Mosaik Explained

For other uses see Mosaik (disambiguation).

Mosaik is a German comic book magazine. First published in December 1955, it is the longest-running German (and European) 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.[1]

Digedags years

The East German publisher Verlag Neues Leben, in East Berlin, 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 States 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:

  1. The Digedags in America
  2. The Digedags on the Mississippi
  3. The Digedags and the Indians
  4. The Digedags in the Rocky Mountains
  5. The Digedags in New Orleans
  6. The Digedags on the Missouri
  7. The Digedags and the Golden Treasure
  8. The Digedags in Panama
  9. The Digedags and the Pirate Island
  10. The Digedags in New York

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.

Width=55 English NumberWidth=55 German NumberWidth=220 English TitleWidth=220 German Title
Align=Center 1Align=Center 9/84Pursuit Of RobbersDen Räubern Auf Den Fersen
Align=Center 2Align=Center 10/84As Prisoners Of AmazoniansAls Gefangene Der Amazonen
Align=Center 3Align=Center 11/84Alexandra And RoxaneRoxane Und Alexander
Align=Center 4Align=Center 12/84The Temple Of VishnuDer Tempel Des Wischnu
Align=Center 5Align=Center 1/85Devta's DootDer Götterbote
Align=Center 6Align=Center 2/85DeportedAbgeschoben
Align=Center 7Align=Center 3/85Marriage ProposalDie Brautwerbung
Align=Center 8Align=Center 4/85In The Diamond MineIn Der Diamantenmine
Align=Center 9Align=Center 5/85Escaped Into The DesertAusbruch In Die Wüste
Align=Center 10Align=Center 6/85The Ship Of NearchosDas Schiff Des Nearchos
Align=Center 11Align=Center 7/85On The Salt LakeAuf Dem Salzsee
Align=Center 12Align=Center 8/85Trick And Counter TrickList Und Gegenlist
Align=Center 13Align=Center 9/85In Great DangerIn Großer Gefahr
Align=Center 14Align=Center 10/85Monastery In The MountainsDas Kloster In Den Bergen
Align=Center 15Align=Center 11/85The Fulfilment Of ProphesyDie Erfüllte Weissagung
Align=Center 16Align=Center 12/85King AlexandraKönig Alexander
Align=Center 17Align=Center 1/86Mysterious HermitDer Rätselhafte Einsiedler
Align=Center 18Align=Center 2/86In The Empire Of YetiIm Reich Des Yeti
Align=Center 19Align=Center 3/86Abducted And WantedEntführt Und Gesucht
Align=Center 40Align=Center 4/86The Mystery Of BrahmanDas Geheimnis Des Brahmanen
Align=Center 21Align=Center 5/86On The GangesAuf Dem Ganges
Align=Center 22Align=Center 6/86A Juggling TrickEin Gauklertrick
Align=Center 23Align=Center 7/86Tiger Hunt In JungleTigerjagd Im Dschungel
Align=Center 24Align=Center 8/86In A PredicamentIn Schwieriger Lage
Align=Center 25Align=Center 9/86ChamatkarakDer Wundertäter
Align=Center 26Align=Center 10/86Kings Of The PoorDer König Der Armen
Align=Center 35Align=Center 11/86In The Bay Of BengalAm Bengalischen Meer
Align=Center 28Align=Center 12/86Last MiracleDas Letzte Wunder
Align=Center 29Align=Center 1/87A New PuzzleEin Neues Rätsel
Align=Center 30Align=Center 2/87The Disappeared TreasureDer Verschwundene Staatsschatz
Align=Center 31Align=Center 3/87Unexpected RescueUnerwartete Rettung
Align=Center 32Align=Center 4/87New From RoxaniaNeues Aus Roxanien
Align=Center 33Align=Center 5/87Cheats Among ThemselvesGauner Unter Sich
Align=Center 34Align=Center 6/87Golden PillarDie Goldene Säule
Align=Center 35Align=Center 7/87Buried HopesVerschüttete Hoffnungen
Align=Center 36Align=Center 8/87Missing In JungleIm Dschungel Verschollen
Align=Center 37Align=Center 9/87Master Of AnimalDer Herr Der Tiere
Align=Center 38Align=Center 10/87The Last ChanceDie Letzte Chance
Align=Center 39Align=Center 11/87The SiegeDie Belagerung
Align=Center 43Align=Center 12/85A Happy EndEin Glückliches Ende
Align=Center 41Align=Center 1/89Orang LautDie Orang Laut
Align=Center 42Align=Center 2/88A Crazy InventionEine 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.

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: PZ-Online media data. 29 July 2007.

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