Auftraggeber (Society for New Patrons). Sartep...

Temple of Refuge was created as an art project of the Gesellschaft für Neue Auftraggeber (Society for New Patrons). Sartep Namiq, who fled from Iraq to Berlin in 2016, commissioned this work on behalf of others. In it, his experiences and dreams, based on an idea by science fiction author Bruce Sterling, are woven into an utopian narrative: It is about the draftsman Sartep, who records the wishes of refugees and makes them come true with the help of an implanted chip. In this way, the refugees’ slum at the gates of a futuristic Berlin is transformed into a fantastic new place where people fight for a shared, better future. Felix Mertikat unfolds Sartep's vision in powerful images whose expressive power is all the more significant because, at the author's request, the comic manages without words.

In a galactic war between humans and aliens, Castor, the home world of siblings Nero and Minerva, was destroyed ...

In a galactic war between humans and aliens, Castor, the home world of siblings Nero and Minerva, was destroyed by aliens. Fighting for humanity, the two of them join the dreaded ITO, who transform themselves into living weapons by merging with god-like beings. Following a decision by Minerva, however, the siblings suddenly find themselves facing each other in battle. First launched with crowdfunding, Volume 1 of The Impure is a brilliant, three-chapter prelude to a tense, action-packed comic that takes place in a technologized yet mythical world, mixing science fiction, dystopia, and adventure with bravura.

Austrian illustrator Patrick Bonato spent three months in Senegal as an artist in residence. There, (white) Europeans are commonly referred...

Austrian illustrator Patrick Bonato spent three months in Senegal as an artist in residence. There, (white) Europeans are commonly referred to as toubab, which Bonato wittily translates as "white bread." In his fictionalised autobiographical comic, he recounts the hardships that are the price of his confrontation with an unfamiliar world. And he tells how he gradually abandons his usual stance, and how the clash of two realities sets up encounters that are both comic and enlightening. He presents his very personal accounts with a soft penstroke. They are colourful, loud, sometimes strange, often funny, always beautiful.

Timothy Snyder's pamphlet hits the political nerve of our time, when democracies around the world are wavering beneath the onslaught...

Timothy Snyder's pamphlet hits the political nerve of our time, when democracies around the world are wavering beneath the onslaught of a new authoritarianism. Nora Krug, the creator of the award-winning memoir Heimat, which has been translated all around the globe, is without doubt one of the world’s best illustrators. By transferring Snyder's combination of historical perspectives and solid maxims into her own unique visual language, she has transformed his behavioural doctrine for the preservation of democracy into a graphic work of art. The inclusion in her visual collages of numerous documents and objects from different cultures and different decades adds an extra dimension to the cult book, so it can be read in a completely new way: aesthetically fascinating and full of visual energy.

In the 23rd century, the Earth is almost entirely flooded. People live in run-down cities surrounded by broken wastelands and...

In the 23rd century, the Earth is almost entirely flooded. People live in run-down cities surrounded by broken wastelands and ruins. Six-year-old Ali is searching for her mother. She is accompanied by a robot in the form of a giant teddy bear, whose job it is to protect her. Kiener, who is co-editor of the Swiss Ampel Magazin for independent comics, draws a post-apocalyptic world in his multi-layered and visually powerful comic. His generous panels with their richness of detail invite close perusal by the reader. This is underscored by the skilful soft colouring of the beautiful watercolour drawings.

This is the first time we have had such a detailed look at the unpublished works, and as such at...

This is the first time we have had such a detailed look at the unpublished works, and as such at the creative processes, of over 50 comic artists from Germanspeaking countries. This also includes classics such as Wilhelm Busch and E.O. Plauen. This catalogue for an exhibition of the same name examines projects that have not yet been made public. Some were rejected or censored; some never made it to completion. Yet other stories are finished, hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered. Scholarly essays and descriptions are used to classify a wide variety of works and provide an educational overview, both of the 150-year history of German comics and of today’s German-language comics scene.

When she founded her publishing house ten years ago, Annette Köhn fulfilled a childhood dream. That anniversary was the opportunity...

When she founded her publishing house ten years ago, Annette Köhn fulfilled a childhood dream. That anniversary was the opportunity for her to publish an autobiographical comic that gives us insights into the day-today workings of a comic publisher. Describing a fictitious day in the office, she depicts in an entertaining and revealing way both the duties and the pleasant activities that have to be mastered. She is accompanied by scurrying little characters (the publishing sprites), who are visible only to the author and who reflect her thoughts, making for some amusing moments. Her sketch-like pictures convey lightness and joie de vivre.

Ralf König, who had his breakthrough with Der bewegte Mann (1987), is internationally one of the best-known German comic artists....

Ralf König, who had his breakthrough with Der bewegte Mann (1987), is internationally one of the best-known German comic artists. The multiple award-winning artist (including the Max and Moritz Prize for his outstanding life's work) has seen his work translated into 18 languages. In March 2020, from the confines of his lockdown, König began drawing comic strips about the coronavirus crisis, posting them on his social media accounts each day. With the help of his male couple Konrad and Paul, who have been popular now for 20 years, König spent several months commenting on the new situation and the challenges it brings at a human level. As well as current events, he included feedback from his readers in the content. The result is a chronicle of the crisis, humorous and touching at the same time.

Eleni is a single mother. When nine people are shot in a racist attack in her immediate vicinity, she is...

Eleni is a single mother. When nine people are shot in a racist attack in her immediate vicinity, she is stunned to see how extremists and politicians from the right-wing fringe start to relativize the attack. Together with her neighbour Rudi, a retired teacher, she takes up the fight against radical right-wing agitation. Based in Freiburg, the Guano Project aims to draw attention to the growing danger of populist right-wing propaganda. In their fictional adventure comic, they draw on a carefully researched pool of original quotes from politicians and sympathisers of the AfD (Alternative for Germany party), which are marked in blue in the speech bubbles. In this way, they establish links to the reality of the many rightwing terrorist attacks of recent years.

Everyone associates cartoonist Brösel with his character Werner. The Platt-speaking motor-bike-riding plumber's...

Everyone associates cartoonist Brösel with his character Werner. The Platt-speaking motor-bike-riding plumber's

apprentice was a well-known phenomenon in the late eighties and early nineties, also thanks to the film

adaptation. This volume brings together comics from the time before Brösel's breakthrough. They include

numerous works published in the satirical magazine Pardon as well as completely unpublished material, such as all the episodes of the anarchist family Die Bakuninis. The themes of consumer terror, political despotism and fantasies of violence against law enforcement officers are central to Brösel's early work.

With her comic debut, the 24-year-old artist presents a collection of her "2067" series, which she has been self-publishing for...

With her comic debut, the 24-year-old artist presents a collection of her "2067" series, which she has been self-publishing for several years. In short episodes, Baumann gives us a deep insight into the world of her feelings and thoughts. This comic conveys her daily struggle in a chaotic and dreary world. Her depression hovers over everything and yet there is always room for a little gallows humour. The images are expressive and raw, ometimes disturbing, sometimes surreally distorted. They are full of details and suggestions that make you

linger in fascination as you regard each scene.