After the Berlin Reprodukt Verlag asked fans and readers for financial help last year, the Swiss Edition Moderne, another important publisher in the German-speaking comics scene, is now starting one crowdfunding campaign. It runs until June 23 and is intended to save the Zurich-based company from bankruptcy. “If sales continue as before, the Edition Moderne will run out of money in spring 2024,” says Claudio Barandun from the house’s management team.
The publishing house was founded in 1981 and is a pioneer of European author and avant-garde comics. Among other things, he published Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel classic “Persepolis”, works by Jacques Tardi and comic reportage pioneer Joe Sacco. Graphically, the books are often demanding, among the comic artists from German-speaking countries are Thomas Ott and Anke Humidity Berger. Three years ago, the Edition Moderne was taken over by a new management team, Julia Marti, Claudio Barandun and Marie-France Lombardo, who “initiated an intensive innovation and transformation process”, as they say.
Such humor in times of crisis may only exist in the comic scene
Since then, the publishing program has been developed even more in the direction of artistically sophisticated comics. In addition to the increased paper and transport costs, it was also this upheaval that brought the publisher into financial difficulties. “Transformation takes time.” Now one hopes for support from the comic scene, which was surprisingly generous at Reprodukt Verlag, in order to save “their” reading material. Edition Moderne promises donors, among other things, souvenirs from the publishing house, including a bag with the imprint “Too big to fail”, as a thank you for their help. Such humor in times of crisis may only exist in the comic scene.