Ralf König

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Ralf König in the Cologne City Museum , 2012
Ralf König reads at Comic Con Germany Stuttgart 2019

Ralf König (* 8. August 1960 in Soest , Westphalia ) is a German comic - artist and - author .

life and work

Ralf König grew up in Werl - Westönnen in Westphalia , attended the Overberg secondary school in Werl and then completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter. In 1979, during his coming-out , initiated by Rosa von Praunheim's book Sex und Karriere , he published his first short comic stories, some of which were very committed against the background of the political gay movement, in the Munich underground magazine Zomix and the gay magazine Rosa Flieder . He completed his secondary school leaving certificate and studied from 1981 to 1986 at the State Art Academy in Düsseldorf with a focus on fine art.

1981 appeared with Sarius , Das sensational Comic-Book and SchwulComix, three of the first comic books, whose aesthetics, moving between naturalism and underground, document the search for an individual style. The series Bodo and Heinz (until 1985) was commissioned for the magazine Arbeit und Sicherheit im Deutschen Bergbau in 1983 .

With the volume SchwulComix 2 , published in 1984 by the Berlin scene publisher Rosa Winkel , König finally found his own style and topic: In pointed short stories, which are influenced by the graphic minimalism of the French artist Claire Bretécher , he portrayed self-ironically and with a satirical wink the everyday life of the gay subculture . Two more gay comix albums (later reprinted under the titles Zitronenröllchen , New Year's Eve Ball and Sahneschnittchen ) followed in 1985 and 1986 and made König known to a growing audience as a chronicler of the gay movement.

With Kondom des Grauens , a crime parody with echoes of the tone of the film noir , a first long comic story was created in 1987 (continued in 1990 with Bis auf dieBN ); in the same year followed by The Moving Man at Rowohlt Verlag . This first German graphic novel was King's first feature-length comic at a major trade publisher and gave him a wide readership also far beyond the gay community. From this breakthrough, König was able to make a living from it as a freelance writer. A sequel appeared the following year with Pretty Baby . In 1994 the comics The Moving Man and Pretty Baby with The Moving Man were filmed by Sönke Wortmann with Til Schweiger , Joachim Król and Katja Riemann in the lead roles and with 6.5 million viewers they became the third most successful German film in cinema history. It was shown in 47 countries and was awarded the Federal Film Prize in 1995. In 2017 The Moving Man - The Musical will be performed in Hamburg, but Ralf König is not involved in the production.

The figure of the coffee-drinking Konrad at the Café Konrad in the old town of Hanover
Pendant in Hanover for the Paul restaurant
Mural in Brussels smeared with the words transphobia and racism

In addition to his pointed short stories, Ralf König has found a second ideal narrative format, the epic comic novel. In this he adapted satirical classics such as Aristophanes ( Lysistrata , 1987, filmed in 2002) or Shakespeare ( Jago , 1998). In Jago he congenially interweaves the plot of several motifs from William Shakespeare's dramas and tragedies ( Othello , Macbeth , Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream - the three Macbeth witches at the beginning and at the end of Jago are a guest contribution by the comic artist Walter Moers ). Frequently recurring figures are the unequal pair of bulbous noses Konrad and Paul (created in 1990 for Magnus magazine ). Both together with their different character traits represent the draftsman's alter ego - through them he can trace a chronicle of everyday gay life. In the volume Super Paradise (1999), for example, he dealt with the topic of AIDS , in You May Now Kiss (2003) with gay marriage . Konrad Stubenburg and Paul Niemöser came back in 2014 in two new books: Konrad & Paul: Raumstation Sehnsucht (an adaptation of Tennessee Williams ' drama Endstation Sehnsucht ) and Barry Hoden - Nobody hears you grunt in space . In his 2017 comic, Autumn in the Pants , Ralf König deals with the changing sexuality from the second half of life through his character Paul Niemöser. In this seriously comic comic, Paul enters the “andropause” (or climacteric virile ) , which is literally put into the mouth of a chorus of Greek tragedy in the truest sense of the word, with commentary chapter headings on a second narrative level.

In 1989, König designed eight comic booklets on the subject of prevention for the German Aids Aid . König embarked on a new path in 2004 with the Roy & Al series , which focuses on the two dogs of a gay couple. In his most extensive work to date, the short story Dschinn Dschinn , published in two volumes in 2005 and 2006 , he dealt with the phenomenon of radical Islamism . In addition to regularly published new comic novels, König draws short stories every month for the magazine Männer aktuell (magazine discontinued in 2017) and the French Fluide Glacial , which are featured in albums such as Suck my Duck! (2004), Trojan Hengste (2006) or Stutenkerle (2008) can be reprinted collectively.

With his funny, often subtle and moving stories, Ralf König has always campaigned against prejudice against gays and lesbians. Ralf König was a member of regional gay groups, he is a member of homosexual self-help and the LSVD , and with his work he repeatedly supports gay emancipation and the prevention work of AIDS organizations . He is a sponsor of the Waldschlösschen Academy , to which he refers in various comics.

His books have been translated into 15 languages ​​so far. With a total circulation of almost seven million copies, he is now the world's most popular author of explicitly gay stories. Four of his works were filmed for the cinema, and several were performed as puppet shows or plays.

Awards

In 1992, at the International Comic Salon in Erlangen , König was awarded the Max and Moritz Prize in the category “Best German comic artist” , which was followed by numerous international prizes. In 2005, at the Angoulême International Comics Festival , he received the Prix ​​du scenario for the best scenario in the French translation of Wie die Karnickel and in Lucca the “Premio miglior storia lunga” for the Italian edition of bulls' balls .

In 2006, Ralf König again received the Max-und-Moritz-Preis (special prize of the jury) for his drawn comments on the cartoon dispute for his engagement in the conflict over the Mohammed cartoons published in 2005 by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten . In 2017, König was awarded the Wilhelm Busch Prize .

various

König has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Giordano Bruno Foundation since September 2007 . On the occasion of the announcement of his membership in the Foundation Advisory Board, the religion- critical king comic Der neue Bund was published on the website of the Religious Free Zone . The two-sided comic strip combines König’s old political topic, the fight against homophobia , with his new main topic “Criticism of Religion”, to which he also devoted himself in his strip prototype , his version of the creation story , which took place in September 2007 for over two weeks in place of Volker Reiches Strizz appeared in the feature section of the FAZ and a year later as a book. On January 6, 2009, also in the FAZ , the religiously critical comic strip archetype about Noah and his ark started from Tuesday to Friday . The evangelical Christian media association KEP expressed outrage about the prototype and archetype series ; he sees religious feelings as hurt in this.

In November 2007, his comic Hempels Sofa appeared , in which he made a straight woman (with difficulties in seeking and finding love) the main character for the first time.

A 2011 documentary by Rosa von Praunheim about his life with the title König des Comics - Ralf König was shown at the Berlinale 2012 and has been available on DVD since February 2013.

Since November 2017, König has been an ambassador for intaktiv e. V. , an association that speaks out against ritual circumcision of male children.

Failed indexing request

In the 1990s, indexing requests were made against some books. The Bavarian State Youth Welfare Office made a particular effort to do this . The required indexing of the title Bullenklöten (1992), however, was rejected by the Federal Testing Office for writings that are harmful to minors , citing the reservation of art . The Federal Inspectorate stated that the drawings were black and white, that would not appeal to children and young people.

Nevertheless, in 1996, by order of the Meiningen public prosecutor, a nationwide investigation and seizure took place in over 1,000 bookstores, which, along with other comics (including Art Spiegelmans Maus ), was directed against the band Kondom des Horens .

Works

comics

  • Sarius , 1981 (Vogel Verlag)
  • The sensational comic book , 1981 (Vogel Verlag)
  • SchwulComix , 1981 (Verlag Rosa Winkel)
  • SchwulComix 2 , 1984 (Verlag Rosa Winkel)
  • Macho Comix , 1984 (Bob Camble)
  • SchwulComix 3 , 1985 (Verlag Rosa Winkel)
  • SchwulComix 4 , 1986 (Verlag Rosa Winkel)
  • Condom of horror , 1987 (Vogel Verlag)
  • The Moving Man , Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1987, ISBN 978-3-499-13450-0
  • Lysistrata , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1987, ISBN 978-3-499-13452-4
  • Pretty Baby , (continuation of The Moving Man ), Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1988, ISBN 978-3-499-13451-7
  • Safere Zeiten , 1988 (Vogel Verlag)
  • Macho Comics , 1989 (Vogel Verlag), new edition
  • Beach Boys , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1989, ISBN 978-3-499-13457-9
  • Big Life , 1989 (Carlsen)
  • To the Bones , 1990 (Edition Kunst der Comics) (continuation of Kondom des Horens )
  • Hot hearts , (with Detlev Meyer ), Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1990, ISBN 978-3-499-13453-1
  • Lemon Rolls , 1990 (Carlsen)
  • Schwulxx-Comix , 1990 (Edition Kunst der Comics) (with Walter Moers )
  • Deutsche Tuntenpost , 1991 (Janssen Verlag)
  • New Year's Eve Ball , 1991 (Carlsen) (Remake of Gay Comix 3 )
  • Bull solder! , 1992 ( swarm of men script )
  • Sahneschnittchen , 1992 (Carlsen) (remake of gay comix 4 )
  • ... and with the left! , 1993 (Janssen Verlag)
  • Konrad and Paul , 1993 (Carlsen)
  • Konrad and Paul 2 , 1994 (Carlsen)
  • Konrad and Paul 3 , 1996 (Carlsen)
  • Jago , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1998, ISBN 978-3-499-22392-1
  • Superparadise , 1999 (swarm of men script) (continuation of bulls' soldering )
  • Poppers! Rimming! Trim your tits! , 2001 (swarm of men script)
  • Like the rabbits , 2002 (roller coaster)
  • You can kiss now , (third part on bull soldering ), Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2003, ISBN 978-3-499-61483-5
  • Suck my duck , 2004 (male swarm script)
  • Roy and Al , 2004 (Swarm of Men script)
  • Djinn Djinn 1. The magic of the Schabbar , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2005, ISBN 978-3-499-23959-5
  • Trojan stallions , 2006 (Männerschwarm Verlag)
  • Djinn Djinn 2nd veil compulsion in the pool of sin , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2006, ISBN 978-3-499-24215-1
  • Hempels Sofa , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-499-24529-9
  • Stutenkerle , 2008 (Männerschwarm Verlag)
  • Prototype , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-498-03542-6
  • Schillerlöckchen , 2009 (Männerschwarm Verlag)
  • Archetyp , Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-498-03549-5
  • Antityp , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-498-03551-8
  • The Big King , 2011 (Ehapa Comic Collection) (New edition of Suck my Duck , Trojan Stallions , Stutenkerle , Schillerlöckchen and Poppers! Rimming! Tittentrimm!. The whole thing was expanded with König's contribution to "Wilhelm Busch and the Consequences", a Wilhelm- Busch two-pager with the title "Wiedersehn in Wiedensahl" and some individual illustrations that divide the book "The Fat King" into chapters.)
  • Eleven thousand virgins , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-498-03558-7
  • Jellyfish , Swarm of Men, Hamburg, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86300-125-4
  • Konrad and Paul - is the reputation only ruined ... , 2013 (new edition of Konrad and Paul 1-3 with a new story)
  • Super Paradise , 2013 (swarm of men special edition)
  • The young king , volume 1, 2014 (swarm of men) The early comix 1980–1984 (new edition of gay comix 1 and 2 as well as additions to magazine publications and excerpts from the comic book)
  • Konrad & Paul: Raumstation Sehnsucht , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-498-03568-6
  • Barry Hoden - Nobody hears you grunt in space, Swarm of Men, Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-86300-180-3
  • The young king, volume 2, 2015 (swarm of men) The completion of the bulbous noses 1985–1987 (new edition of gay comics 3 & 4 to Bodo and Heinz and all stories with Norbert Brommer, as well as unpublished.)
  • Pornstory (With pictures by Mahler that disorientate socially and ethically), Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-498-03571-6
  • Der Junge König, Vol. 3, 2016 (swarm of men) The noses become colorful 1988–1990 (new editions of comics, cartoons, doodles, plump from life, lemon rolls and the gay comix drawn together with Walter Moers)
  • The Moving Man / Pretty Baby , anniversary edition - 30 years of “The Moving Man”, with additional material, Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-499-29125-8
  • Autumn in the pants , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-498-03575-4
  • Santa Claus Junior , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-499-29082-4
  • Stehaufmännchen , Rowohlt, Hamburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-498-03581-5
  • Don't stand in line, man! , Rowohlt, Hamburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-499-00016-4

Comic series

  • Bodo and Heinz , 1983–1986
  • Konrad and Paul , since 1990
  • Roy & Al , since 2003
  • Prototype , 10-section, in September 2007 in the FAZ published
  • Archetype , published in FAZ since January 2009

Films based on templates by Ralf König

Exhibitions (and catalogs)

Ralf König (left) together with the director of the Cologne City Museum, Mario Kramp in the exhibition The Ursula Project. Eleven thousand virgins .
  • 1988: Comix, Cartoons, Doodles - Catalog for the exhibition , (Janssen Verlag)
  • 1996: Cream stiff. The Coronation of Ralf König - Catalog for the exhibition (Edition Kunst der Comix)
  • 2009/2010: The Eros of the Noses - Comics by Ralf König , Ludwig Galerie Schloss Oberhausen, September 19, 2009 to January 24, 2010
  • 2010: I feel like a joke! - 50 years of Ralf König , Schwules Museum Berlin, July 14th to October 4th, 2010
  • 2011: Ralf König. God's work and King's contribution , Cartoonmuseum Basel , June 11, 2011 to October 23, 2011
  • 2012/13: Eleven thousand virgins . Ralf König: The Ursula Project , October 13, 2012 to February 9, 2013, in the Cologne City Museum
  • 2014: Ralf König - Paul versus Paulus , March 27 to August 3, 2014 in the Caricatura Museum Frankfurt .

Other works

  • Skat and Doppelkopfspiel, 1986 (Lambda Edition)
  • Set with 18 comic postcards, 1988 (Janssen Verlag)
  • Real guys , 1995 (Eichborn) (wall calendar 1996)
  • Strunzgeil , 1996 (Eichborn) (wall calendar 1997)
  • Shakespeare with a nose , 1997 (Eichborn) (wall calendar 1998)
  • 10 million years of worldGAY history , 2002 (roller coaster) (wall calendar 2003)
  • Schutzengel GmbH & Co. , 2004 (roller coaster) (wall calendar 2005)
  • Saint Anthony from the Vienna Woods , 2008 (cabinet for words and images) (issue 10 of the vending machine booklets)

Illustrations

Awards

  • 1988: Joop Klepzeiker Prijs, Amsterdam
  • 1990: “Best German comic artist”, 2nd Salon Européen de la BD de Grenoble
  • 1992: Max and Moritz Prize - Best German-speaking comic artist , Erlangen Comic Salon
  • 1992: Mejor Obra Extranjera publicada en España (“Best foreign comic published in Spain”) for El condón asesino ( condom of horror ), Salón Internacional del Cómic de Barcelona
  • In 1994 & 1995 the film The Moving Man received numerous awards
  • 2002: Golden RIK, Rik Audience Award , Cologne
  • 2004: Civil courage award of the CSD Berlin
  • 2005: Prix ​​du scenario (“Prize for the best scenario”) for Comme des lapins ( Like the rabbits ), Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême
  • 2005: Premio miglior storia lunga (“First Prize for Long Stories”) for Palle di toro ( bull's balls ), Lucca Comics & Games
  • 2006: Max and Moritz Prize - special prize of the jury , "for his artistic position in the dispute over the Mohammed caricatures", Erlangen Comic Salon
  • 2009: Sondermann - Best national comic for prototype
  • 2009: Gache Wurzn for moral courage of the Bavarian Federation for Freedom of the Mind
  • 2010: Rosa Courage Prize of the City of Osnabrück , "for commitment to the rights of lesbians and gays"
  • 2010: Max-und-Moritz-Preis - Best comic strip for prototype and archetype in the FAZ
  • 2010: Compass needle of the NRW gay network
  • 2014: Max-und-Moritz special award for an outstanding life's work
  • 2017: Wilhelm Busch Prize

literature

Documentaries

  • Ralf König - or how the master of the bulbous noses came up with religion! Conversation with video recordings, France, Germany, 2012, 43 min., Moderation: Anja Höfer , production: arte France, editing: Square , first broadcast: 23 June 2013 on arte, film information and video clips on arte.
  • King of the Comics - Ralf König. Documentary, Germany, 2011, 80 min. In the cinema, 43:30 min. On TV, script and director: Rosa von Praunheim , production: Rosa von Praunheim Filmproduktion, ZDF , arte , release date: 23 February 2012, first broadcast: 2. February 2013 at arte, table of contents by ARD .

Web links

Commons : Ralf König  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ List of successful films
  2. ↑ Comic artist Ralf König: "Most of the world is homophobic" . ( sodigipop.de [accessed on May 11, 2017]). Comic artist Ralf König: "Most of the world is homophobic" ( Memento from May 3, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ^ The furious double game of the king , review by Andreas Platthaus in the FAZ of January 18, 2015, accessed January 19, 2015
  4. ↑ De luxe vacation replacement: Prototype | The cartoon (86 pictures) FAZ .net
  5. ^ Andreas Platthaus : Ralf Königs new comic for the FAZ . In: FAZ , December 29, 2008.
  6. ↑ ms / cha AFP : Biblical seriousness. A Christian media association criticizes Ralf Koenig's comic series “Archetyp” . In: Tagesspiegel , January 13, 2009.
  7. ↑ intaktiv ambassador | intactive e. V. Accessed on November 12, 2017 (German).
  8. ↑ New ambassadors for genital self-determination: Dr. Necla Kelek and Ralf König . ( hpd.de [accessed on November 12, 2017]).
  9. ↑ Heike Makatsch : Condom of horror. Heike Makatsch and Ralf König on cocks, dolls and pornography . ( Memento from February 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) In: Spiegel Special , August 1, 1996, conversation.
  10. ↑ "Others can draw pleasant harmless comics". A conversation with Ralf König, in: Junge Welt , August 1, 2020, supplement, pp. 1-2.
  11. ↑ hinternet.de We have been massively followed for two years. An interview with Achim Schnurrer (Alpha Comics): Presentation from the perspective of the publisher concerned
  12. ↑ Ralf König reads "Götterspeise" at the Düsseldorf reconnaissance service
  13. ↑ Paws off this Adam . FAZ.net, September 29, 2007
  14. ↑ Eleven thousand virgins. Ralf König: The Ursula Project. October 13, 2012 to February 9, 2013. In: Cologne City Museum , Exhibitions - Review; Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  15. ^ Exhibition page ( Memento from July 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) at the Caricatura Museum; Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  16. ↑ Assunta Tammelleo: "Gache Wurzn" for civil courage 2009. In: Humanistischer Pressedienst , October 28, 2009.
  17. ↑ Awarding of the Rosa Courage Prize . ( Memento from April 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Gay in May, 2010
  18. ↑ Max and Moritz. Nominations / award winners since 1984. In: Internationaler Comic-Salon Erlangen. Retrieved March 11, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Ralf König receives the Wilhelm Busch Prize 2017. rowohlt.de; accessed on March 14, 2017
  20. ↑ Xaver Rammbock: The world of bulbous noses. borisvonusenitsch.de, accessed on July 21, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME King, Ralf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German comic artist
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Soest