Milo Manara - Page from Cristoforo Colombo (1991)

The inglorious end of Columbus' 4th voyage (May 9, 1502 - Nov. 7, 1504): he lost his entire fleet (four ships) and many of his men and he was forced to a long and exhausting stop in Jamaica before being able to leave again for Spain. During the stop he suffered the rebellion of part of his crew, who tried to escape by canoe, but then they had to give up and they were put in chains.
Even the natives were about to rebel, but Columbus managed to stop them with a trick: he predicted a total lunar eclipse by pretending it was a divine punishment for their behavior; after mocking him, the natives were so frightened by the eclipse that they continued to provide food and aid to the survivors.

On this beautiful page (the only one still uncut I've managed to acquire) the figure work and the color choices are just masterful. And that last panel alone is worth the price of admission!

Written by Italian journalist and popularizer Enzo Biagi and beautifully illustrated by Milo Manara (54 pages) and Giacinto Gaudenzi (37 pages), this biography in comics of the great explorer and navigator was first published in Italy in 1991 (by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore) and then in other European countries.

(mixed media on artboard, roughly 14"x 18")

Click HERE to see all Manara's art in my Gallery (some nudity)