Totenbretter: Bavarian folklore meets queer horror and bear romance

Berlin-based independent publisher Moom Comics presents a new graphic novel by Łukasz Majcher and Stefan Paul, combining a murder mystery, Bavarian folk horror, and a romance between two men. Check out the details below!

When Ben, a true-crime writer from Berlin, learns of a disturbing murder in the Bavarian Forest, his search for answers leads him into a world where local traditions take on a sinister meaning.

At the centre of the mystery is a Totenbrett: a wooden board traditionally associated with the dead, now appearing as part of an unsettling murder scene.

As Ben becomes entangled in the investigation, his growing connection with a local man, Bernhard, adds an intimate dimension to the story.

Attraction and vulnerability unfold alongside suspicion and fear, while the boundary between folklore and reality becomes increasingly uncertain.

Totenbretter brings together a rarely explored combination in comics: Bavarian folklore, queer desire and bear protagonists. Its characters’ relationships are central to the narrative, giving the horror an emotional weight beyond the mystery itself.

The book is intended for readers aged 16 and over and contains scenes of intimacy between two men, as well as graphic violence and bloody imagery.

The project is the work of comic artist and writer Łukasz Majcher and his life partner and co-writer Stefan Paul. Both identify as bears, bringing a personal connection to the men and relationships they portray.

They have been developing the graphic novel together for almost three years, drawing on years of research in the Bavarian Forest into its landscapes, local traditions and folklore.

Planned as the first of two volumes, Totenbretter will feature more than 170 pages and will be published in separate English and German editions by Moom Comics, an independent publisher dedicated to queer stories under the motto “Queer Comics for everyone.”

The book is currently seeking support on Kickstarter, where readers can back the project and reserve a
copy. You can learn much more about the project, its story, and see many more sneak peak images too over on the Kickstarter too, so go check it out!

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moomcomics/totenbretter
Publisher: https://www.moomcomics.de
Instagram: @moomcomics · @lucas.majcher