Nick Knatterton
Encyclopedia
Nick Knatterton is a German
comic strip
character, drawn by Manfred Schmidt (1913–1999) from 1950 to 1959. The name is alluding to Nick Carter
and Nat Pinkerton
. He was born in Kyritz
(also called "Kyritz an der Knatter") to Casimir Kuno von Knatter and Corinna Pimpsberg.
Knatterton is a private detective. He always dresses in a Sherlock Holmes
-style green plaid overcoat and cap, and smokes a pipe.
The visual style of the comics is cartoony, but still realistic enough for the comic to be taken as a (at least mostly) serious detective comic.
Although Knatterton's adventures are serious and count as real detective stories, the comic is characterised by its unique style of humour, most of which derives from allusions to current political affairs in the Federal Republic of Germany
of the 1950s.
s, but his mental capabilities, such as his power of deduction
, his senses, his memory and knowledge of various topics, are incredibly good, to the point of caricature
. As an example, Knatterton was once able to pinpoint his location after being thrown tied and blindfolded into the back of a van, thanks to memorising the entire map of the city and feeling the van's momentum
with his body when turning corners.
families with a public image to maintain. Many of the villains are recurring characters and acquainted with Knatterton and his clients, and they're usually good at heart, make up with their victims after being arrested, and everyone is happy at the end.
favoured by various shady characters. The handles on the bar's front door are shaped like section sign
s ("§"). In many stories, Knatterton has found out the real situation and been able to complete his deductions when visiting the Alibi Bar, where he sometimes finds a wealthy family's teenage daughter and the man who stole her jewelry wrapped up in each other's arms.
cartoon show was created in 1977. Episodes (fifteen of them) of the show are available on DVD
. The show is narrated
, and the narrator is in fact the only voice actor. Characters merely squeak when they are shown talking, and the narrator then explains what was said. Knatterton himself often voices out the conclusions of his deductions by saying "Conclusion" (German
: "(Ich) kombiniere!", literally: "I conclude!"), followed by the conclusion itself. This has become a kind of catchphrase for him.
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
character, drawn by Manfred Schmidt (1913–1999) from 1950 to 1959. The name is alluding to Nick Carter
Nick Carter (literary character)
Nick Carter is a fictional character who began as a pulp fiction private detective and has appeared in a variety of formats over more than a century.-Literary history:...
and Nat Pinkerton
Nat Pinkerton in the Fight
Nat Pinkerton in the Fight is a 1920 German film directed by Wolfgang Neff and featuring Béla Lugosi....
. He was born in Kyritz
Kyritz
Kyritz is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 28 km west of Neuruppin and 28 km southeast of Pritzwalk.There are 9,900 inhabitants .-Overview:...
(also called "Kyritz an der Knatter") to Casimir Kuno von Knatter and Corinna Pimpsberg.
Knatterton is a private detective. He always dresses in a Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
-style green plaid overcoat and cap, and smokes a pipe.
The visual style of the comics is cartoony, but still realistic enough for the comic to be taken as a (at least mostly) serious detective comic.
Although Knatterton's adventures are serious and count as real detective stories, the comic is characterised by its unique style of humour, most of which derives from allusions to current political affairs in the Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
of the 1950s.
Character
Knatterton is presented as the embodiment of a competent and effective private detective. He is not extraordinarily physically strong (although he keeps in good shape) and does not possess many fancy gadgetGadget
A gadget is a small technological object that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention...
s, but his mental capabilities, such as his power of deduction
Deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning, also called deductive logic, is reasoning which constructs or evaluates deductive arguments. Deductive arguments are attempts to show that a conclusion necessarily follows from a set of premises or hypothesis...
, his senses, his memory and knowledge of various topics, are incredibly good, to the point of caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
. As an example, Knatterton was once able to pinpoint his location after being thrown tied and blindfolded into the back of a van, thanks to memorising the entire map of the city and feeling the van's momentum
Momentum
In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...
with his body when turning corners.
Cases
As is common with German detective stories, Knatterton's cases usually involve wealthy aristocraticAristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
families with a public image to maintain. Many of the villains are recurring characters and acquainted with Knatterton and his clients, and they're usually good at heart, make up with their victims after being arrested, and everyone is happy at the end.
Locations
A recurring location in the stories is the Alibi Bar, a barBar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
favoured by various shady characters. The handles on the bar's front door are shaped like section sign
Section sign
The section sign , also called the "double S", "sectional symbol" or signum sectiōnis, is a typographical character used mainly to refer to a particular section of a document, such as a legal code. It is frequently used along with the pilcrow , or paragraph sign...
s ("§"). In many stories, Knatterton has found out the real situation and been able to complete his deductions when visiting the Alibi Bar, where he sometimes finds a wealthy family's teenage daughter and the man who stole her jewelry wrapped up in each other's arms.
TV show
Nick Knatterton's adventures were translated into many languages, and a televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
cartoon show was created in 1977. Episodes (fifteen of them) of the show are available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The show is narrated
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, and the narrator is in fact the only voice actor. Characters merely squeak when they are shown talking, and the narrator then explains what was said. Knatterton himself often voices out the conclusions of his deductions by saying "Conclusion" (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: "(Ich) kombiniere!", literally: "I conclude!"), followed by the conclusion itself. This has become a kind of catchphrase for him.
Films
It has been adapted into two films:- Nick Knattertons Abenteuer – Der Raub der Gloria Nylon (19591959 in filmThe year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
) - Nick Knatterton – Der Film (20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
)
Radio dramas
2007 and 2008 German based Der Audio Verlag published Nick Knatterton radio dramas in German.- Nick Knatterton – Der indische Diamantenkoffer (March 2007)
- Nick Knatterton – Der Schuß in den künstlichen Hinterkopf (March 2007)
- Nick Knatterton – Die Million im Eimer / Das Geheimnis hinterm Bullauge (February 2008)
- Nick Knatterton – Die Erbschaft in der Krawatte (February 2008)
Literature
- Gråsten, Johanna 1995: Sprachspiele in »Nick Knatterton« von Manfred Schmidt und seiner finnischen Übersetzung »Nikke Knatterton«. Pro gradu. Joensuu University.
- Schmidt, Manfred 2007: Nick Knatterton: Alle aufregenden Abenteuer des berühmten Meisterdetektivs. Lappan Verlag, Oldenburg (Germany). ISBN 978-3-8303-3152-0