Buzzelli Collected Works Vol. 1

Hailed in Europe, Guido Buzzelli has been called “the Michaelangelo of monsters,” “the Goya of comics,” and “the patron saint of all Italian cartoonists.”

A pioneer active from the 1950s-1980s, today virtually unknown in English, Buzzelli horrifies, fascinates, and provokes with his unique blend of surrealism and dynamism. Displaying a range of influences from Westerns and science fiction to Rennaisance art and futurism, Buzzelli’s stories are a delightful, quasi-postmodern mishmash of high and low, showing an intricate hand and stylish narrative skill.

The first of three volumes collecting Guido Buzzelli’s stories in English for the first time, includes The Labyrinth and Zil Zelub, two of the earliest Italian avant-garde graphic novels ever published. These fantastic and grotesque stories are the perfect introduction to Buzzelli’s work.

Nominated for a 2024 Ignatz award for Best Collected Edition.

Translated by Jamie Richards. Introduction by Domingos Isabelinho.

Author Biography

Guido Buzzelli (1927-1992) was an Italian cartoonist, writer, illustrator and painter. His career started at age 19, and his comics werepublished in the Daily Mirror, Metal Hurlant,Charlie Hebdo.In 1973 he received the Yellow Kid Award as best illustrator and author in Italy, and in 1979 won the Crayon d’Or in France. Trained as a classic illustrator, he is considered one of the masters of European comics and inventor of the Italian graphic novel.