Andreas C. Knigge

With the Special Jury Award, we are honouring a figure this evening who has shaped the history of German comics like no other – in the truest sense of the word. Back in the 1960s, when comics were still looked down upon as trashy in Germany, a boy in Hanover discovered Donald Duck and Carl Barks, Hergé and Tintin. And he realised that there were better and worse stories, which is why he published his first comic reviews in the school newspaper.

In 1974, at the age of 17, he founded the legendary magazine Comixene with René Lehner and Thilo Rex, thereby establishing German comic criticism. In 1983, he joined Carlsen Verlag as an editor; two years later, he became chief editor. Under his leadership, Carlsen Comics developed into the most successful division of the publishing house, which had previously focused on children’s books. Andreas cultivated Franco-Belgian bande dessinée, launched the superhero renaissance and published the first manga. German artists whom he supported also played an important role, including Matthias Schultheiss, Ralf König and Isabel Kreitz, to name but a few.

After leaving Carlsen in 1998, Andreas C. Knigge became the foremost expert and writer on graphic literature. Numerous works of secondary literature bear his name; hardly any encyclopaedia has been or is complete without his contributions. Knigge curated major exhibitions and managed outstanding artists. The comic industry owes it to Andreas C. Knigge, more than to almost any other figure, that comics are taken seriously as an art form in Germany. All of this represents an incredible historical legacy.

However, the award is being presented to a very special person who, to this day, remains curious and open to everything happening in the comics scene. Someone who never speaks of the ‘good old days’, who does not put his own achievements in the spotlight, and who takes an interest in young artists. As a member of the Jury for the Max und Moritz Award from 2008 to 2024, his fellow jurors were able to gain a vivid impression of this. Today, we thank Andreas C. Knigge with a Special Jury Award for his lifetime achievement in the Ninth Art!
Bodo Birk