Hello From Germany

[Jhary]

Hi im new in the DCM i´m from germany if you have questions ask-

[Yoc]

Welcome J!
So, how did you hear about the site?

[jfglade]

Hi im new in the DCM i´m from germany if you have questions ask-

 Welcome and I'll take you up on the offer. I know Westerns literature and movies are very popular in Germany; I live in Wyoming and I'm amazed at the number of German tourists who go through the "city" I live in (population: 15,000 in the summer, fewer in the winter). I have seen a few German comics and I know that Western comics are a strong genre, if not the most popular genre. What other genre of comics sell well in Germany? We have a couple of German fans of Horror comics and they are a lot of fun but I'm not sure they represent anything but their own tastes or is Horror popular there too? Disney? Even just a few words about German comics would be appreciated.

 I hope you enjoy the group.

 Take care,
Jon

[tilliban]

Hurz!
Noch ein Deutscher? / Another German?

I'm active since summer 2011 on DCM - a very friendly place with fantastic opportunities.
I run a German horror comic website: www.fifties-horror.de - might take a look there.

Concerning that question above about German comics:
It's mostly import. US-American, French, Japanese... you name it, we read it.

But there's a small underground publisher doing fantastic horror stuff - right in the spirit of EC.
In German. Have a click here:
https://weissblechcomics.com/home/neu_erschienen

Might be fun for all American readers as well.

[Gerbiderbi]

Ach, Du auch hier?! 

I am the mentioned publisher, and from time to time I like to download some golden age comic-books from the DCM ...

For the german comic-market:

It is dominated by three companies, which put out mostly (if not only) foreign material; there is Panini, which publishes the most US-Comics (that means they are publishing Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, IDW, Bongo and some more, all in one publishing house), their most popular books are The Simpsons (which sold here up to 160000 at its peak, which is far more than in US, as I know) and Star Wars.
The biggest is Ehapa/Egmont, which publishes mainly Disney-stuff.
In fact, Disney-Comics (especially Donald Duck) are the most popular comic-books in germany (not western; in fact, western comics are very few here, and they are oddly enough mostly produced in france), there is a weekly magazine called Micky Maus which is now being published for 60 years, and the even more popular monthly paperback "Lustige Taschenbücher" (sells about 250000, about 450 issues so far) plus a lot of other Duck-related books from collections of famous artist like Carl Barks to special editions featuring the adventures of the Fleagle Boys or something.
All the bigger companies have no policy for publishing comics originated in germany, even if they are publishing an occasional one from time to time.

The publishing houses which are producing original german comics are few, and most of them are small underground or independent-publishers like my company (with a meager output of 10 books a year), with one exception: The guys of Mosaik, they are putting out a monthly comic book (which is kind of a leftover of the GDR) on a very professional basis ...

There were some publishers during the 50s and 60s publishing homegrown comics, mainly featuring the tame adventures of knights and jungle heroes, or some SF-heroes. A lot of this stuff was drawn and written by just one man, Hansrudi Wäscher.
With the advent of US-Comics in germany during the 60s (by then western was very popular here) this kind of comics died out. Mainly because the imported stuff was far superior to the often crudely drawn comics of german origin.
   
 

[Yoc]

Welcome Gerbiderbi,
and thanks very much for that history lesson on German comics!

[OtherEric]

When I was much younger (around 1980), my family lived in Munich for a few years.  I still have the 50 or so Lustige Taschenbücher I collected back then; they helped me learn how to read German.  I understand the newer editions are all in color, at least; when I was getting them they were half Black & White.  Some wonderful fun stuff.

I also read Micky Maus regularly, as well as Yps.  Unfortunately I didn't keep those.  We were worried about shipping costs when we moved back; I had to fight my parents to keep the Lustige Taschenbücher and my American Star Wars run.

[tilliban]

@Gerbiderbi: I’m using three identities on the internet, so we might meet again – unknowingly.

@OtherEric: Lustige Taschenbücher are a ‘must’ for every German boy. Commiserations for reading YPS (the comic with gimmick, harhar), but I did as well.

Did none of you read ZACK?!
I'm always shocked to hear people did NOT read ZACK! Best German comic book ever.
I was a big fan of ZACK!
(a bi-weekly sample comic book like the French PILOTE, containing all those wonderful Franco-Belgian highlights: Lucky Luke, Blueberry, Comanche, Andy Morgan, Luc Orient, Mick Tanguy… those are mainly the German names, don’t just now know the originals…)

[paw broon]

Hello, I'm not long back from a week in Koln, with my wife and when I could persuade her to go shopping, I slipped off and visited 2 comic shops and they were great - helpful, knowledgeable, good stock and, most importantly for me, old German comics, many by Hansrudi Wascher (sorry, don't know how to put an umlaut on). 
I collect Piccolos, from Netherlands, Spain, Italy etc. and was excited to find German issues, both originals and reprints.  I also bought collections of Nick, Buffalo Bill and Sigurd plus some Bastei Phantom comics (reprinting some Scandinavian stories, among others), an old Phantom (90 pfennig) and an old Rip Korby (not a spelling mistake). The shops were full of Manga and American titles, in English and German. No use to me so I bought some old Bastei comics that I hadn't seen since we used to take holidays in Germany years ago. Great fun. Saw Zack at the station and was stupid enough not to buy it.
Good food, beer, wine, Christmas markets and comics.  Can't beat it.

[OtherEric]

@OtherEric: Lustige Taschenbücher are a ‘must’ for every German boy. Commiserations for reading YPS (the comic with gimmick, harhar), but I did as well.

I fondly remember some of the gimmicks, at least.  And at least occasionally we got Asterix or Lucky Luke in YPS, so it wasn't all bad.

[JVJ (RIP)]

I've loved ZACK, too, Tilliban.
I have issues 17-48, 50-53.

(|:{>

[tilliban]

I've loved ZACK, too, Tilliban.
I have issues 17-48, 50-53.

Just when you think I have something he doesn't - he has it!
Aaarrrgh.

@paw broon: Here are some Umlaute for you: Hansrudi Wäscher / Köln.
I live in Köln, that's amazing!
Best comic shop I know is located in Bonn, though.
Bonner Comicladen on the Oxfordstrasse.
Spacious rooms, beautiful displays, enormous assortment and an unbelievably experienced owner.
Greetings to Jörg (another Umlaut there, cool)

[narfstar]

Here is an invite to the GCD at www.comics.org
Please help to make sure all of your German comics are indexed.
Gerbiderbi we love to have publisher/contributers to comics make sure their works are represented and correct. Please check out www.comics.org to help make everything correct. There are only a few of your books indexed at all. There are titles and covers missing. GCD is a respected and heavily used comic book research resource. Having all your books represented correctly is important to us and you. Please help out by making sure all your books are indexed and indexed correctly. Everyone who has been around here long knows this is not spam but legitimate. thanks Jim

[bcholmes]

Here is an invite to the GCD at www.comic.org

I think you mean www.comics.org (with an 's' on the end).

BCing you

[narfstar]

yes thanks fixed