| Tok Tok | |
| Frequency: | Quarterly |
| Category: | Comic magazine |
| Founded: | 2011 |
| Finaldate: | October 2020 |
| Finalnumber: | 16 |
| Country: | Egypt |
| Based: | Cairo |
| Language: | Arabic |
| Website: | Tok Tok |
Tok Tok was a quarterly Arabic comic magazine published in Cairo, Egypt. It was the first independent self-published comic magazine in the country and was in circulation between 10 January 2011 and 2020.
Tok Tok was first published on 10 January 2011.[1] [2] [3] The founders of the magazine were five Egyptian graphic artists, namely Shennawy, Makhlouf, Hisham Rahma, Andil, and Tawfeek.[4] They were also contributors of the magazine which funded itself.[5] [6] However, later the magazine was financially supported by the European Union.[7] The goal of the magazine was to offer a forum for Egypt's comic scene and for informing people about their predecessors using comics and graphics.[8]
The title of the magazine, Tok Tok, is a three-wheeled covered scooter used as a main method of motorized transportation in areas and roads in Egyptian cities where cars cannot be used.[2] The magazine’s tagline was “the stop for graphic stories”[2] and the cover page also contains the statement, “to be kept out of the reach of children”.[9]
The target audience of Tok Tok were adults.[4] Based in Cairo, the magazine contained graphic short stories[10] and satirical comics.[11] The stories published were mostly about love, joblessness, the attitudes of the elders and the authorities or the chaos of Cairo.[12] The characters featured in the magazine were from the local heritage and experiences.[13]
Tok Tok was supported by various European cultural institutes during its lifetime.[14] In 2011, the magazine won the second prize in the best independent comic magazine section at the Algiers International Comics Festival in Algeria (FIBDA).[11] [15] The last issue of Tok Tok, #16, was published in October 2020.