{"id":34878,"date":"2026-02-05T15:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=34878"},"modified":"2026-02-05T15:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:01:17","slug":"leonardo-da-vinci-the-renaissance-of-the-world-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/02\/05\/leonardo-da-vinci-the-renaissance-of-the-world-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Leonardo da Vinci: The Renaissance of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Marwan Kahil<\/strong> & Ariel Vittori<\/strong>, translated by Montana Kane<\/strong> (NBM)
\nISBN: 978-1-68112-259-5 (HB) eISBN: 978-1-68112-260-1<\/p>\n

Some people are simply so famous that everybody thinks they already know all about them. That\u2019s what makes biographies like this one such a tricky proposition. As always, talent will tell and the narrative gifts of writer Marwan Kahil and illustrator Ariel Vittori are more than sufficient to breathe fresh life into a much-told tale of one of the most accomplished men in world history.<\/p>\n

Kahil (A. Einstein – the Poetry of Real<\/strong>) studied at the \u00c9cole Sp\u00e9ciale d\u2019Architecture in Paris and Simon Boudvin\u2019s prestigious Graphic Art Workshops before deciding to split his time and efforts between comics and film and theatre. Rome-based Ariel Vittori (Quelques pinc\u00e9es de d\u00e9sir<\/em><\/strong>) is an artist and designer who numbers Disney, Campari and Monadori amongst her satisfied clients, although her true calling is narrative illustration. She is co-founder and President of Attacapanni Press: an independent publisher matching rising stars with seasoned comics veterans…<\/p>\n

Leonardo da Vinci: The Renaissance of the World <\/strong>opens with a querulous preface from Kahil before the Maestro\u2019s eventful life begins to unfold in glorious colour as the elder reminisces in Rome 1515 anno domini…
\n\"\"
\nIt begins in April 1452 with \u2018Chapter 1: A Young Man Unlike Any Other\u2019<\/em> at the hamlet of Anchiano (near Vinci) with the welcoming of a very observant baby to loving extended family. Time passes and a doting grandfather passes, leaving the special child apprenticed to a painter in Florence…<\/p>\n

The present interrupts as the elderly Leonardo falls foul of the Roman clergy and is forced to flee to France…<\/p>\n

\u2018Chapter 2: The Most Handsome Man in Florence\u2019<\/em> follows the seemingly blessed teenager as he excels and overtakes mentor Andrea del Verrocchio<\/em>, roistering his way through Florence and making many friends and far more enemies as he courts rich, powerful and essentially dangerous patrons. Throughout it all he is driven by his unconventional romantic drive and fanatical compulsion to see more and understand everything.<\/p>\n

In \u2018Chapter 3: The Sforza\u2019s Man\u2019<\/em> the itinerant ideas man reaches Milan and works for the powerful duke, even as his older self in 1515 must deal with the so-different responses of his two apprentices Salai <\/em>and Francesco<\/em> to their impending arrest and excommunication…<\/p>\n

Our saga concludes as the great man finally achieves a measure of peace and security under the patronage of lifelong admirer Francis I<\/em>, allowing Leonardo to end his days in \u2018Chapter 4: In the Service of the King of France\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Although many scenes and snippets are taken from non-chronological key moments, the overall effect reveals a life both frustrating and frequently dangerous, but lived very much on the scholar\u2019s own terms… and with few regrets. The tale is also liberally dosed with revelatory secrets on the creation of the Master\u2019s greatest artworks and scientific discoveries, adding a degree of enthralling vitality to proceedings.<\/p>\n

This beguiling dramatised biography is splendidly augmented by educational extras, such as with \u2018Leonardo da Vinci – Works\u2019<\/em>: a commentary on many of his creations supplemented by a crucial illustrated menu of \u2018Principal Players\u2019<\/em>; a fulsome list of further reading in \u2018More on Leonardo\u2019<\/em> and a copious illustrated collection of \u2018Quotes of Leonardo da Vinci\u2019<\/em>.
\n\"\"
\nSeen here is a visual delight celebrating a unique mind and personality, and one you should reacquaint yourself with as soon as you can.
\n\u00a9 2017 Blue Lotus Prod. \u00a9 2019 NBM for the English translation.<\/p>\n

For more information and other great reads go to NBMpub.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today in 1912 strip pioneer Sydney Smith <\/strong>launched Old Doc Yak<\/em>, precursor to The Gumps<\/strong>, and Mexican cartoonist Gabriel Vargas<\/strong> (<\/strong>La Familia Burr\u00f3n<\/em><\/strong>) was born in 1915. Legendary artist George Evans<\/strong> (EC Comics<\/strong>, Terry and the Pirates<\/strong>, Secret Agent X-9<\/strong>) took his first breath in 1920, as did just as fabulous Bruce Timm<\/strong> in 1961.<\/p>\n

UK comic Smash!<\/strong> launched today in 1966 and cartoonist Corinna<\/strong> (The Space Between<\/strong>) Bechko<\/strong> was born in 1974, but in 1996 Italian Roberto Raviola<\/strong> (Kriminal<\/strong>, Alan Ford<\/strong>) died.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Marwan Kahil & Ariel Vittori, translated by Montana Kane (NBM) ISBN: 978-1-68112-259-5 (HB) eISBN: 978-1-68112-260-1 Some people are simply so famous that everybody thinks they already know all about them. That\u2019s what makes biographies like this one such a tricky proposition. As always, talent will tell and the narrative gifts of writer Marwan Kahil … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Leonardo da Vinci: The Renaissance of the World”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[115,122,215],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biography","category-historical","category-lgbtqia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-94y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34878","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=34878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34882,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34878\/revisions\/34882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}