Alan Ford's comics, originally published in Italy, certainly evoke childhood nostalgia when we spent hours and hours living the suspenseful stories of the unusual characters of the TNT secret society. Social satire, wrapped in a comic veil, was interestingly the most popular in the former Yugoslavia. Based on this phenomenon, Lazar Džamić's book entitled "Cvjejarnica u kući cveća" was created, which was supported by the imaginative graphic image of the designer Vladan Srdić in the special edition.
V the second half of the seventies of the 20th century is a Croatian writer Suddenly Brixy gave a virtuoso translation, more or less unknown elsewhere comics of the hero of the same name Alan Ford, originally created by an Italian comic artist Luciano Secchi under the pseudonym Max Bunker. What followed after that is an incredible iconic story above all popular comic book, which is marked the time and society of the former Yugoslavia, until today.
Designed as crime thriller about stereotypical secret agents, united under the name TNT and working under the guise of a flower shop, who are transported by bizarre means of transport, use disintegrating weapons without ammunition and through all sorts of intrigues "saving the world from criminals". The comedy of comics is thus only a disguise for social satire, which treats the poor through grotesque characters fascism, social stratification, exploitation of labor force, arming, pursuit of profit and corruption. The situation in Yugoslavia at the time they were drawing similar parallels, which is probably why the comic has become so firmly anchored in the hearts of various generations.
The mentioned phenomenon is in the book "Flower shop at the house of flowers" investigated in more detail Serbian writer, lecturer and marketing communications strategist Lazar Dzamic. Through reconstruction of thinking those of that time Yugoslav readers to considerable affections these, on the one hand the deprivileged and dysfunctional and on the other side completely irrationally enthusiastic group of characters, he designed a kind of the study of understanding social phenomena, culture and mentality of the people of the Balkans.
In cooperation with Deutschen Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH will be in limited series came out english version, as a kind of a cultural guide with a slightly unusual approach, given above all foreign diplomats and businessmen operating in Serbia. But what makes the latest edition unique is that it is hers graphic image, which he designed Vladan Srdić from Studio 360.
Proceeding from central scenes of "crazy" comic book events Alan Ford, flower shops, it is Heart designed the book into an image using a classic advertising approach herbarium of surreal flowers. The latter of the reader according to the content they symbolically lead to individual chapters, possessed strongly multifaceted, at times slightly satirical, again a second time witty communication. Besides of the constant discovery of camouflaged meanings, they spice up the exciting opening Latin names of flowers as additional explanatory motives.
Only, who would have thought they would foreigners could learn in a sophisticated way Serbian culture through the eyes of the grotesque characters of someone "underground" comics. The latest herbarium version "Flower shop at the house of flowers" is such an extraordinary proof alternative approach for connecting different fields through the power of creativity.
You can see more images of surreal flowers below:
