Stripovi the Serbian comics. I wanted to do this sooner but I was afraid of some competition, namely Wikipedia. But some from my Ibrahim Coyle post gives me an idea to exploit. Namely going into how Inat fits in here.
First Stripovi Are Copy… Mice.
All this to say that Serbia… Wait it’s Yugoslavia by this point? I’m not gonna have to give a geopolitics course on this am I?… Anyway this country needed its own hero. No amount of Italian or American influences and reprints could cover that. Nothing against Tarcaneta, Hari Vils, or Zigomar; they all played their roles in shaping Yugoslavian stripovi. Pretty sure a lot of people said it couldn’t be done but they did it anyway.
Anti-War Can’t Keep Fascists Away
Meanwhile some comics were inspired by classic literature and Serbian folk tales. Save for Master of Death, an anti-evil/anti-war story about a guy spending his life trying to lift a curse from his ancestor’s wrongdoing. In doing so, he finds his humanity by caring for the wounded. Which is a surprise given that he does it wearing a skull mask. But when World War II started, this is the best anyone could hope for in a hero.
Because in 1941, the Nazis showed up and grind all comics to a halt. Like how the Serbian Mickey’s comic magazine publisher was blown up during one of the bombings. Most artists had to make a living with propaganda. But if that wasn’t enough, when the war was over and the Soviets showed up, they do what they always do and ban comics entirely. Partly because they had to collaborate with the Nazis; with executions and emigration being the only path forward.
Unless you count the comic strips in the Hedgehog magazines. What does Inat mean again? It means doing something because you can’t. That’s exactly the attitude for all of the strips here.
Stripovi Kissing Up and Fly
Soon enough, the Yugoslavs manage to carve out some independence from the Soviets in the Tito-Stalin split. It’s what allowed Disney Comics to show up in newspapers, in turn allowing for more (censored) comics to come back in. How and how many? Don’t know.
The Golden Age
Despite some turbulence in the 70s from a tax law’s paper inflation, stipovi truly start to flourish. Not only were there more titles and magazines dedicated to genres and imports, there were alternative anthologies, collected albums, fanzines, comic studies, and expanding out of the capital Belgrade. The 80s looked like some of the best times for the comics of Yugoslavia.
That was probably best seen in Dečje novine‘s newest magazine, Yu Strip. As you might’ve guessed, it’s the magazine leaning into the darker and edgier comics. The premiere title Kobra features the titular stuntman finding himself in martial arts turf before going into the more absurd. Nowhere is that more apparent than Ket Klou (Cat Claw) where Kobra became a supporting character. This character was created to be Yugoslavia’s Spider-Man… as well as appeal to guys’ lizard brains. You know those bits in your head that get off on cliches and pop culture parodies. So notable Cat Claw actually appeared abroad including the US; probably for acting as a parody of grim-and-gritty makeovers especially with her nutty rogues gallery.
But then Yugoslavia’s Civil War happened, splitting Serbia off from Croatia. Naturally this caused a disruption in comic production and distribution. Every major publisher closed down with the alternatives scattered about. Most of the artists had to find work out of the newly formed Serbia. Probably because newsstands were starting to struggle in the country. At the very least comic stores and conventions manage to keep the medium alive.
Stripovi Today
In the 21st century, comic schools continue to nurture local talents. But print runs are still limited so most artists still find work abroad. Thankfully newsstands are still around to show comics to the public. Now there’s an Inat I wish my country has. Plus a few Serbian comics like Technotise start getting the adaptation treatment.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.