Germany Has Comics. Germany Has Comic Magazines. The UK Has....

Last year I mentioned the German Zack comics I'd bought and I think it worth re-posting to make a certain point.

Zack....I Go To Bed With A Good Read Tonight!

The Zack comics I bought cover 1978, 1979 and 1980 and even with a tear on one cover are LOVELY!

These bring back memories and I wish I had enough cash when they  started to published Zack again in...I covered this in Comic Bits number 1...1999 (?) and IF I have this right, if it is still published it would be up to issue nummer 200 or so by now.  I'll need to do a search.

Anyway, some photos of what I got!

Blogger Subzero pointed out that the title -relaunched from number 1, was probably at no. 191 or 192. It is currently up to no. 202 and there are various Specials featuring specific characters. So how can a country seen as traditionally looking down at comics have an anthology comic and special issues that has reached over 200 issues?

ZACK - Das Magazin für europäische Comic-Kultur. Zack -The magazine for European Comic Culture.

Let me tell you, since the 1990s things have changed. More people in Germany are self publishing or having a go at making comics. Oh, and the UK has Egmont who produce merchandise advertising mags -not comics- so how come in Europe, and Germany in particular, there is Egmont Manga, Egmont Graphic Novels and more?

Oh, and they have comic mags/fanzines....

Deutschsprachige Comics at Goethe.de: http://www.goethe.de/kue/lit/prj/com/ccs/czd/enindex.htm

Comix /Comixene

Two comic magazines that complement each other: getting to know new comics and reading wonderful stories – the magazine Comix provides both. The magazine above all offers previews of comic series by German artists and contains reviews.



Comixene reports on current developments and trends in the comic scene. The title stories of the A4-format trade magazine range from superheroes to manga and comic films. In addition, comic artists are portrayed, books reviewed and exhibitions presented. Once every two years, the magazine serves as official catalogue of the Comicsalon Erlangen and at that time contains detailed information on exhibitors and dealers, publishers, artists and events. The first issue appeared in 1973, Comixene has been published by JNK Verlag since 2003.
Located in: Lehrte
Published by: Martin Jurgeit, Jörg Krisman and Claudia Nobst
Frequency of publication: 6 times a year 

 

And the UK has............

 

Merchandise advertising mags and the jokers up in Dundee.

 

IPCs own CEO made it very clear to me in writing that the company has been out of the comics publishing business for over 35 years. It's not jumping back in.

We have Panini UK which is a reprints company but the UK has a long history of reprinting US comics. Now I tried several times to get behind Panini and push/support their comics.  Sadly, Panini were not interested. Their decision. Not seen Panini books in newsagents or anywhere other than W.H. Smiths but I guess they are surviving without me!

I have said it many, many times but the problem is that any decent comics pro was booted out of companies in the UK in the early 2000s. Having talked to -documented on CBO in the past- some of those involved now they do not even know the UK had weekly comics -"I wasn't even born back then!" is a phrase I find annoying.

I also think that what I wrote about comic fandom -some of the highest views of any CBO posting- is true. Why don't we have a comic fanzine?  Ignore the former over-priced, comes-in-a-card envelope glossy mag, forget the "we got it all out of previews" one.  I am talking genuine comic fan produced fanzines.

No, those into comics in the UK don't want to do the work. It's so "stressful" for the poor loves. I think it is about time we got a fanzine back though....what can it comment on based on UK comics other than history?