They skip the royal private lessons, instead pimp motorbikes in their secret workshop and experience an adventure in which a prince and a dragon trio play unexpected roles. The three main characters in “Power Princess Patrol” (Reprodukt, 32 S., 10 €, Lesealter: 6+), the new children’s book by the Berlin comic artist Markus Witzel alias Mawil, are tough and patent and playfully refute many gender clichés.
And they live in a world of alliteration, which Mawil lovingly adorns in overflowing, often double-sided hidden objects: for breakfast there are pierogi and breaded peppers, in the workshop there are phase testers, plutonium and a perpetual motion machine. The winding story is great fun, even for adults reading aloud or along.
Mawil’s second children’s book, “Mauer, Leiter, Bauarbeiter”, which is being published at the same time, follows the same pattern. (32 S. , 10 €, Lesealter: 6+), in which the bearded construction worker Boris stands out with charming peculiarities in a world full of bulldozers, bitumen and bolt cutters and experiences an unconventional love story.
Both books impress not only with their wit and the likeable characters, but also with the detailed panels for which the draftsman has further refined his characteristic scrawly lines. In addition, the coloring in bright colors gives the pictures a three-dimensional appearance.
Mawil has been drawing comics for the Sunday pages of the Tagesspiegel for 13 years. With the autobiographically inspired GDR story “Kinderland” and his classic homage “Lucky Luke saddles up”, he is now also internationally successful. He came to children’s books through his personal situation: he became a father for the first time four years ago, and now he and his partner have two children.
A selection from the estate of Jutta Harms
The 45-year-old Mawil began drawing comics 30 years ago, and from November 6th there will be an extensive retrospective in his honor in the Neurotitan Gallery in Haus Schwarzenberg (Vernissage November 6th, 4pm, until November 28th, Rosenthalerstraße 39, 10178 Berlin, open Monday to Saturday 12pm – 6pm).
In addition to drawings with the three princesses, there are also some originals from his Tagesspiegel ouevre to be discovered there.
There are also a handful of special events with Mawil and guests, as well as a selection of posters and other works from Jutta Harms’ private collection in the back of the gallery. She played an important role in many functions at Mawils Verlag Reprodukt and in the German comics scene in general and died in 2019 at the age of 57.
