Sondermann is a cartoon character of the painter and cartoonist Bernd Pfarr, which appeared, until August 1994, in a column of the same name by the writer Simone Borowiak and, from 1987 to August 2004, regularly in the satirical magazine Titanic. Model for the name was Gerhard Sondermann, the first publisher of Titanic.
Sondermann is a creation of an illustrator, who, as Bernd Pfarr himself once said, wants "to drive reality out of the pictures" ().
The comic
The world of Sondermann is subject to its own, individual laws: "Negro scrubbing" (German: "Negerschrubben") is a traditional ritual at Sondermann's company, Sondermann and his boss subdue their hunger by "huddling softly together" (German: "sich weich aneinander schmiegen"), consuming a Schnitzel and taking out the trash are common yoga exercises, and Sondermann defeats God (German: "den lieben Gott") in Tennis.
Sondermann's world is populated by strange creatures:
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a neighbor, Schulze, who often "comes to detonate" (German: "zum Sprengen kommt");
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God, as mentioned above;
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the blowdryer-armed super hero Supererpel, who is not actually that heroic;
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the brothers Strittmatter, also neighbors of Sondermann, who are penguins and "detonate saurians in their spare time" (German: "in ihrer Freizeit Saurier sprengen");
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Mr. Sharp, "lord over seven flies" (German: "Herr über sieben Fliegen"), who is for inexplicable reasons unbeloved by Sondermann, and is also a penguin and the "latest stallion" (German: "neuester Stecher") of Sondermann's mother;
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Herr Detlev Siehlbeck, who always carries a dead fish with him and expects that people pet it;
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a small dog named Willi, whose "freethinking remarks about the preparation of his food" (German: "freigeistige Ausführungen der Zubereitung seines Fresschens betreffend") impress the Weltgeist so much that they cause metaphysical levitation in it;
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and not least Sondermann himself: accountant, single and eager to learn, with a pronounced artistic side, while not insusceptible to erotic or homoerotic attraction.
Early Sondermann episodes mostly limited themselves to the master-servant relationship between Sondermann and his boss. The pandemonium of the above-listed characters grew gradually out of this fundamental conflict. According to writer Robert Gernhardt, the character very soon developed a "life of its own" (German: "Eigenleben"), for which even the editorial staff of Titanic was not prepared.
Sondermann Award
Since 2004, the name of Bernd Pfarr's character also denotes an audience prize for comics awarded by and at the Frankfurt Book Fair in collaboration with the magazine
Comixene, the
Frankfurter Rundschau, and
Spiegel Online. Some of the prizes include a cash sum.
Recipients 2004
Recipients 2005
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International comic: Onkel Dagobert by Don Rosa
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Domestic comic: Die Chronik der Unsterblichen by Wolfgang Hohlbein, Benjamin von Eckartsberg and Thomas von Kummant
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International manga/manhwa: One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
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Domestic manga: Dystopia by Judith Park
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Cartoon: Shit happens! by Ralph Ruthe
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Newcomer 2005: Arne Bellstorf ( Acht, neun, zehn)
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Bernd-Pfarr-special-prize for comical art: Rudi Hurzlmeier
Recipients 2006
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International comic: Sin City by Frank Miller
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Domestic comic: Adolf – der Bonker by Walter Moers
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International manga/manhwa: Shinshi Doumei Cross by Arina Tanemura
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Domestic manga: Jibun-Jishin by Nina Werner
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Cartoon: Shit happens! by Ralph Ruthe
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Newcomer 2006: Moki ( Asleep in a foreign place)
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Bernd-Pfarr-special-prize for comical art: Greser & Lenz
Recipients 2007
Recipients 2008
Recipients 2009
Recipients 2010
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Comic: Asterix and Obelix's Birthday by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, Egmont Ehapa
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Manga/Manhwa: Legend of Zelda 1 by Akira Himekawa, Tokyopop
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Cartoon: Das schwarze Buch by Uli Stein, Lappan
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Webcomic (endowed with 1,000 Euro): Beetlebum by Johannes Kretzschmar.
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Newcomer 2010: Felix Mertikat and Benjamin Schreuder ( Jakob)
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Bernd-Pfarr-special-prize for comical art: Ari Plikat
Recipients 2011
Recipients 2012
Recipients 2013
Recipients 2014
Recipients 2015
Recipients 2016
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Bernd-Pfarr-special-prize for comical art: Thomas Kapielski
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Sponsorship award: Jan Böhmermann
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Scholarship: Fabian Lichter
Recipients 2017
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Sondermann-Preis für Komische Kunst: Hans Traxler
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Sponsorship award: Kathrin Fricke
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Scholarship: Daniel Sibbe
Recipients 2018
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Sondermann-Preis für Komische Kunst: Otto Waalkes for life work
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Sponsorship award: Anna Haifisch
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Scholarship: Paula Irmschler
Recipients 2019
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Sondermann-Preis für Komische Kunst: Nicolas Mahler for his comics based on masterpieces of world literature
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Sponsorship award: Stefanie Sargnagel
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Scholarship: Adrian Schulz
