Mosaik
Encyclopedia
Mosaik is a German
comic book
. First published in December 1955, it is the longest-running German (and Europe
an) monthly comic book and the only one originating in East Germany that still exists. Mosaik also appeared in other countries and other languages. In its English-language edition
it was published under the title Mosaic.
Mosaik was created by illustrator
and caricaturist Hannes Hegen
. From 1955 to 1975, the protagonists of Mosaik were Dig, Dag and Digedag, known together as the Digedags. They were replaced in 1976 by Abrax, Brabax and Califax, known together as the Abrafaxe, who are still the main characters today.
More than 200 million issues have been sold from 1955 until today. At the height of its popularity, prior to German reunification
, Mosaik had a print run of almost a million copies per month. After reunification, the print run has varied from more than 100,000 in the early 1990s to about 80,000 in 2007.
, had wanted to counter Western comics and magazines with a magazine of their own when Hannes Hegen approached them with his ideas for Mosaik and the Digedags. Reaching an agreement with Neues Leben, Hegen created the first issue of Mosaik for publishing in December 1955. Mosaik was published quarterly until July 1957, when it switched to a monthly schedule that has continued uninterrupted to this day. To support the schedule, the publisher hired additional artists, colorists and writers to support Hegen - a team which became known as the Mosaik-Kollektiv (Mosaik Collective). Only Hegen was credited on the cover, however.
market. An agreement had been reached to publish the comic books in the US; however, because of the US policy
of economic embargo
policy
against Eastern European states
in the Cold War
, the contract could not be fulfilled.
Ten anthology volumes of Hegen's Mosaik were published in English for the international
market under the name Mosaic Comic Books:
In the mid-1980s, 42 Mosaic books were published in English in the GDR for India
. There is also a promotional flyer
for these issues, which states that the Mosaic with the Abrafaxe is published in English and Arabic in addition to German, advertises for subscriptions, and includes an order form.
Wikitable>
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
. First published in December 1955, it is the longest-running German (and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an) monthly comic book and the only one originating in East Germany that still exists. Mosaik also appeared in other countries and other languages. In its English-language edition
Edition
In printmaking, an edition is a number of prints struck from one plate, usually at the same time. This is the meaning covered by this article...
it was published under the title Mosaic.
Mosaik was created by illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and caricaturist Hannes Hegen
Hannes Hegen
Hannes Hegen is a German illustrator and caricaturist and is most famous for creating the East German comic book Mosaik and its original protagonists, the Digedags.He studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig...
. From 1955 to 1975, the protagonists of Mosaik were Dig, Dag and Digedag, known together as the Digedags. They were replaced in 1976 by Abrax, Brabax and Califax, known together as the Abrafaxe, who are still the main characters today.
More than 200 million issues have been sold from 1955 until today. At the height of its popularity, prior to German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, Mosaik had a print run of almost a million copies per month. After reunification, the print run has varied from more than 100,000 in the early 1990s to about 80,000 in 2007.
Digedags years
The East German publisher Verlag Neues Leben, in East BerlinEast Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
, had wanted to counter Western comics and magazines with a magazine of their own when Hannes Hegen approached them with his ideas for Mosaik and the Digedags. Reaching an agreement with Neues Leben, Hegen created the first issue of Mosaik for publishing in December 1955. Mosaik was published quarterly until July 1957, when it switched to a monthly schedule that has continued uninterrupted to this day. To support the schedule, the publisher hired additional artists, colorists and writers to support Hegen - a team which became known as the Mosaik-Kollektiv (Mosaik Collective). Only Hegen was credited on the cover, however.
Abrafaxe years
In 1975, Hegen left the publisher over a disagreement and took the rights to the Digedags characters with him. The Mosaik-Kollektiv, not wanting to end publication of Mosaik, together created new characters to replace the Digedags. The final versions of the Abrafaxe were created by writer Lothar Dräger and artist Lona Rietschel. During the half-year period of creating the new characters and stories, reprints of old Digedags stories were run in Mosaik, until the new characters premiered in January 1976.English-language editions
The English editions of Mosaik have mostly appeared mostly under the name Mosaic. Of Hannes Hegen's Mosaik, issue 105, Die Seeräuberburg, was issued in a limited run in 1965 in English as The Pirates Castle. According to a former staff member at the publishing house, this was intended as a promotional issue for the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market. An agreement had been reached to publish the comic books in the US; however, because of the US policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
of economic embargo
Embargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
against Eastern European states
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the contract could not be fulfilled.
Ten anthology volumes of Hegen's Mosaik were published in English for the international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
market under the name Mosaic Comic Books:
- The Digedags in America
- The Digedags on the Mississippi
- The Digedags and the Indians
- The Digedags in the Rocky Mountains
- The Digedags in New Orleans
- The Digedags on the Missouri
- The Digedags and the Golden Treasure
- The Digedags in Panama
- The Digedags and the Pirate Island
- The Digedags in New York
In the mid-1980s, 42 Mosaic books were published in English in the GDR for India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. There is also a promotional flyer
Flyer (pamphlet)
__notoc__A flyer or flier, also called a circular, handbill or leaflet, is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution and typically posted or distributed in public place....
for these issues, which states that the Mosaic with the Abrafaxe is published in English and Arabic in addition to German, advertises for subscriptions, and includes an order form.
| 55 > English Number | 55 > German Number | 220 > English Title | 220 > German Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center > 1 | Center > 9/84 | Pursuit Of Robbers | Den Räubern Auf Den Fersen |
| Center > 2 | Center > 10/84 | As Prisoners Of Amazonians | Als Gefangene Der Amazonen |
| Center > 3 | Center > 11/84 | Alexandra And Roxane | Roxane Und Alexander |
| Center > 4 | Center > 12/84 | The Temple Of Vishnu | Der Tempel Des Wischnu |
| Center > 5 | Center > 1/85 | Devta's Doot | Der Götterbote |
| Center > 6 | Center > 2/85 | Deported | Abgeschoben |
| Center > 7 | Center > 3/85 | Marriage Proposal | Die Brautwerbung |
| Center > 8 | Center > 4/85 | In The Diamond Mine | In Der Diamantenmine |
| Center > 9 | Center > 5/85 | Escaped Into The Desert | Ausbruch In Die Wüste |
| Center > 10 | Center > 6/85 | The Ship Of Nearchos | Das Schiff Des Nearchos |
| Center > 11 | Center > 7/85 | On The Salt Lake | Auf Dem Salzsee |
| Center > 12 | Center > 8/85 | Trick And Counter Trick | List Und Gegenlist |
| Center > 13 | Center > 9/85 | In Great Danger | In Großer Gefahr |
| Center > 14 | Center > 10/85 | Monastery In The Mountains | Das Kloster In Den Bergen |
| Center > 15 | Center > 11/85 | The Fulfilment Of Prophesy | Die Erfüllte Weissagung |
| Center > 16 | Center > 12/85 | King Alexandra | König Alexander |
| Center > 17 | Center > 1/86 | Mysterious Hermit | Der Rätselhafte Einsiedler |
| Center > 18 | Center > 2/86 | In The Empire Of Yeti | Im Reich Des Yeti |
| Center > 19 | Center > 3/86 | Abducted And Wanted | Entführt Und Gesucht |
| Center > 20 | Center > 4/86 | The Mystery Of Brahman | Das Geheimnis Des Brahmanen |
| Center > 21 | Center > 5/86 | On The Ganges | Auf Dem Ganges |
| Center > 22 | Center > 6/86 | A Juggling Trick | Ein Gauklertrick |
| Center > 23 | Center > 7/86 | Tiger Hunt In Jungle | Tigerjagd Im Dschungel |
| Center > 24 | Center > 8/86 | In A Predicament | In Schwieriger Lage |
| Center > 25 | Center > 9/86 | Chamatkarak | Der Wundertäter |
| Center > 26 | Center > 10/86 | Kings Of The Poor | Der König Der Armen |
| Center > 27 | Center > 11/86 | In The Bay Of Bengal | Am Bengalischen Meer |
| Center > 28 | Center > 12/86 | Last Miracle | Das Letzte Wunder |
| Center > 29 | Center > 1/87 | A New Puzzle | Ein Neues Rätsel |
| Center > 30 | Center > 2/87 | The Disappeared Treasure | Der Verschwundene Staatsschatz |
| Center > 31 | Center > 3/87 | Unexpected Rescue | Unerwartete Rettung |
| Center > 32 | Center > 4/87 | New From Roxania | Neues Aus Roxanien |
| Center > 33 | Center > 5/87 | Cheats Among Themselves | Gauner Unter Sich |
| Center > 34 | Center > 6/87 | Golden Pillar | Die Goldene Säule |
| Center > 35 | Center > 7/87 | Buried Hopes | Verschüttete Hoffnungen |
| Center > 36 | Center > 8/87 | Missing In Jungle | Im Dschungel Verschollen |
| Center > 37 | Center > 9/87 | Master Of Animal | Der Herr Der Tiere |
| Center > 38 | Center > 10/87 | The Last Chance | Die Letzte Chance |
| Center > 39 | Center > 11/87 | The Siege | Die Belagerung |
| Center > 43 | Center > 12/85 | A Happy End | Ein Glückliches Ende |
| Center > 41 | Center > 1/89 | Orang Laut | Die Orang Laut |
| Center > 42 | Center > 2/88 | A Crazy Invention | Eine Tolle Erfindung |
Other known foreign-language publications
Reissues of Mosaik magazines and books have appeared in many different countries, almost always in the respective national language.- AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
- Mozaik comic magazine (1971)
- BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(Mosaik in Dutch languageDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
)- Mosaic book - Dig en Dag op Stap (1972 - 1978?)
- Mosaic anthology - Dig en Dag op Stap (1978)
- Mosaic-Books
- Een Stripboek - Dikkerdaks In America
- Een Stripboek - Dikkerdaks Aan Mississippi
- ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
- Mosaik books (2000–present)
- Mosaik Albums
- Mosaik Onepager
- CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
- Mozaik books 1- (2004–present, bimonthly)
- CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
- Newspaper Reprints Comic magazine of the Czechoslovak Communist Youth Organization Pionýr with Rytíř Runkl - Ritter Runkel (1968)
- Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
- Albums (2003–present)
- Congo - Abrafaxové v Africe
- Small detectives
- Onepager
- Mateřídouška (Onepager - from # 9 / 2005)
- FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
- Mosaiikki - Mosaik comic magazine (1962-1967)
- Mosaic-Books
- Mosaiikki (1980 - 7 Books)
- FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Hollywood Pursuit 2 (1998)
- GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
- Mosaic books and Mosaik comic magazine (2001–present)
- HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- Mozaik comic magazine 1971 - 1976 Digedags, 1976–1990 and 2001–present Abrafaxe
- Mosaic-Books:
- Digedagék Amerikában (1987)
- Detektív Palánták: Forró nyomon a három manó (2001)
- Na még egyszer Robin! (2002)
- Kongó (2003)
- Vitorlát fel, Robin! (2006)
- Mozaik books of Abrafaxe and Digedags (2006–present): reprints of previously published books in anthologies
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- Mosaic - 1-42 in English (1986)
- IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
- Abrafaxe issues
- Mosaik Abrafaxe - 1-6 (2001–2002)
- Albums – Among black flag (2002) - The Abrafaxe - Harta karun
- KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
- Mosaic books - 1 - (2003–present)
- LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
- Mosaik- released in Arabic (1984)
- RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
- Mozaic comic magazine 1-3 (2005–2006)
- RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Mosaika - comic magazine No. 1-14 (1993–1994) in RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
- New Life (Journal of the German-speaking population of Russia) – The journey of Abrafaxe to Goslar (in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
)
- Mosaika - comic magazine No. 1-14 (1993–1994) in Russian
- SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
- Onepager (2003–present)
- Hepko (Slovene edition)
- Happy (English edition)
- SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- Various Mosaik albums in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and CatalanCatalan languageCatalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
(2004–present)
- Various Mosaik albums in Spanish
- TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
- Abrafaxe issues
- Bacaxizlar 1 - (2001/ # 1-8)
- YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
- Mozaik - in *Serbo-CroatianSerbo-CroatianSerbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
(1971)
- Mozaik - in *Serbo-Croatian
- VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
- Mosaik comic magazine - 1-8 (2005–present)
Sources
- Matthias Friske. Die Geschichte des MOSAIK von Hannes Hegen: eine Comic-Legende in der DDR. Berlin: Lukas, 2008. ISBN 9783867320344.
- Mark Lehmstedt: Die geheime Geschichte der Digedags. Die Publikations- und Zensurgeschichte des Mosaik von Hannes Hegen, Leipzig 2010, Lehmstedt Verlag, ISBN 978-3-937146-99-7.