''Mosaik'' is a German

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

magazine. First published in December 1955, it is the longest-running German (and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an) monthly comic book and the only one originating in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

that still exists. ''Mosaik'' also appeared in other

countries A country is a distinct part of the Earth, world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, List of states with limited r ...

and other

languages Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing. Human language is ch ...

. In its

English-language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

edition it was published under the title ''Mosaic''. ''Mosaik'' was created by

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

and

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Abril Lamarque (1904–1999) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfre ...

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 German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, ''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.

Digedags years

The East German publisher Verlag Neues Leben, in

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

, 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 Lothar Dräger (January 19, 1927 – July 9, 2016) was a German comic writer. Writings * Mosaik (Digedags) by Hannes Hegen, Co-author from 1957 to 1975 * Mosaik (Abrafaxe), author and artistic director from 1976 to 1990. * Lothar Dräger, Ul ...

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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

market. An agreement had been reached to publish the comic books in the US; however, because of the US

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an or ...

of economic

embargo Economic sanctions or embargoes are commercial and financial penalties applied by states or institutions against states, groups, or individuals. Economic sanctions are a form of coercion that attempts to get an actor to change its behavior throu ...

against

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountains, and ...

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

in the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, 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: # ''The Digedags in America'' # ''The Digedags on the Mississippi'' # ''The Digedags and the Indians'' # ''The Digedags in the Rocky Mountains'' # ''The Digedags in New Orleans'' # ''The Digedags on the Missouri'' # ''The Digedags and the Golden Treasure'' # ''The Digedags in Panama'' # ''The Digedags and the Pirate Island'' # ''The Digedags in New York'' In the mid-1980s, 42 ''Mosaic'' books were published in English in the

GDR East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

for

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. 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.

Other known foreign-language publications

Reissues of ''Mosaik'' magazines and books have appeared in many different countries, almost always in the respective national language. *

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

** ''Mozaik'' comic magazine (1971) *

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

(''Mosaik'' in

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...

) ** ''Mosaic'' book – ''Dig en Dag op Stap'' (1972 – 1978?) ** ''Mosaic'' anthology – ''Dig en Dag op Stap'' (1978) ** ''Mosaic''-Books ** Een Stripboek – ''Dikkerdaks In America'' ** Een Stripboek – ''Dikkerdaks Aan Mississippi'' *

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

** ''Mosaik'' books (2000–present) ** ''Mosaik'' Albums ** ''Mosaik'' Onepager *

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

** ''Mozaik'' books 1– (2004–present, bimonthly) *

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

** Newspaper Reprints ''Comic magazine of the Czechoslovak Communist Youth Organization'' ''Pionýr'' with Rytíř Runkl – ''Ritter Runkel'' (1968) *

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

** ''Albums'' (2003–present) ** Congo – Abrafaxové v Africe ** Small detectives ** Onepager ** Mateřídouška (Onepager – from # 9 / 2005) *

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

** ''Mosaiikki'' – ''Mosaik'' comic magazine (1962–1967) ** ''Mosaic-Books'' ** Mosaiikki (1980–7 Books) *

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

** Hollywood Pursuit 2 (1998) *

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

** Mosaic books and ''Mosaik'' comic magazine (2001–present) *

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

** ''Mozaik'' comic magazine 1971 – 1976 Digedags, 1976–1990 and 2001–present Abrafaxe ** Mosaic-Books: ** Digedagék Amerikában (1987) ** Detektív Palánták: Forró nyomon a három manó (2001) ** Na még egyszer Robin! (2002) ** Kongó (2003) ** Vitorlát fel, Robin! (2006) ** ''Mozaik'' books of Abrafaxe and Digedags (2006–present): reprints of previously published books in anthologies *

** ''Mosaic'' – 1–42 in English (1986) *

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

** Abrafaxe issues ** ''Mosaik'' Abrafaxe – 1–6 (2001–2002) ** Albums – ''Among black flag'' (2002) – The Abrafaxe – Harta karun *

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

** ''Mosaic'' books – 1 – (2003–present) *

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

** ''Mosaik'' – released in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

(1984) *

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

** ''Mozaic'' comic magazine 1–3 (2005–2006) *

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

** ''Mosaika'' – comic magazine No. 1–14 (1993–1994) in

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

** ''New Life'' (Journal of the German-speaking population of Russia) – ''The journey of Abrafaxe to Goslar'' (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

) *

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

** Onepager (2003–present) ** Hepko ( Slovene edition) ** Happy (English edition) *

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

** Various ''Mosaik'' albums in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and Catalan (2004–present) *

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

** Abrafaxe issues ** Bacaxizlar 1 – (2001/ # 1–8) *

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

** ''Mozaik'' – in *

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...

(1971) *

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

** ''Mosaik'' comic magazine - 1-8 (2005–present)

References

Sources

* Matthias Friske. ''Die Geschichte des MOSAIK von Hannes Hegen: eine Comic-Legende in der DDR''. Berlin: Lukas, 2008. . * Mark Lehmstedt: ''Die geheime Geschichte der Digedags. Die Publikations- und Zensurgeschichte des Mosaik von Hannes Hegen'', Leipzig 2010, Lehmstedt Verlag, . *

External links

Official Abrafaxe Homepage

Official Digedags Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosaik 1955 comics debuts 1955 establishments in East Germany Adventure comics Comics magazines published in Germany German comic strips Humor comics Magazines established in 1955 Monthly magazines published in Germany German-language magazines Quarterly magazines published in Germany