Ochocki / Drozdowski - WICEK and WACEK - 1948 - First edition [comic, satire].

Illustrations : Waclaw Drozdowski, Text : Adam Ochocki

Wicek and Wacek - The delightful adventures of two wisus during the occupation in their honor described in verse.

Publisher Express Illustrated

FIRST EDITION

ŁÓDŹ 1948

Softcover. Condition close to perfect. Cards clean,

Overall condition very good. Cards originally uncolored (which is a rarity ).

Until the 90's this comic book was not in the collection of the National Library.

Number of pages: 28 cards ( single page printing).

Format : 220 x 310 [mm].

Wicek and Wacek - Polish comic strip published since 1946 in "Ekspress Illustrowanym" in Lodz.

"The delightful adventures of the two wisemen during the occupation, in their honor described in verse". The booklet was published in Lodz by the editors of the "Express Illustrated". The author of the rhymed text was W. Ochocki. The comic book contains 28 single-sided pages, the first one is the title page, then we have a short introduction, on the rest eight frames printed in sepia each with appropriate captions. Reviewing this comic, I always pay attention to the pages where the action moves behind the wires of the concentration camp. Surprisingly, the authors still delightfully recounted the amusing adventures of their characters. The reader will not find here that martyrdom tone that we invariably associate with the phrase "concentration camp." I suppose that at the time, only three years after the war, the subject of camps was close enough to almost all Poles that such a light treatment of the subject was not objectionable. Well, it wasn't history yet, it was life.... In later years, such a perspective would have been unacceptable. And rightly so. The piece I own is not one of the most beautiful. The edges of the cover have tears that someone once tried to salvage with tape. The tape has long since fallen off, leaving indelible yellowing of the paper. The first two boards were colored in clumsily with crayons. I console myself only with the fact that I never had the opportunity to replace Wick and Wack with a better piece. I remember that a few years ago the National Library bought a much inferior piece at auction, as it did not have any. Later, after it had been professionally restored, I saw it at an exhibition in 1999. The comic is undoubtedly rare. It is much easier to buy its colored reprint, published by KAW in Lodz in 1989." - Text from page : GILDIA KOMIKSU - HISTORY OF COMICS - Author : Janusz Pawlak "

" The story is about the adventures of two residents of the Łódź district of Widzew. Later, they are joined by a third character - the safanduled Polikarp. The action of the initial episodes took place during the war, later stories told about the adventures of the urchins in the post-war reality. The characters were modeled on characters from the Danish cartoon Pat and Patachon."