Svetozar Obradović

Svetozar “Toza” Obradović (Novi Sad, 12 November 1950–2020) was a Serbian and Yugoslav comics writer, journalist and educator, and a central figure in the Novi Sad comics scene. He studied civil engineering and worked in the documentation department of Television Novi Sad before devoting himself professionally to comics.

His collaboration with childhood friend Branislav “Bane” Kerac proved decisive. Their professional partnership began in 1975 with Poručnik Tara, a wartime series combining Yugoslav Partisan subject matter with Western storytelling conventions. They subsequently worked on Kobra, featuring stuntman Slobodan Marković, and collaborated on Cat Claw, Ninja and Billy the Pljuc. Their work brought together action, humour and influences from cinema and popular culture.

Obradović wrote more than fifty episodes of Il Grande Blek, making a substantial contribution to its Yugoslav production. Artists working from his scripts included Sibin Slavković, Branko Plavšić, Ahmet Muminović, Pavel Koza and Miodrag Ivanović. He also wrote Lun, kralj ponoći, adapted from Mitar Milošević’s novels, and contributed scripts to licensed series including Tarzan and Buffalo Bill. His comics appeared in several European countries and the United States.

Beyond comics, he wrote journalism, feature articles and radio plays. His books include Velike prevare i falsifikati (2003) and Novosadski strip (2007), a significant record of the city’s comics creators and history. He edited the children’s magazine Školjka, taught comics classes and workshops, and participated in the professional association of Serbian comics artists.

His output spans war stories, adventure, comedy and superhero comics. His career highlights the importance of the comics writer: behind different artistic styles stands a storyteller shaping character, dialogue and narrative pace.