Milo Manara

Original illustration by Milo Manara. Mint.


Milo Manara was born in Luson (Bolzano) in 1945.
In the beginning he devotes himself to painting and advertising while debuts in the comic world in 1969 on “Genius” and in 1971-1973 drawing “Jolanda de Almaviva”.
In 1976 on “Alterlinus” appears “Lo Scimmiotto” which is an erotic novel inspired by Japan. In 1977-1979 he collabs with “Larousse”. In 1978 appears in the French magazine “A Suivre” owned by Casterman the first episode of the series "HP e Giuseppe Bergman". It’s the first story in which the script is entirely written by Manara.
In 1979 comes out for the “Cepim” "L'uomo delle nevi", script by Alfredo Castelli. In 1980 comes out in France the second story of the series "Giuseppe Bergman" and in 1982 it also comes out the western comic "Quattro dita (l'uomo di carta)". It’s "Tutto ricominciò con un'estate indiana", written by Hugo Pratt in 1983, his masterpiece. He will collaborate again with Pratt for “El Gaucho”. Same year and it’s "Il Gioco" that gets a lot of success.
In 1986 he publishes "Il profumo dell'invisibile" and in 1988 “Candid Camera”. “Il gioco 2” is from 1991.
A very important collaboration for Manara is the one with with Federico Fellini, a collaboration that gives birth to a "Viaggio a Tulum" and "Il viaggio di G. Mastorna".
One more important collaboration is with Pedro Almodovar: "La feu aux entrailles", Paris 1993.
In 1994 in Italia comes out the “Seduzioni” volume, then in 1995 "Storie Brevi" and "Gulliveriana".
In 1999 does a readaptation of “L'asino d'oro” by Lucio Apuleio by revisiting the work by being inspired by the visual inventions and by the intuitions of “Satyricon” by Fellini. He readapts the works after being asked to do so by a French publishing house “Humanoides Associes” (the editor of the “Métal Hurlant” magazine).
From 2002 it’s the work “Il pittore e la Modella”, it’s not a proper comic but more kind of a personal journey into the art history over the centuries.
At the same time he starts a collaboration with DC Comics for the sub-label “Vertigo”.
In 2004 he collabs with the screenwriter Alejandro Jodorowsky for “The Borgias”: it’s described their rise to power, their historic events, their perversions, and the downfall of this illustrious House.
At the end of 2009 Marvel Italia – Panini Comics publishes X-Men – Ragazze in fuga is drawn by Manara and it’s focused on the female characters of the X-Men.
Manara realizes an incredible amount of draws, illustrations, movie posters (some of those for Fellini), for stories and novels (he collabs with director Pedro Almodóvar).
In 2017, on the 28 of September in Saint Tropez the statue designed by Milo Manara “Monumento a Brigitte Bardot” is inaugurated.