A pulp magazine as an antithesis to world-weariness

It started in a tavern on the occasion of a holiday in Carinthia in the mid-1990s. Gerhard Haderer had just ordered noodle soup and discovered the “silent D” in Upper Austria. On the journey home, related word roots for “Nulsuppe” were developed, such as “Bul”, “Ferl”, “Beil” or “Fal” (piglet). That was the basic structure of a pulp idea called Moff, which is still eagerly awaited by a veritable crowd of fans every month.

A Moff exhibition can now be seen in the 44er Gallery in Leonding, the birthplace of the internationally renowned OÖNachrichten cartoonist. “The basic concept of Moff is actually quite simple. It’s an antithesis to world-weariness, towards superficial nonsense. Sometimes that’s really necessary, and when Moff comes out, I even laugh at my own stuff once a month,” says Gerhard Haderer about his magazine published by Scherz & Schund.

Haderers Moff in Leonding
Image: Helmut Atteneder

The first Moff with the title “The Revenge of the Stupid Dog” was released on May 18, 1997. After three years, Haderer initially ended the project, and in 2008 he took it up again with great success. Over time, characters such as Fräun Babsi, “Tlane Woifi” (Wolfgang Schüssel), Mr. Novak and the constantly “biting” former state governor Josef Pühringer developed.

“The Moff,” says the 72-year-old, “was also created out of revenge against my elementary school teacher, who always took away my beloved pulp magazines.”

A new Moff will be released on Monday. In terms of content, it is a collection of stupid jokes that passers-by on the street often like to tell him: “They say, ‘Haderer, you know him? And in some cases a picture emerges in my head and I go into the studio and start drawing .”

The extensive Moff show in the Leondinger 44er Gallery, curated by Jasmin Leonhartsberger, provides a crazy, biting testimony to 20 years of Schundheftl history. (att)

Exhibition: “Gerhard Haderer – Moff” until May 26th in the 44er Galerie Leonding, Stadtplatz 44. Thurs to Sat from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free entry