''Fumetti neri'' (Italian for "black comics") is a subgenre of Italian comics, born in Italy with the creation of the ''

Diabolik ''Diabolik'' ( or ) is an Italian comic series created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. One of the most popular series in the history of Italian comics, ''Diabolik'' was created in 1962 and consists of more than 900 volumes, and has led ...

'' character (1962).

Overview

The "Fumetti neri" name comes from "cronaca nera", the Italian name for crime news. Among the inspirations of the genre were the

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, the French '' feuilleton'' and Italian horror cinema. In a local market dominated by comics devoted to a young audience, the immediate commercial success of ''Diabolik'' revealed a niche of adult readers interested in adult and sometimes exploitive themes characterized by violence and sex references.Simone Castaldi. ''Drawn and Dangerous: Italian Comics of the 1970s and 1980s''. University Press of Mississippi, 2010. . The heroes of ''fumetti neri'' were more

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

than traditional heroes, and Diabolik himself was very loosely based on the French''

Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...

'' character. The subsequent main characters in these comics were all inspired by Diabolik and often had a K in their names. They included ''

Kriminal ''Kriminal'' is an Italian comics series featuring an eponymous fictional character, created in 1964 by Magnus and Max Bunker, the authors of '' Alan Ford'', '' Maxmagnus'' and ''Satanik''. Characters Kriminal is an English master thief, Anthon ...

'' (a more violent version of Diabolik by Magnus and

Max Bunker Max Bunker, pen name of Luciano Massimiliano Secchi (born 24 August 1939), is an Italian comic book writer, and publisher, best known as the co-author of '' Alan Ford''. Bunker's career started in 1960 when he co-founded, together with his brothe ...

), ''

Satanik ''Satanik'' is an Italian noir comic book created in December 1964 by Max Bunker (writer) and Magnus (artist), also the authors of the popular series '' Kriminal'' and '' Alan Ford''. Synopsis Satanik is Marny Bannister, a skilled female chemis ...

'' (a female version of Diabolik by the same authors but with supernatural and horrific elements) and '' Sadik''. The large success of this genre led in 1965 to public campaigns against them, and even to trials and judicial seizures. As a result, from 1966 some comics remarkably reduced violence and erotic situations, and tried to open themselves to a younger and wider audience, while others, the so-called "vietati ai minori" ("prohibited to minors") exploited their status, increasing the levels of sex, and sometimes becoming openly pornographic. Examples of these more explicit comics are Vampirissimo,

Jacula Jacula was an Italian rock music, rock band founded in 1969 in Milan as an experiment by Antonio Bartoccetti, Doris Norton, organist Charles Tiring and Mediumship, medium Franz Porthenzy. Jacula's music was considered innovative for the time in p ...

Hessa Hessa or Heissa is an island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is the westernmost island in the municipality and it is one of the main islands in the island-city of Ålesund. The island is located west and south of t ...

, Terror,

Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

Maghella Maghella is an Italian comic book erotic character. A young witch with magic powers, she was created by Dino Leonetti with text by Furio Arrasich. She made her first appearance as lead character in the erotic series ''Menelik'' published in 1974 ...

, Oltretomba, Lucifera, Biancaneve, Vartan,

Sukia ''Sukia' succhiare'' is Italian for "to suck". was a vampire-themed Italian comics series by Renzo Barbieri and Fulvio Bosttoli published by Edifumetto from 1978 to 1986, for a total of 153 albums and 6 extra albums. In the series Sukia faces ...

Jolanda de Almaviva Maurilio Manara (; born 12 September 1945), known professionally as Milo Manara, is an Italian comic book writer and artist. Career After architecture and painting studies, he made his comics debut in 1969 drawing for ''Genius'', a Fumetti neri s ...

, Yra, and

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

. By contrast, the surreally erotic '' Valentina'' series created by Guido Crepax (in 1965), whose transgressively heroine sports an iconic bob hairstyle inspired by the American film actress and dancer Louise Brooks, as well as Crepax's own wife Luisa, can be seen as a cerebrally refined relative of the ''fumetti neri'' genre, which held a widespread appeal to

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

s of the time. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, these comics were published in digest size editions by the likes of Elvifrance. In the

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vast amounts of the erotic comics were published by Schorpioen, Nooitgedacht and Vrijbuiter during the 70s and 80s.

Legacy

It was in the scene set by the ''fumetti neri'' that auteur comics published in magazines such as ''

linus Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...