Mika Mis

Mika Mis (which translates to Mickey Mouse) was published in Yugoslavia by Aleksandar J. Ivkovic from the 21st of March 1936 until the 4th of April 1941. Over this time, 504 editions were published. Mika Mis was published on a weekly basis up to issue number 23, then twice a week from issue 24.

The first edition and final edition can be seen below. The final edition, number 505 was published on the 8th of October 1941; however, due to the occupation of Serbia by the Nazis at that time, the continuation of the series was prohibited.

Aleksandar J. Ivković was a prominent Russian and Serbian publisher of comics and a businessman, recognized as the largest comic book publisher in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. While his birth name is not known, he took the surname from his Serbian wife, Darinka Ivković, officially in 1934. His significant contributions to the publishing landscape began to emerge in the 1930s, a period often referred to as “The Golden Age” of Serbian comics (1932–1941).

A key figure in the pre-World War II Yugoslavian comic scene, Aleksandar J. Ivković, alongside Milutin Ignjačević, was instrumental in shaping the early comic magazine landscape. He co-founded the specialized company Univerzum Pres (Universum Press) with Belgian publisher Ladislav Šandor Lustig. This company focused on the publishing, creation, and distribution of comics. Their most famous publication, which entered the history of European comics, was the magazine Mika Miš.

Mika Miš, launched in March 1936, became one of Ivković’s most notable ventures. It was a Serbian version of the name Mickey Mouse, and the magazine featured a wide variety of comics. This included popular foreign classics such as Prince Valiant, Phantom, Flash Gordon, and Tarzan, as well as publishing works by local authors. Over its run from 1936 to 1941, Mika Miš published 505 issues, with “The Phantom” appearing in 419 of them. Many Russian émigré artists, including Đorđe Lobačev, Nikolaj Navojev, and Sergej Solovjov, contributed to the magazine, alongside Yugoslav artist Đorđe Juka Janković.

The outbreak of World War II brought an end to all of Ivković’s comic magazine publications. During the occupation, publishing was heavily regulated, and despite his efforts, Mika Miš issue 505, published on October 8, 1941, was banned due to its inclusion of American and English comics. After the war, Ivković unsuccessfully attempted to revive the magazine Veseli zabavnik before dedicating himself to the operations of his publishing house, Univerzum Pres. Aleksandar J. Ivković passed away in Belgrade in 1969.

Various Disney and King Features Syndicate comic book characters were published in Mika Mis, including the Phantom. We first see the Phantom on the cover of issue number 68, printed on the 2nd of February, 1937. The Phantom would appear on the cover of 24 out of the 505 issues printed, with 12 Phantom stories printed over the 5 years.

Although the covers contained color, the internal pages were printed in black and white and were printed on similar paper to newspapers. They measure 21.3cm x 29cm in size and the page count changed over the years. Issues 1 to 13 contain 8 pages, issues 14 to 60 contain 12 pages, issues 61 to 62 contain 20 pages, issues 63 to 365 contain 16 pages and issues 366 to 505 contain 24 pages.