Four-Color Communism: Comic Books and Contested Power in the German Democratic Republic

230 Pages·2021·2.192 MB·English

by  Sean Eedy

Four-Color Communism

Four-Color Communism
Comic Books and Contested Power
in the German Democratic Republic
i
Sean Eedy
berghahn
N E W Y O R K (cid:129) O X F O R D
www.berghahnbooks.com
First published in 2021 by
Berghahn Books
www.berghahnbooks.com
© 2021 Sean Eedy
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages
for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book
may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented,
without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Eedy, Sean, author.
Title: Four-Color Communism: Comic Books and Contested Power
in the German Democratic Republic / Sean Eedy.
Description: 1st. | New York: Berghahn Books, 2021. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2020054287 (print) | LCCN 2020054288 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781800730007 (hardback) | ISBN 9781800730014 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Comic books, strips, etc.—Germany (East)—History
and criticism. | Literature and society—Germany (East)
Classifi cation: LCC PN6755 .E37 2021 (print) | LCC PN6755 (ebook) |
DDC 741.5/9431—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020054287
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020054288
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-80073-000-7 hardback
ISBN 978-1-80073-001-4 ebook
For Debbie, my Liebling

Contents
i
List of Illustrations viii
Acknowledgments ix
List of Abbreviations and Terms x
Introduction. Comics at the Intersection of State Power
and Childhood 1
1. Comics and the Crisis of Kultur in the SED State 21
2. State Power and the East German Zeitgeist 64
3. Power, Eigensinn, and the Construction of Space
through Comics 96
4. Escape, Escapism, and the Cultural Imperialism of
Comic Book Travel in Mosaik and Atze 132
5. Western Infl uence, Popular Taste, and the Limitations
of the FDJ’s Publishing Regime 160
Conclusion. Contesting SED Power in the Comic Book Space 188
Bibliography 194
Index 211
Illustrations
i
1.1. M ap of the Römer-Serie, Mosaik von Hannes Hegen
24 (November 1958). 25
1.2. “In Grauer Zeit” (In the Stone Age), Mosaik von
Hannes Hegen 73 (December 1962): 23. 40
1.3. Fix und Fax 348, Atze 12 (1986). 50
1.4. “Das Gespenst auf dem Fahrrad” (Spirit on the Bicycle),
Atze 12 (1986). 55
2.1. “Notlandung auf dem Mars” (Emergency Landing on Mars),
Mosaik von Hannes Hegen 26 (January 1959): 12. 72
2.2. “Die Entführung ins All” (The Abduction into Space),
Mosaik von Hannes Hegen 25 (December 1958): 10. 74
2.3. “Die Entführung ins All” (The Abduction into Space),
Mosaik von Hannes Hegen 25 (December 1958): 12. 76
2.4. Fix und Fax 116, Atze 9 (1967). 82
2.5. Gojko Mitić at the Frösi-treff , March 1981. 86
3.1. Pats Reiseabenteuer 240: “Das schönste Fest” (The Most
Beautiful Celebration), Atze 12 (1986). 103
3.2. Max und Maxi 75, Atze 12 (1986). 104
4.1. “Das Turnier zu Venedig” (The Tournament in Venice),
Mosaik von Hannes Hegen 90 (May 1964): 15. 137
4.2. “Die Grosse Herausforderung” (The Great Challenge),
Mosaik von Hannes Hegen 153 (August 1969): 9. 138
4.3. Fix und Fax 32: “Ballonfahrt” (Balloon trip), Atze 8 (1960). 148
Acknowledgments
i
The author would like to thank the following for their assistance, their
suggestions, their criticisms, and their support for my earlier work and
with the completion of this book: José Alaniz, John D. Benjamin, James
Casteel, Chris Chapel, Cristina Cuevas-Wolf at the Wende Museum,
Jennifer Evans, Jane Freeland, Martina and Günther Fuhlbrügge, Mel
Gibson, Michael Goodrum, Mykelin Higham, David Hall, Gregor Hock
and Petra Schmiech at Tessloff Verlag, Carolyn Kay, Sonja Klocke, Mar-
tha Kuhlman, the Kunow family, Peter Lorenz at Comicbibliothek Re-
nate, Paul M. Malone, Dominique Marshall, Jennifer Rodgers, Corey
Ross, Philip Smith, Ewa Stańczyk, Brett Sterling, Neil Thornton, Guido
Weißhahn, Benjamin Woo, my readers at Berghahn, and the staff at the
Bundesarchiv-Berlin-Lichterfelde.
Abbreviations and Terms
i
Abbreviations
CCA Comics Code Authority
DEFA German Film Joint Stock Company (Deutsche
Film-Aktiengesellschaft)
DFD Democratic Women’s League of Germany (Demokratischer
Frauenbund Deutschlands)
DFF East German Television Broadcasting (Deutsche
Fernsehfunk)
DM Deutsche Mark
FDGB Free German Trade Union Federation (Freier Deutsche
Gewerkschaftsbund)
FDJ Free German Youth (Freie Deutsche Jugend)
FRG Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
GDR German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
HV Offi ce of Publishers and Booksellers (Hauptverwaltung
Verlage und Buchhandel)
JP Ernst Thälmann Young Pioneers (Junge Pioniere, also
Thälmann Pioniere)
KPD Communist Party of Germany (Kommunistische Partei
Deutschlands)
M East German Mark (Ostmark)
SBZ Soviet Zone of Occupation (Sowjetische Besatzungszone)
SED Socialist Unity Party of Germany (Sozialistiche Einheitspartei
Deutschlands)