A thief in the Palazzo Incontro

"You're the first woman who knows that this is the true face of Diabolik. Maybe I'm committing the biggest mistake of my life, but you're the most beautiful and charming woman I ever met and I love the risk and danger. Not bad, as a declaration of love. But if the charm is that of man (mind you, not hero) masked for excellence of Italian comic, no one can resist Eva Kant.

Sexy when you could be (and perhaps not even he knew what he meant), politically incorrect, even under investigation in the form of comics (eight trials at the publishers, all duly won), Diabolik, along with the faithful companion of life and "activities", has survived even the death of its creators, Angela and Luciana Giussani, so as to merit the homage of a true "personal". This, commissioned by the provincial Roman and "his" publisher Astorina. Open to the public until 13 September in Palazzo Incontro, in the prefects.

"We wanted to pay homage to the tradition of Italian comic celebrating a history of artistic expression and fiction, was born almost fifty years ago by the pencil and intuition of two sisters in Milan - said the president of the Province of Rome during the presentation Nicola Zingaretti - The story of a phenomenon and a bet editorial which has overcome the limits of an ephemeral success, fun and passionate generations of fathers and sons. With the exhibition dedicated to Diabolik, Palazzo Incontro consolidate its role in hosting the most diverse and innovative artistic forms, and present the most original expressions of creativity. A place of ideas in the heart of Rome. A place for meeting, entertainment and knowledge available to all citizens. "

"It's nice to think that in Italy is beginning to yield space, in place of this type, to an exhibition of comics - highlighted the curator Vincenzo Mollica - The official culture, which continues to serve its problems, continues to snub. There 'is an art history that has a chapter devoted to comics, and even literature has never taken the' strips' into consideration. Hugo Pratt said that 'the comic is drawn literature', and it is no coincidence that there are poets who have dedicated poems to Diabolik. A character born from the imagination of two women who still appears on newsstands every ten days, between new and reprints, and has had and will have great influence on us all. as a baby I would have liked to have those masks, then I grew up I realized that there were many more thieves out that the pages of comics. And this has helped me to grow better. "

"When, in 1962, Angela and Luciana Giussani gave birth to Diabolik, never would have assumed that, almost fifty years later, their character was still alive and kicking - concluded Mario Gomboli, director of the publishing house Astorina - The first comic aimed at adult audiences, the first dedicated to an anti-hero, with a bad winner, the first to scandal. kidnappings, obscenity trial (in 1965 on the drawing of a woman in a bikini, ed), and even corruption of minor which forced us to change the subtitle 'The yellow cartoon' with 'The comics for adults', which then did not indicate anything malicious. Diabolik, over the years has become part of the collective imagination of the Italians, and not only of its readers. Enough to leave the paper and become a cartoon, fiction. And who knows, maybe with a movie ... like Jude Law in the shoes of the protagonist. "