From 14th to 29th June, as part of the fourth edition of the Coconino Fest, the MAR – Museo d’Arte della Città di Ravenna is hosting DAI CLASSICI AL FUTURO, UN SECOLO DI FUMETTO IN OTTO MOSTRE, an exhibition dedicated to the publishing house’s classic and best-known authors up to new talents.
GEORGE HERRIMAN: Krazy Kat
Krazy the cat (or cat?) adores Ignatz the mouse, pines for him, lives in anticipation of his gesture of affection. Ignatz, on the other hand, detests Krazy, mistreats him and as soon as he can, hits him by throwing a brick at him. On this simple story of unrequited love, but unceasingly dreamed of and longed for, is based one of the strips that form the basis of comic strip history: Krazy Kat by George Herriman, published from 1913 to 1944 in the most important American newspapers. With its mix of surreal humour and poetry Krazy Kat has won illustrious fans, from Pablo Picasso to Umberto Eco, from Charles Schulz to Art Spiegelman. The exhibition in Ravenna is a unique opportunity to admire some 20 of Herriman’s rare original plates up close, a master of sign, language and composition.
DAVID B.: The Great Evil
David B. is one of the most important contemporary French cartoonists, and is one of the founders of the publishing house L’Association. Since 1992, he has collaborated with Lewis Trondheim, Christophe Blain, Didier Tronchet, Joann Sfar, Emmanuel Guibert and Émile Bravo, giving life to what has been called “la nouvelle bande dessinée”.
His exhibition in Ravenna focuses on The Big Bad, a milestone of the graphic novel: David B. tells the story of his family, marked by the painful story of a brother suffering from epilepsy. And he widens his gaze to universal History, seen as an eternal theatre of conflict, and to the artist’s escapes into fantasy and dreams.
MARUO SUEHIRO: Paradise
A unique opportunity to admire the elegant sign and refined compositions of a master of horror and perturbing Japanese manga: Maruo Suehiro, author of cult masterpieces such as Midori and The Laughing Vampire. The original plates in this exhibition were made for a long story that is part of the anthology Paradise, in which the horror drawn by Maruo is grimly real.
ZUZU: Ragazzo
A high school student suddenly disappears. Around this absence is built the new graphic novel Ragazzo by ZUZU, a young and already established voice of Italian comics, previously author of the award-winning Cheese and Giorni Felici. ZUZU is grappling this time with a choral story about the anxieties of youth that continue to echo within us even in adulthood.
ALESSANDRO TOTA: The Magnificent Illusion
After George Herriman, the exhibition by Alessandro Tota, one of the most appreciated scriptwriters and illustrators of Italian comics, takes us back to the United States. The panels on display are from his latest graphic novel La magnifica illusione: the story of Diana Morgan, a young aspiring writer who arrives in 1938 New York to fulfil her dream and finds herself inventing superhero stories for the burgeoning American comic book industry.
DANIELE KONG: Bestie in fuga
A new author who has immediately established himself as an authentic revelation on the Italian comics scene, with a 600-page river work nominated for the Strega 2025 Award by journalist and writer Simonetta Sciandivasci and fresh winner of the Micheluzzi Award at Napoli Comicon for Best Debut.
CLEO BISSONG and CHIARA FAZI
Coconino Press is constantly on the lookout for young authors to enhance the lively and varied Italian comics scene. This exhibition turns the spotlight on the talent of Cleo Bissong, who in her first graphic novel Ma siamo ancora qui a parlarne? tackles themes such as the relationship of the very young with the body, feminism and body positivity, and on the evocative illustrations of Chiara Fazi, a well-known illustrator making her debut in comics, who together with screenwriter Johnny Mox has created Polifonia, a touching tale about migrants and the saving power of music.
