''Kriminal'' is an
Italian comics
Italian comics, also known as ''fumetto'' , plural form ''fumetti'' , are comics that originate in Italy. The most popular Italian comics have been translated into many languages. The term ''fumetto'' (literally ''little puff of smoke'') refers ...
series featuring an eponymous
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
, created in 1964 by
Magnus
Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
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 ...
, the authors of ''
Alan Ford'', ''
Maxmagnus'' and ''
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 ...
''.
Characters
Kriminal is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
master thief, Anthony Logan, who dresses in black and yellow costume with a fearsome skull face for his adventures. The character was directly inspired by the contemporary (and more successful)
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 ...
, with whom he shares the ability to use masks that allow him to assume any identity. In the earliest adventures, Kriminal was a near sadistic killer fighting for revenge against the criminals who had pushed his father to commit suicide. Having also lost his mother and sister, Logan spent his youth in a
reformatory
A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concerns ...
, from which he managed to escape, intent to pursue vengeance.
Kriminal has a female companion, Lola Hudson whom he married and with whom he had a child, Max. He also has a love-hate relationship with Gloria, who was once the wife of
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...
Inspector Patrick Milton, his main enemy. Gradually over time, Kriminal's most extreme villainous features were toned down, and in the later stories he assumed more positive and heroic connotations.
The series was also notable as one of the first to employ
continuity in Italian comic books, as any new story would begin exactly at the point the previous had ended, and the characters' lives continually evolved (in contrast to ''
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 ...
''). Logan himself married and had a child, who soon died.
The series ended in November 1974, after 419 episodes.
Censorship
Due to the violence and the proto-
erotic
Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...
scenes in the comic book (as well as in Satanik),
Bunker
A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. ...
and
Raviola had problems with Italian censorship. Bunker was prosecuted several times, but never condemned. The panels depicting semi-nude girls were often censored by the publisher itself.
Crossovers
In the episode #90, "Quello che non ti aspetti", Kriminal meets Satanik: this is the first example of
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
in Italian comics. The character is also featured in ''
Alan Ford'' #150, also by Magnus & Bunker.
“Cine-Tourist:” Italians in London: Kriminal (1966)”
/ref>
Cinema
''Kriminal'' has been adapted for the big screen several times. The first film, simply titled ''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 ...
'', was released in 1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
by Umberto Lenzi
Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist.
A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...
, starring Dutch actor Glenn Saxson
Roel Bos, better known by his stage name Glenn Saxson, is a Dutch actor and film producer. Bos moved to Italy in 1964 and starred in several Western films as well as the lead in the superhero film ''Kriminal'' and its sequel ''Il marchio di Krimi ...
in the lead role. The skeleton costume was slightly altered. A sequel, ''Il marchio di Kriminal
''Il marchio di Kriminal'' ( The Mark of Kriminal) is a 1967 film. It is the follow-up to ''Kriminal'' (1966).
Plot
The bandit Kriminal accidentally discovers in an ancient porcelain statuette a fragment of a map relating to the place where a fa ...
'' ("The Mark of Kriminal") directed by Fernando Cerchio
Fernando Cerchio (7 August 1914 – 19 August 1974) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 30 films between 1940 and 1972.
Selected filmography
* '' Men of the Mountain'' (1943)
* ''Mistress of the Mountains'' ...
, followed in the summer of 1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
References
External links
Kriminal's entry at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
*{{IMDb title, id=0060608, title=Kriminal
Italian comics
Italian comics characters
Fictional murderers
Italian comics titles
Magazines established in 1964
Magazines disestablished in 1974
1964 comics debuts
Comics characters introduced in 1964
Crime comics
Comic book digests
Italian comics adapted into films
Fictional Italian people
Defunct magazines published in Italy
Magazines about comics
Italian-language magazines
1964 establishments in Italy
1974 disestablishments in Italy