Zbeng!

Zbeng!
זבנג!
The cover of the book "Zbeng! 15"
Created by: Uri Fink
Genre: Humor
Original publication period 17 August 1987 - Ongoing
Country of origin:  Israel
Language of origin: Hebrew
Number of books published: 22 books in the "זבנג!" series

9 books in the "זבנג אישי!" series
6 issues in the "דיאט זבנג" series

Website: official website

Zbeng! (Hebrew: זבנג!) is a humorous weekly Israeli comic series geared towards Israeli teenagers. The creator of the series is the Israeli cartoonist Uri Fink, who has both illustrated and written the series for over two decades.

The series has been published in the Israeli weekly youth magazine "Ma'ariv La'Noar" on a weekly basis since the 17 August 1987. Most of the chapters published in "Ma'ariv La'Noar" contain between 1-3 pages and comprise a single, self-contained storyline. Most chapters also contain a punch line in the last frame of the comic. The plot of the series focuses on the everyday life of an average Israeli adolescent, Gal Tichon, and his classmates at a fictional Israeli high school located in Gush Dan. The plot usually focuses in a humorous way on adolescent experiences as well as lampooning Israeli culture, society, and many aspects of the human condition. The characters' exaggerated personality traits are all based on common stereotypes (the geek, the bully, the queen bee, the evil teacher, etc.).

Since its inception, the series has attained unprecedented success amongst its Israeli audience. This popularity has prompted the production of various related products under the "Zbeng!" brand: including, amongst others, several series of books; student diaries; a spin-off version, portraying the "Zbeng!" characters as children; a monthly magazine; and even a TV series loosely based on the comics.

Overview

"Zbeng!" was published for the first time in the popular Israeli teen magazine "Ma'ariv La'noar" on August 17, 1987 and attained popular success. Though originally published as a single-page item, the comic soon expanded to a multi-page format. Occasionally "Zbeng!" spoofed other regular columns in the magazine.

The success of "Zbeng!" has been attributed in part to the author's willingness to make changes throughout the years and in response to reader feedback - for example, altering characters' appearances to reflect the latest fashions and trends. Despite the large fan base which the comics have acquired, "Zbeng!" has also been frequently and heavily criticized by Israeli parents and educators because of its portrayal of sexual activity, contempt for adult authority, and stereotypical characters.

Characters

Main characters

Recurring characters by type

Teenagers

The School Faculty

Gal's family

Characters who died in the comics

Published works

In addition to the strips in the popular Israeli teen magazine "Ma'ariv La'noar," Fink has published 19 different "Zbeng!" comic books and many different pamphlets. Additional publications include a series of "Zbeng!" student diaries, "Zbeng!" notebooks, a series called "Zbengale" which featured the characters of "Zbeng!" as children, a series which spoofed "Harry Potter," Zbeng Manga, a series called "TsvaZveng!" which featured the characters of "Zbeng!" as soldiers, and a monthly "Zbeng!" magazine. Fink has also published two instructional drawing books showing techniques for illustrating the Zbeng! characters.

The book "Zbeng! Gold" summarizes the first ten years of the series. The book includes new drawings of 30 comics chosen by the readers, special features such as drawings of the neighborhoods where the characters live, "Zbeng!" in English and more.

A subsequent book called "Zbeng! Platinum", which summarizes the second decade of the series, was released in 2007.

TV series

In 1998, "Zbeng!" was adapted into a live-action TV series broadcast on the Israeli Channel 2. The show was based loosely on the plot and the characters of the comics, with slight changes from the original. The show lasted for two seasons.

Computer game

In 2007, Corbomite Games announced the production of a computer game based on the comics, and designed by Oded Sharon.[1]

References

External links