At the Munich Comic Festival, held from 20 to 23 June 2019 at the Alte Kongresshalle (Old Congress Hall) and other Munich locations, comic fans could get to know the European answer to the superheroines and superheroes of the Marvel universe.
Forget Captain America and Spider-Man – now Tracht Man is here to save the world! The one and only Bavarian superhero since the Smith of Kochel is supported by the Austrian Superheroes and the Liga Deutscher Helden (League of German Heroes).
There is a lively comic scene in Munich, which enjoys the support of the city’s Department of Arts and Culture. The tradition of the biennial comic festival dates back to 1985 when the first Münchner Comic-Tage (Munich Comic Days) were held in the then newly inaugurated Gasteig cultural centre. Actually, the origins can be traced back much further – to 1974, the year in which a large exhibition entitled “Comics” was held at the Münchner Stadtmuseum (Municipal Museum of Munich), including trade fair stands of renowned comic publishing houses.
Since 2015 the Alte Kongresshalle in the Theresienhöhe district of Munich has provided the ideal backdrop for the constantly growing event, which includes exhibitions, autograph sessions, artist talks, drawing classes, award ceremonies, and a trade fair with comic publishers from Germany and abroad. The beautiful beer garden just around the corner is an invaluable bonus for the organisers of the comic festival. It functions perfectly as the unofficial hub and meeting point for visitors and staff.
The exhibitions in the Alte Kongresshalle were dedicated to the guest nation Taiwan, where a fascinating comic scene flourishes. Visitors could see works by the late Grand Master Chen Uen, as well as drawings of the present artists Jimmy Liao, Sean Chuang and the young comic artist 61Chi. In addition, many other exhibitions could be seen in locations throughout Munich.
The Valentin Karstadt Musäum, for instance, showed the best drawings from the Titanic, a satirical magazine. Caricatures by Dieter Hanitzsch will be on display at the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum until the beginning of 2020. At the Institut français de Munich you could find out why Lucky Luke changed saddles from his faithful steed Jolly Jumper to a bicycle. At the comic exchange at the TonHalle near Ostbahnhof railway station, collectors could browse to their heart’s content for rarities.
