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Berlin (comics)
Encyclopedia
Berlin is the title of a comic book
series
created by Jason Lutes
and published by Black Eye Productions
and then Drawn and Quarterly
. Planned as a series of 24 magazines, it describes life in Berlin
from 1928 to 1933, during the decline of the Weimar Republic
. In 2005, Time chose it as one of the 100 best English language, graphic novels ever written
.
titled Berlin: City of Stones, published in 2000. It starts with Marthe Müller, an art student, arriving in Berlin. One story arc details the start of her life in Berlin, focusing on her relationship to journalist Kurt Severing. A second story line describes a working class family which breaks up due to differing political views, the mother eventually joining the communists with their daughters, while the father takes their son to the Nazis. The book ends with the massacre of 1 May 1929, the International Workers Day (known in German as Blutmai).
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Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
created by Jason Lutes
Jason Lutes
Jason Lutes is an American comics creator. His work is mainly historical fiction, but he also works in traditional fiction...
and published by Black Eye Productions
Black Eye Productions
Black Eye Productions was a short-lived but influential Canadian comic book publishing company founded by Michel Vrana...
and then Drawn and Quarterly
Drawn and Quarterly
Drawn and Quarterly is a Canadian comic book publishing company, headed by Chris Oliveros, and based in Montreal, Quebec. Its focus is on graphic novels and underground or alternative comics. Drawn and Quarterly was also the title of the company's flagship quarterly anthology during the 1990s...
. Planned as a series of 24 magazines, it describes life in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from 1928 to 1933, during the decline of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. In 2005, Time chose it as one of the 100 best English language, graphic novels ever written
TIME's List of the 100 Best Novels
Times List of the 100 Best Novels, is an unranked list of the 100 best novels—and 10 best graphic novels—published in the English language between 1923 and 2005. The list was compiled by Time critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo....
.
Book One
The first eight issues were compiled into a bookTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
titled Berlin: City of Stones, published in 2000. It starts with Marthe Müller, an art student, arriving in Berlin. One story arc details the start of her life in Berlin, focusing on her relationship to journalist Kurt Severing. A second story line describes a working class family which breaks up due to differing political views, the mother eventually joining the communists with their daughters, while the father takes their son to the Nazis. The book ends with the massacre of 1 May 1929, the International Workers Day (known in German as Blutmai).
Book Two
Issues 9–16 have been compiled in Berlin book two: City of Smoke, published in 2008. In the second volume, the relationship between Marthe and Kurt disintegrates, partly due to the influence of Kurt's former lover Margarethe. Marthe develops a relationship with fellow art student Anna. A major subplot involves a group of African-American jazz musicians who perform at a Berlin nightclub. The volume concludes with the electoral victory of the Nazi Party in September 1930.Collected editions
The series has been collected into trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Berlin: City of Stones (collects Berlin #1-8, Drawn and Quarterly, 1 June 2000, ISBN 1-896597-29-7)
- Berlin: City of Smoke (collects Berlin #9-16, Drawn and Quarterly, 19 August 2008, ISBN 978-1-897299-53-1)