The common denominator is passion

Zrenjanin artist Stevan Subić is a world star strip scenes. From the first prizes at international festivals, through work for the popular Italian Sergio Bonelli Editore, and then a career in France where he drew some of the most notable versions of Conan and Tarzan, Stevan has been successful in the last few years in one of the biggest American magnates in the comics industry - DC Comics. And that's right Batman, which is without a doubt the most commercial brand in the American mainstream, and only a few get the chance to work on it.

A month ago, in parallel with the world premiere, an anthology was published in Serbia Superman: The World in the edition of the Magic Book, in which the authors of 16 countries gave their own vision of the first superhero in the environment of their nation, and thus, through Stevan Subić, Superman was born in Belgrade.

...

After Riddler: Year one, which he worked with screenwriter and actor Paul Dane and Penguin: An unimportant man based on the script of the star of the American comics Tom King, this is his third American work published in our country. This was the occasion to talk with Subić about the parallels in the view of art between the American and European scenes, how to reach a publisher as an author whose career is just on the rise, but also how to preserve your author's stamp despite the demands of the industry and the market.

"WEATHER" In what ways is the edition Superman: The World important for your career?

STEVAN SUBIC: Immersion in the world Superman it was not so much a new and uncertain experience, from the standpoint of the craft and storytelling itself, thanks to the very similar, though very different, experience of working on the adaptation Tarzana. Both of them are heroes of a time that is slowly but clearly fading away before us. After nine decades, hundreds of screenwriters, visual artists, adaptations through media and formats starting from film, through theater to design and gaming, Man of Steel is really very close to the position that the 30-year-old Lord Greystoke already has. Absolutely sure to work on super menu cannot prepare, there is no such experience or authorial potency that would not pause for a moment in front of the monumentality of the first superhero of pop culture and the legacy that rises after him. In addition, when viewed from the angle of the artist's desk, where we creatively decide to place that hero in the context of our country, a considerable number of unknowns arise, because the path we would follow does not exist. Every step forward is new for the climate and this part of Europe. Although, the enjoyment, commitment and determination to give this epaulet to our cultural space, the stimulus is undeniable and sublime. It is a pleasure and an honor to enshrine Serbia in the eternal glory of the greatest superhero that popular culture has produced in the last 130 years.

American DC Comics has been the backbone of your work for years, and above all Batman, but through the covers and other heroes. What are the differences in editorial editorial approach to the artist between American and European comics?

To tell the truth, there is no difference. In my case, I had the privilege of collaborating with the crème de la crème of the European and American editorial clique, and apart from the pace required by the deadlines and the intense dynamics of exposure, I cannot draw out some significant differences because both of them passionately love what they do, know the genres and narratives they lead to the core, living dedicated to them. It could be said that in Europe there is freedom in the approach to heroes. Any idea that is shaped dramaturgically and with some visual documentation, can be sent as an offer to the editors for review. I can't go into the specifics of such offers, but if the possibilities are open, they certainly are. However, the same cannot be said for the mainstream American publishing system. They are mostly limited by their narrative units, yet forming one big superhero scene that can sometimes open up to a new writer, more often an artist, but again in accordance with the needs of that genre and in accordance with the plans of the editors.

Are there any limitations and restraints when working in such a typical industrial environment as major publishing houses?

There are expectations, plans and standards that a publisher places on their editorial and sometimes artists. Whether it is some established standards of visual storytelling as in superhero comics or the subtleties of visual expression and flow that are European, primarily Franco-Belgian, can make a significant difference. The framework I'm talking about exists as a consequence of the author's determination of the scope of his expression, which must first of all respect the laws of visual narrative, artistic expression as such, but also the personal, creative dynamics in which the artist finds himself, and with which he gives his best. They don't have to be in any way related to which comic scene the artist is addressing.

My previous experience with the biggest publishers is without a shadow. I cannot single out a single collaboration, be it in America, France or Italy, which is at the level of restrictions or some restraints that broke through my desk. Perhaps I was lucky to collaborate with editors with whom I easily achieved a harmonious and fruitful relationship, and in addition, the publishers with whom I collaborated wanted me in their publishing works, so the collaboration was mutually satisfying, always fruitful and under the blessing of freedom as my author's framework.

How much does the hero brand influence the creative process of the artist?

Through the audience, certainly to influence. Most often, the audience finds it very difficult to give up what they are used to, or what is much worse, it is very difficult to get used to something new. However, if the audience were the sole publishing focus, aesthetics would rarely (if ever) change and narratives develop. In themselves, great narratives certainly have their principles on which they rest and by which a large audience stands, but they also live, which is the merit of artists who do not put up with the shadow of the work they plunge into when they start their work. On the contrary, they courageously contribute to it, over time, with small boldness, which makes the narratives grow over time.

How to get to such a brand as Batman and become a relatively unestablished author in America rising stars how they introduced you after the first title (Riddler: Year one)?

I wish I could point to a recipe, a shortcut, or some regularity here, but there really isn't any. Each author has taken a unique path, authentic from the first step to the last, with almost no coincidences. Although, something is found as a common denominator for the majority. It's passion. An indomitable need to tell stories, to create, and perhaps most importantly – to learn. Likewise, none of the artists who left a mark on to batman, for example, have never given up on investing all of themselves in what they believe in. A companion to the Dark Knight is made through dedication, learning, and an understanding of the archetype on a deeper level, so that what you give it endures and lasts.

Let's touch on it. Riddler. From the experience with screenwriter Paul Dane, who is a name for himself and an extremely talented actor, and to the relationship with the character that is so strongly defined everything was a special challenge. Is there a difference between Stevan who started working on Riddler and this one now?

In the eyes of the public, the audience and the world comic scene in the broadest sense, it certainly exists. However, for me - no. The moment my work reached more people and crossed more oceans than before, you could say that something changed, however, the accessibility of those titles on a global level just came about and matured through the titles after Riddler, thanks to the fact that the permanence of what I am and what I carry with me has not been changed.

...

We mentioned that you are in time Riddler were a relatively unestablished author in America, but not in Europe. Konan, Tarzan, Moriarty... And so Adam Wilde, Third day i Heartless in Italian production Bonelli They were already behind you.. As well as the experience of cooperation with Blizzard on a tarot project with motifs from Diabla. How much is (and is it) that part of the career development suffered because of Batman i DC Comics? And do you intend to return to that climate to a greater extent?

Very good question, thanks for that. I entered the work with today's biggest publisher as someone who knows very well the character and dynamics of that scene, as well as where I come from. As an artist of European origin, with considerable authorial, artistic and personal experience, I have never really moved away from the Old Lady. Given that I first got into visual storytelling by writing my own stories that I visualized and published, I never really gave up on it. As it were, I was running two careers at the same time, one as a writer, the other as an artist, an illustrator. During work on Riddler, they merged again, united. And already during the work with Paul, I started to write again with much more care, never allowing the commercial and corporate to hijack or break that creative bond and artistic freedom that is the lifeblood of the integrity of published artists. Either there is, or there isn't. There are no gray areas. Posted in Europe or across the ocean, it doesn't matter.

You are very active in the promotion of your releases in Serbia and in meetings with the public. Whether, in your opinion, our scene is sufficiently branched? What should be done to make it more active and adapted to the audience, but also to the authors?

In fact, my attitude towards the audience as my partners, like-minded people and people whom I address through works and directly with great respect, met with the same respect from the audience. We complement each other, encourage and grow together. I am truly grateful for the increasingly frequent meetings we have all over the country, and I would really like, and I am dedicatedly working on it, if the 200.000 male and female readers, which according to a free estimate are the stable readership in Serbia, would pay a little more attention to comics. The comic is read by about 5000 people. I am of the firm opinion that the reason is that comics are attributed an infantile sign and in Serbia it is not given enough or no attention at all in higher education, primarily university education. Those people are bypassing the format, disinterested in even trying. Even readers, as well as artists, have certain characteristics attached to them, which cannot be hushed up lightly. Namely, I won't name names, but in an important interview given by one of my esteemed colleagues, the journalist who interviewed him for a few hours rated us as people with some colloquial handicap, that we are not even intellectually strong enough, saying that artists' "power of articulating thoughts is not the best", as well as eloquence. I don't think I know any of my colleagues in Serbia who could come under such an assessment, and this kind of ignorant assessment remains on the soul of a journalist who does unnecessary damage to this medium, in front of a large audience.

How respected is the work of comics authors in the world, and how much in our country??

It varies from respect and glorification to national treasure, to complete indolence, for which negligence would be a compliment. We are a small country, a small speaking area, with radically sinking standards, including living standards, and yet, with a deep and rich tradition of visual storytelling. When we add it all up, we get something like a break, a quiet respite between two eras, in which new generations and a wider audience wake up to a world where authorship in Serbia is slowly gaining weight and quality. It takes time and work, and a mature audience, and with it, a measurable nurturing of authorship.

To what extent does the work of comics authors reflect the environment and social trends?

As with any published artist. Engagement is one of the beacons of artistic integrity, engagement makes for the community what art is at its core, and that is not entertainment and escape from reality, but also a reminder of where you stand, where you live, what you fight for what you believe in and what you do it against. Social engagement is the obligation of a published artist to communicate about the time in which he lives and works. Just like everyone before him, just like it will be with great minds after us.

What is the next step in your career? Some new publisher, genre, direction?

I'm currently working on the third and final story for legendary Irish metal, I finished working on Justice League with DC Comics, and now I'm starting work with Image Comics on something that we haven't announced yet, but more word will come soon. Beyond these titles for American publishers, I'd love to tell you more about what I'm truly committed to, but unfortunately, it would be too soon to reveal what it is.