Mosaik #1/1976
Mosaik #1/1976 marks one of the most significant character transitions in European comics history: the debut of Abrax, Brabax, and Califax — collectively the Abrafaxe — who replaced the beloved Digedags after founder Hannes Hegen's acrimonious departure from the publisher. Far from ending the series, this issue launched a new era that carried the magazine not only through the remainder of the GDR's existence but through German reunification and into the present day, making the Abrafaxe among the longest-continuously-running trio of protagonists in any comic on the continent. The issue also demonstrated, within a state-controlled media environment, that a collectively-authored comic could sustain a mass readership without a single creative auteur at its helm — a structurally distinctive achievement for the medium.
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When illustrator Hannes Hegen departed Verlag Junge Welt in 1975 following a dispute over creative and financial terms, he took full rights to the Digedags characters with him, leaving the publisher in urgent need of new protagonists. The Mosaik-Kollektiv — a salaried in-house studio — spent roughly half a year developing replacements, during which time the magazine ran reprints of old Digedags stories to bridge the gap. The final designs for the three new kobold-like characters were the work of writer Lothar Dräger and artist Lona Rietschel, who submitted the concept to the FDJ Central Council for ideological approval before publication could proceed. Hegen subsequently attempted legal action to prevent continuation of the Mosaik title, but the state-backed publisher prevailed, and the first Abrafaxe issue went to press.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Abrax, Brabax, and Califax (the Abrafaxe) — protagonists of Mosaik from January 1976 to the present day.
- Issue title: 'Das Geheimnis der Grotte' ('The Secret of the Grotto'); story opens on the Dalmatian Adriatic coast in the 17th century, with a supporting character named Harlekin (Harlequin) introducing the trio and their world through a Commedia dell'arte framing device.
- Characters were created by writer Lothar Dräger and artist Lona Rietschel, working within the collectively-structured Mosaik-Kollektiv at Verlag Junge Welt, Berlin.
- The three Abrafaxe are distinctly color-coded and characterised: Abrax (blond) is the bold, hot-headed adventurer; Brabax (redhead) is the scholarly strategist; and Califax (black-haired) is the good-natured cook and loyal companion.
- A test/prototype version of this issue was produced in spring 1975 and submitted to the FDJ Central Council for political approval before the concept was greenlit.
- The issue was the first Mosaik printed at the Heidenau branch of the Grafischer Großbetrieb Völkerfreundschaft Dresden facility, which would produce the series continuously through issue 5/1990.
- A Hungarian-language export edition of this issue was published in February 1976 — the first foreign-language Abrafaxe issue in the series' history.
- The issue was reprinted in five instalments in the regional German daily newspaper Thüringer Allgemeine during the Christmas holiday period of December 23–29, 2005.