Osiedle Swoboda
| Osiedle Swoboda | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Niezależna Prasa |
| Schedule | Bimonthly |
| Genre | Graphic novel, magical realism |
| Publication date | 2004–2006 |
| No. of issues | 6 |
| Main character(s) | Szopa Wiraż Niedźwiedź Smutny |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Michał Śledziński |
Osiedle Swoboda is a Polish comic book written and illustrated by Michał Śledziński. It was supposed to imitate American comic books such as Spider-Man. The first issues appeared in the papers of Produkt magazine and since 2004 it has been published separately by Niezależna Prasa. It consists of 6 issues; the final bimonthly issue was published in 2006. A prototype of "Swoboda" is the estate Szwederowo in Bydgoszcz – the home estate of the author himself. The comic book reflects customs of youth living back in the 1990s, and therefore is considered one of the most important comic books published in Poland. The abundance of insightful social observations deftly intertwined with the plot contributed to the fame and popularity of the series among young readers: “If I was to mention the most important Polish comic series published at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, I would instantly answer that Osiedle Swoboda has no equals” was how the series was described in Gazeta Wyborcza by Wojciech Orliński.
It presents adventures of young people living in the casual estate. The characters (Smutny, Wiraż, Niedzwiedź, Szopa, Kundzio) like rough music, parties, alcohol and other substances. They are constantly forced to wrestle with violence, boredom, dull hoods and hangovers – everything that today's youth is exposed to.
Name and surname: unknown
Nickname: Smutny
Education: unknown
Occupation: lack of a permanent job; occasionally: a morgue employee, a stretcher-bearer, Santa Claus
Family: parents, brother, aunt
Description: a victim of various unfortunate twists of fate. He displays a tendency to meet psychos in the estate. Together with Kundzio, he rents a double room hole in the old part of Swoboda. Some readers claim he might be perceived as a personification of the author, however such statements have always been denied by Michał Śledziński.
Distinguishing marks: goatsbeard, a sad facial expression
The most famous feat: relieving himself of breakfast in a church
Name and surname: unknown
Nickname: Szopa
Education: unknown
Occupation: a drug dealer, occasionally: Santa Claus
Family: grandmother and cousin Adrian (both dead), mother
Description: a drug pusher with some moral rules. No chemicals, kids, and pregnant women. He is always seen with a cigarette and presents himself as perfectly composed and reticent kind of person. He carries on his business from a dugout in the outskirts of the city- the place where he decided to stay after his friend had disappeared. He takes care of Ciacho’s bitch called Psotka. He had earlier lived in a tenement haunted by ghosts.
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Wikipedia