{"id":34791,"date":"2026-01-24T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=34791"},"modified":"2026-01-22T17:49:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:49:05","slug":"chimera-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/01\/24\/chimera-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chimera"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Lorenzo<\/strong> Mattotti<\/strong> (Fantagraphics Books and Coconino Press)
\nISBN-13: 978-1-56097-763-6 (TPB)<\/p>\n

The sixth release – I hesitate to call it a volume, as the format, though bold and wonderful, is far more than a magazine but not quite a book – from the eclectic European publications imprint designated The Ignatz Collection<\/strong>, this fabulous item features an uncharacteristic and unforgettable look at the monochrome work of one of the world\u2019s most talented colour artists.<\/p>\n

Today in 1954, Lorenzo Mattotti was born in Brescia, Italy. He grew up and studied at the Faculty for Architecture in Venice before beginning a career as a comics storyteller in 1975 in French magazine Circus<\/em><\/strong>. Whether alone or with long-time collaborator Fabrizio Ostani (AKA Jerry Kramsky – they often used the single pen-name \u201cKleidebistro\u201d) Mattotti\u2019s incredible, nigh-abstract designs and pictorial narratives rapidly won him a huge following, with work appearing in M\u00e9tal Hurlant<\/em><\/strong>, L\u2019\u00c9cho des Savanes<\/em><\/strong> (France), Rumbo Sur<\/em><\/strong> (Spain), Frigidaire<\/em><\/strong>, Secondamano<\/em> <\/strong>and Alter Alter<\/em><\/strong> (Italy), Raw<\/strong> (USA) and The Face<\/strong> (UK) among many others.<\/p>\n

In 2002 Mattotti and Kramsky produced Docteur Jekyll & Mister Hyde<\/em><\/strong> (based on the Robert Louis Stevenson classic) for Casterman, and the English translation won Mattotti an Eisner Award the following year. As an illustrator, Mattotti has worked for Vanity Fair<\/strong>, The New Yorker<\/strong>, Cosmopolitan<\/strong>, Vogue <\/strong>and Le Monde<\/em><\/strong>, and has produced a number of startling and beautiful children\u2019s books. His absolute masterpiece thus far is – to my mind at least \u2013 Fires<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Behind a deeply unsettling gate-fold wraparound cover, but printed throughout on reassuringly solid cream-coloured card-stock, lurks a startling journey from idyllic cloud-gazing through vaguely erotic musings on gods and giants to the depths of a terrifying and oppressive forested hell. Rendered in bravura line-and-dry-brush style that ranges from seductive and cajoling, through airy tumult to raw, fierce, bestial rage and horror, Mattotti uses the reader\u2019s eyes to pull the viewer on a chaotic descent reminiscent of Mussorgsky\u2019s \u201cA Night on Bald Mountain\u201d (in the manner of Disney\u2019s Fantasia<\/strong> version, with just a shade of Watership Down<\/strong> thrown in).
\n\"\"
\nComics aficionados might also recognize a touch of the panning-in technique used by the great Andr\u00e9 Barbe where small pictorial changes lead to a total transformation, not only to the graphic representations but also to the mental or spiritual state of the object and observer. But where Barbe wanted to languidly surprise and seduce you, Mattotti is here to make you squirm\u2026<\/p>\n

Even if the \u201chow\u201d isn\u2019t your major concern, the whole pictorial experience of Chimera<\/strong> is one headlong rush, and a supreme lesson in the power and virtuosity of dark lines against the light. This is probably the only white-knuckle ride you can put on a bookshelf\u2026 so why don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Story and art \u00a9 2005 Lorenzo Mattotti. Book edition \u00a9 2005 Fantagraphics Books and Coconino Press.<\/p>\n

Also Today<\/em> but in 1910, Noel<\/strong> (Scorchy Smith<\/strong>) Sickles<\/strong> was born. He shares the day with Mattotti<\/strong>, inker Bruce D, Berry <\/strong>(1924), and John Romita Senior<\/strong> in 1930.<\/p>\n

In 1943 morale-boosting Miss Lace<\/em> debuted in Milt Caniff<\/strong>\u2019s Male Call<\/strong> strip, and in Britain once the shooting stopped in 1948, The Beano<\/strong> unleashed Biffo the Bear<\/em> for the first time.<\/p>\n

In 1977 we lost the wonderful John Rosenberger<\/strong> (The Fly<\/strong>, The Jaguar<\/strong>, Young Dr Masters<\/strong>, Lady Cop<\/strong>, Supergirl<\/strong>, Lois Lane<\/strong>) and in 2002, sublime Kurt Schaffenberger<\/strong> (Captain Marvel<\/strong>, Shazam<\/strong>, Lois Lane<\/strong>, Superboy<\/strong>, Supergirl<\/strong>, Superman<\/strong>, Super Friends<\/strong>). All of these stars are worth your time and attention whether here or best yet in their actual collected works, so go do that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lorenzo Mattotti (Fantagraphics Books and Coconino Press) ISBN-13: 978-1-56097-763-6 (TPB) The sixth release – I hesitate to call it a volume, as the format, though bold and wonderful, is far more than a magazine but not quite a book – from the eclectic European publications imprint designated The Ignatz Collection, this fabulous item features … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Chimera”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[280,81,63,66,396],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-animal-antics","category-art-books","category-european-classics","category-horror-stories","category-monsters"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-939","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34791"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34798,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34791\/revisions\/34798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}