What are the origins of comics? The cave paintings of Lascaux, the hieroglyphs in Egypt, or the Bayeux Tapestry? Comics became popular in the United States at the end of the 19th century when newspapers became a mass medium. Colorful comic series like The Yellow Kid, Little Nemo and Krazy Kat appeared in large print, provided entertainment for the readers and secured high circulation, turning their creators into rich men. Comic artists of German origin, such as Bauhaus artist Lyonel Feininger and creator Rudolph Dirks, whose Katzenjammer Kids were inspired by Wilhelm Busch’s Max und Moritz, significantly added to the popularity of comics.

After our successful exhibitions featuring Batman and Marvel, we would like to invite you to a journey through the fascinating world of newspaper comics, together with the Munich Comicfestival. The exhibition also celebrates the 50th birthday of Dik Browne’s Hägar the Horrible and displays historical newspaper pages, original drawings and rare collectors’ items from comic classics such as Flash Gordon, Tarzan, Blondie, Pogo, Prince Valiant, The Peanuts, Garfield, Zits and many more. There are also German newspaper comics on display, such as Strizz by Volker Reiche and the Känguru-Comics by Marc-Uwe Kling and Bernd Kissel which feature guest appearances by two American billionaires called Elon and Jeff who get on each others’ nerves while being on a space station.
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Illustration: ©Dik Browne