Half a century of laughter, adventures and irresistible gags: Lupo Alberto turns 50, and to celebrate it, the independent publishing house Gigaciao, founded by Sio, Dado, Fraffrog and Giacomo Bevilacqua, has created a special work, “Tutto un altro Wolf Albert.” This volume, available from 15 October, collects over 30 unpublished stories featuring the famous wolf and the characters of the McKenzie Farm, reinterpreted through the eyes of young Italian artists to offer a modern and varied homage to one of the most beloved protagonists of Italian comics.
A surprising reinterpretation
For Silver, the original author of Lupo Alberto, seeing his characters revived through the styles of a new generation was an exciting experience and, as he himself says, full of amazement: “My first reaction was one of amazement and wonder. I didn’t imagine that something of mine that had now been codified over the years could be expressed in so many other ways so different from each other, while still respecting the rigorous original canons. A magic, like Queneau’s Exercises in Style. And then I felt very much like a grandfather, a good-natured grandfather tied to the rocking chair by insolent grandchildren who devastate his house.” Each artist interpreted the characters according to a personal style, bringing a breath of freshness and innovation that ranges from expressionism to naive, from pop to surrealism and even manga. “Each page is a chromatic composition to be looked at as a whole, like a sequence of works in an art gallery,” added Silver, underlining the artistic quality and careful printing work that enrich the volume.
Behind “Tutto unaltro Lupo Alberto” there is the commitment and passion of the Gigaciao team, who took care of every detail of this collection. Sio, one of the founders, explains the origin of the celebratory idea: “We had known Lorenzo La Neve’s work for some time and obviously we have always been big fans of Lupo Alberto, at the same time we felt admiration for the ‘Tutto un’altro wolf’ project and a desire to make it known to a generation of boys and girls who did not experience the golden age of Lupo Alberto’s comics, to let them too discover the McKenzie farm and all the characters we have been linked to all our lives ”.
The choice of authors required great attention: Lorenzo La Neve, creator of the project, selected many young talents, while the founders of Gigaciao themselves, including Sio, Dado, Giacomo Bevilacqua and The Sparker, contributed with original stories. “Myself, Dado, Giacomo Bevilacqua and The Sparker have written new stories especially for this new collection. In my opinion, Dado’s story is perfect, by the way. Damn Dado, he must write more comics, he’s good,” added Sio in a joking tone, praising his colleague.
A timeless message
Creating this volume was not easy, also due to the technical challenges posed by adapting the tables. The comics, initially drawn in horizontal format, required careful graphic work to keep readability intact. “Most of the comics were created on a horizontal format and therefore it took a great deal of work on the part of Marco Ventura and Stefano Antonucci (our graphic designers) and Luca Baino (our editor) to rework the comic panels in such a way that they were legible even when combined one on top of the other,” says Sio. “Then we paid particular attention to the printing and the paper because this book in particular is full of beautiful colors and we didn’t want them to fade. We did it!”.
The 50th anniversary of Lupo Alberto was greeted with enthusiasm by fans, and the celebrations included events in Milan and Rome, where Silver and the founders of Gigaciao met with the public to talk about the creative process behind this work. The project, however, does not stop here: Gigaciao intends to continue to pay homage to Lupo Alberto and his fans with other initiatives, including possible subsequent volumes. “In addition to the presentations in bookstores, we want to bring the volume and Lupo Alberto’s birthday also to comics fairs and we hope to be able to celebrate one of the next birthdays, perhaps with a second volume! And, of course, urging everyone to subscribe to Lupo Alberto”, concluded Sio enthusiastically, showing Gigaciao’s commitment to keeping the legacy of this historical figure alive.
As the volume reaches bookstores, Silver reflects on the impact of Lupo Alberto and the relationship between his generation and the new ones. “I don’t think my generation can send who knows what messages to current or future generations. Yes, some good music, some social conquests. For the rest it’s just rhetoric from ’68 and slander about the good times that once were. We haven’t changed a thing, we have enjoyed economic well-being like fattening geese without worrying too much about the consequences. No really, there is no message,” said Silver, with biting but knowing irony.