Comics and pulp novels were very popular in former Yugoslavia. From 1971 to 1981, 11,611 issues were printed, a total of 717 million copies in the country of 22 million people. Following the chopsockycraze, comics and pulp novels about ninjas gained popularity in Yugoslavia. In 1982, writer Aleksandar Obradović and artists Branislav Kerac and Branko Plavšić created a ninja character named Fred Nolan, who debuted in the 40th issue of the comic magazineYU strip, published by Dečje novine. The second episode of the comic came out in issue 56 in 1983, this time written by Svetozar Obradović. In 1983, Dečje novine started publishing pulp novels from the Ninja Master series, written by American writerRichard Meyers. Six Meyers' stories were published before Dečje novine entrusted Yugoslav writer Brana Nikolić with the creation of new ninja stories. Nikolić, writing under the pen name Derek Finegan, created a hero named Leslie Eldridge, who debuted in the story entitled "Washington, D.C.", published as the continuation of Meyers' series. From 1983 to 1998, more than 150 stories were published, gaining huge popularity. Leslie Eldridge debuted in comics in 1986, in the 485th issue of the comic magazine Eks almanah, also published by Dečje novine. From 1986 to 1989, 28 black-and-white stories were published, most of them written by Svetozar Obradović, Dragan Stokić Rajački "Rajac" and Petar Aladžić and drawn by Stokić Rajački and Miodrag Ivanović "Mikica". The only episodes not created by the mentioned artists were episodes "Ninja protiv jakuza, which was written by Miodrag Krstić and drawn by his brother Vladimir Krstić, and the last episode of the comic, "U ime starog prijateljstva", which was signed by Branisalv Kerac and Sibin Slavković. The Ninja comic ended when Eks almanah magazine folded with 538th issue, due to the collapse of the Yugoslav economy. In 1991, Ninđasticker album was published. The album was essentially a comic album, with stickers filling in empty panels. The comic was signed by Kerac, Slavković and Plavšić. In 2019, Serbian publisher Forma B published a comic album with the collection of Ninja episodes drawn by Miodrag Ivanović.
Fictional character
In Brana Nikolić's pulp novels, the titular hero named Leslie Eldridge is a ninja based in San Francisco. Other characters include his lover Sumiko and best friend Tabasco Pete. However, in comics Leslie usually acts alone and only occasionally teams-up with Sumiko, a ninja herself. In episode "Povratak iz mrtvih" , it was revealed that the Ninja's birth name was actually Dick Flanders. Left for dead, Dick returned from Japan as a ninja and got his revenge on his brother, who had tried to murder him. With a new name, he became a masked vigilante, fighting Americanmobsters, human traffickers and foreign warlords, but also demons, cyborgs and other ninja.
