Milo Manara celebrates 2019 as his fifty-year career. From his beginnings in the tumult of the Italian years to his biography of Caravaggio, through his collaborations with two of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, Hugo Pratt and Federico Fellini, Manara has never ceased to explore all the potentialities of comics, between dream and reality, fiction and History, with that characteristic sensuality that runs through all of his work. This book retraces the unique career of this master of world comics.
With the reproduction of more than 150 exceptional pieces, the Manara catalogue traces the key periods of the artist’s career, his collaborations and unpublished plates.
- 9e Art+ éditions, January 2019
- ISBN 978-2-9536902-8-6
- 9.75″ x 13.75″, 160 pages, hardcover
- 35,00 €
- Order online:
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
A career retrospective exhibit at Angoulême, accompanied by a catalogue. This is divided into six parts, moving chronologically through Manara’s career, except for the last that cover his erotic works.
- Années de rêve, annénes de plomb
- Le choix de l’adventure
- Hugo Pratt, maître et alter ego
- Fellini et less voyages oniriques
- Une Histoire italienne
- L’enfer de Manara
Each chapter has a short introduction, and most of the pieces feature a paragraph discussing its merits. As well each piece shows the year, title, page, and medium. The book closes with a comprehensive bibliography.
The art presents very well. All scans are clear. A surprising amount of colour on the original artboards. As well most of the art has empty word balloons, allowing for production in multiple languages.
I love the design of the Angoulême Festival catalogues, from the cover design to the vertical lettering on the spine to the UPC code on the bottom back cover. This volume follows that standard design for another exceptional presentation. Each page is numbered, slightly offset from the center.
The production is excellent: a sewn binding of a medium matte paper stock that has a slight gloss coating. The paper is off-white, working well with the yellowed originals. I can’t remember if the book was shrink-wrapped, but something tells me it was.
Fortunately for English readers, Dark Horse and Humanoids have done a great job of translating most of Minara’s work.
