Serbian comics
Encyclopedia
Serbian comics are comics
written and produced in Serbia
. During the 1970s and 1980s many comics have been published, often in other Serbo-Croatian
variants than Serbian
proper.
period stopped the development of comics during the 1930s when Russia
n aristocrats fled from their communist
government and came to Serbia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovene
. In that time the so-called Golden Age of Serbian Comics began.
The pioneers of the time were Đorđe Lobačev (Baron Münchhausen, Baš Čelik, The Son of the Sheikh, Master Death
), Sergej Solovjev (Big Kid, Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, Buffalo Bill), Konstantin Kuznjecov (Countess Margo, The Fairytale about Tsar Saltan, Bohemians, Three lives, Queen of Spades), Nikola Navojev (Zigomar
, Tarzanetta (a female version of Tarzan), The little Sailor, Young Bartulo), Ivan Šenšin (The Good Soldier Švejk, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Red Bison), Aleksije Ranher (Les Misérables, Revisor), Sebastijan Lehner (Jarto, Siegfried), Đuka Jovanović (Maxim, Priest Cira and Priest Spira, The Adventures of Smart Bobby), Moma Marković and odhers. The first Serbian comic edition was published on January 7, 1932.
In the newspapers, comics gained popularity through the children's edition of Politika
like Politikin Zabavnik
. Others followed soon. On the 21st October, 1934 in the newspaper "Politika" a whole page of Secret Agent X-9
appeared just a month after the American premiere.
Mickey Mouse
(srb. Mika Miš) was the first long term comic publication lated from 1935 until the war in 1941. It followed US-series like Popeye
, Prince Valiant
, Phantom, Mandrake the Magician
, Flash Gordon
and others. In 1939 was published with Zigomar the first Serbian superhero comic.
comics were soon banned because of the negative view they gave on the Yugoslav communist
government until the end of the 1960s.
Unfortunately many of comic pioneers ended tragically, some of them died during the war and some were banished by the communists.
The government in Yugoslavia didn't forbid western comics like many other former communist countries. In the beginning of the 70's and during the 80's the second golden age of Serbian comics took place. Most of them were world war II story's like "Mirko and Slavko". They sold in more than one hundred copy's. Politikin Zabavnik
sold over 200'000 copies. Comics like Cat Claw and Tarzan (Serbian Version) where translated and published in many other countries.
However, these "second golden age" could keep very hard with cheap Italian comics
like Alan Ford, Il Grande Blek
, Zagor
and others, they dominated the Serbian as well the Yugoslav comics scene for decades. Against them US-comics (many of them were valid as capitalistic) were frequently forbidden or censored. Because Serbian comics kept often to American examples, this may also be a reason why the second golden age found a small outlet in Serbia and Yugoslavia.
. In 1995 "Luxor comic" published two superhero comics Generation Tesla
and Borci Sumraka (Twilight Fighters), but both projects where shut down after one year due to low sales.
Over the past few years the market for comics in Serbia has grown. There is an increasing number of Serbian comic books and magazines. Notably since 2006 "Luxor comic" is publishing superhero comics Faktor 4 and a fantasy comic based on Slavic mythology
called "Divlja Magija" (Wild Magic). In the future those comic will be probably included in the child magazine "Boomerang".
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
written and produced in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. During the 1970s and 1980s many comics have been published, often in other Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
variants than Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
proper.
Before 1941
The history of Serbian comics began in the 19th century in the form of caricatures in children's magazines. The warWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
period stopped the development of comics during the 1930s when Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n aristocrats fled from their communist
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
government and came to Serbia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovene
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
. In that time the so-called Golden Age of Serbian Comics began.
The pioneers of the time were Đorđe Lobačev (Baron Münchhausen, Baš Čelik, The Son of the Sheikh, Master Death
Master Death (comics)
Master Death was a Serbian adventure comic strip created by Đorđe Lobačev. The series was first published by Mikijevo carstvo in 1939 and appeared with the issue No. 76 up to the issue No...
), Sergej Solovjev (Big Kid, Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, Buffalo Bill), Konstantin Kuznjecov (Countess Margo, The Fairytale about Tsar Saltan, Bohemians, Three lives, Queen of Spades), Nikola Navojev (Zigomar
Zigomar (comics)
Zigomar was a Serbian adventure comic strip created by Nikola Navojev and Branko Vidić. The series was first published by Mikijevo carstvo in 1939....
, Tarzanetta (a female version of Tarzan), The little Sailor, Young Bartulo), Ivan Šenšin (The Good Soldier Švejk, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Red Bison), Aleksije Ranher (Les Misérables, Revisor), Sebastijan Lehner (Jarto, Siegfried), Đuka Jovanović (Maxim, Priest Cira and Priest Spira, The Adventures of Smart Bobby), Moma Marković and odhers. The first Serbian comic edition was published on January 7, 1932.
In the newspapers, comics gained popularity through the children's edition of Politika
Politika
Politika is a Serbian newspaper. It is considered the newspaper of record and is the oldest daily in the Balkans, having been founded on January 25, 1904 by Vladislav Ribnikar. It is currently being published by Politika Newspapers and Magazines , a joint venture between Politika AD and...
like Politikin Zabavnik
Politikin zabavnik
Politikin Zabavnik is a popular magazine in Serbia, published by Politika Newspapers and Magazines. The first issue came out on 28 February 1939. In the beginning it was printed in the form of newspaper, and issued biweekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Nowadays it comes out weekly on Fridays...
. Others followed soon. On the 21st October, 1934 in the newspaper "Politika" a whole page of Secret Agent X-9
Secret Agent X-9
Secret Agent X-9 was a comic strip begun by writer Dashiell Hammett and artist Alex Raymond . Syndicated by King Features, it ran from January 22, 1934 until February 10, 1996....
appeared just a month after the American premiere.
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
(srb. Mika Miš) was the first long term comic publication lated from 1935 until the war in 1941. It followed US-series like Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
, Prince Valiant
Prince Valiant
Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, or simply Prince Valiant, is a long-run comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 3700 Sunday strips...
, Phantom, Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk , which began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate.Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964,...
, Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
and others. In 1939 was published with Zigomar the first Serbian superhero comic.
After 1945
After the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
comics were soon banned because of the negative view they gave on the Yugoslav communist
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
government until the end of the 1960s.
Unfortunately many of comic pioneers ended tragically, some of them died during the war and some were banished by the communists.
The government in Yugoslavia didn't forbid western comics like many other former communist countries. In the beginning of the 70's and during the 80's the second golden age of Serbian comics took place. Most of them were world war II story's like "Mirko and Slavko". They sold in more than one hundred copy's. Politikin Zabavnik
Politikin zabavnik
Politikin Zabavnik is a popular magazine in Serbia, published by Politika Newspapers and Magazines. The first issue came out on 28 February 1939. In the beginning it was printed in the form of newspaper, and issued biweekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Nowadays it comes out weekly on Fridays...
sold over 200'000 copies. Comics like Cat Claw and Tarzan (Serbian Version) where translated and published in many other countries.
However, these "second golden age" could keep very hard with cheap Italian comics
Italian comics
Italian comics are comics made in Italy. They are locally known as fumetto – plural form fumetti – although this latter term is often used in English to describe a specific comic genre . The most popular Italian comics have been translated into many languages...
like Alan Ford, Il Grande Blek
Il Grande Blek
Il Grande Blek is an Italian western comic book, first published in Italy on October 3, 1954 by Editoriale Dardo. Blek was written and illustrated by the trio EsseGesse....
, Zagor
Zagor
Zagor is an Italian comic book created by editor and writer Sergio Bonelli and artist Gallieno Ferri. Zagor was first published In Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1961.-Character:...
and others, they dominated the Serbian as well the Yugoslav comics scene for decades. Against them US-comics (many of them were valid as capitalistic) were frequently forbidden or censored. Because Serbian comics kept often to American examples, this may also be a reason why the second golden age found a small outlet in Serbia and Yugoslavia.
1990 - now
After the breakup of Yugoslavia and the economy crisis in the 90's, comics were almost forgotten. Most of the magazines which published comics were shut down. Most of the authors went on to work for Franco-Belgian comicsFranco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
. In 1995 "Luxor comic" published two superhero comics Generation Tesla
Generation Tesla
Generation Tesla was a Serbian comic book series from 1995 about a superhero team of the same name, published by "Luxor comic" in Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. The comic represented one of the biggest attempts to revive the comic scene in Serbia during the 1990s, after the breakup of Yugoslavia...
and Borci Sumraka (Twilight Fighters), but both projects where shut down after one year due to low sales.
Over the past few years the market for comics in Serbia has grown. There is an increasing number of Serbian comic books and magazines. Notably since 2006 "Luxor comic" is publishing superhero comics Faktor 4 and a fantasy comic based on Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
called "Divlja Magija" (Wild Magic). In the future those comic will be probably included in the child magazine "Boomerang".
List of Serbian comics
- Billy the Spit
- Cat Claw
- Faktor 4
- Generation TeslaGeneration TeslaGeneration Tesla was a Serbian comic book series from 1995 about a superhero team of the same name, published by "Luxor comic" in Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. The comic represented one of the biggest attempts to revive the comic scene in Serbia during the 1990s, after the breakup of Yugoslavia...
- KobraKobra (comic book)Kobra was a Serbian comic book series from 1979, about a young stunt man who possessed extraordinary martial arts abilities, and his adventures around the world. The comic was created by Branislav Kerac....
- Master DeathMaster Death (comics)Master Death was a Serbian adventure comic strip created by Đorđe Lobačev. The series was first published by Mikijevo carstvo in 1939 and appeared with the issue No. 76 up to the issue No...
- Tarzan (Serbian Version)
- TechnotiseTechnotiseTechnotise is a Serbian comic book created by Aleksa Gajić and Darko Grkinić. It was promoted in an unusual way for Serbian comics, by the main character being featured in the music video Bombona?, for which Gajić composed the music...
- ZigomarZigomar (comics)Zigomar was a Serbian adventure comic strip created by Nikola Navojev and Branko Vidić. The series was first published by Mikijevo carstvo in 1939....
List of Serbian comic artists
- Branislav KeracBranislav KeracBranislav "Bane" Kerac is a popular Serbian comic book creator, known best for his series Cat Claw. He was a drummer for the heavy metal bandGeroMetal.-External links:**...
- Aleksa GajićAleksa GajicAleksa Gajić is a Serbian comics artist. Gajić is best known as the illustrator of Scourge of the Gods , written by Valérie Mangin, and Technotise...
- Zoran JanjetovZoran JanjetovZoran Janjetov is a Serbian comics artist. He lives in Novi Sad. Janjetov is best known as the illustrator of The Technopriests, written by Alejandro Jodorowsky. In 1986 he was chosen by Moebius to continue his work The Incal.- Biography :At very early age he started to draw with a strong support...
- Dražen KovačevićDražen KovacevicDražen Kovačević is a popular Serbian comic-book creator, known best for his comic Wheel created with Goran Skrobonja.-External links:*http://upps-sajt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=488&Itemid=2...
- Goran Milenković Cane
List of films based on Serbian comics
- Billy the Spit (19861986 in film-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
) - City Cat (19911991 in filmThe year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
), from Cat Claw - Technotise Edit & I (20082008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
), from TechnotiseTechnotiseTechnotise is a Serbian comic book created by Aleksa Gajić and Darko Grkinić. It was promoted in an unusual way for Serbian comics, by the main character being featured in the music video Bombona?, for which Gajić composed the music... - Factor 4 (TBA)