Gérard Lellbach - Luciano Bottaro's Pepito 1 (2nd Series) Page 2

2020 starts well, with the first 3 pages of a vintage Luciano Bottaro's Pepito story. This was published in 1965, arguably his best period, with precise, detailed, pristine artwork and storytelling, that drive the zaniest stories ever.

Here, we have a series of interactions between guards and citizens that propel the story as it has been ordered by decree that everyone must sport a happy face on this day, Governor La Banane's, birthday. Any infraction to that decree will, of course, lead to a fine. As it turns out, this is just another plot from La Banane to extract more money from his people and, as expected, he will get his dues...

Going back to this page, these variations on the same theme also provide Bottaro with an opportunity to populate the story with some of his best faces, both caricatured and highly expressive. A gallery of grotesque and affectionate characters that give flesh to the story, steering clear of the dominant trend of the faceless crowd. One of the most obvious aspects of Bottaro's approach that adds humanity to the series.

Update Feb 12th 2020

I have been informed by Luciano Bottaro's daughter that, in fact, this page and the other two of this lot are not from his hands and had been drawn by Gérard Lellbach, a French artist that was sometimes drafted in by Bottaro's French publisher to turn out additional stories. It turns out she had informed the vendor as well, before the auction was closed, but to no avail as the lot description has not been amended...

While that doesn't distract me from appreciating this 3-page sequence, I am obviously upset by how disingenuous some vendors can turn out to be...