Provi Stars
Provi Stars (according to the comic headline actually: "Provi-Stars"!) Is a comic series from the late 1970s , which continued into the 1990s. It was written and drawn by Erwin Frick. It was a free commercial from the Provinzial insurance company , which was mainly distributed to young people in the local branches. Each issue has 24 pages (including the cover ). In terms of drawing style, the comic is loosely based on “ Fix und Foxi ” in that the characters look like people with either pink or black animal noses or beaks. Each of the main characters (Kräsch, Spidi, Alblecht) belongs to one of these three basic types. The issues are pretty much free, most of the time it goes on a trip of one kind or another. Allusions to Bavarian oddities in particular come up again and again, with a good deal of self-irony.
The Provi Stars were particularly characterized by the consistently high quality, which has kept many fans of this rather lesser-known comic to this day. Wacky ideas as well as loving drawings with great dialogues and ideas make reading a pleasure. Much of it is time-specific for the last two decades of the old Federal Republic in the deep west. The regional distribution and thus also the level of awareness was always dependent on the distribution area of the Provinzial-Versicherung (north-west Germany), one focus is definitely North Rhine-Westphalia .
The three main actors
The three protagonists Spidi, Alblecht and Kräsch play along in all adventures . Here is a brief description of each:
- Kräsch , later Dr. Kräsch : Heavy, in blue overalls and quick-tempered, he's the one who gets the stories going and usually keeps them going. When Kräsch gets going, the rest of the world can only desperately try to keep up. The later honorary doctorate - the title was awarded to him by Dr. Kleinstein in “Die Reise im Trans-Timer”, because he brings a living Archäopteryx into the present ... but that leads too far! - is not exactly very bright and is characterized above all by its many creative misunderstandings and spontaneous ideas as well as by the ability to comment on even the most critical situations with terrible puns. However, despite all the disasters, he somehow always falls on his feet. Kräsch is seldom separated from his best friends Spidi and Alblecht and is a constant companion of the super genius Dr. Small stone.
- Alblecht : Alblecht is small in stature and usually carries a tin can on his head, and his clothes also seem to be metallic in nature. He tends to be a little fearful, but he never shies away when it comes to helping his friends - and Kräsch in particular often needs this help, even if he doesn't always notice it. Together with Spidi, he represents the brains of the troop - the two must try to correct Krasch's missteps again, or exploit the fruits of Kräsch's successes together with him.
- Spidi : Also rather small - exactly as small as Alblecht - always to be seen with a red motorcycle helmet and white motorcycle goggles (originally all three Provi Stars were "bikers", as in the very first comic "Live! At the open-air concert!") . According to Kräsch, he is the driving part of the trio and often takes the helm when something goes wrong again. Together with Alblecht, he represents the thinking part of the Provi Stars, while Kräsch rather listens to his stomach. Nevertheless, Spidi tends to be choleric at times - especially if something went wrong because of (Dr.) Kräsch ...
Minor characters
In addition to the main characters, there are also a number of secondary characters that appear again and again.
- Dr. Kleinstein : In later years, the brilliant scientist usually gives the impetus for a new adventure, which his colleague Dr. Kräsch and his companions should go with him - be it an expedition into space, a journey through time or the search for the legendary Yeti . Dr. Kleinstein has great technical equipment in his extensive laboratories, but is prone to nausea and occasional fainting spells, especially in the face of disasters - and these are never far away with the Provi Stars.
- Tante Milli : The landlady and owner of “Tante Milli's Milchbar ”, where most adventures begin and / or end. The milk apparently is the preferred hangout of the Provi Stars, probably somewhere in Düsseldorf . She does not tolerate sloppiness or extravagance - her standard saying is “If you drool, fly!”. So she sometimes imposes a ban on the three friends when they can't hold back.
- Atze : This service scoundrel appears in almost every magazine and is constantly trying to thwart the Provi Stars or someone else. Whenever he appears, he is the antagonist of the heroes, often also Dr. Kleinsteins, so that Atze's lousy machinations have to be thwarted. Trademarks are thin hairstyle, baseball cap , jeans and cowboy boots .
- Gigi & Gogo : an indistinguishable female twin couple from show business , probably from Las Vegas . You run into the Provi Stars all the time and speak with a heavy American accent. Gogo is hard in Dr. Kräsch has a crush and always expresses this with the exclamation "My Honey-Bee", while Gigi stays rather distant (Dr. Kräsch, however, fatally only wants to be "the Hannibi" of Gigi). Often they are out and about with the archenemy of the Provi Stars, Atze, but at the end of the story they always find themselves on the side of the heroes.
- Manne : One of Dr. Kräsch and a passionate airship operator. The Provi Stars got to know him at the Elfriedenmoos campsite, where Kräsch transformed his inflatable boat into an airship by filling it with camping gas . Since then, Manne has been traveling the world as a globetrotter with this special vehicle, which incidentally is rowed, accompanying the Provi Stars on their travels. Member of the "Luftschifferclub Elfriedenmoos 1981".
List of published volumes
The adventures of the Provi Stars so far comprise at least the following volumes, apparently a new volume appeared every year. The list comes from the website Marco Staub.de mentioned below.
- Live! At the open air concert! (1978)
- In winter sports paradise (1979)
- The discovery of the Archeopteryx! (1980)
- Alternative Life (1980)
- Silent days in Elfriedenmoos (1981)
- Gala performance at the Kaputschino Circus (1982)
- Sons of Icarus (1983)
- Expedition to the South Pole (1984)
- The Journey in the Trans-Timer (1985)
- Flight into Space (1986)
- Bermuda Triangle Company (1987)
- Zocky the Champion (1988)
- The Detective Office (1989)
- The environmental scandal! (1991)
- Hunt for Olympic Gold! (1992)
- The Vampire Slayer (1993)
- The Lotto King (1995)
- The Extra-Terrestrials (1996)
- Modern Art (1997)
- Finding the Yeti (1998)
computer game
In recent years the Provi Stars had another appearance, this time in a free promo computer game from the Provinzial.