Der Kantinenwart

---

Real name: Unknown


Race: Human


Occupation: Waiter and janitor at the super-hero canteen
Legal status: German citizen
Base of operations: Moloch Grossstadt


Story: Der Kantinenwart is the waiter and janitor at the canteen where the super-heroes eat.


Continuity: Engelmann
Publisher(s): Carlsen Verlag GmbH
First app.: Engelmann - "Der Gefallene Engel"
Creator(s): Nicolas Mahler
Country of origin: Germany


Background notes: One of the popular settings for drama is the place where people eat, and super-heroes need a place to eat and use the toilet. Der Kantinenwart (German for Canteen waiter) is the guy who keeps the place clean and serves the food, while commenting on what is happening to the heroes.

The graphic novel about Engelmann (Angel Man) is a satirical comment on both the modern super-hero genre and the industry. Like other heroes his destiny is dictated by the story department, but unlike other heroes, he knows about the story department, and has meetings with them. He is thus aware of why his life makes no sense and why strange things happen, e.g. the story department want to cash in on the Lord of the Rings franchise and next we see Engelmann with long blond hair and long soft wings, and his arch enemy Gender-bender is suddenly a magical fairy. Like other super-heroes he tries to help people, along with his friend Captain Analpho, fight with his arch enemy, der Gender-bender, and generally find his place in life as a super-hero, with a secret identity as a female. His demise is the result of insufficient sales, and not being able to find an independent publisher.

The humor is black with a lot of in-jokes, and for those who do not know the genre and the industry, it probably makes little or no sense at all. As a part of the joke, it seems, a compact cassette, limited edition (one copy), with the sound track for the series was made for the Fumetto Comix-Festival 2010, containing themes for Engelmann.


Examples (click to enlarge):



Related links/characters: