Georgia.
კომიქსი
Georgia
1907
კომიქსი
Georgian comics grew out of the satirical press of Tiflis.
After the 1905 revolution, humour magazines such as Eshmakis Matrakhi (The Devil's Whip) and Ekali printed caricatures by Oskar Schmerling, Josef Rotter and Shalva Kikodze, and from 1923 the satirical magazine Niangi gave work to cartoonists such as Doni and Gigla Pirtskhalava. Comics in the strict sense remain a small field, with examples such as Gia Lapauri's Boloka and Kvanchala stories, collected in 1991, and Davit Machavariani's graphic novel of The Knight in the Panther's Skin.
11
6
1907
1900s
Artists from Georgia in the archive.
Comics from Georgia in the archive.
Eshmakis Matrakhi (The Devil's Whip), the earliest comic from Georgia in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Georgia began.
კომიქსი
Georgia in 3 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Georgia.
კომიქსი
3 chapters
1880
to 1921
Chapter 01
The satirical press of Tiflis
Oskar Schmerling drew caricatures for Tiflis magazines from the early 1880s and, from 1901, for Georgian periodicals such as Tsnobis Purtseli and Eshmakis Matrakhi. The easing of censorship after the 1905 revolution brought a wave of satirical weeklies illustrated by Schmerling and the Austrian-born Josef Rotter; Eshmakis Matrakhi, edited in practice by Nestor Kalandadze, appeared in 1907 and 1908, 1915 to 1917 and 1919 to 1921.
1923
to 1990
Chapter 02
Niangi
The satirical magazine Niangi was founded in Tbilisi on 3 June 1923, came out as Tartarozi from 1924 to 1930 and returned as Niangi in 1931. Doni (Davit Natsvlishvili) placed a cartoon in its first issue, and later contributors included Gigla Pirtskhalava, Zurab Porchkhidze and Murtaz Abashidze; in 1981 it printed 150,000 copies.
1991
to today
Chapter 03
Comics and graphic novels
The publisher Samshoblo collected Gia Lapauri's comics series The Merry Adventures of Boloka and Kvanchala in 1991. Niangi was revived in the 1990s and again in June 2011, and Davit Machavariani spent four years drawing a graphic novel of The Knight in the Panther's Skin, with the text adapted by the writer Salome Benidze.
The comics to know
- Eshmakis Matrakhi (The Devil's Whip)ეშმაკის მათრახიOskar SchmerlingGeorgia, 1907 to 1921Nestor Kalandadze (editor), Oskar Schmerling, Shalva Kikodze. Humour weekly published in Tiflis with breaks until 1921.
- EkaliეკალიJosef RotterGeorgia, 1907 to 1908Josef Rotter and G. Zaziashvili (caricatures). Humour magazine closed by the governor general in 1908.
- NiangiნიანგიGeorgia, 1923Various cartoonists. Soviet Georgian satirical magazine, published as Tartarozi from 1924 to 1930; revived in 2011.
- The Merry Adventures of Boloka and Kvanchalaბოლოკასა და ყვანჩალას მხიარული თავგადასავლებიGia LapauriGeorgia, 1991Gia Lapauri. Comics series about a radish and a crow, collected by Samshoblo.
- The Knight in the Panther's Skin (graphic novel)ვეფხისტყაოსანიDavit MachavarianiGeorgiaDavit Machavariani and Salome Benidze. Graphic novel adaptation of Shota Rustaveli's epic poem.
The people to know
- Oskar Schmerlingოსკარ შმერლინგი1863 to 1938Tiflis illustrator remembered for his cartoon series on old Tiflis; drew for Eshmakis Matrakhi.
- Josef Rotter1867 to 1937Austrian-born teacher in Tiflis who made over 2,300 illustrations for twelve periodicals from 1906 to 1914.
- Nestor Kalandadzeნესტორ კალანდაძე1874 to 1942Writer and cartoonist known as Eshmaki; the real editor of Eshmakis Matrakhi.
- Doniდონი1899 to 1971Cartoonist Davit Natsvlishvili, published in Niangi from its first issue in 1923.
- Gigla Pirtskhalavaგიგლა ფირცხალავა1922 to 1983Graphic artist and cartoonist for Niangi and Krokodil.
- Gia Lapauriგია ლაფაურიAuthor and artist of the Boloka and Kvanchala comics.
- Davit Machavarianiდავით მაჭავარიანიBorn 1976Artist of the graphic novel of The Knight in the Panther's Skin.