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"Books don't float. Unless most of their thickness is air."

Die Buchmafia: Das Comic-Heft (The Graphic Novel) is the official companion comic and narrative spine of the entire tableroom universe. It tells the complete story linking the point-and-click co-op adventure Die Luftnummer, the cooperative escape game Operation Hardcover, and the dystopian finale Das Welt-Register.

Set across three distinct eras, the graphic novel follows four expelled outsiders who discover that the cartel's expensive 35-mark hardcovers are artificially puffed with foamed paper fibers—and decide to hit back with their own rogue printing press.

The Three Chapters

  • Chapter I: Die Luftnummer (The Floating Book)
    A Monday in Frankfurt. Ruth Kalander reads in her cold bathtub—the only warm spot in the flat. When the job centre's 35-mark book falls into the water, it bobs like a cork. Together with Selma, Ansgar, and Nuri, she squashes the volume under a hydraulic car lift at a local garage, uncovering the cartel's darkest secret: Field V: 2.8.
  • Chapter II: Operation Hardcover (The Underground Press)
    The Following Night. Arming themselves with an authentic defect stamp and a heavy Heidelberg cylinder press in a secret cellar, the crew spends one tense night mass-producing affordable paperbacks while dodging police patrols and radio sweeps.
  • Chapter III: Das Welt-Register (The 99-Pfennig Revolt)
    Fifteen Years Later. Paper books are history; every digital volume can only be rented by the hour. The aging crew reassembles to infiltrate the central mainframe and drop the price of every book on earth to 99 pfennigs forever.

The Rebellious Crew

  • Ruth Kalander ("The Roller"): Worked sixteen years in the cartel paper mill. Can fix anything that turns, twists, or rumbles.
  • Ansgar Pleite ("Galley"): Former chief editor for the Trust. Corrects everything he reads, even ransom notes and police warnings.
  • Selma Golder ("Gilt Edge"): Retired master forger. Recognizes any paper stock, watermark, and ink recipe at a single glance.
  • Nuri Wendt ("Check Digit"): Trust mainframe programmer. Sees math, checksums, and hidden patterns in everything.
  • Horst Holzschliff ("The Glueback"): Corrupt boss of the Price-Fixing Trust. He doesn't read books—he weighs them.

Interactive Web Reader Features

  • Tactile Soundscape: Synthesized page-turning and atmospheric audio via Web Audio API (zero audio downloads).
  • Cinematic Panel Autoplay: Flip through panel by panel, or let the automated reading mode present the story like a motion comic.
  • Bilingual Reading: Seamlessly toggle between full German and English translations at any moment.
  • Zero Barrier: 100% free, no account, no cookies, runs smoothly on phone, tablet, and PC.

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Über die Geschichte (Deutsch)

In Frankfurt bestimmt ein allmächtiges Kartell, was Bücher kosten dürfen: die Preisbindungstreuhand. Jedes Hardcover kostet 35 Mark. Als Ruth Kalander ein Buch in die Badewanne fällt und schwimmt wie ein Korken, fliegt der Schwindel auf: Das Papier ist aufgeschäumt, vollgepumpt mit mikroskopischen Luftblasen. Gemeinsam mit ihren Mitbewohnern Ansgar, Selma und Nuri druckt Ruth über Nacht billige Bücher für alle – und zettelt eine Revolution an.

Experience the playable games connected to this comic: Die Luftnummer (Point & Click) and Operation Hardcover (Escape Game)!

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