New Graphic Novels from Germany

"Swimming Pool" is a lively comedy that plays with many clichés and presents various culture clashes with relish. Taking a...

"Swimming Pool" is a lively comedy that plays with many clichés and presents various culture clashes with relish. Taking a women-only outdoor swimming pool as a microcosm, it shows how the formation of groups can create dynamics that escalate into conflict situations. Everyone mixes together in the open-air pool: women bathing topless or those in full-body swim-suits; the young and beautiful, the old and fat. Each uses the open space according to her own rules. When a group of fully veiled Muslim women discover the bath for themselves, it drives the long-established users up the wall. And when a man is asked to take up the job of pool attendant, things get out of hand. This comic was produced parallel to the screenplay of Doris Dörrie's film of the same name, which Paulina Stulin has transposed skilfully with rich colours, expressive facial expressions and accurate dialogue.

The Goethe-Institut Jakarta launched the Movements and Moments project in 2019. The aim is to raise the visibility of indigenous...

The Goethe-Institut Jakarta launched the Movements and Moments project in 2019. The aim is to raise the visibility of indigenous feminist activism from the Global South by presenting it in comics and drawing attention to people and places that rarely appear in mainstream narratives. For this volume, eight contributions have been chosen from hundreds of submissions worldwide. They feature diverse emancipatory approaches presented in artistically versatile ways. The emphasis on indigenous feminist perspectives – often linked to decolonising struggles and environmental sustainability – highlights issues such as the fight against environmental destruction, education and the rights of all sexual and gender identities. What all the stories have in common is a spirit of resistance against violence and cruelty.

When his 16-year-old neighbour leaves for a year abroad, nine-year-old Boris temporarily inherits her pet. Babette is a strange yellow...

When his 16-year-old neighbour leaves for a year abroad, nine-year-old Boris temporarily inherits her pet. Babette is a strange yellow animal, of unknown origin, that walks on two legs, can talk and only feels comfortable when the room is decorated as darkly and creepily as possible. The whole thing is even more complicated because Boris must keep Babette's presence a secret from his parents, who don’t want any animals in the house. In her uniquely funny drawing style, Tanja Esch tells an original and comical story about friendship and belonging, weaving in motifs of identity and diversity as a matter of course.  

The story begins in the forest, at a hospital for animals, where a shy rabbit with cancer and a daring...

The story begins in the forest, at a hospital for animals, where a shy rabbit with cancer and a daring but injured wolf are surprised by the hunter and his dog and have to take flight. In the process, the rabbit accidentally saves the wolf's life, so the wolf feels obliged to take care of the timid creature. During their escape, an unusual friendship develops between the unequal pair. For "Trip with a Drip", Josephine Mark has drawn on her own experience with chemotherapy. She succeeds in turning the difficult subject into a fun-loving road trip full of slapstick, sarcasm and brilliant dialogue. The engaging and reassuring story about illness and friendship was awarded the Max und Moritz Prize as "Best Comic for Children" in 2022.  

Two veterans of science fiction have joined forces here for an ingenious series of comics. Since 2011, in the German...

Two veterans of science fiction have joined forces here for an ingenious series of comics. Since 2011, in the German genre magazine "Phantastisch!", author Olaf Brill ("Perry Rhodan") and illustrator Michael Vogt ("Mark Brandis") have been publishing one or two-page episodes about the bizarre daily life of a robot who does all kinds of work in a space factory, managed by a toad. The robot longs to have a wife and a home to return to each evening. In the very detailed and lovingly illustrated universe, narrative frames are regularly broken, paradoxes illuminated and philosophical questions raised. Brilliantly drawn and told in a manner that ranges from profound to silly, the stories evoke memories of the French cult magazine Métal Hurlant.  

Aisha Franz gives us a harrowing but beautiful, sharply observed satire on the working world of young adults today. It...

Aisha Franz gives us a harrowing but beautiful, sharply observed satire on the working world of young adults today. It is a world marked by self-exploitation and alienation, meaninglessness and frustration, power and control. The challenge of balancing a career against meaning in life leads three young people to seek help from a (somewhat curious) therapist. Anita, who is frustrated with selling ceramic small art on the internet and would much rather be a "real" artist herself; Sandra, who flees the boredom of her job with a trendy start-up by seeking sexual adventures, while sharing her private life in videos on the internet; and Rex, a notoriously poorly paid IT specialist who has to keep his head above water as a pizza delivery boy. The lively drawings are imaginatively exaggerated, the narrative fast-paced to the point of absurdity. Work-Life-Balance received the Max und Moritz Prize as "Best German-Language Comic" in 2022.

A strange metamorphosis takes place at the start: the author merges with her dog, becoming a four-legged creature herself. In...

A strange metamorphosis takes place at the start: the author merges with her dog, becoming a four-legged creature herself. In this guise, she sets out to explore the city of Berlin from a canine perspective, from below: a metropolis with all its smells, sounds and stories, its strange places and situations. The walk through the city also follows the seasons. Nadia Budde intersperses the story with dream sequences and portraits of other dogs. In her unmistakable language and drawing style, the award-winning, Berlin-based children's book author and illustrator ("Eins, zwei, drei, Tier") has produced a wonderfully poetic declaration of love, both for Berlin and for the dogs that live there.

With "Stones", Nadine Redlich has created a true masterpiece of consistent minimalism. For eighty pages we watch a stone –...

With "Stones", Nadine Redlich has created a true masterpiece of consistent minimalism. For eighty pages we watch a stone – in its various emotional states, at different moments, undergoing different experiences. With fascination, we follow tiny changes in the image and we realise how this transports feelings and thoughts. Time and space recede to the background. We listen spellbound to the thoughts of the stone, whose limited self-perception develops a tragicomic character. Breaking the fourth wall, the story draws us into the action, makes us turn the pages again and again, strangely touched.  

Rietzl's post-apocalyptic story follows scrap collector Oishi, a samurai from the Asano clan, who is fighting for the survival of...

Rietzl's post-apocalyptic story follows scrap collector Oishi, a samurai from the Asano clan, who is fighting for the survival of his clan in a galaxy that has been almost completely destroyed. As wars rage over the sharing of limited resources, Oishi comes into conflict with the powerful shogun and begins to question the destructive structures of society. Rietzl successfully mixes genres by transporting a classic plot of intrigue from feudal Japan to a dark and distant galaxy. The 15 metre-long scrolling comic offers an exceptional reading experience. Space spreads out endlessly and readers can decide for themselves how much is visible at a give moment. Rietzl applies creative solutions with great skill to change scenes and perspectives. Using tracking shots and before an unendingly white cosmos, he stages detailed space battles and depicts colourful panoramas. Paul Rietzl, born in 1986, lives and works in Munich.

The qualified art therapist, Charlotte Müller (born in 1972), worked for many years as a carer in a home for...

The qualified art therapist, Charlotte Müller (born in 1972), worked for many years as a carer in a home for the elderly. On many occasions she was entrusted with memories, which she collected lovingly and transferred to poetically to paper to save them from disappearing. These sensitively recorded short stories are like windows into the past of a wide variety of people, all of them approaching the ends of their lives. Müller delicately reproduces the furnishings of the living rooms and colourfully captures everyday objects and fragments of memory that hold special significance for the respective individuals. She leaves narratives and dialogues unchanged in their authenticity. The result is an impressive, deeply human book that portrays old people in all their dignity.

One day, all around the world, the ghosts of the dead start to appear. At first there are only a...

One day, all around the world, the ghosts of the dead start to appear. At first there are only a few, but things quickly take on apocalyptic proportions. Two sisters want to say a last goodbye to their parents, who died in a plane crash years ago. At the crash site, events get out of hand and the young women unexpectedly find themselves fleeing evil forces that have triggered the end of the world while carrying out secret experiments on human beings. For the adaptation of his gripping ghost horror story, bestselling author Kai Meyer has once again collaborated with comic artist Jurek Malottke. Malottke's sophisticated style – composite bold colour areas, lack of contours, atmospheric lighting effects – takes some getting used to at first, but develops a dynamic pull that is hard to resist.  

Bestselling German author Sebastian Fitzek is a notorious favourite with the public. Now, for the first time, one of his...

Bestselling German author Sebastian Fitzek is a notorious favourite with the public. Now, for the first time, one of his thrillers has been lavishly adapted as a comic. "The Eye Collector" (2010) is about a Berlin serial killer who kills women, kidnaps their children and gives the fathers a 45-hour ultimatum to find them alive. A washed-up ex-cop sets out, together with a blind psychotherapist, to track down the killer. In terms of plot, it is a classic crime novel with horror elements. Frank Schmolke, however, takes it to a higher level with his expressive images and fast-paced layout. His gloomy colouring contributes significantly to the bleak atmosphere. The skilful use of light and shadow underscore many a moment of shock.

Swiss artist Jared Muralt has been working since 2016 on his gripping post-apocalyptic scenario that describes a society in a...

Swiss artist Jared Muralt has been working since 2016 on his gripping post-apocalyptic scenario that describes a society in a state of emergency. Now the third anthology of the internationally award-winning comic series has arrived. Civilisation has collapsed due to a deadly flu virus and a global crisis of resources caused by climate change. Family man Liam has fled to the Alps from the city of Bern with his two children to escape starvation. There, they encounter marauding fascist gangs. When they shoot at Liam, the children flee back down the valley. Muralt packs classic genre material into realistic and detailed drawings. His exciting tale has gained added piquancy after real events such as the Corona pandemic.

The most famous album by the German rock band "Ton Steine Scherben" was released 50 years ago. To mark this...

The most famous album by the German rock band "Ton Steine Scherben" was released 50 years ago. To mark this anniversary, Ventil Verlag has produced a comic on the songs. The album, whose title already embraces anarchy, contains lyrics that call for resistance against the (capitalist) system and denounce disjointed political and social conditions. These texts have each been transformed into short episodes by twelve comic illustrators. Some of the interpretations are very free. Ulli Lust, for example, has grimly transposed the title song into the sick world of factory farming, while Reinhard Kleist plumbed the depths of modern capitalist consumer society for "Menschenjäger" (Hunter of Humans). Overall, it becomes clear what power and relevance these socially critical songs still have today.

This anthology was published on the initiative of the City of Darmstadt to mark celebrations for “1700 Years of Jewish...

This anthology was published on the initiative of the City of Darmstadt to mark celebrations for “1700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany”. The book’s complex objective is to depict Judaism in Germany in all its multifacetedness, as broadly as possible in historical terms. In eleven stories and over a period spanning the Middle Ages up to the present, it illuminates fundamental aspects of Jewish religion, art and culture and addresses topics that go far beyond persecution and National Socialism. The different approaches taken by the artists have produced a great aesthetic diversity. The comics are complemented by factual texts with additional background information. 

As early as 2009, Jeff Chi discovered an extraordinary artist on the internet. Eventually, after much additional research, Chi's first...

As early as 2009, Jeff Chi discovered an extraordinary artist on the internet. Eventually, after much additional research, Chi's first long comic came into being, an original biography that traces the touching story of stuttering jazz musician John Larkin who, just a few years before his death from cancer, became an international pop music phenomenon in the 90s as "Scatman John". John's life story and his path from drug addiction toward the "sunny side of life" unfolds in quirky but striking drawings. It was always his wish to give people courage and he became a role model for many stutterers around the world. Chi received the Max und Moritz Prize for "Best German-language Comic Debut" for his work in 2022.

In this, her debut comic, Roya Soraya takes on the heavyweight of all German literary classics, setting it unceremoniously in...

In this, her debut comic, Roya Soraya takes on the heavyweight of all German literary classics, setting it unceremoniously in the present time: Faust is a depressed businessman, Margarete a strong young woman and Mephistopheles shows up in a different (gender) role each time. The drawings are refreshingly colourful, the layout airy and insofar as it follows the original, the dialogue surprises the reader with some passages of parody. An entertaining deconstruction of a classic, which Soraya skilfully and confidently adapts to include her modern queer-feminist perspective.

In the second part of this series, the android prince is now in exile, in empty space between dimensions, from...

In the second part of this series, the android prince is now in exile, in empty space between dimensions, from where he contemplates his own past. Flashbacks show his life in two parallel universes: in one he is a love-bot for an unhappy couple in a dystopian society; in the other, the brave hero of a warrior princess in a fantasy world. Lukas Kummer explores his character’s soul and deals with topics such as relationships, love and fate. In the process, he creates an impressive universe that combines high fantasy with retro computer game aesthetics and post-apocalyptic themes, while including plenty of popular references ("Star Wars", "Blade Runner"). Kummer's grandiose artwork impresses with its geometrically reduced style and its stunning, neon colouring, which adds depth to the protagonist's emotional and mental state.