Imagine That!

Oblomov is a Russian literary hero, known above all for his 'love of passivity.'...

Oblomov is a Russian literary hero, known above all for his 'love of passivity.'

In this graphic novel, Tina Brenneisen turns him into a woman in contemporary Berlin. Ilonotschka Oblomowa is thirty-three and lives with her friend Anna Katharina in a shared apartment in Berlin. Financially supported by her parents and cooked for by Anna, there is little that worries her. She prefers to spend her days dreaming in bed. If only it weren’t for her friends, who constantly pester her with their activism, petitions, and political slogans. And if it weren’t for that letter in which her parents threatened to cut off her funds… Starting from the original, the legendary OBLOMOV by Goncharov, about a Russian minor noble from 1859, the comic mainly transfers the Big Lebowski-style lying-around situation into the present. That’s exciting! Because the past as a point of reference in flashbacks allows an unobstructed view of the present.

What changes and what always stays the same?

He is one of Germany's most successful and well-known comic artists. The artist, known for his gay bulbous-nosed characters, has...

He is one of Germany's most successful and well-known comic artists. The artist, known for his gay bulbous-nosed characters, has now celebrated his 65th birthday. To mark the occasion, he dug deep into his drawers and unearthed many comics that had not yet been published in book form. His magnum opus, the gay couple Konrad & Paul, is represented with an Easter and a Christmas story. There is also a secondary character once created for the gay magazine Boner: Spargel. 

The approximately 100 pages of comics are supplemented by a detailed interview, illustrated with photos and sketches, about the life and work of the Cologne-based artist. The interview traces how difficult it was at first to gain recognition for gay comics outside the scene. It also explains why König's comic characters actually grow old with him. This is very different from Peanuts or Donald Duck, for example.

Grandmother invites everyone to the family gathering. The daughter temporarily returns to the confines of her childhood bedroom. Son 1...

Grandmother invites everyone to the family gathering. The daughter temporarily returns to the confines of her childhood bedroom. Son 1 enjoys listening to himself talk, while his companion remains stubbornly silent. Son 2, on the other hand, is incapable of standing up for himself or others. Quite the opposite of his wife, who is always on the verge of exploding. Meanwhile, the grandchildren would rather be somewhere else. As the tension rises, trigger points are provoked, and passive-aggressive behavior erupts into open conflicts, one question remains: What exactly is the cashier at the local supermarket, Mrs. Spar, doing here? 

Mia Oberländer tells, in a furious dadaist showdown, of things that happen in every family… or do they?

Two stories, two time periods, one place. The story of Ellen and Elisabeth is told. First, it is about the...

Two stories, two time periods, one place. The story of Ellen and Elisabeth is told. First, it is about the fate of the German Jew Ellen Marx. Her story begins in November 1938; she is 16 years old and feels firsthand that the German Reich is no longer a home for her. As the situation continues to worsen, Ellen's parents decide that she should flee to Argentina. She waits in vain for her parents to follow. Decades later, Ellen's daughter disappears during the Argentine military dictatorship. From then on, she joins many other mothers in taking to the streets. The other story revolves around Elisabeth. She belongs to the post-war generation and, like many others, protests against the Vietnam War at the end of the 1960s. During a practical semester, she travels to Bolivia for social work. She then travels across the entire continent and finally ends up in Buenos Aires, where she becomes a member of a Trotskyist organization – and eventually a victim of the military junta. Both fates raise questions that have still not been answered to this day.

This story takes place in another world. The Soma people are struggling. The environment is contaminated, and they can only survive...

This story takes place in another world. The Soma people are struggling. The environment is contaminated, and they can only survive by wearing thick protective suits and masks with air filters. Lan and Iri were friends as children. But when the Grand Council assigned them to different departments, their relationship soured. Lan had to go to the food sector, Iri to the protection sector. The Grand Council seems to be a kind of government, perhaps a dictatorship. In any case, everyone must adhere to strict rules – supposedly for their own protection. But when Lan decides to flee, Iri simply comes along. Together they reach a seemingly different world where it is possible to breathe without a mask again. And where nature seems to be returning to its normal course. But what about those they left behind?

Werner Abresch collected objects of everyday culture, particularly pieces from the post-war period. Often born out of necessity and made...

Werner Abresch collected objects of everyday culture, particularly pieces from the post-war period. Often born out of necessity and made from the remnants of the war: flower vases were made from shell casings, clothes were sewn from parachute silk. Perhaps the most famous is the steel helmet, which was transformed into a kitchen strainer. Inspired by some of the 2,000 objects in the Abresch collection, comic stories were created that trace the history of these items, bring the past to life, and help to better understand the German post-war period. The comics presented here show that there are different approaches to dealing with these themes. In addition to a framing story dedicated to Werner Abresch, four narratives were created in which the artists bring the stories behind the objects to life with a lot of creativity and empathy. This is how it might have been.

When a tsunami hits Fukushima on 11 March 2011, it also changes the lives of some people thousands of kilometres...

When a tsunami hits Fukushima on 11 March 2011, it also changes the lives of some people thousands of kilometres away in Berlin. There's Josie, for example, who is worried about the life of her ex-husband, who works at a research institute near Sendai. She can't reach him and seeks advice and comfort from Nacho. He, in turn, has just emerged from self-imposed isolation. He has spent two years working on a novel and has been in seclusion, and now he is overwhelmed by Josie's problems. Through eight protagonists, the reader experiences the diverse consequences of the super-disaster in Japan. And all the stories are somehow interwoven. Sometimes the main characters meet only briefly and fleetingly, barely noticing each other. But there is always a connection between their personal fates and the global catastrophe.

The German-Swiss comic book author says of his work that he does not blacken white paper with his scraping technique,...

The German-Swiss comic book author says of his work that he does not blacken white paper with his scraping technique, but rather scratches light into the darkness. In other words, he tries to make light visible in the dark. Significantly, the new book is also called From Scratch. It is also a catalogue accompanying the artist's retrospective. It contains an extensive compilation of his work, which he began 40 years ago as an 18-year-old. Even though the artist speaks of light, his works depict a dark, even gloomy world. Whether in a self-portrait in which his hair is ablaze, or in his portraits of a skinhead or a nun. Transience and death are recurring themes – all too often they result in fears and visions of horror. This compilation by the Cartoon Museum Basel provides an insight into an abysmal parallel world.

Toni and Charlie are two lively sisters. Their mother is a businesswoman and almost always traveling. Their father is mainly...

Toni and Charlie are two lively sisters. Their mother is a businesswoman and almost always traveling. Their father is mainly responsible for raising the daughters, as he works from home as a freelance programmer. Toni and Charlie describe themselves as the kind of children you could go steal horses with—if only they knew where.  As opossums, Toni and Charlie try to escape their dad's next tirade. As officially certified nuisances, they are hard to endure. When they aren't inventing flying school bags, driving the new housekeeper crazy, or explaining why it's better to skip school because of microplastics, they are hunting for treasures on deserted islands or traveling back to the age of the dinosaurs.  And every day, they test the limits of their dad's patience. Are fathers ultimately better at being moms?  

Entertaining, short stories for children, parents, and fans of subtle humor.

Everything could be so wonderful in the idyllic mountain village of Ruhe. Once a week, the residents look forward to...

Everything could be so wonderful in the idyllic mountain village of Ruhe. Once a week, the residents look forward to a visit from the postwoman. She arrives by cable car, delivers the mail and chats with them. Shortly before she leaves, she always has time for a round of cards. But suddenly, a huge hole opens up – and pulls the village into the abyss. Where did the hole come from? Who is to blame? And who is profiting from it? Conspiracy theories quickly begin to circulate. The mood changes. Some try to capitalise on the misery with esoteric necklaces. Others spread fear. But who is behind it all? In her thesis, Sahra Hübner paints a bleak picture. In her microcosm, it is no longer about the truth. It is about who has the power of opinion behind them. The postwoman tries her hand at enlightenment. But does she really get through?