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Zanardi
Questa nuova edizione critica offre, oltre alla ristampa del libro originale (Primo Carnera, 1983; Editori del Grifo, 1993), ormai introvabile, anche una ricca appendice con disegni, schizzi, tavole e scritti inediti a cura di Felice Cappa. Come nelle altre opere di Pazienza, in "Zanardi" la ribellione e l'assoluta incapacità di adeguarsi a regole ha un corrispettivo nel segno e nella struttura delle storie che alternano momenti comici e tragici, pagine maniacalmente ordinate e visionarie folgorazioni.
174 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1983
About the author
Andrea Pazienza
82 books55 followersAndrea Pazienza debuted in 1977 on the magazine Alteralter with his first comic story, The Extraordinary Adventures of Pentothal, the surrealistic and psychedelic story of an alter ego named after the sedative Penthothal. He subsequently published several short stories on Cannibale, Il Male, and Frigidaire, of which he was one of the founders. Pazienza developed a personal body of work, alternating between playful comic cartooning—at times politically charged–and much more elaborate, dark, disturbing graphic novels, often dealing with drugs and wanton violence, with a scattering of black humor throughout. In 1980, he created the character Zanardi and collaborated with the magazines Corto Maltese and Comic Art, while also producing movie and theatre posters, scene designs, record covers, and advertising material. He was extremely prolific through the 1980s, penning hundreds of single-panel cartoons as well as longer, intricate stories. Pompeo, his last graphic novel, depicts the gradual downfall of a heroin addict (a largely autobiographical character), is generally considered his masterwork. He died of heroin overdose in 1988, at the age of 32.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 30, 2019
Wow. Zanardi is a piece of work. These stories were originally published in Italy during the 80's. The artist, Andrea Pazienza, was influenced by American underground artists Rick Griffin and Victor Moscoso among others.
Zanardi is a fascinatingly amoral character. In the essay, “Zanardi’s Void,” by Emanuele Trevi that precedes the stories, he compares the book to Brett Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero. I’ve not actually read Ellis, but, given what I know of the book’s reputation, that sounds about right. Zanardi and his friends also reminded me of Alex and the Droogs from Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. What I’m saying is, while they may be entertaining to read about, I don't think I’d want to live in the same city as them. The casual way in which he destroys Gattoni in “The Ways, Chapter 2: Cinderella 1987” will haunt my dreams …
The art is amazing. Pazienza seems to have been constantly experimenting from one story to the next. The style shifts from story to story. I find myself wondering what heights he might have achieved if not for his tragic death at such a young age.
These are some beautiful comics, but probably not for everyone. Still, recommended!
Zanardi is a fascinatingly amoral character. In the essay, “Zanardi’s Void,” by Emanuele Trevi that precedes the stories, he compares the book to Brett Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero. I’ve not actually read Ellis, but, given what I know of the book’s reputation, that sounds about right. Zanardi and his friends also reminded me of Alex and the Droogs from Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. What I’m saying is, while they may be entertaining to read about, I don't think I’d want to live in the same city as them. The casual way in which he destroys Gattoni in “The Ways, Chapter 2: Cinderella 1987” will haunt my dreams …
The art is amazing. Pazienza seems to have been constantly experimenting from one story to the next. The style shifts from story to story. I find myself wondering what heights he might have achieved if not for his tragic death at such a young age.
These are some beautiful comics, but probably not for everyone. Still, recommended!
March 31, 2024
Tengo un amor odio con el estilo underground, ya que hay dibujos que me chiflan y otros que meh... Como siempre me pasa con las historias recopiladas hay unas muy buenas y otras que no las entiendo o no me transmiten nada. La historieta en color ha sido decepcionante. La historias son un poco aceleradas y algunos bocadillos me resultan abrumadores porque tienen demasiado texto, además a veces me pierdo en el orden de las viñetas. Podría haber sido mejor, pero tampoco es lo peor que he leído, al menos puedo decir que tiene mucha personalidad y que tiene un estilo que no me desagrada del todo.
March 1, 2016
Tras averiguar que Pazienza es un mito del cómic italiano me siento un poco abrumado por la cantidad de fans y comentarios de culto que ha reunido desde su prematura muerte y seguramente antes. Me siento por tengo incapacitado para valorar el aspecto mítico y sentimental de esta obra, aunque sí que reconozco un estilo que en los 80 dominó el underground y el cómic alternativo y que me resulta simpático. La propuesta de Pazienza es radical y quizás por ello me cuesta llegar hasta ahí.
September 13, 2020
Una suerte que Andrea Pazienzia creara un personaje como Zanardi, y de ese modo podamos disfrutar de la seducción de alguien completamente amoral, sin correr el peligro de ponerse ni mínimamente a tiro de un cabrón con pintas semejante. Más suerte habría sido tener a Pazienzia bastante más de los 32 añitos con los que murió, desde luego. Quizás no sea tan obvio como cuando uno mira los dibujos de Liberatore (que a veces me parece un poco efectista, ea, ya lo he dicho), pero Pazienzia era un gran dibujante.
August 6, 2022
Jotaro Kujo ma bolognese, eroinomane, pothead, cinico e tanti altri elementi di critica sociale.
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March 20, 2019I stumbled across this title while searching at my local library for books published by Fantagraphics. I deeply admire the folks at Fantagraphics for their complete dedication to publishing an astonishing array of comic arts, including their efforts in securing the work of underground artists. I try to read much of their work for my own edification and entertainment and am often pleased at their curation of new and established artists.
The art of Andrea Pazienza, ranging from free style, intricate black and white line drawings to vibrant watercolor, is exceptional and I would have given a much higher rating to the book based on that alone. His stories also capture a particular time in youth culture that creates more value in archiving his work. However, I could not stomach the the unreflective presentation of the violent main character, Zanardi, who is at the core of the stories collected here. Pazienza, as the creator of this character, may be making a pointed artistic choice in presenting Zanardi's actions in a unchallenged way, but the publishers failed to even mention the unrelenting violence in their cheerful description of the work and that was a failure of either judgement or insight to me.
The blithe blurb on the back of the book describing the stories as "iconoclastic, outrageous, humorous, and deeply personal," left this reader completely unprepared for the violence that permeates this collection, especially the multiple stories of the humiliation and rape of male and female characters, passed off without remark as the clever pranks of teenagers boys. Even the mention of "school, sex, and drugs," fails as a realistic description of the stories of heroin use, murder and rape. These terms could have been used to describe the angst tv show "My So-Called Life," for cryin' out loud! For example, one such story titled "A Mother's Heart," follows Zanardi and his two sidekicks as they skip class and go to the apartment of a female high school student where they show the girl's mother photographs of the girl engaging in oral sex. They proceed to threaten the mother, claiming they will make posters of the image and place them all over the high school if she will not give them sex. They gleefully gang rape her and the "funny bit" is that one of them is so polite, asking nervously "excuse me if I join in, Ma'am. but would you open your mouth please?" The artist's only nod to the incredible inhumanity in this story is invested in one drawing of the woman's face, a heart-breaking image of pain, revulsion, and shame. In a book full of such occurrences, this is one of the few hints we have that Pazienza even acknowledges the sickness of his main character. Even this is upended when the boys leave and the woman reflects on how handsome one of her attackers was and how "big his c@$k" was. This may be a defensible artistic choice but when the publishers blurb only describes the tales as "iconoclastic" or "outrageous" without any mention of the unchallenged violence, one wonders if the characters deeply questionable actions even registered with them as violence at all. This is especially true of the rapes for this reader.
Let me make clear here, I do not question the publisher's decision to archive this work, and I do not need them to harshly judge the artist's approach, but a more realistic description of the violent nature of the stories would have prepared me for their impact. I can't imagine how angry I might have been if I had purchased this book based on the blurb, especially if I had selected it as a gift for my teenage son!
The second of two introductory essays, neither of which even mentions the rapes, at least made an attempt to analyze the moral void at the center of the character. In the essay Emanuele Trevi cites Bret Easton Ellis' work and that is a fair comparison, especially the way Ellis cooly presents his shallow, psychopathic character Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho." Trevi also mentions the dark character, Kurtz, at the center of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." However, these two characters are effectively used to illustrate the hidden everyday madness of the societies they live in. Pazienza offers no such reflection on Zanardi's violent, criminal behavior. In fact, by giving Zanardi willing sidekicks, and allowing him to escape any punishment, he creates a premise in which Zanardi is unchallenged in anyway by the narrative or the author. Ultimately documenting Zanardi's violence seems pointless or merely for the entertainment of the author's audience, and if that is indeed the nihilistic message of Andrea Pazienza, I can live without it.
I still respect the choice of the publishers at Fantagraphics to preserve the work of this artist, but the blurb is misleading and the essayists are disappointing in their utter failure to frankly address, or even mention, the rapes included in these stories, describing the book only as "erotically charged" or explaining away the central character as a symbol of "powerful narcissism." From this girl's point of view that is some amazing BS.
The art of Andrea Pazienza, ranging from free style, intricate black and white line drawings to vibrant watercolor, is exceptional and I would have given a much higher rating to the book based on that alone. His stories also capture a particular time in youth culture that creates more value in archiving his work. However, I could not stomach the the unreflective presentation of the violent main character, Zanardi, who is at the core of the stories collected here. Pazienza, as the creator of this character, may be making a pointed artistic choice in presenting Zanardi's actions in a unchallenged way, but the publishers failed to even mention the unrelenting violence in their cheerful description of the work and that was a failure of either judgement or insight to me.
The blithe blurb on the back of the book describing the stories as "iconoclastic, outrageous, humorous, and deeply personal," left this reader completely unprepared for the violence that permeates this collection, especially the multiple stories of the humiliation and rape of male and female characters, passed off without remark as the clever pranks of teenagers boys. Even the mention of "school, sex, and drugs," fails as a realistic description of the stories of heroin use, murder and rape. These terms could have been used to describe the angst tv show "My So-Called Life," for cryin' out loud! For example, one such story titled "A Mother's Heart," follows Zanardi and his two sidekicks as they skip class and go to the apartment of a female high school student where they show the girl's mother photographs of the girl engaging in oral sex. They proceed to threaten the mother, claiming they will make posters of the image and place them all over the high school if she will not give them sex. They gleefully gang rape her and the "funny bit" is that one of them is so polite, asking nervously "excuse me if I join in, Ma'am. but would you open your mouth please?" The artist's only nod to the incredible inhumanity in this story is invested in one drawing of the woman's face, a heart-breaking image of pain, revulsion, and shame. In a book full of such occurrences, this is one of the few hints we have that Pazienza even acknowledges the sickness of his main character. Even this is upended when the boys leave and the woman reflects on how handsome one of her attackers was and how "big his c@$k" was. This may be a defensible artistic choice but when the publishers blurb only describes the tales as "iconoclastic" or "outrageous" without any mention of the unchallenged violence, one wonders if the characters deeply questionable actions even registered with them as violence at all. This is especially true of the rapes for this reader.
Let me make clear here, I do not question the publisher's decision to archive this work, and I do not need them to harshly judge the artist's approach, but a more realistic description of the violent nature of the stories would have prepared me for their impact. I can't imagine how angry I might have been if I had purchased this book based on the blurb, especially if I had selected it as a gift for my teenage son!
The second of two introductory essays, neither of which even mentions the rapes, at least made an attempt to analyze the moral void at the center of the character. In the essay Emanuele Trevi cites Bret Easton Ellis' work and that is a fair comparison, especially the way Ellis cooly presents his shallow, psychopathic character Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho." Trevi also mentions the dark character, Kurtz, at the center of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." However, these two characters are effectively used to illustrate the hidden everyday madness of the societies they live in. Pazienza offers no such reflection on Zanardi's violent, criminal behavior. In fact, by giving Zanardi willing sidekicks, and allowing him to escape any punishment, he creates a premise in which Zanardi is unchallenged in anyway by the narrative or the author. Ultimately documenting Zanardi's violence seems pointless or merely for the entertainment of the author's audience, and if that is indeed the nihilistic message of Andrea Pazienza, I can live without it.
I still respect the choice of the publishers at Fantagraphics to preserve the work of this artist, but the blurb is misleading and the essayists are disappointing in their utter failure to frankly address, or even mention, the rapes included in these stories, describing the book only as "erotically charged" or explaining away the central character as a symbol of "powerful narcissism." From this girl's point of view that is some amazing BS.
August 18, 2017
Underground comics exuberance meets punk nihilism. I read this while reading a lot of other works of fiction in a decadent, surrealistic mode (unintentionally!), and this definitely fit in-could see why this blew the minds of italian punks in the early 80's.The first few stories are unforgettable-amoral teens indulging in sex, drugs and violence in a elliptical and surreal manner. As the volume goes along the initial inspiration seems to go, and while still beautifully drawn the stories seem to be more like bawdy anecdotes. So cool, but maybe not essential.
August 12, 2018
Primero de dos tomos de las obras del malogrado Pazienza. Excelentes el primero -Thriller escolar- y el último -Noche de carnaval- por lo bestia e irreverente de las historias, que me siguen demostrando que como sociedad nos estamos volviendo más pacatos. El color de 'Noche de carnacal', maravilloso.
January 19, 2023
I read Zanardi when I was a teenager, and it sickened me. All my edgy friends loved it, but I couldn't because the content triggered me too much, and it still does. I can understand its possible cultural critique, but some vignettes are too much for me. The characters remind me of Alex and his droogs in A Clockwork Orange, but, unlike Burgess's novel, Zanardi is only that - it's only about a bored guy wanting to destroy everything around him, that's all. Even the thought of this work revolts me. I think it's Lacan that said that there is no perversion in humans because everything possible is natural; it is human. I agree, but in this case, I cannot suspend my judgment, and I cannot even suspend my disbelief (because it is fiction) and enjoy the comics because I know there are people like that.
June 13, 2019
DNF, ne ho letto parti, e i disegni li ho trovati geniali. Per le storie invece, lasciamo stare. E mi ha dato fastidio anche il modo di riportare il parlato, che mi ha reso la lettura molto faticosa.
Personaggi odiosi (ma forse l'intento era proprio la denuncia?) e uso di slang. Per me è no.
Personaggi odiosi (ma forse l'intento era proprio la denuncia?) e uso di slang. Per me è no.
June 4, 2024
Storia: 8/10
È una raccolta di storie brevi che nella loro (apparente) semplicità non vanno prese sotto gamba e vanno approfondite per capire come il personaggio di Zanna rappresenta perfettamente la disillusione e la ribellione al perbenismo di quegli anni.
Disegni: 10/10
Andrea Pazienza è ancora un autore troppo poco conosciuto in rapporto al successo che merita, i suoi lavori lo pongono tra i migliori disegnatori d'Italia e di sempre.
È inspiegabile come una singola persona possa padroneggiare tutti questi stili e addirittura combinarli nello stesso racconto senza il minimo errore di continuità.
È una raccolta di storie brevi che nella loro (apparente) semplicità non vanno prese sotto gamba e vanno approfondite per capire come il personaggio di Zanna rappresenta perfettamente la disillusione e la ribellione al perbenismo di quegli anni.
Disegni: 10/10
Andrea Pazienza è ancora un autore troppo poco conosciuto in rapporto al successo che merita, i suoi lavori lo pongono tra i migliori disegnatori d'Italia e di sempre.
È inspiegabile come una singola persona possa padroneggiare tutti questi stili e addirittura combinarli nello stesso racconto senza il minimo errore di continuità.
September 30, 2018
CW: sexual assault
I really enjoyed the form work Pazienza does in some of the early Zanardi issues. His use of multiple art styles, especially absurdist imagery really impressed me with their affective quality. You definitely get the impression that these folks are on a different speed of life. Yet, for all that, it is disturbing to see women repeatedly used as pawns in games between the men that inhabit these comics. And yes, that may just me art reflecting life, but at times there's a deep relishing of that objectivation that feels solely violent.
I really enjoyed the form work Pazienza does in some of the early Zanardi issues. His use of multiple art styles, especially absurdist imagery really impressed me with their affective quality. You definitely get the impression that these folks are on a different speed of life. Yet, for all that, it is disturbing to see women repeatedly used as pawns in games between the men that inhabit these comics. And yes, that may just me art reflecting life, but at times there's a deep relishing of that objectivation that feels solely violent.
March 9, 2023
Extremely anarchic cartooning, each panel is imbued with it's on visual style. Slick and cool as hell, Pazienza is an absolute God with ink. He does stuff here that looks like it was made by an alien. I wan to master every type of drawing he does in this book. Not only that, The stories themselves are super entertaining. Maybe my favorite comic from the 80s.
April 19, 2020
These stories are dark and sick - murder, incest, perversion, drugs etc. -fill out most of the pages but they are also surprisingly well written and memorable in their debauchery.
October 17, 2020
Zanardi
Apprendo senza stupore di non essere un giovane che fa tendenza.
Apprendo senza stupore di non essere un giovane che fa tendenza.
January 29, 2021
In una breve biografia scritta per Paese Sera nel gennaio del 1981, Andrea Pazienza diceva di sé: "Io sono il più bravo disegnatore vivente". E aveva ragione.
February 15, 2023
Decisamente chaotic evil questo Zanardi
July 7, 2024
I primi episodi con protagonista Zanardi, raccolti nelle prime pagine del volume, sono direi folgoranti. Il resto del volume si trascina avanti, fino a scoppiare come una bolla.
Difficile dimenticare un personaggio del genere, ma al tempi stesso mi chiedo cosa mi sarebbe rimasto se avessi letto solo gli episodi successivi. Forse nulla, o peggio: forse mi sarebbe rimasto solo il vago ricordo di un'imponente appendice nasale.
Letto in questi giorni, elaborato solo oggi.
Difficile dimenticare un personaggio del genere, ma al tempi stesso mi chiedo cosa mi sarebbe rimasto se avessi letto solo gli episodi successivi. Forse nulla, o peggio: forse mi sarebbe rimasto solo il vago ricordo di un'imponente appendice nasale.
Letto in questi giorni, elaborato solo oggi.
April 2, 2016
«La saga di Zanardi è l'origine della specie nella versione di Pazienza, il suo homo homini lupus, la selezione naturale al lavoro a Bologna, fine anni Settanta/inizio Ottanta. Zanardi è Bologna vista con gli occhi di un ragazzo del Sud venuto a studiare in questa strana porzione di Germania Est dislocata ai piedi dell'Appennino. Chi ha vissuto qui si ricorda di Zanardi, chi ci vive adesso e ha meno di trent'anni conosce Zanardi, lo frequenta. Zanna ha reso Andrea immortale. Mi sono chiesto, qualche volta, se non lo abbia anche ucciso.»
October 29, 2018
I'm all for crude and depraved, but even this was too much for me.
April 6, 2020
Videorecensione!
https://youtu.be/JdhakSosGWw
https://youtu.be/JdhakSosGWw
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews