Are comics literature? Well, thanks to experts like Will Eisner or Scott McCloud, we know: They are a distinct, sequential, pictorial art form. Nevertheless: the proximity, it is there. This is already shown by the alternative designation “graphic novels”, or that comics can be found in libraries. This year that is especially true in Munich. Because there will be City Library in HP8 (Hans-Preißinger-Straße 8) for four days to become a mecca for comics. From 8th to 11th June has that Munich Comic Festival his festival headquarters there, after it was last in the Old Congress Hall and before that in the Artists’ House and Old Town Hall. Another novelty: this Animation Festival Munich, which complements the events spread across the city. The following overview shows what else is on offer at the festival this year.
The new festival center
A small everyday sketch by Rudi Hurzelmeier.
(Photo: Rudi Hurzelmeier / Comic Festival)
There are many different ways of drawing. One of them is the Hurzlmeier drawing workshop. Under this title, the Munich cartoonist and painter Rudi Hurzlmeier presents a “Best of” from the past few years in the new festival headquarters, the HP8. Art-historical allusions can be found in Hurzlmeier as well as everyday absurdities, which he puts down on paper sometimes with a quick stroke, sometimes in an almost old-masterly manner. Another exhibition is dedicated to the Augsburg draftswoman Lisa Frühbeis, who will be presenting her new comic “The Time Period”. In it, a woman tries to be a successful musician and a perfect mother at the same time.
With José Holms, a Spanish, former Marvel artist who is currently successful with his series “Shi” is being honored. And the US cartoonist and underground expert Denis Kitchen shows his “Creatures From The Subconcious”. There are also drawing courses and artist talks with Uli Oesterle, Ralf König, Kate Beaton and Sole Otero, among others, in the HP8, every day in the “Projector”. The popular publishing fair takes place in Hall X and in the Generator. Admission to all events at HP8 is free, and the exhibitions are open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Country focus on the Czech Republic
The free works of Jaromir 99 are inspired by the landscape of his birthplace Jesnik.
(Photo: Jaromir 99 / Comic Festival)
This year’s country focus is dedicated to the Czech Republic. The internationally most successful comic artist there is Jaromir 99, who is best known here for the graphic novel “Alois Nebel”. In the Czech center (Prinzregentenstraße 7) he shows from June 7th to July 14th under the title “off-season” free works inspired by the landscape of his birthplace Jesenik. At the opening on June 6th at 7 p.m. Jaromir 99 will talk about it and make music. Also in Munich he will present his graphic novel about gymnastics legend Věra Čáslavská, thanks to the mediation of the festival director Heiner Lünstedt in June in German appears.
In the Sudetendeutsches Haus (Hochstrasse 8) there is an exhibition on the graphic novel “The displaced children” with drawings by five Czech artists. And the Café Cosmos and the Bufet (Dachauer Straße 7 + 7a) show the exhibition from June 7th to July 14th “In The Gutter“, which also presents five Czech artists, Monika Baudišová, Štěpánka Jislová, Tomáš Kučerovský, Vojtěch Mašek and Lenka Šimečková.
History of Newspaper Comics
On June 5, the exhibition “Yes, We Käng” opens in the Amerikahaus.
(Photo: Bernd Kissel)
Comics became popular as a medium at the end of the 19th century through series such as “Yellow Kid” or “The Katzenjammer Kids”. These series were located in newspapers, which used the popular comics to attract customers. The exhibition “Yes, we kan“, which will open on June 5th at 7 p.m. in the Amerikahaus (Karolinenplatz 3), is dedicated to the history of cartoon comics in the form of historical newspaper pages, original drawings and rare collector’s items.
In addition to the early adventures of “Yellow Kid”, works by Lyonel Feiniger will be shown, as well as classics such as “Flash Gordon” and “Peanuts”. The “Kangaroo Comics” by Marc-Uwe Kling and Bernd Kissel are also represented, as is the series “Hägar the Terrible”, invented by Dik Browne 50 years ago. Current Hägar artist Gary Hallgren is a guest at the opening. Also in the Amerikahaus on June 10th will be the awarding of the PENG! prices instead of. The currently best comics are honored, Asterix translator Gudrun Penndorf receives the award for her life’s work.
Invasion from everyday life
Chronicler of the left and alternative scene: Gerhard Seyfried.
(Photo: Gerhard Seyfried / Comic Festival)
An exhibition of original drawings by Gerhard Seyfried that have never been shown publicly before has been on view in the Valentin-Karlstadt-Musäum (Im Tal 50) since May 11. The draftsman, born in Munich in 1948, was honored with the PENG! Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. Seyfried became known as a chronicler of the left and alternative scene, first in Munich and from 1976 in Berlin. There he used scissors and glue to put together the comic book “Wo shall das enden”, which became so successful that he was then able to afford a trip to San Francisco. In the exhibition you can see many of Seyfried’s typical hidden objects. There are “Freakadellen” and “Buletten” and in the pictures from the volume “Invasion from everyday life” from 1981, a group of left-wing freaks painted a visionary picture of the future after a joint.
Local Comic Heroes
“München 1945”, the six-volume comic by Sabrina Schmatz, is also available as a complete edition.
(Photo: Sabrina Schmatz / Comic Festival)
The local scene has from June 1st (opening at 7pm) to June 10th with exhibitions by Sabrina Schmatz, Florian Julino and Frank Schmolke in the city library in the Motorama (Rosenheimer Straße 30-32). Schmatz presents original drawings from her comic “München 1945”, which was first published in six volumes and then as a complete edition. Florian Julino is a graphic designer, illustrator and comic artist and has worked for comic series such as “Fix und Foxi”, “Uli” and “Klara Fall”. Among other things, original drawings from his well-known “Pumuckl” adaptation can be seen in the Motorama. Frank Schmolke had his breakthrough with the graphic novel “Nights in Paradise” about a taxi driver, which will soon be available as a streaming series with Jürgen Vogel. He is currently working on illustrations for the State Archaeological Collection. In the exhibition he shows drawings from various works.
Egyptians and Pirates
One of the greats in the Italian comic scene is Manuele Fior. In Germany he became known in 2010 with his congenial adaptation of the Arthur Schnitzler novel “Fräulein Else”. The Istituto Italiano (Hermann-Schmid-Straße 8), which is taking part in the festival for the first time this year, is showing a from June 8th to July 7th Selection of drawingswhich also includes images from Fior’s recently published German work “Hypericum“. In it, the Italian interweaves a love story in Berlin in the late 1990s with the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in impressive images.
“Warship Jolly Roger” – a wild science fiction adventure by Miki Montlló and Silvain Runberg.
(Photo: Miki Montlló / Comic Festival)
From June 5th to July 4th, the Instituto Cervantes hosts an exhibition entitled “Warship Jolly Roger” with drawings by Miki Montllo to see. “Warship Jolly Roger” is a four-volume wild sci-fi adventure from Miki Montlló and author Silvain Runberg about a former war hero who makes his living as a pirate. There will be a panel discussion with Montlló on June 9th at 4 p.m.
Animation Festival Munich
The history of animation films goes back a long way. As early as 1877, the Frenchman Émile Reynaud created the first animated images for his praxinoscope. Winsor McCay’s animated films became very popular in 1911, and Walt Disney hit the big time in 1927 with the first Mickey Mouse Movie “Steam Boat Willie”. Comparable classics of the American cartoon film are now available at the first Animation Festival Munich to see. The festival, organized by the Munich animation filmmaker Caroline Hamann, has its premiere on June 11th in the Werkstattkino (Fraunhoferstraße 9). It starts at 2.30 p.m. with a one-hour children’s film program, followed by sand animations, “Motionless Movies”, international short films and finally the Czech feature film “Alois Nebel” based on the comic of the same name by Jaromír 99 and Jaroslav Rudiš. Caroline Hamann’s vision: to make the Animation Festival Munich a permanent fixture in local cultural life, just like the Comic Festival has been for years.
Comic Festival Munich 2023, Stadtbibliothek im Gasteig HP8 and other locations, June 8th to 11th, all information and events at comicfestival-muenchen.de