is a Serbian humorous comic book series published only in Serbia. Founded by Marko Todosijević (Mrvax) in 2005, in Belgrade, Serbia, it was largely expanded and shaped in its own direction over the following eight years. From 2006 to 2012 it was supported by the Shlitz Comics group with additional support from the Šumatovčka art school.
Information
(English: Goffies /ˈɡuː.fi~es/) is a Serbian humorous comic book series about the crazy and socially depraved characters created by its main author, Marko Todosijević (Mrvax), which ran from 2006 to 2009. After a pause of two years, in 2011, the series was re-launched in cooperation with Vladimir Petković (Vlapet) and later on with Tihomir Kostić (Kovenant).
Publication history
The creation of started when Todosijević worked on a short comic strip, , ('The sounds of Hometown') in 2003. It was a strip-based and short-lived series consisting of two issues. Most of the material was accidentally destroyed, and only a couple of panels still exist in physical form. The series followed the happenings at a tavern called (The sounds of Hometown'), and the only resemblance to was a character named Vukota Šiljić. This character was different than the one of the same name in , but it opened the way for the creation of . Scriptwriter Marko Radovanović (Maré) also contributed. A year later, the series was turned down, and Todosijević began to work on new characters and a concept that would later be known as . During the production of the concept and characters, Todosijević took inspiration from people he knew, as some of the characters were caricatures of actual people.
Influences from film, and comedies in particular, made quite an impact on . Jackie Chan's movies and Monty Python's Flying Circus had strong effects on the creation of the series. Additionally, domestic Serbian movies including Balkanski Špijun, Varljivo leto '68, Maratonci trče počasni krug, Kad porastem biću Kengur, and Sedam i po also had an influence.
2006
In 2006, the first characters were created. The first were an albino zombie named Zombiša, a dog-groundhog hybrid named Mrmi, followed by Nindža Nidža, Dule Student, and a jelly belly creature named Zglavko. These five characters are the heart of the series and their personalities and appearances underwent minor changes through the years. The name of the series, ('Pals') was ironic as the characters had more animosity towards each other than sympathy and friendly intentions. In the original print of the first issue , there were only five characters. The publication's moderate success and joining Shlitz Comics led to a reprint in 2007, which was filled with new pages and one new character.
2007
In 2007, when the first issue of was reprinted, the character of Mile Betmen was added. He was a more-than-obvious parody of DC Comics' Batman, with a big beer belly and the role of masked avenger and pig farmer. His appearance brought more value to the series, but when the second issue of appeared the same year, entitled , the series showed improvement, both in drawing style and storytelling. The number of characters expanded, so the stories gained more than fights and pranks. Female characters were also brought in, and the series began to touch on more emotional themes; the clashes and animosity featured in the first issue were still present, but crafted with more taste and moderation.
2008–2009
[[File:Panel of the second issue of Prijatelji (comics).jpg|thumb|left|Vukota Šiljić and Nindža Nidža in an action scene from Osasuna VS Calgary ('Osasuna vs. Calgary') (2009).]]
2008 was a quiet year as Todosijević searched for new ideas. The preparation of the new issue lasted over a year. In March 2009, the third issue, entitled (Osasuna vs. Calgary') appeared. In this issue, besides Todosijević's work, Bojan Milojević (Asterian) contributed with one panel with Nindža Nidža on the back cover. As there was more than enough prepared material, a couple of months later another issue entitled was published. It was the best issue so far, with excellent gags and a drastically improved style. It featured 27 pages and artistic contributions from Serbian comic artists Saša Arsenić, Miloš Slavković and Borivoje Grbić.
After the release of this issue, due to personal issues, Todosijević ceased work on .