by Second in order
Cosplay spectacle and workshops for young people
We visited Podgorica Comic Festival and made sure that it brings exciting moments and versatile contents for fans of comics in Montenegro. Our host and founder of the festival, Drazen Baletic, the founder of the only comic club in Montenegro, "Mr. NO", he shared his satisfaction with the course of events so far.
"I think the response is more than good, the content is colorful and there is something for everyone, so I think we are on the right track" He said Ballerina, emphasizing that the organization has laid solid foundations for the future development of the festival.
Cosplay spectacle at film screenings
One of the surprises of the festival concerns the popular Dead Pool cosplay who, according to Baletic, will visit the screenings at Cineplex. "A special surprise awaits us tonight at Cineplex from 19:00. Deadpool and Megasonic Teenage Warhead will appear, and with them comes a guy masquerading as a Transformer.” revealed Baletić, adding that visitors will be pleasantly surprised by this non-series attraction. These cosplay heroes will attend screenings of the popular movies "Deadpool" and "Transformers" that are currently playing at Cineplex.
Visit and content at the level of expectations
As for attendance, Baletić is satisfied, pointing out that the number of visitors is in line with expectations. "WITHthings are slowly heating up and we expect it to get even better as the festival progresses.” he said.
Workshops and future plans for young cartoonists
When asked about the possibility of organizing comics workshops for young people in Podgorica, Ballerina confirmed that there are already attempts in this direction. "We have a comics workshop in cooperation with the Library"Radosav Ljumović". Our main artist from Podgorica, Luka Cakic, who is also a great friend of the festival, leads these workshops at a very successful level," he said Ballerina, emphasizing that there is hope for the further development of comics education in Montenegro.
At the end of the conversation, Baletić expressed his gratitude to all the visitors and organizers of the festival, with the hope that this event will continue to grow and gather an increasing number of comics lovers in Montenegro and beyond.
The Podgorica Comic Festival, with its unique content and surprises, continues to raise the level of cultural manifestations in the capital of Montenegro, while successfully connecting comic culture with young people and a wider audience.
At the Podgorica Strip Festival, we also spoke with Jovan Subotic, one of the founders of the Hercegnov Strip Festival (HSF) and one of the key people in the organization of this event. Subotić revealed details about his role, important guests, as well as exciting plans for the future of HSF.
HSF role at PG Strip Fest
From the very beginning of the Podgorica Comic Fest, Subotić and his friend and collaborator Drazen Baletic they were active in the organization, using the experience and network they had built through HSF. "We used the platform of the Hercegnov Strip Festival to invite renowned artists, primarily from Italy, but also from other countries.” said Subotic.
That's how last year's guests were William Simpson i Dana Dimat, while this year the festival is graced by three Italian artistic giants: Walter Venturi, Marcello Mangiatini i Oscar Scalco. Among the special guests is a Dutch artist Yuri Landman, known for his success in the music world, and now also in comic art. One of his comics has already been published on our market.
Workshops and plans for young artists
When we asked Subotić about future workshops and education of young comic authors, he revealed that there are significant plans in cooperation with the municipality of Herceg Novi. "From October, we are planning serious comics workshops at all levels, for different ages. In addition, we will continue with workshops throughout the year as part of the Hercegnov Strip Festival" He said Subotic.
Workshops are an important part of the strategy of HSF for creating and strengthening the local comics scene. "By the end of the year, you can expect more additional content, apart from guest appearances at other festivals. We are also planning the well-known campaign "24 hours of comic drawing", which was extremely successful last year.” he added, stressing that they will try to reunite the best cartoonists from Montenegro.
Surprises for 2025
Subotic he didn't hide his excitement when it comes to special guests for next year. "As the end of the year approaches, we will soon announce the first announcements for 2025. Trust me, we are expecting news that few will believe at the beginning, but HSF is always full of surprises.” announced Subotic. Given the success and growth of the festival, the 19th edition promises to be spectacular.
Herzegnov Comic Festival has become one of the key events for comics lovers in the region, and according to Subotic's announcements, its next edition brings a series of new surprises and events that will surely attract the attention of the general public.
As the festival draws to a close, all fans of pop culture can look forward to new projects, guest appearances and workshops that HSF will offer until the end of this year and the beginning of next year.
