Ninja (comic book)

Ninja
Publication information
Publisher Dečje novine
First appearance 1986 (in comics)
Created by various
In-story information
Alter ego Leslie Eldridge
Partnerships Sumiko, Tabasco Pete
Abilities ninjitsu, strength, agility, martial arts, katana, sixth sense

Ninja (Serbian: Ninđa or Nindža) was a comic book character published by Dečje novine (Gornji Milanovac, Yugoslavia). It was based on the popular pulp novel of the same name.

Publication history

Comics and pulps were very popular in former Yugoslavia. From 1971 to 1981, 11,611 issues were printed, a total of 717 million copies in the country of 22 million people.[1]

Following the chopsocky craze, ninja were especially popular; from 1983 to 1998, more than 150 novels were published.[2] The first six issues featured Brett Wallace, the main protagonist of the 1981 Ninja Master series by Richard Meyers alias Wade Barker. The original seventh chapter may have been censored due to pornography, so a new ninja named Leslie Eldridge made a debut in a brand new #7 ("Washington, D.C."), written by Brana Nikolić alias Derek Finegan.[3][4]

A different ninja named Fred Nolan appeared first in Serbian comics with YU strip #40 in 1982, written by A. Kostić and drawn by Branislav Kerac (pencil) and Branko Plavšić (ink).[5] The second episode came out in issue 56 in 1983, this time written by Svetozar Obradović.

Leslie Eldridge debuted in comics with issue 485 of Eks almanah. From 1986 to 1989, around 40 black-and-white stories were published. Ninja was usually featured on the covers, which were drawn by Dragan Stokić Rajački alias Rajac[6] and Miodrag Ivanović Mikica,[7] who were also regular artists on the interior pages. Stokić, Obradović and Petar Aladžić wrote all the episodes except "Ninja vs Yakuza" (Eks #513, drawn by Vladimir Krstić - Laci and written by his brother Miodrag) and the last one (signed by Kerac alias "S. Marković" and Sibin Slavković). The Ninja comic ended when the Eks magazine folded with #538 due to the collapse of the Yugoslav economy.

In 1991 Ninđa the sticker album was published, signed by Kerac, Slavković and Plavšić.

Fictional character

In the pulp novels, the titular hero named Leslie Eldridge (Serbian: Lesli Eldridž) is a ninja based in San Francisco. Other characters include his lover Sumiko and best friend Tabasco Pete.

However, in comics Leslie usually acts alone and only occasionally teams-up with Sumiko, ninja herself. In episode "Back from the Dead" (written by Obradović and published in Eks #490 in 1987), it was revealed that the Ninja's birth name was Dick Flanders. Left for dead, Dick returned from Japan as a ninja and got his revenge on his brother, who had tried to murder him. With a new name, he became a masked vigilante, fighting American mobsters, human traffickers and foreign warlords, but also demons, cyborgs and other ninja.

List of episodes

Eks almanah (Dečje novine) 1986-1989.

  • 485 Gospodar zla – Dragan Stokić Rajački - Rajac
  • 486 Paklena noć – Rajac
  • 487 Klan Tomosuke – Rajac
  • 488 Duh planine Đotaro – Rajac
  • 489 Duh planine Đotaro (2. deo) – Rajac
  • 490 Povratak iz mrtvih – Svetozar Obradović Toza/Miodrag Ivanović Mikica & Predrag Ivanović Peka
  • 491 Novi saveznik – Toza/Mikica
  • 492 Neuspela osveta – Toza/Mikica
  • 493 Policajci – Toza/Mikica
  • 494 Vraćeno pamćenje – Toza/Mikica
  • 495 Skinute maske – Toza/Mikica
  • 496 Kamakura – Toza/Mikica
  • 497 U carstvu podzemlja – Petar Aladžić/Mikica & Peka
  • 498 Mrtvac koji hoda – Toza/Rajac
  • 499 Susret sa klovnom – Toza/Rajac
  • 500 Kad sunce udari u glavu – Toza/Rajac
  • 501 Kad sunce udari u glavu (2. deo) – Toza/Rajac
  • 502 Kad sunce udari u glavu (3. deo) – Toza/Rajac
  • 507 Nepobedivi Danijel – Toza/Rajac
  • 508 Nepobedivi Danijel (2. deo) – Toza/Rajac
  • 510 Dah pustinje – Rajac
  • 511 Dah pustinje (2. deo) – Rajac
  • 513 Ninja protiv jakuza – Vladimir Krstić Laci & Miodrag Krstić
  • 514 Demoni ipak postoje – Rajac
  • 515 Demoni ipak postoje (2. deo) – Rajac
  • 516 Demoni ipak postoje (3. deo) – Rajac
  • 519 Paklena kutija – Rajac
  • 520 Paklena kutija (2. deo) – Rajac
  • 521 Ukus smrti – Rajac; Veliki dan malog muvca – Rajac
  • 522 Senka pravde – Toza/Mikica
  • 523 Noćni letač – Toza/Peka & Mikica
  • 524 Krvavi lov – Toza/Mikica
  • 525 Krvavi lov (2. deo) – Toza/Mikica
  • 528 Pljačka u kockarnici – Branislav Peterman/Mikica
  • 531 Sinovi velikog zmaja – Rajac
  • 532 Sinovi velikog zmaja (2. deo) – Rajac
  • 533 Sinovi velikog zmaja (3. deo) – Rajac
  • 534 Sinovi velikog zmaja (4. deo) – Rajac
  • 538 U ime starog prijateljstva – Branislav Kerac (“S. Marković”) & Sibin Slavković

See also

Sources

  1. ↑ "Fenomen popularnosti stripa: U Jugoslaviji je od '71. do '81. prodato 716 miliona stripova i krimića". www.yugopapir.com. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  2. ↑ "STRIP-UTOPIJA: NINĐA". STRIP-UTOPIJA. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  3. ↑ "Dok Holidej stigao sa Kolubare!". www.novosti.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  4. ↑ "Brana Nikolic". lambiek.net. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  5. ↑ "Branko Plavsic". lambiek.net. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  6. ↑ "Dragan Stokic-Rajacki". lambiek.net. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  7. ↑ "Miodrag Ivanovic". lambiek.net. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
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