Tok Tok was a quarterly Arabic comic magazine published in Cairo, Egypt. It was the first independent self-published comic magazine in the country^[1] and was in circulation between 10 January 2011 and 2020.

History and profile

Tok Tok was first published on 10 January 2011.^[2][3][4] The founders of the magazine were five Egyptian graphic artists, namely Shennawy, Makhlouf, Hisham Rahma, Andil, and Tawfeek.^[5] They were also contributors of the magazine which funded itself.^[1][6] However, later the magazine was financially supported by the European Union.^[7] The goal of the magazine was to offer a forum for Egypt's comic scene and for informing people about their predecessors using comics and graphics.^[8]

The title of the magazine, Tok Tok, is a three-wheeled covered scooter used as a main method of motorized transportation in areas and roads in Egyptian cities where cars cannot be used.^[3][9] The magazine’s tagline was “the stop for graphic stories”^[3] and the cover page also contains the statement, “to be kept out of the reach of children”.^[9]

The target audience of Tok Tok were adults.^[5] Based in Cairo, the magazine contained graphic short stories^[10] and satirical comics.^[11] The stories published were mostly about love, joblessness, the attitudes of the elders and the authorities or the chaos of Cairo.^[12] The characters featured in the magazine were from the local heritage and experiences.^[13]

Tok Tok was supported by various European cultural institutes during its lifetime.^[14] In 2011, the magazine won the second prize in the best independent comic magazine section at the Algiers International Comics Festival in Algeria (FIBDA).^[11][15] The last issue of Tok Tok, #16, was published in October 2020.