Seven tips in the Esslingen district: Here fans of comics and manga get their money’s worth – District

Comic book fans will have Saturday, September 21st, marked in bold on their calendars. On this date, the scene celebrates probably the most influential superhero of all: Batman, the Dark Knight, who has oscillated between being a virtuous savior of the weak and an embittered vigilante avenger since his first appearance in 1939.

But that’s not all: The so-called “Manga Day” is also taking place on September 21st this year. It is all about the narrative form developed in Japan, which spans various literary genres and is also experiencing a real hype in Germany. The two events speak for the broad spectrum that comics now cover. Their diversity can also be found in the Esslingen district.

Collector’s Corner Esslingen In Europe’s largest comic book store, you don’t have to choose between Batman Day and Manga Day – because the “Sammlerecke” celebrates both together. From 10 a.m., there will be free copies printed especially for this day and a flea market with books priced per kilo on the premises at Daimlerstrasse 8. There will also be illustrators on site. Frieder Maier, founder and managing director of the “Sammlerecke”, knows the comic book market very well. He says: “The manga wave is literally sweeping over specialist retailers with over 200 new releases every month.” In addition, superheroes are particularly popular, adds Maier’s son and co-managing director Julian. “The things that young people still know today always sell well.”

Esslingen City Library Comics also play an important role for the Esslingen library. “We see that the number of books being borrowed is increasing,” says director Kevin Butler. The comic cave set up under a staircase is also usually full. On Manga Day, the city library gives out free copies and presents new releases – there are around 100 of them per month. Anyone who is there can submit requests for purchases.

Osiander Esslingen and Plochingen At the “Osiander” branches in Esslingen and Plochingen, one series is in particular focus on September 21st: Dragon Ball, the second most successful manga in the world with around 230 million copies sold. The dragon balls with which the protagonist Son Goku goes on his adventures are to be found in a rally in the bookstores. Kristof Andreas, the deputy branch manager in Esslingen, says of manga: “This allows us to reach a completely new target group that previously tended not to go to bookstores.”

Other bookstores in the district The special editions for Manga Day can be found in Kirchheim and Nürtingen at the Zimmermann bookstore. Both branches have their own comics department. And in Ostfildern, the “Bunte Bücherladen” sells classics such as Asterix and Lucky Luke as well as literary graphic novels. The term describes illustrated stories with a high narrative complexity. In the “Bunte Bücherladen”, for example, this includes “Sapiens: Game of Worlds”, the latest work by star historian Yuval Noah Harari. Particularly interesting in light of the political debate about deportations to Afghanistan: the documentary graphic novel “Games”, which deals with the fate of Afghan refugees on their way to Europe.

Teckploitation Kirchheim Also on September 21st this year is the comic and film fair of the Kirchheim association Teckploitation. Comics and DVDs will be sold in the Zum Hasen restaurant from 10am. During this event, several cosplayers – passionate fans who dress up as characters from their favourite stories – will be on site. In March of next year, “Teckploitation” will also hold a “convention” in Kirchheim, a conference for comic enthusiasts based on the American model.

VHS Esslingen Anyone who would rather try their hand at writing their own story will find what they are looking for at the adult education center (VHS) in Esslingen. A drawing course for beginners starts there on Tuesday, November 5th. Director Mayha Suaysom works as an artist and is part of the Stuttgart Comic Days team. She practices with the course participants how they can implement their ideas visually and narratively. The meetings take place on six dates on Tuesdays from 7.30 p.m. in the VHS am Eck, Strohstraße 16. Register on the website at www.vhs-esslingen.de

Gringo Publishing Perhaps the stories developed in the adult education course will one day become a case for “Gringo”. The Esslingen-based independent publisher does not work with the licenses of large series, but publishes the stories of its own artists. The flagships include the Penguin comics by the illustrator Thomas Baehr, “The Adventures of the Good Lord” and the crime cases by Inspector Fröhlich.

September 21 at a glance

Manga Day
Some of the major manga publishers are producing special editions especially for September 21st. The books are a mixture of established series and current new releases. The titles come from the series “The Pharmacist’s Diaries”, “Kaiju No. 8”, “Your Lie in April”, “The Legend of Zelda”, “Stitch” and “Sakamoto Days”, among others. They are distributed to bookstores and libraries and given out free of charge.

Batman Day
The Dark Knight is one of the oldest and most famous superheroes. The character was created in 1939 by the two Americans Bill Finger and Bob Kane. Since then, the adventures that Batman has experienced in the fictional city of Gotham have been published by “DC Comics”. Once a year, the publisher produces a free special issue that is available on Batman Day.