First published in 1968, Crepax's "Bonnie and Clyde" casts Valentina in the former role as the infamous female bandit. Influenced more by Faye Dunaway's iconic turn in the 1967 film than by any kind of inconvenient and unpleasant historical reality, this short story shows Valentina's daydream of criminal glamour.
If I had to pick a favorite Valentina story, I'd have to go with "Valentina nel Metro" (also from 1968), a tale that finds our heroine roaming from car to car on an exceptionally bizarre train ride. Each car in the train is a different comic-book universe, ranging from that of familiar Eurocomix characters like Diabolik (shown above) to literary figures such as Dracula.
In each of these worlds, Crepax blends his style with that of the artists who originated the characters. This panel, influenced by the work of George Pichard (specifically, his Carmen can be seen at center left) merges Crepax's complex, aggressive linework with Pichard's more precise stippling technique.
Of course, there's some rather Crepax-ian license taken with these characters. Here, The Phantom leaves his mark on Valentina in a uniquely adult manner (bonus points for the gratuitous shark appearance).
Now--really--what walk down this particular kinky lane would be complete without an homage to the work of John Willie? Crepax lovingly re-creates the bondage maestro's elaborate ropework and towering heels in this panel that once again finds hapless Valentina at the mercy of a cruel captor.
7 comments:
I still can't get over what a great name Guido Crepax is.
Have you seen Frank Thorne's Iron Devil? Not exactly Fumeti, but pretty close. That is the comic Thorne caught hell over in the '90s, and some comic store owner was arrested for carrying it.
Ack! Crepax that I haven't seen!
That last panel is awesomeness, and the notion of Valentina getting it on with Diabolik is too delicious for words.
I must find this now.
Crepax-tass-tic
Crepax's fumetti verges on porno, but ..such posh porno. He did some graphix stuff to accompany de sadean tales as well, reportedly--difficult to locate
ah've read Valentina's based on the silent actress Louise Brooks...looks like the broad (tho' V a bit sleeker and much better........ass)
Here's a review of the new edition of Crepax' The Story of O
http://www.slate.com/id/2246862/
I've been in love with Crepax ever since I read the first Druuna story to appear in Heavy Metal (I think). Summer 1988 issue, I still remember it and have the issue.
Just a question: What is fumetti? I've been under the impression that it's photo comix/novels.
Darius, I've not seen "Iron Devil" but now you've piqued my interest! I've adopted a "hunt and peck" approach towards comics, where I just see something shiny on the shelf and pick it up. I really have to ditch this day job that keeps distracting me from exploring much cooler stuff!
Doc M--shoot me your email, miss! We need to dish re: Crepax.
J, I've also read that Valentina is based on Louise Brooks, and in some of the close-up shots on her expressions, you can really see the resemblance. I know that Crepax's "Justine" was reprinted in a bound anthology format in the US by Evergreen. They were going criminally cheaply when I picked up mine for under twenty bucks. Seriously--that's shockingly inexpensive for such a weighty tome!
MDG--thanks for posting! Eurotica is a FAB publishing house and I can recommend their reprints. Very clean and can be acquired without great personal cost. Nice stuff!
B-Sol, I've been hunting down old issues of "Heavy Metal" recently. It's a mixed bag, but holy WOW is some of that stuff fantastic! Fantastique, even ;)
It depends on the context, Cinema Suicide. In America, "Fumetti" refers to exactly the kind of photo-illustrated stories you're referencing. In Italy, "Fumetti" refers to all comic books, whether they're illustrated with drawings or photos ("fotoromanzi"). Most of the fumetti-related stuff I post is really "Fumetti Neri," "Dark Comics," which are aimed at adult audiences and contain graphic depictions of sex and violence. It's kind of a confusing term, though!
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