Mawil [ Germany ]
Mawil was born as Markus Witzel in 1976 in Berlin. He began drawing at the age of eight, and in 1991 he published one of his comics for the first time. After graduating from school, he studied communications design at the Berlin-Weißensee Art College beginning in 1996 and was co-founder of the Monogatari comics group. In 2002 he completed his studies with an elaboration of the episodic story »Wir können ja Freunde bleiben« (2003; Eng. »We Can Still Be Friends«, 2008). In retrospect, he tells of his first love affairs, most of which end differently than one would intially imagine. The autobiographically inspired short stories are set against the background of the GDR at the time of reunification. Besides melancholic echoes of a longing for the past youth, »We Can Still Be Friends« is ultimately a reflection on the phase of self-discovery. The black and white drawings are very dynamic, artfully composed, and rich in nuances. Starting with nine panels of the same size on each page, Mawil sometimes fuses these units to form a single picture over the entire page, divided into nine sections. »We Can Still Be Friends« has been reprinted several times and has received considerable awards and praise.
In his subsequent works, Mawil basically remains true to the prototype of the lovable loser. »Das große Supa-Hasi-Album« (2005, tr: The Big Supa-Hasi Album), also based on a work from Mawil’s student days, tells of the adventurous life of a rabbit with an oversized head who wanders with his friends through the urban jungle between gambling dens, alcoholic excesses, and unhappy love stories. As the alter ego of the author, Supa-Hasi took on trademark status and later appeared in Mawil’s other publications. »Authenticity is the great quality of all Mawil’s work regardless.« (»Der Spiegel«) Mawil received the Max and Moritz Prize for »Kinderland« (2014; Eng. »Kinderland: A Childhood in East Berlin« 2019), his comic about his childhood in the GDR. In his homage to the cult comic Lucky Luke, Mawil has the protagonist switch from a horse to a bicycle. »Lucky Luke sattelt um: Lucky Luke Hommage 3« (2019, tr. Lucky Luke Changles Saddles) takes Lucky Luke, much to the chagrin of his horse Jolly Jumper, across the North American continent on a racing bicycle to San Francisco, where he is supposed to win a race.
Mawil’s comics also appeared in newspapers and magazines such as »Welt kompakt«, »Junge Welt«, »Moga Mobo«, »Stripburger«, and others, as well as in France, Poland, Spain, and the USA. In addition, Mawil also works as an illustrator for newspapers, has worked for the Berlin Filmlounge and created the video clip for »Guten Tag (Die Reklamation)« for the Berlin band Wir sind Helden. He also belongs to the Berlin Comix group, which publishes a small-format series called »Teufel & Pistolen« (Devils & Pistols), among other things.
For his comics, Mawil has been awarded the ICOM Independent Comic Prize (1998, 2003, 2004, and 2007), the Max and Moritz Prize (2014) and the Rudolph Dirks Award in 2019 in the category Action/Adventure for »Lucky Luke Hommage 3«.
Mawil lives in Berlin.
Bibliography
Strandsafari
Schwarzer Turm
Hünfeld, 2002
Wir können ja Freunde bleiben
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2003
Die Band
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2004
Das grosse Supa-Hasi-Album
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2005
Meister Lampe
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2006
Action Sorgenkind
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2007
Kinderland
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2014
The Singles Collection
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2015
Lucky Luke sattelt um:
Lucky Luke Hommage 3
Egmont Comic Collection
Berlin, 2019
Strandsafari
Schwarzer Turm
Hünfeld, 2002
Wir können ja Freunde bleiben
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2003
Die Band
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2004
Das grosse Supa-Hasi-Album
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2005
Meister Lampe
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2006
Action Sorgenkind
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2007
Kinderland
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2014
The Singles Collection
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2015
Lucky Luke sattelt um:
Lucky Luke Hommage 3
Egmont Comic Collection
Berlin, 2019
Strandsafari
Schwarzer Turm
Hünfeld, 2002
Wir können ja Freunde bleiben
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2003
Die Band
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2004
Das grosse Supa-Hasi-Album
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2005
Meister Lampe
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2006
Action Sorgenkind
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2007
Kinderland
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2014
The Singles Collection
Reprodukt
Berlin, 2015
Lucky Luke sattelt um:
Lucky Luke Hommage 3
Egmont Comic Collection
Berlin, 2019