Osiedle Swoboda

Osiedle Swoboda
Publication information
Publisher	Niezależna Prasa
Schedule	Bimonthly
Genre	Graphic novel, magical realism
Publication date	2004–2006
No. of issues	6
Main character(s)	Szopa Wiraż Niedźwiedź Smutny
Creative team
Written by	Michał Śledziński

Osiedle Swoboda (The Liberty Estate^[1]) is a Polish comic book written and illustrated by Michał Śledziński. It was supposed to imitate American comic books such as Spider-Man.^[2] The first issues appeared in the papers of Produkt magazine and since 2004 it has been published separately by Niezależna Prasa. It consists of 6 issues; the final bimonthly issue was published in 2006. A prototype of "Swoboda" is the estate Szwederowo in Bydgoszcz – the home estate of the author himself. The comic book reflects customs of youth living back in the 1990s, and therefore is considered one of the most important comic books published in Poland.

The abundance of insightful social observations deftly intertwined with the plot contributed to the fame and popularity of the series among young readers: "If I was to mention the most important Polish comic series published at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, I would instantly answer that Osiedle Swoboda has no equals" was how the series was described in Gazeta Wyborcza by Wojciech Orliński.^[3]