Three of Istanbul Gentleman Abdülcanbaz adventures are available in English on the iPad App. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abdulcanbaz/id480661193?mt=8

Available e-adventures in English:
- Ramona: A Karate Master’s Love Affair
- The Allahabad Diamond: Abdülcanbaz VS. Arsene Lupin
- The Fringes of Space: Year 2301; The Mechanical People

For a brief period in the beginning, Abdülcanbaz’s character was far from the virtuous, charismatic, honest and courageous character that he has since come to be known as, instead being simply a tourist guide with shady morals. But it would not stay like this for long, as Abdülcanbaz underwent a 180-degree makeover when Selçuk began writing and drawing the strip on his own.

Abdülcanbaz blossomed into a true hero, with the manners of a true gentleman. He soon developed a character that was courageous in the face of injustice, always standing side by side with the downtrodden. He was both the idealized and caricatured version of a Turkish man, with his sleek moustache reminiscent of the janissaries of the Ottoman era. Sometimes wearing a fez, and wearing it very well, Abdülcanbaz was a fashion icon long before men were expected to be chic.

Turhan Selçuk, early on in the life of the strip, let a penniless Abdülcanbaz sleep in a dog’s kennel.

During this unusually uncomfortable night, Abdülcanbaz had a dream in which he was living in the Ottoman Empire, which marked the beginning of his adventures in the Ottoman world. Selçuk must have gotten a kick out of sending his hero to a different era, as the adventures soon turned into a comic reader’s postmodern dream.

From then on, Abdülcanbaz and his friends broke free from the boundaries of time and place. They traveled to a distant future, to a World War between the two supposed superpowers America and Japan, to outer space, to the Turkish War of Independence, to a 1930s gangster scene in America, to ancient Mesopotamia, to a place seven layers beneath the Earth’s surface, and to the mystical land of Foncistan.

Carrying cartoons to epic dimensions

Abdülcanbaz and his weirdly-eclectic friends and enemies also met with historical figures such as 17th century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi, 16th century Ottoman Admiral Turgut Reis, Al Capone, as well as the Knights of St. John. They also shared adventures with other fictional heroes such as the gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin.

Abdülcanbaz is a man possessing physical prowess, and even superpowers at times, though he generally prefers to use his wits and the famous Ottoman slap across the face with the speech balloon of “Şraaak!” covering the panel to dramatic effect.

He is also the epitome of a ladies’ man, not unlike another gentleman hero James Bond. Voluptuous, sensuous women grace Abdülcanbaz’s strips in nearly every adventure. The names of these women are well suited to their larger-than-life characters, with monikers such as Earthshattering Saliha, Raziyah the Peddler, Ramona, and Elefteria.

Abdülcanbaz’s adventures in print have reached the Formidable Turk’s fans through the pages of the dailies Milliyet, Yeni İstanbul, Akşam, and Cumhuriyet, as well as of independent publications.

Abdülcanbaz was adapted for the screen in 1966, and was turned into stage productions in 1972 and 1994. The Turkish Post Office also issued a stamp honoring this timeless Turkish hero.

Turhan Selçuk won his first award in 1955, and went on to accumulate the accolades over decades. He was also the founder of the Turkish Cartoonists Association, along with Semih Balcıoğlu and Ferit Öngören. The great Turkish writer and a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, Yaşar Kemal, has described Selçuk as a “Master of Lines.”

“One can very well be a Chekhov, a Sait Faik [20th century Turkish writer], a Mansfield, while drawing cartoons. One can take the potential of cartoon to epic dimensions. I believe that is what Turhan achieved, that is where he took cartoons.”

Before his death, Turhan Selçuk transferred all rights to his work on Abdülcanbaz to Group Biz Art Collection, in order to ensure that all aspects of his legacy were protected and promoted. The group has been doing quite an impressive job revamping Abdülcanbaz for new media, and introducing him to new readers. His adventures have been reprinted, with selected adventures available first in English and later in 10 other languages. The Facebook page is a tour-de-force, and there is even an Abdülcanbaz iPad app for fans.

Check abdulcanbaz.biz for a glimpse into this new epic.

LINK

THE ADVENTURES OF AN ISTANBUL GENTLEMAN ABDÜLCANBAZ ARE NOW IN ENGLISH!

Selected adventures of Abdülcanbaz are available in English through “Abdülcanbaz iPad Application” on the App Store: http://bit.ly/XkEy8P

Abdülcanbaz is an “Istanbul Gentleman”, he is also known as the “Formidable Turk.”

He is a hero of all times, a legend which the people hope and dream of…

He always uses his remarkable powers to help the virtuous, the just and the downtrodden.

He is honest and brave. He is handsome, witty and smart, with muscles of steel.

He is famous for his “Ottoman Slap”, with which he brings down tyrants and scoundrels.

At times he lives in the present; at times he is a brave soldier of the Ottoman Army. Sometimes he figures in a fairy tale, battling evil giants and at times, during The Turkish War of Independence. He swims in the deepest fathoms of the sea and at times bestrides outer space… His adventures go beyond the boundaries of space and time.

The Adventures of Abdülcanbaz is a series of comic albums created by the famous Turkish artist Turhan Selçuk (1922-2010). As per agreement, the artist decided to transfer all rights of his work, Abdülcanbaz, to “GROUP BIZ Art Collection” to make sure all aspects of his legend is protected and promoted. We are happy to bring Abdülcanbaz together with the comic fans in Turkey and all over the world both in print and digital media.

Big news for the art collectors and the comics fans worldwide.

The Istanbul Gentleman Abdülcanbaz‘s 5 adventures (The Allahabad Diamond, Ramona, Layers of Space, The Ball Is Round, The Goblins) are compiled in “Abdülcanbaz Collectors Edition, Vol. 1”, a mega size edition with a special cover, limited edition, 172 pages with 30 cm x 42 cm dimensions.

The second set of 5 adventures (Queen Hammurabella, The Black Dragon, Al Capone, Borders of Space, The Final Verdict) are compiled in “Abdülcanbaz Collectors Edition, Vol. 2”, a mega size edition with a special cover, limited edition, 152 pages with 30 cm x 42 cm dimensions.

This exclusive publication series is limited to 500 copies, each of which is duly numbered and stamped.

A real collector’s item!

It can be purchased at Abdülcanbaz website at a price of 350 TL.

* In Turkish

Istanbul Gentleman Abdülcanbaz’s timeless and placeless adventures will be available in English soon on the iPad application. Download here.