Lovely! Live comics at re:publica

A few years ago three webcomic artists met at re:publica and, as one of them said last year: “When at least three webcomic artists come together in the space-time continuum, uploading to the internet becomes inevitable. That's just the way it is!”  And what will they inevitably upload? Their individual re:publica experience. The three artists are drawing their personal re:publica visit in the form of short web comics and publishing them straight away on twitter with the hashtag #rp17comics. Inspired by this year's motto “Love Out Loud”, the three artists collaboratively answered three questions:

LOVE: What were the nicest reactions you’ve had to your comics so far?

Tim: The nicest and most impactful reaction I’ve had to one of my comics is actually the story of how I came to the re:publica for the first time. Boris Schneider-Johne read my comic on Twitter about how I wasn’t at the re:publica, but really wanted to be, and got me a ticket as well as a surface where I could draw on-site.

Jeff: I take every “Fav” heart on Twitter as an expression of love. I don’t know, I just trust that the average re:publica visitor means it, and that a heart is really a heart. That’s why I think this year’s motto is so great.

Jojo: Unlike Jeff, who seems satisfied with immaterial goods, I see a donated Flora Power as the highest expression of love and appreciation at a re:publica. <3

OUT: Your comics convey a very specific, special impression of the re:publica. Why should people still stop by themselves?

Tim: That’s the nice thing about the re:publica: you get to meet the people in-person, that you usually only know online. For me, it’s less about talks, burgers and beer, and more about the little moments and stories that only become possible when you get a bunch of internet people together in one place.

Jeff: Reliving moments that others have experienced is only half as fun experiencing your own. I’m sure that even the most absurd stories that pop up in our comics only reflect a tiny sliver of what actually goes on in the r:p world.

Jojo: I agree. Even while we’re drawing, there’s already a thousand other things happening that someone should really be drawing.

LOUD: What programme item are you especially looking forward to this year?

Tim: To be honest, I haven’t looked at the programme in too much detail. Like every year, I’m just going to get lost in it and see where the craziness takes me.

Jeff: I think it’s great that there’s a real evening programme with concerts this year! (Did they have those the last years? I never noticed it, at any rate.) My absolute favourite band is playing, Yalta Club –> Check them out! And I guess Garry Kasparov as the celebrity headliner is the more “mainstream answer”. As an IT hipster, you can’t really escape a name like that.

Jojo: GARRY KASPAROV’S COMING?

Comics Credit: Tim Gaedke and Johannes Kretzschmar