Zlatko Milenković – SERBIA

I was born in 1969 in Novi Sad. I learned how to read thanks to the comic books even before I went to primary school. Because of the desire to be engaged in comic books I started and finished high school for design "Bogdan Šuput“. Since the sadly and boring nineteens people had to live by doing something I worked in Vojvodina bank and waited for the day when I will run away from there that I would be able to do the comics. But I managed to do something, so we work published in some magazines: Alef", "Pisac", "Šajkaške novine", "Sexpress", "Vesti", "Dan", "Ruske slovo", "Stav", "Nezavisni", "ZinFan", "MonopoList", "Reflex", "Bumerang". "Cool strip art anthology" (Macedonia), "Blek" (Island), Jersey Devil (SJRP-USA), Totems (Carton frolics-USA), "Biker Szene" (Germany)... etc.

I started back in 1999 the first internet weekly STRIP VESTI, which has continuous publishing for nine years. In early 2007, after the number 402 issues that came out in weekly rhythm, STRIP VESTI begun to be Balkan internet news station (each) daily, which, as its subtitle says, brings the news from the world of comics every day on the site www.stripvesti.com ! Besides my desire to be engaged primarily in drawing comics, it can be said that this weekly is my biggest success in the field of comics. As this site is attempt for me to finally and definitively be back to drawing comics. I started and edited fanzin "ZinFan Trips" with the intent to promote the work of Novi Sad "young", and really young authors. It has been published entire four issues of that. An interruption came when I joined the company where I was not the boss related to the big resources of photocopier.So, ZinFan so suddenly disappeared from the scene.

But this did not mean anything bad for me, but even more. Since 2001, I finally managed to leave the Bank behind me, and I'm completely in the comics. However, just as the editorial of STRIPOTEKA. There I learned a lot about publishing, sales, and upgrade my knowledge about preparing the comics for printing. In MARKETPRINT I am still employed.

I started DRUGU EDICIJU where successfully has been published five comics La Bete Noire (D.Macan-M.Jovanović), as well as one album Stormy & Iceberg (B.Kerac-S.Slavković). Edition is, due to the many other obligations, on the "ice". Which does not mean that there will not be new publishing projects. When once publishing enters into the blood of yours, you can not never get rid of that completely. Same as comics.

While I worked at the Bank my album of short comics was published: "SVE JE TO LJUDSKI ALI MOZDA I NIJE" where I collected my, until then released, short comics. Mainly these comics previously published in a weekly letter STAV and the RUSKEM SLOVU. As a self-published edition of the author I published a one volume of comic book "Black & Angela.

I participated in many collective exhibitions, from the ZLATNA PERA, to those of small, organized by coffee-bars. To make the complete list I should be engaged in digging of the archive of moving boxes (while I was subtenant). Therefore, aou are running out of the list for now.

The only reward for my comic assigned 1995th by the editorial "LITERARNO SLOVO" (within the weekly RUSKEM SLOVU) for the best art contributions in that year. Also to be succeeding in the regular NIN's annual list of the most important comic events. Of course, thanks to the STRIP VESTIMA, which are on the list this year took from first to last place, depending on what the competition was in the current year.

That's it for now. / www.zmcomics.in.rs / www.stripvesti.com

Zlatko Milenković, rođen sam 1969.godine u Novom Sadu. Naučio sam da čitam zahvaljujući stripovima još pre osnovne škole. Zbog želje da se bavim stripom upisao sam i završio srednju školu za dizajn "Bogdan Šuput". Pošto se otužnih 90-tih od nečega moralo živeti zaposlio sam se u Vojvođanskoj banci i čekao dan kada ću odatle pobeći da bih se bavio stripom. Ipak sam uspevao raditi ponešto, pa su mi radovi objavljivani u pojedinim magazinima: "Alef", "Pisac", "Šajkaške novine", "Sexpress", "Vesti", "Dan", "Ruske slovo", "Stav", "Nezavisni", "ZinFan", "MonopoList", "Reflex", "Bumerang". "Cool strip art anthology" (Makedonija), "Blek" (Island), Jersey Devil (SJRP-USA), Totems (Carton frolics-USA), "Biker Szene" (Nemačka)... itd.

Prvih dana 1999.godine pokrećem internet nedeljnik "Strip Vesti" koji neprekidno izlazi već devetu godinu. Početkom 2007 godine, nakon 402 broja izašla u nedeljnom ritmu, Strip vesti postaju Balkanski internet (svako)dnevnik, koji, kao što mu podnaslov kaže, vesti iz sveta stripa sada donosi svakodnevno na sajtu www.stripvesti.com!!!! Pored svog mog stremljenja da se prvenstveno bavim crtanjem stripova, može se slobodno reći da je ovaj nedeljnik ipak najveći moj uspeh na polju stripa. Kao što je i ovaj sajt pokušaj da se napokon definitivno i konačno vratim crtanju stripova. Pokrenuo sam i uređivao fanzin "ZinFan TripS", sa namerom da promovišem radove novosadskih "mladih", i stvarno mladih, autora. Izašla su cela četiri broja. Do prekida je došlo kada sam prešao u firmu gde više nisam bio gazda resursa fotokopira. Pa je ZinFan naprasno nestao sa scene.

Ali to nije značilo ništa loše za mene, čak šta više. Od 2001.godine sam napokon uspeo da ostavim Banku za sobom, i da kompletno budem u stripu. Doduše, samo kao član redakcije Stripoteke. Tu sam naučio puno o izdavaštvu, prodaji, i nadogradio svoje znanje o pripremi stripova za štampu. U Marketprintu sam i danas zaposlen.

Pokrenuo sam i ediciju Drugi pogled gde je uspešno izdato pet svesaka stripa La Bete Noire (D.Macan-M.Jovanović), kao i jedan album Stormy & Iceberg (B.Kerac-S.Slavković). Edicija je zbog mnoštva drugih obaveza na "ledu". Što ne znači da neće biti novih izdavačkih projekata. Kada ti jednom izdavaštvo uđe u krv, ne možeš ga se nikada potpuno osloboditi. Isto kao ni stripa.

Još dok sam radio u Banci izašao mi je album kratkih stripova "Sve je to ljudski (ili možda nije)" gde sam sakupio svoje, do tada objavljene, kratke stripove. Većinom su ti stripovi prethodno objavljeni u nedeljniku Stav i Ruskem Slovu. Kao samostalno autorsko izdanje objavio sam i jednu svesku stripa "Black & Angela".

Učestvovao sam na dosta kolektivnih izložbi, od Zlatnih Pera, do onih malih, organizovanih po kafićima. Na kompletnom spisku bi trebalo dosta angažovanja i prekopavanja arhive po podstanarskim selidbenim kutijama. Stoga ostajete bez spiska, za sada.

Jedina nagrada za strip mi je dodeljena 1995., od strane redakcije "Literarno slov" (u okviru nedeljnika Ruske slovo) za najbolje likovne priloge u toj godini. Takođe uspevam biti redovan na NIN-ovoj godišnjoj listi najvažnijih stripovskih događaja. Naravno, zahvaljujući Strip Vestima, koje su na listi ovih godina zauzimale od prvog do poslednjeg mesta, zavisno kakva je konkurencija bila u tekućoj godini.

To je to, za sada.