Dino Battaglia
Encyclopedia
Dino Battaglia was an Italian comic artist, noted for a distinctive and expressive style, best known for his visual adaptations of classic novels.
, Battaglia first entered the comic book profession in 1946 co-founding and producing work for the Italian magazine Asso di Picche, where he drew some pages of the Junglemen series. Here he worked with other Venetian artists, among them Hugo Pratt
and Alberto Ongaro
. When Asso di Picche folded in 1948, the Venetian Group (as they became known) moved to Argentina to work for Italian publisher Cesar Civita. Battaglia remained behind in Italy, opting for marriage instead of joining the Argentine move, but he drew the pirate strip Capitan Caribe, written by Ongaro and published in Héctor Germán Oesterheld
's magazine Frontera, and other strips such as Cowboy Kid for Salgari.
In 1950 Battaglia moved to Milan
, where he worked for Mondadori's Pecos Bill
and for Il Vittorioso. Between 1952 and 1953 he created Mark Fury, a pugilistic strip set in Edwardian England for L'Intrepido. The series was translated and republished in Junior Express between 1955–56, introducing Battaglia to the British market. In 1959 he started a collaboration with English publisher Fleetway
through Milan-based Roy D'Ami studio, producing several short stories for Top Spot, Knockout Comic, Thriller Picture Library and Look and Learn.
Starting in 1960 Battaglia produced a series of adaptations of fairy tales and classic novels for Il Corriere dei Piccoli and Il Corriere dei Ragazzi. In 1965 he drew I Cinque della Selena, a science fiction series written by Mino Milani.
In 1967 the magazine Sgt. Kirk published an adaptation of Moby Dick, a work that marked Battaglia's artistic maturity: his drawings achieved the unique, distinctive style that characterised all his later productions. From then on, Battaglia focused on adaptations rather than on original series: he was particularly interested in classic novelists like Poe
, H. P. Lovecraft
, Stevenson
, Maupassant
and Hoffmann
. He illustrated several of these writers' gothic short stories for Linus
magazine, earning the title of Master of Darkness.
During the 1970s Battaglia produced a series of religious works for Il Messaggero dei Ragazzi and Il Giornalino
, including the biographies of Antonio da Padova and Frate Francesco, as well as adaptation of classic satires like Till Eulenspiegel
(1975) and Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel
(1979). In the late 1970s he began working for publisher Bonelli
, producing L’Uomo della Legione and L'Uomo del New England for the series Un uomo un'avventura.
In 1982 he created his only original series, L'Ispettore Coke (Inspector Coke) for the publisher Isola Trovata, featuring a detective of Scotland Yard who faces strange cases in stories set at the beginning of the 20th century. Only two album publications, I delitti della fenice (The Crimes of the Phoenix) and La Mummia (The Mummy) were completed before the work was interrupted by Battaglia's unexpected death in 1983.
Since 1950, Battaglia's wife Laura De Vescovi collaborated on writing the scenarios and as colourist on his stories. Several comics critics have written theses on Battaglia, and his original artworks have been the subject of many expositions. Because of his preference for adaptations, Battaglia has never reached the notoriety of some of his contemporaries, but the expressive skill of Battaglia have earned him the respect of comics connoisseurs.
, France, Award for best foreign artist
Footnotes
Biography
Born in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Battaglia first entered the comic book profession in 1946 co-founding and producing work for the Italian magazine Asso di Picche, where he drew some pages of the Junglemen series. Here he worked with other Venetian artists, among them Hugo Pratt
Hugo Pratt
Hugo Eugenio Pratt was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as Corto Maltese...
and Alberto Ongaro
Alberto Ongaro
-Biography:Born in Venice, he lived for a long time in South America and England, before returning to his birth city in 1979.A friend and collaborator of Hugo Pratt, he also worked for Il Corriere dei Piccoli...
. When Asso di Picche folded in 1948, the Venetian Group (as they became known) moved to Argentina to work for Italian publisher Cesar Civita. Battaglia remained behind in Italy, opting for marriage instead of joining the Argentine move, but he drew the pirate strip Capitan Caribe, written by Ongaro and published in Héctor Germán Oesterheld
Héctor Germán Oesterheld
Héctor Germán Oesterheld , also known as his common abbreviation HGO, was an Argentine journalist and writer of graphic novels and comics who has come to be celebrated as a master in his field....
's magazine Frontera, and other strips such as Cowboy Kid for Salgari.
In 1950 Battaglia moved to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, where he worked for Mondadori's Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill is an American cowboy, apocryphally immortalized in numerous tall tales of the Old West during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. Their stories were probably invented into short stories and book by Edward O'Reilly in the...
and for Il Vittorioso. Between 1952 and 1953 he created Mark Fury, a pugilistic strip set in Edwardian England for L'Intrepido. The series was translated and republished in Junior Express between 1955–56, introducing Battaglia to the British market. In 1959 he started a collaboration with English publisher Fleetway
Fleetway
Fleetway, also known as Fleetway Publications and Fleetway Editions, was a UK publishing company which mainly produced comic magazines. For a time owned by IPC Media, they are now a division of Egmont Publishing....
through Milan-based Roy D'Ami studio, producing several short stories for Top Spot, Knockout Comic, Thriller Picture Library and Look and Learn.
Starting in 1960 Battaglia produced a series of adaptations of fairy tales and classic novels for Il Corriere dei Piccoli and Il Corriere dei Ragazzi. In 1965 he drew I Cinque della Selena, a science fiction series written by Mino Milani.
In 1967 the magazine Sgt. Kirk published an adaptation of Moby Dick, a work that marked Battaglia's artistic maturity: his drawings achieved the unique, distinctive style that characterised all his later productions. From then on, Battaglia focused on adaptations rather than on original series: he was particularly interested in classic novelists like Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
, Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
and Hoffmann
E.T.A. Hoffmann
Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann , better known by his pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann , was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist...
. He illustrated several of these writers' gothic short stories for Linus
Linus (magazine)
Linus is an Italian comics magazine. The first number was published in April 1965 by Milano Libri, a subsidiary of Rizzoli. It is currently published by Baldini & Castoldi in monthly issues....
magazine, earning the title of Master of Darkness.
During the 1970s Battaglia produced a series of religious works for Il Messaggero dei Ragazzi and Il Giornalino
Il Giornalino
Il Giornalino was an Italian comics magazine published by the Catholic publisher Edizioni San Paolo of Alba, founded in 1924.During its history, the magazine published the Italian translation of numerous American and European comics series, such as Looney Tunes, The Smurfs, Lucky Luke, Popeye,...
, including the biographies of Antonio da Padova and Frate Francesco, as well as adaptation of classic satires like Till Eulenspiegel
Till Eulenspiegel
Till Eulenspiegel was an impudent trickster figure originating in Middle Low German folklore. His tales were disseminated in popular printed editions narrating a string of lightly connected episodes that outlined his picaresque career, primarily in Germany, the Low Countries and France...
(1975) and Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel
Gargantua and Pantagruel
The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel is a connected series of five novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais. It is the story of two giants, a father and his son and their adventures, written in an amusing, extravagant, satirical vein...
(1979). In the late 1970s he began working for publisher Bonelli
Bonelli
-People:* Camillo Bonelli, Captain Regent of San Marino* Carlo Bonelli , Italian cardinal* Federico Bonelli, Italian ballet dancer* Franco Andrea Bonelli , Italian zoologist* Gian Luigi Bonelli , Italian comics writer...
, producing L’Uomo della Legione and L'Uomo del New England for the series Un uomo un'avventura.
In 1982 he created his only original series, L'Ispettore Coke (Inspector Coke) for the publisher Isola Trovata, featuring a detective of Scotland Yard who faces strange cases in stories set at the beginning of the 20th century. Only two album publications, I delitti della fenice (The Crimes of the Phoenix) and La Mummia (The Mummy) were completed before the work was interrupted by Battaglia's unexpected death in 1983.
Since 1950, Battaglia's wife Laura De Vescovi collaborated on writing the scenarios and as colourist on his stories. Several comics critics have written theses on Battaglia, and his original artworks have been the subject of many expositions. Because of his preference for adaptations, Battaglia has never reached the notoriety of some of his contemporaries, but the expressive skill of Battaglia have earned him the respect of comics connoisseurs.
Awards
1975: Angoulême FestivalAngoulême International Comics Festival
The Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...
, France, Award for best foreign artist
Sources
- Dino Battaglia dossier FFF
- Dino Battaglia publications Editions Mosquito
- Dino Battaglia publications in Pilote BDoubliées
Footnotes
External links
- Dino Battaglia biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia
- Dino Battaglia biography on Dan Dare
- Dino Battaglia biography on Enciclopedia del Fumetto