The creator of
Mirko and Slavko, (1920-1996), was born in the village of
Gornji Branetići,
Serbia (at the time part of
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes). He spent most of
World War II as a member of the
Chetniks movement. At the very end of the war, Žižović joined the
Yugoslav Partisans. He was spotted by
Dečje novine editor-in-chiefs Srećko Jovanović as a self-taught, but talented artist, and got an opportunity to create illustrations for various Dečje novine publications for children. stories from
Croatian–Slovene peasant revolt,
First and Second Serbian Uprising,
World War I etc. The story initially featured only Mirko (who was, reputedly, modeled after Žižović's son), while Slavko was added to the story later.
Mirko and Slavko episodes (as well as the other comics from
Nikad robom) were published as 32-page comics, with 16 pages printed in color, in the format of 14,5x20,5 cm. The comic was also published in
Slovenian and
Macedonian language, in magazines like
Naš koutek,
Drugarče and
Jednota. However, by this time the comic's popularity had already heavily declined. By the mid-1970s, comics were in Yugoslavia already perceived as a form of art, and younger generation of comic artists and critics pronounced
Mirko and Slavko outdated. They criticized the drawings, plots, dialogues and stereotypical characters. By some reports, the criticism of the comic was heavily supported by a Dečje novine competitor which published foreign comics. In 1979, Dečje novine finally cancelled the comic. ==Plot and characters==