Today I’m not going to talk about science or archaeology, I’m going to talk about comics. Every two years, the German city of Erlangen hosts the Comic Salon. For four days, the Bavarian city turns into a cultural centre for comic lovers, cosplayers and many more. I was there for two days and came away with a lot of impressions.

The comics

I have written before that I am a (very selective) collector of certain comics. But that is about as far as I know about the medium. Still, it never hurts to broaden one’s cultural horizons, and so I did. Actually, it wasn’t my first time there, I visited the Comic Salon two years ago. Both events were great. Big halls full of people selling comics, graphic novels, art and more.

There were events all over the city, even for children. Cosplayers populated the city and there were competitions for them too. In large halls, publishers and artists showed their work. Illustrators gave autographs here and there, and there was even a drawing contest between them, much to the amusement of the visitors. The Comic Salon was well organised and there was something going on in almost every street in the central area.

Still archaeology…

I wasn’t really looking, but there are also comics about archaeology/the past. One of the most famous is “Die Adler Roms“, a series about two friends who join the Roman army, published by Carlsen. But there have been others. A book in German called “Pfostenloch” was particularly amusing because it shows everyday situations on archaeological digs. It was definitely written by someone who had taken part in excavations, because these situations are right on the money.

In “Trommelfels”, two ageing archaeologists are given another chance to prove themselves. Soon they discover traces of an underground civilisation and the story unfolds. It is an interesting read and the art is really beautiful. If you take your time and wander through these halls, you can actually discover something made just for you. The people are super nice and it was a very relaxed atmosphere.

Further impressions

I can also say that Erlangen is a nice city to visit. According to someone I know who lived there for a while, Erlangen is only exciting during the Comic Salon. But I don’t know about that. There are a lot of cafes, cultural institutions, places to eat… It is not that big, but quite nice. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t that good this year, but I can tell you from two years ago that a sunny Erlangen is even better. Nevertheless, the visit was an experience I would not want to miss.

• Comics
• Erlangen