Strip Vrata

​

„Strip teče kao priča. Prvi deo stripa je nastao u Leskovcu, na početku vojne obuke – znači dosadnjikavo. Tako i ide priča sa likovima, oni se tu “šnjuraju” po kasarni, hvataju krivinu, sviraju. E onda drugi deo stripa počinje kad su nas prebacili na Kosovo, u Uroševac, gde je ubrzo krenulo to bombardovanje i rokanje po kasarni, a rov nam je bio oko kasarne. Znači, bombe su padale baš blizu, okolo, sve vreme. I oseća se to u stripu, grublje je crtan taj drugi deo. I u stripu se vidi da je počelo bombardovanje, ali ovi likovi i dalje sviraju, zezaju se kao što i jeste tako bilo. Ja sam se čudio tome. Ja sam bio malo stariji od svih njih. Uglavnom su imali 18 god, ja sam već imao 22. Tako se strip i završava – kako oni sviraju i ginu. I potpuno je bila realna ta situacija da se dogodi tako nešto, neka bomba je mogla da padne 20m dalje u taj naš rov gde smo bili. Dešavalo se, ja ovako crtam… imaš ti tu dužnosti neke, moraš da pretrčis odavde do onde… video sam da se jednom vodniku kada je roknula bomba, geler zabio u dupe. I malo je bilo tragikomično, zato sto su ga zvali Guza. On je dosta mlađi bio, klinac, baš mi ga je bilo žao.

Jedan lik iz Vojvodine, on se dečko usr’o. Mi sedimo u rovu, on se pokrio nekim plastikama, naređao ih iznad kao da će plastika da ga zaštiti. I onda, k’o baš za kurac, geler jedan je pao na njegovu tu plastiku, istopio je i to istopljeno mu je kanulo na pantalone i tako ga spalilo. I taj strip na kraju ide i u religiozno, sto mi nije uopste svojstveno. Ali valjda u takvoj situaciji uvek očekuješ da pogineš i onda tu se meša neka umetnost koja se graniči sa ikonama i sa duhovima, jer šta da kažem na kraju. Valjda to ide na kraju. Nešto ostaje kao, neka umetnost, neki duhovi, iako ne verujem u to.

To je tragikomična situacija, ti klinci, to je šou, to je humor sve vreme. I ono što mene najviše čudi je kako postaješ životinja, za tri dana ti se navikneš na sranje. Ja znam, kiša pada, u rovu smo, dole voda, naređali smo palete drvene, napravili odstojanje od vode i tu spavamo. Desilo mi se da me je u toku noći probudila neka buka, ništa, ja nastavljam da spavam. Sutra ujutro vidim – nema zgrade, koja je bila 20 metara od mene. Oni su u toku noći odmah pored nas pogodili… zgradu srušili, a ja to nisam ni osetio.

Kako radim? Oni sviraju, tu je harmonika, bas. I ja sam tu. Onda se inspirišem i odem, pravim neke skulpture. Malo ih slušam, malo radim i samo odjednom rokne bomba i sve raskomada i na kraju ostanu te skulpture koje su od metala. Tako i počinje strip. Znaš, kurjak Mirko, vuk Mirko, to sam sebe crtao. Svi likovi su nacrtani prema karakteru, ima jedan medved, jedan tigar što je k’o pacov odvratan – on je svirao bas. To je ekipa, medved sa harmonikom, tigar sa basom i ja sam tu negde sa njima. I strip pocinje u miru, ja kao kujem nešto od metala. A to je simbolično, jer su mi sve vreme davali, i vodnici i pukovnici, da im crtam decu i devojke i ne znam ni ja šta. Pa sam ‘vatao i krivinu na tu foru. Uglavim se u kancelariju, kao: “Kol’ko ti treba vremena da mi nacrtas decu?”, “Nedelju dana”, a treba mi realno tri sata.

Ali i to je mač sa dve oštrice, mrzeli su me zbog toga ovi drugi. Ipak smo mi družina, pa to moraš da balansiraš. Zato strip počinje tako simbolično, umesto da sam nacrtao sebe koji crta te portrete – to je dosadno – nacrt’o sam sve te životinjice (to je basna sve vreme) i sebe kako kujem ogromnog srpskog orla. Onda na kraju kujem od metala male skulpture svoje – jedna je okrugla, jedna je dugačka – pravim to tako u zanosu dok ostali sviraju. Super nam je, napolju se roka. Avioni su, simbolično, metalni veliki orlovi koji seru, iz dupeta bacaju đula i to kao eksplodira. I ništa, roka se napolju i to se u stripu oseća: prvi deo sam crtao u kancelariji, na stolu, a drugi na krilu, u rovu, zato je drugi i agresivniji. Nemoj samo ovo da ispadne kao neke priče iz rata, molim te…

Kako smo se Goran i ja sreli? Njegova zgrada je bila prekoputa mog magacina. I ja sedim tu na terasi i crtam decu, portrete, a ovaj maže k’o i sad, boji neke ramove, crta. Ćao, ćao, šta ko radi – on je voleo Klea. I on i ja. On je skupljao neke članke, a ja, zadesilo se da sam poneo sa sobom samo knjigu od Klea. I naravno da sam mu je poklonio odmah. Dalje je sve isto, k’o i sad.
Čekaj, jebote, poginuću sutra, šta da ostavim iza sebe? A ni ne verujem u te stvari. Zato je zadnji rad koji sam nacrtao bio ikona od metala, sa nitnama ovako debelim, bogorodica koja drži kiflu neku, kao bebicu. I na kraju bomba sve raskomada, padne bomba na mene i sve onako… kosti i mišići… sve mi se rascepa u anatomiju groznu neku… i onda sledeća slika je duh, kao Kasper bukvalno… Ne znam. Ne znam šta na kraju da ostavim i tako to ostade, neka vera, neki duhovi, drugi život, novi život. Ne znam.”

Autorov tekst

​

-----ENGLISH-----

​

The comic Door

​

"The comic flows like a story. The first part of the comic was created in Leskovac, at the beginning of military training - meaning boring period. That's how the story goes with the characters, they.... around the barrack. And then the second part of the comic begins when they transferred us to Kosovo (Uroševac), where the bombing and shelling of the barracks soon began, and our trench was around the barracks. So, the bombs were falling very close, around, all the time. And you can feel it in the comic, the second part is more crudely drawn. And in the comic, you can see that the bombing has started, but these characters are still playing, messing around, just like it was. I was amazed at that. I was a bit older than all of them. They were mostly 18 years old, I was already 22. That's how the comic ends - how they play and die. And that situation was completely realistic for something like that to happen, a bomb could have fallen 20 meters away in that trench of ours where we were. It used to happen, I'm drawing like this... you have some duties, you have to run from here to there... I saw that one sergeant got hit in the ass when a bomb went off. And it was a bit tragicomic because they called him Guza (Butt). He was much younger, a kid, I really felt sorry for him.

One guy from Vojvodina, he shat himself. We are sitting in the trench, he covered himself with some plastic, arranged them above as if the plastic would protect him. And then, like hell, one piece of shrapnel fell on his plastic, melted it and the melted stuff seeped into his pants and burned him. And that comic ends up being religious, which is not typical of me at all. But I guess in such a situation you always expect to die and then there appears art close to the form of icons and spirits, because what can I say in the end. I guess it goes in the end. Something remains like, some art, some spirits, even though I don't believe in it.

It's a tragicomic situation, those kids, that’s a show, that’s humour all the time. And what surprises me the most is how you become an animal, in three days you get used to that shit. I know, it's raining, we're in a trench, there's water down there, we've arranged wooden pallets, made a distance from the water and we're sleeping there. It happened that I was woken up by some noise during the night, nothing, I continue to sleep. Tomorrow morning, I see - there is no building, which was 20 meters from me. During the night, they hit right next to us... the building was demolished, and I didn't even feel it.

How do I work? They play, there's an accordion, a bass. I'm here too. Then I get inspired and go, make some sculptures. I listen to them a little, work a little, and suddenly, a bomb goes off and shatters everything, and in the end, these metal sculptures remain. That's how the comic begins. You know, Mirko the wolf, that's what I drew myself. All the characters are drawn according to their character, there is one bear, one tiger that is disgusting like a rat - he played the bass. It's a team, a bear with an accordion, a tiger with a bass and I'm here somewhere with them. And the comic begins in peace, as if I'm forging something out of metal. And that is symbolic, because sergeants and colonels all the time asked me to draw their children and girls, etc. So, I also kind of drifted by the curves. I get stuck in the office, like: "How much time do you need to draw my children?", "A week", and I realistically need three hours.

But it's also a double-edged sword, the others hated me for that. After all, we are a group, so you must balance that. That's why the comic begins so symbolically, instead of drawing myself drawing those portraits - that's boring - I drew all those animals (it's a fable all the time) and myself forging a huge Serbian eagle. Then at the end I forge my own little sculptures out of metal – one is round, one is long – I do it in rapture while the others are playing. We’re doing great, it rocks outside. Airplanes are, symbolically, big metal eagles that fucking rock, throw balls out of their ass and it kind of explodes. And nothing, it is rocking outside, and you can feel it in the comic: I drew the first part in the office, on the table, and the second, in the trench, that's why the second is more aggressive. …Just don't make this sound like some war stories, please…

How did Goran and I meet? His building was across the street from my warehouse. I also sit there on the terrace and draw children, portraits, and Goran paints as he does now, paints some frames, draws. Bye, bye, what is he doing - he loved Clee. He and I too. He was collecting some articles, and I happened to have brought with me only a book by Clee. And of course, I gave it to him right away. Everything else is the same as it is now.

Wait, fuck, I'm going to die tomorrow, what am I going to leave behind? And I don't even believe in those things. That's why the last work I drew was a metal icon, with threads this thick, the Virgin holding a bun, like a baby. And in the end, the bomb tears everything to shreds, the bomb falls on me and everything... bones and muscles... everything splits into a horrible anatomy... and then the next picture is a ghost, like Kasper literally... I don't know. I don't know what to leave in the end and that's how it will remain, some faith, some spirits, another life, a new life. I do not know."

Danijel's text

​