While the Polish comics industry may not be as internationally recognised as that of the US or the Francophone countries, it certainly has its own share of writers and artists creating world-class comics. From the most famous albums and books and the best known names of the comics industry to obscure classics and personal suggestions, everyone can find something to suit them in the world of Polish comics.

Short history of comics in Poland

For kids and teenagers

Independent comics

Dragons, lasers and more

Zines and underground authors

Experimental and artistic comics

Can I read something in English or French?

Historical comics

A short history of comics in Poland

The first Polish comics date back to the early 20th century, when the country regained its independence. As a free press started to develop, newspapers included image boxes with text in verse underneath. They were called image films, or stories in images, and were often copies of foreign comics. The comics' main audience was the uneducated inhabitants of big cities. They dealt with many different topics: social and political affairs or customs, always with a touch of humour. The best known titles are: Ogniem i mieczem, czyli przygody szalonego Grzesia (With Fire and Sword, or the Adventures of Mad Grzes), Przygody bezrobotnego Frącka (The Adventures of Jobless Frącek). The best comics of the period can be found in the Dawny komiks polski album series (edited by comics historian, Dr. Adam Ruska from the National Library of Poland).

Comics appearing in the press were avidly read by children. There were a number of publications for kids, in both newspaper and album form. The best known were Przygody Koziołka Matołka i małpki Fiki-Miki (The Adventures of Koziołek Matołek and Fiki-Miki the Monkey) by Marian Walentynowicz and Kornel Makuszyński. They are still republished today.

Following World War II, the communist state initially discouraged the publication of comics as they showed signs of "rotten capitalism". But no later than the 50s, comics made their way back into the newspapers. Those were the days of the founders of Polish comics: Janusz Christa and Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski. Christa came up with two sailors named Kajtek and Koko. From the late 50s, for a decade, their comical adventures appeared in the Wieczór Wybrzeża newspaper. Their most memorable exploits are captured in the comic series Kajtek i Koko w kosmosie (Kajtek and Koko in Space). The comics were also published in a 700-page compilation. Despite Kajtek and Koko's success, Christa's most popular characters are Kajko and Kokosz, two warriors fighting against the “Banditknights”. Their exploits are spread over several albums which have remained in print to this day.

Chmielewski (aka Papcio Chmiel) on the other hand is the brain behind Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek, two boy scouts and an anthropomorphised chimpanzee named Tytus. They get around in a flying vehicle, which was sometimes a bathtub, a trumpet or an iron. In the 60s, the communist leadership noticed the potential for propaganda and commercial use of comics and encouraged their mass production. Individual albums were published in runs of 100-300 thousand copies. Chmielewski's first albums were censored but after the change in the political system, the author re-released them in their original, unadulterated form.

Spreadsheet from Antresolka Profesorka Nerwosolka, photo: private archives

In the Polish People's Republic (1952-1989) comics were almost exclusively made for children. The most famous comics apart from the ones mentioned above were Przygody Kleksa (The Adventures of Kleks), about a blue creature who lives in an ink-pot, created by Szarlota Pawel, and the comics of Tadeusz Baranowski (Antresolka Profesorka Nerwosolka, Where Does Soda Water Come From? and A Journey with Diplodok the Dragon). They were full of abstract humour and hidden comments on reality which only adult readers could decipher. Many of these comics came out in the magazine Świat Młodych (Youth World). Others, the more intellectual ones, appeared in the magazine Relax.



Other comics, published by the government, were pure propaganda. Titles include Kapitan Żbik (Capitan Żbik) and Pilot śmigłowca (Chopper Pilot). The former starred a headstrong officer of the Citizen's Militia drawn by several accomplished Polish illustrators: Grzegorz Rosiński, Bogusław Polch and Jerzy Wróblewski. Read more about comics for young readers (For children and teenagers).



Przygody profesora Filutka (The Adventures of Professor Filutek) by Zbigniew Lengren is from the same period, but constitutes a separate chapter in the history of Polish comics. The wordless three-panel stories appeared on the cover of the weekly Przekrój from 1948 until several decades later. Filutek is a noble gentleman in a bowler hat who lives with his dog, a source of both joy and trouble.

Spreadcheet from Witcher, photo: press release

Fantasy comics made their debut in the 80s thanks to the monthly magazine Fantastyka (later called Nowa Fantastyka). They proved to be so popular that the publisher decided to release magazines solely featuring comics. Komiks and Fantastyka - Komiks is where the classics of Polish comics appeared: science-fiction comics like Funky Koval and fantasy such as Wiedźmin (the Witcher, based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski). Funky Koval was the first Polish comic for adults, and its brutality and nudity shocked audiences. Read about fantasy comics (Dragons, lasers and more).

After 1989, comics escaped from under the shadow of governmental institutions. New, young and independent authors began to publish zines. Read about underground comics (Zines and underground authors). But the market was dominated by foreign publications. The late 90s was the Renaissance of Polish comics. New publishing houses started to open, promoting Polish authors.

One such example is the magazine Produkt led by Michał Śledziński. The cult comic strip Osiedle Swoboda, showing the life of young people living in communist blocks, appeared in this magazine, and it was was an artistic and commercial success, as well as an accurate description of reality. The majority of the most important contemporary comic book authors started their careers or have been published in Produkt.

The second decade of the 21st century was marked by a generational change in Polish comics. The authors of the previous generation were replaced by younger artists. To name a few: Mateusz Skutnik (author of Revolutions), Michał Śledziński (Osiedle swoboda, Strange Years), Karol Kalinowski (Łauma), the duo Tomasz Leśniak and Rafal Skarżycki (George the Hedgehog), brothers Tomasz and Bartosz Minkiewiczowie (Wilq), Krzysztof Gawronkiewicz (Essence and Romanticism with Grzegorz Janusz, Mikropolis with Dennis Wojda). Other promising authors include: Marcin Podolec (Fugazi Music Club), Jacek Świdziński (Events. 1908), Michał Rzecznik (Maczużnik with Daniel Gutowski, 88/89 with Przemysław Surma). Read more about independent comics (Independent comics). Many accomplished artists also tried their hand at comics. Read about avant-garde comics (Experimental and artistic comics). Many Polish illustrators draw for foreign publishers. Read about foreign publications (Can I read something in English or French?).

For kids and teenagers

Spreadsheet from Capitan Żbik, photo: private archives

The Polish People's Republic (1952-1989) marked the golden age of children's comics. Many cherished comic book characters were conceived during the period. Among the most popular are Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek by Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski (aka Papcio Chmiel), Kajko and Kokosz by Janusz Christa, Kleks, Jonka and Jonek by Szarlota Pawel and comics by Tadeusz Baranowski (Antresolka profesorka Nerwosolka, Where Does Soda Water Come From? and A Journey with Diplodok the Dragon). Many of them appeared in the children's magazine Świat Młodych and the magazine for teenagers Relaks. The communist leaders quickly started to use comics as means of propaganda and for commercial use. One such example is Capitan Żbik, starring an officer of the Citizen's Militia, or the war series Pilot Śmigłowca (Chopper Pilot). Such propagandistic comics quickly went out of fashion and are, for today's readers, no more than an interesting collectors' items.



Independent comics, on the other hand, continue to be sold. The history of Polish comics would not be the same without the adventure albums illustrated by Jerzy Wróblewski. Among them are the Legendy wyspy labiryntu (Legends of the Island of Labyrinths), based on Greek myths and aimed at teenagers, and the crime album Figurki z Tilos (Figurines from Tilos) and Czarna róża (Black Rose). Also worth mentioning is the Polish Travellers series that focuses on the lives of important figures from Polish history, such as the Nobel laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz and scientists like the geologist Ignacy Domeyko.

Among the best albums with the adventures of Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek are Tytus na Dzikim Zachodzie (Tytus in the Wild West,) Poprawka z geografii (Tytus Improves on His D in Polish Geography), Tytus aktorem (Tytus the Actor) and Ochrona zabytków (Monuments Conservation). Kleks' best adventures on the other hand are in Pióro kontra flamaster (Pen vs maker) and Złoto Alaski (Gold in Alaska). Kajko and Kokosz bring laughter to readers in the albums Na wczasach (On Vacation), W krainie Borostworów (In the Land of Borocreatures) and Szkoła latania (Flight School).

After the political changes of 1989, Polish comic artists turned to creating comics for adults. Comics for kids became more rare and were packed full of advertisements. A change occurred in the second decade of the 21st century, when artists such as Tomasz Samojlik and Karol Kalinowski started working and the competition for comics for children named after Janusz Christa was launched.

Samojlik is an academic in the field of biology who researches mammals from the Białowieża Forest, and so the protagonists of his comics are a bison and a shrew. His albums are both educational and entertaining. His best known works are Ostatni żubr (Last Bison), Ryjówka przeznaczenia (Destiny Shrew), Norka zagłady (Extinction Mink) and Bartnik Ignat i skarb puszczy (Ignat the Bee-Keeper and the Forest Treasure).

Kalinowski's Łauma tells the story of Dorotka, a girl whose family is moving to the countryside. It turns out that her grandmother was a witch and the little girl gets entangled in wars between forest deities. The story is based on folk beliefs and myths.

Named after Janusz Christa and organised by Egmont Publishing House, the competition for comics for children is a breakthrough in the Polish comics industry. It is the first such attempt in decades to create characters to replace Tytus, Kleks or Kajko and Kokosz. The result of the first edition of the competition are five promising albums. Kubatu, Tomek and Jacek or Rysiek and Królik are worth remembering, because in a couple of years they may become younger reader's favourites. Kids will also go crazy for the adventures of Detective Zbyś the Teddy.

Independent comics

Cover of 566 Frames by Dennis Wojda, photo: press release

Every Polish comic book can be considered to be an authorial work. Unlike in the United States or France, there is no mainstream trend in Poland when it comes to comics. Comics are usually an "after-hours" job and not a source of stable income for authors. Hence, the market and publishers don't dictate how albums turn out. Many comics from the Polish People's Republic (1952-1989) could also be considered independent, especially those from the period free of censorship.

Despite complicated working conditions, Poland had many great comics. If you're a Polish comic book newbie, you have to start with comics by Mateusz Skutnik, Karol Kalinowski, Michał Śledziński, the duo Tomasz Leśniak and Rafał Skarżycki, Tomasz and Bartosz Minkiewicz, Krzysztof Gawronkiewicz and Grzegorz Janusz as well as Dennis Wojda.

From the older generation, try out Tadeusz Baranowski, Szarlota Pawel, Janusz Christa, Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski (Papcio Chmiel), or last but not least Jerzy Wróblewski. Also not to be missed are the works of the satirists Marek Raczkowski and Janek Koza, who mostly publish in the press. They are ironic and present the world from an entirely new perspective. Skutnik created an independent series called Revolutions. He made use of steampunk and fantasy elements and created an oniric adventure / crime drama about human dreams, attempts at making them come true, and the effects of human actions. Tomasz Bagiński's third volume (Monochrome) inspired him to create the animation Cinematograph.

Mikropolis is a city conceived by Gawronkiewicz and Wojda. The protagonist is a fat boy named Ozrabal. The comics first came out in the press and later in the form of two albums. The series asks philosophical and existential questions. It's a commentary on reality and at the same time, a universal oeuvre on emotions and human dreams with elements of fantasy.

Wilq curses, and is gruff and asocial. Nevertheless, he's a superhero who defends the city of Opole from evil – monsters, psychos and pigeons. The series by the brothers Tomasz and Bartosz Minkiewicz is a parody of the superhero comic genre. Through specific language (sometimes rated PG) and humour the authors managed to create their own take on the conventions of the genre. Despite being a caricature, it's both taken with a pinch of salt and seriously at the same time. The series proves that even a minimalistic line drawing can show everything.