Emrah Ablak

Emrah Ablak was born in Zonguldak on 27 October 1972. His father is of Karapapak Turkish descent from the Caucasus, while his mother grew up in the village of Cürek in the Divriği district of Sivas; she completed primary school there and secondary school in Karabük. After attending middle and high school in Ankara, he graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Department of Yıldız Technical University and began his drawing career at the magazine Avni.

In the following years he worked for various magazines, including Dıgıl, Fos, Parazit, Biber, HBR Maymun, L‑Manyak, Lombak, Kemik and Penguen. In the world of cartooning he stood out for an absurd, comic sense of humour that departed from the mainstream; he won a large readership in particular with his “Psiko” page in L‑Manyak and later with his comic series “Tübitak” in Lombak.

The “Tübitak” series humorously explores the clash between a professor and a cleaner in an imagined version of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, presenting adventure-filled stories and, in every episode, also featuring the characters’ dreams at night.

The series’ main character, Bayram, is the building’s cleaner: he sweeps every area in the morning and then falls asleep in the “labator”; he has a strange resistance to radioactive rays and the ability to carry uranium on him. Professor Azmi Cankuş, though he often argues with Bayram, usually needs him; a secret scientist whom even the army consults, he dislikes America and has many inventions, though some of his discoveries are destroyed because of Bayram’s interference.

The Professor’s assistants, Hakan and Ergin, share in his projects, while Ali Emmi, the building’s tea man, is curious and goofy; Berrin Hanım, the public relations officer, is a character who catches everyone’s eye, and Bayram daydreams about her. İlyas, who is in charge of security, is rarely seen, working morning and night to keep the building safe.

Today he still draws a page for Uykusuz magazine and is also known for a strip character called “Jamal”; he has also worked as a writer and actor on online series and film platforms. In the book world, his works were published by Doğan Kitap in 2005 and, by Mürekkep Yayınları, “Aman Ne Komik” in 2009, “Jamal” and “Tübitak / Saklı Düşman” in 2011, “Tübitak‑2” in 2012 and “Hiç Güleceğim Yoktu” in 2013.

On social media he can be found under the name “Emrah Ablak” on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, X and IMDb.

Credits

• Tertemiz (2024) — Cemil
• Yangın Günleri: Independenta (2023)
• Seçim Günü
• İsmet Ve (2024) — Self (Cartoonist)

Production and credit information is sourced from TMDB.