Awarè, a made in Italy story about friendship, music and the power of words

Awarè is a new Italian comic by Star Comics, a publication that emphasizes the importance of words and their consequences in people’s lives. Written by debuting screenwriters Alessandro Atzei and Manuele Morlacco, and illustrated by Lidia Bolognini, Awarè stands out for its original plot and the particular narrative context in which it develops. Set on the Island of Muòn, the comic introduces a society in which verbal communication has almost completely disappeared. The inhabitants of the island, endowed with zoomorphic physical characteristics, chose to give up their voices following traumatic events linked to the use of words, culminating in an episode called “that night”, which profoundly marked their history. Discrimination and verbal persecution have led the population to opt for written communication, reducing the destructive power of language.

The protagonist of the story is Awarè, a young orphan with a red panda tail, one of the few inhabitants still in possession of the ability to speak. His particularity, which makes him an outsider within the community, is also reflected in his passion for music, the central element of the work. Awarè finds himself intertwining his life with those of two girls, Rebi and Moroi, whose relationship was broken by episodes of bullying. The story explores the path that the protagonist takes to mend the bond between the two, trying to restore harmony in their lives.

Awarè represents a novelty in the editorial panorama of Star Comics, being the first publication created by debuting Italian authors. The birth of this project followed an atypical path: the authors sent a proposal directly to the publishing house, which decided to invest in them. This marks a further step towards opening up new opportunities for young talents in the Italian comics sector. The comic, in addition to telling a story of friendship and reconciliation, also touches on the theme of music, a passion shared by the authors themselves, who have integrated the musical element into the plot and characters. It is available in comic shops, bookshops and online stores, at the price of 11.90 euros.