ABSTRACT
When a popular Czech funny animal character of the 1930s, a friendly anthropomorphized canine hero called Punta, travelled to Abyssinia to help locals against fascist aggression, it was something never-before-seen in Czechoslovak comics. No matter how extraordinary Punta's mission was, this chapter focuses not exclusively on his involvement in the war in Africa but rather look at the broader context of that story. It approaches the Czech political and cultural response to the Second Italo-Abyssinian war in general, and summarizes why a Central European country was so deeply interested in what was happening so far away. On the material of Punta's Abyssinian adventures, the chapter analyzes how the interest in the events of international politics led Punta's creators to a sort of dead-end in developing their hero's story. Elaborating on the Abyssinian topic made comics creators engage black images and, with that, black stereotypes.
