Summary – The history of the historical comic strip in Romania (I) – Beginning

by DODO NIȚĂ

Closer to us, the 19th century- book and magazine illustration, poster and press cartoon announce the creation of a new art in Romania, the ninth: the comic strip.

The production of comics has developped in Romania in the first half of the 12th century, appearing many children’s magazines that publish, on two, three pages, in black and white or in color, the comic adventures of popular heroes.

Romanian comics appear for the first time in “Revista Copiilor” (published twice a month by Theodor D. Speranția, between 5 February 1896 and 5 October 1897), even in its first issues: Pisica spălată and Măseaua babei, signed by the famous cartoonist Constantin Jiquidi. It is important to note that the model used by Jiquidi, 4 boxes on page (rarely 6), will be used by Romanian cartoonists for almost 50 years. From a message to readers, we learn that the summary of each issue includes five parts, one of which is “funny, including various illustrations that can encourage moral sense, forbidding vice and bad habits everywhere. In short, the moral of these first Romanian comics was “who does like me, like me will suffer”. This is also the first stereotype in the Romanian comics

The first historical comic strip in Romania was published on 17/24 November, 1918, shortly after the capitulation of Germany and the triumphant return to Bucharest of King Ferdinand at the head of the new Romanian army!

During the German occupation of Bucharest, several German soldiers kicked out students from a neighborhood school and started drinking in their class. But the ball that the children were playing with in the school yard entered the window and broke the German’s demijohn. The soldiers are preparing to shoot the children when… the Romanian army returns to Bucharest.

Mingea buclucașă appears in the “Biblioteca copiilor și a tinerimei” (“Children’s and Youth Library”), a magazine founded at the beginning of 1918 by two journalists and poets, Alexandru Terziman (pseudonym of Isaac Alterzon, 1894-1943), new demobilized from the army because he had been wounded on the front, and I. Tedescul (pseudonym of Benjamin Deutsch, 1887-1919).

In the Second World War, the Romanian propaganda mobilizes on all fronts for the “Crusade against Bolshevism”. In this context, in the pages of the magazine “Universul Copiilor” (supplement of the newspaper Universul, published since 3 June, 1925), the editor of the magazine Nicolae Batzaria and the cartoonist Pascal Rădulescu imagine a series of comics to support the morale of Romanian soldiers who went to war. (,,Tudorică şi Andrei în războiu”).

In 1943, Tudorică and Andrei board a fighter plane whose pilot had a mission above the Caucasus. But, naughty, they fall off the plane. Luckily, they had parachutes on them. They land in the land of the Bolsheviks, directly on the head of some Red Army soldiers. More than half a year of drawn adventures follows, in Russia and on the Black Sea, where the two children escape from many confrontations with Russian soldiers, that they constantly ridicule.

This confirms one of the strongest stereotypes of the Romanian comics, during the Second World War: the Russian soldier is stupid, coward, drunk.

In the spring of 1944, the Red Army comes almost threatening the Dniester. The series “Tudorică and Andrei în războiu” ends, with the two kids who return home alive and unharmed.

Also, during the war,’’Graiul Copiilor’’, a children’s propaganda magazine was published twice a month (later monthly) by the Ministry of Culture and Cults. Right from the first issue (1 May, 1942) we also find two pages of comics – “Ionică Grozavu” (screenplay Ion Cheşca, drawings by Mira Davidoglu), with a little boy who wants to be an aviator and, without a plane, uses a stork to “bomb” with stones the Bolsheviks. In issue 8 even King Mihai appears as a character. The last issue of ’’Graiul Copiilor” appeared in July 1944.

Comics have appeared not only in children’s publications but also in newspapers for adults, especially as comic strips, following the fashion of Western newspapers. “Sentinela” publication, first published by the Ministry of National Propaganda on 25 December, 1939, published comics, and their main character was the soldier Neaţă, drawn by the cartoonist Neagu Rădulescu (1912-1972).

In June 1941, the soldier Neaţă crossed the Prut River. The Russian soldiers are so scared and cowards that Neață only disarms them by shouting at them. Sometimes he shoots them with… champagne bottle stoppers, other times he bombards them with… itching powder.

In June 1941, the soldier Neaţă crossed the Prut River. The Russian soldiers are so scared and cowards that Neață only disarms them by shouting at them. Sometimes he shoots them with… champagne bottle stoppers, other times he bombards them with… itching powder.