One of the first Czech comic artist was the cartoonist Ladislav Vlodek, for example his comic book series Adolf (where perhaps a Czech speech bubbles were used for the first time) were imprinted in the children's magazine Koule in 1926-1927.
The beginnings of the comics genre in Czechoslovakia are connected with the popular artist Josef Lada, for example in his drawings Šprýmovné komiksy: Obrázkové seriály z let 1922-1946 (Joke Comics: Picture Series from 1922-1946).[1] Ondřej Sekora, the creator of short newspaper strips, has also followed a similar path, whose greatest success was probably Ferda Mravenec from 1933.[2] However, in children's magazines were also published his strips about chicken Napipi, captain Ani Muk and dog Rek.
Magazine Mladý hlasatel (Young Herald) began publishing in 1938 a popular comic series Rychlé šípy, written by Jaroslav Foglar and drawn by Jan Fischer.[3] The publishing of Rychlé šípy continued up to 1989, with interruptions imposed by the Nazis, and later by the Communist regime of Czechoslovakia.[4]
Comics in Czechoslovakia whilst under communist rule were seen rather as bourgeois.[5] As an alleged part of bourgeois propaganda, the genre was displaced from the public sphere.[6][7] However, the generation of the 1960s managed to acquire a more tolerant attitude from the communists. Following disputes with the critics of the official communist newspaper Rudé právo, some comic artists were allowed to publish during that time.[8]
Čtyřlístek, one of the most popular comic books for children in Czechoslovakia, has been published continuously since 1969.[9] Another important personality in Czech comics, Kája Saudek, began his career in the 1960s. Saudek was the most persecuted comic artist during the Communist era.[10]
In the 1970s, the comics were published in the Czech ABC magazine. There were many interesting authors, such as František Kobík, who specialized in sci-fi comics, which were very popular among young people. Among the most important comics from the ABC magazine are Vzpoura mozků (Revolt of the Brains), Pod paprsky Zářícího (Under the Rays of the Glowing) or Druhá výprava (The Second Expedition).
After Communist rule ended in 1989, numerous publishing houses began to publish comics across the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Thorgal and Funky Koval (which had started already in the early 1980s). Many magazines specializing in comics were published, amongst them Bublinky and Jánošík. However, this quantity flooded the market, leading to small sales for individual titles. This saw the bankruptcy of almost all the magazines. Czech comic scene remains practically under control only by Čtyřlístek and Disney journals by Egmont, like Donald Duck and Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. A new era was launched in 1997 with the release of the first issue of the new Czech magazine Crew. After several years, the magazine renewed interest in comics not only for children. Other publishers were Mot komiks and Aargh!. Magazine KomiksFEST! Revue was published in 2007-2015.
The first Czech self-published superhero comics Dechberující Zázrak (Breathtaking Miracle) came out monthly between 2015 and 2017. Since spring 2018, comics about Pérák have been published in the Czech ABC magazine, its authors are artist Petr Kopl and screenwriter Petr Macek. Their portrayal of Pérák follows the character's appearance in their comics magazine Dechberoucí Zázrak 09. In May 2019, the collected and extended edition of the series, originally published in ABC magazine, was released as a separate book Pérák: Oko budoucnosti (Pérák: Eye of the future).[11]
Notable comics
In 2009, the Czech comics server Komiksarium organized a poll to determine the most significant Czech comics.[12] Sixty members of the board included comic publishers, creators and collectors. They selected what they believed to be the ten most important works in the history of Czech comics:
↑ "Rychlé šípy" (in Czech). Czech Television. Retrieved 22 March 2010."Nejznámějšími a nejoblíbenějšími jsou pravděpodobně „Rychlé šípy“, které začaly vycházet roku 1938 na pokračování jako komiks kreslený JUDr. Janem Fišerem v časopise Mladý hlasatel."
↑ Czech Television"„Rychlé šípy“ v této podobě vycházely až do roku 1989, a to s vynucenými přestávkami v období nacismu a komunismu."
↑ "Rozhovor s Janem Patrikem Krásným" (in Czech). komiks.cz. 2002-12-31. Retrieved 22 March 2010.Poté, co náš mírový tábor byl opět „zachráněn“, začalo být veškeré očistné kreativno nežádoucí, takže i komiks se stal paradoxně synonymem buržoazní estetickoetické špíny, čemuž zdravé jádro národa věří dodnes,...
↑ Kruml, Milan. "Comics: Stručné dějiny" (in Czech). Kosmas.cz. Retrieved 22 March 2010. (a short annotation of the Czech book "Comics: A Concise History" by Milan Kruml: "Comics u nás měl ale daleko složitější pozici. Jakožto nástroj buržoazní propagandy byl vytlačen až na samotný okraj společnosti a kultury.")
↑ Jan Brabec, in his series of articles "Of child magazines in the West" (published in "Zlatý Máj" 269/270)
↑ Rychetský, Jan (24 September 2009). "Toman: Dřív nebýval komiks tak drsný a násilnický" (in Czech). naseadresa.cz. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2010."V šedesátých letech se moje generace snažila dosáhnout pochopení pro komiks u stranických představitelů. Sváděli jsme boj s kritiky z Rudého práva a dalších tiskovin. První bitvu jsme vyhráli, když uznali, že nejde o formu, ale o obsah."
Jaroslav Foglar was a Czechoslovak writer who wrote many novels about youths and their adventures in nature and dark city streets. His signature series is Rychlé šípy, which was adapted into comics by Jan Fischer.
Jaroslav Hašek was a Czech writer, humorist, satirist, journalist, bohemian, first anarchist and then communist, and commissar of the Red Army against the Czechoslovak Legion. He is best known for his novel The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War, an unfinished collection of farcical incidents about a soldier in World War I and a satire on the ineptitude of authority figures. The novel has been translated into about 60 languages, making it the most translated novel in Czech literature.
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Jiří Němec, Václav Benda, Ladislav Hejdánek, Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, Martin Palouš, Pavel Kohout, and Ladislav Lis. Spreading the text of the document was considered a political crime by the Czechoslovak government. After the 1989 Velvet Revolution, many of the members of the initiative played important roles in Czech and Slovak politics.
Jan Saudek is an art photographer and painter.
Největší Čech is the Czech spin-off of the BBC Greatest Britons show; a television poll of the populace to name the greatest Czech in history. The series was broadcast by the national public-service broadcaster, Czech Television. The presenter of the programme was Marek Eben, who was also nominated to be in the Top 100; however, since he was presenting the show he was not eligible to be included in the final list.
Rychlé šípy is the name of a fictional club of five boys by the Czech writer Jaroslav Foglar. Consisting of Mirek Dušín, Jarka Metelka, Jindra Hojer, Červenáček, Rychlonožka ("Speedy") and a dog named Bublina ("Bubble"). Rychlé šípy are universally known in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, virtually everyone is familiar with them. The name Mirek Dušín has even become proverbial, referring to someone who is extremely upright, honest and hard-working, and usually used sarcastically. It became the most popular series in the history of the Czech comics.
Hermína Týrlová was a prominent Czech animator, screen writer, and film director. She was often called the mother of Czech animation. Over the course of her career, she produced over 60 animated children's short films using puppets and the technique of stop motion animation.
Pérák, the Spring Man, was an urban legend originating from the Czechoslovak city of Prague during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in the midst of World War II. In the decades following the war, Pérák has also been portrayed as a Czech superhero.
Čtyřlístek is a Czech comic book series continuously published since 15 May 1969 created by Jaroslav Němeček. In the 1980s an average edition contained about 220 000 prints and became one of the most popular comic books for children.
Mladý Svět was a magazine published in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It contained editorials, comics and other works. It is not very well known outside of the Czech Republic and Slovakia but inside these countries the magazine enjoyed great success and popularity.
Kája Saudek was a Czech comics illustrator and graphic artist. He was considered one of the best artists of Czech comics. He has been called the "King of Czech comic books". His twin brother Jan Saudek is an internationally known photographer and painter.
Muriel a andělé is a comic album written by Miloš Macourek and drawn by Kája Saudek, originally created in the late 1960s and published in 1991. The album is considered one of the masterworks of Czech comics; it was voted the best Czech comic in a poll held by the newspaper Mladá fronta DNES in 2009. Muriel and Angels tells the story of a young physician Muriel Ray and her friend Ro, a winged angel who came to Earth from a distant future. The main character was inspired by the Czech film star Olga Schoberová, and the main antagonist, militant general Ian Xeron, was inspired by Saudek's twin brother, photographer Jan Saudek.
Lips Tullian is a comic series written by Jaroslav Weigel and drawn by Kája Saudek in 1972. It is set in the 17th century and features an eponymous highwayman. The series was published by the popular Czechoslovak weekly magazine Mladý svět. The plot is based on romantic adventure stories by Kvidon of Felses, published in the late 19th century. The comic won wide acclaim from the readership in Czechoslovakia. In a 1973 letter to his friend Pavel Nosek, Saudek notes that the circulation of the magazine increased by 105,000 during the period of publishing of Lips Tullian. The series was only published for one year; it was banned by communist censorship in December 1972. In 2010, thirty-eight years after its creation, the complete series was published as a book. In a poll organized in 2009, the Czech comics server Komiksarium selected Lips Tullian as the third most significant Czech comic in the history of the genre.
Jaroslav Weigel was a Czech actor, writer, playwright, comics writer and painter. From 1970, he was a member of the Jára Cimrman Theatre.
Muriel a oranžová smrt is a Czech comic album written by Miloš Macourek and drawn by Kája Saudek in 1969/1970. The story was inspired by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The album is the second and the last part of the planned cycle of adventures of young physician Muriel and her friend, angel Ró. It is considered one of the masterpieces of Czech comics. The 1st edition of the album was published in 2009, forty years after its creation, and sold out in four days.
Prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kárník, DrSc. was a Czech historian and pedagogue.
Hedgehog in the Cage is a mechanical puzzle popular in the Czech Republic which features prominently in the "Dobrodružství v temných uličkách" trilogy of adventure stories by Jaroslav Foglar. The puzzle consists of a small sphere with protruding spikes of various lengths contained within a cylinder perforated with holes of different sizes. The challenge posed by the puzzle is how to release the sphere from the cylinder.
Leon Clifton is a fictional detective, a protagonist of numerous Czech language detective stories of early 20th century. He is a brilliant American detective, master of disguise, capable to solve any mystery.
Záhada hlavolamu is a Czechoslovak adventure television series produced by Czechoslovak Television, which broadcast it in 1969–1970. The nine-part series is an adaptation of the novels The Mystery of the Puzzle and Stínadla se bouří by the writer Jaroslav Foglar. It was filmed by director Hynek Bočan, who is also the author of the script with Václav Šašek. The series focuses on a group of boys from the Rychlé šípy Club who venture into the mysterious urban district of Stínadla, where they uncover various local secrets.
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