Library exhibition, Batman on the seat of a Frera motorcycle

Batman on the seat of a Frera motorcycle. Nathan Never and Hellboy at the Observatory. These are two of the “dedicated” drawings on display in the “Frera” library, in Tradate, which were produced by artists that work for DC Comics and Marvel, publishers that, for years, have produced stories of the superheroes most plagiarised by filmmakers. The event, entitled “Tradate anno uno” (“Tradate year one”, which pays tribute to an edition of Batman, on which the recent film Batman Begins was based), was organised by the communications company Kingstorme, based in Vengono Inferiore. The exhibition, entitled “Un segno per ogni stagione” (“A sign for every season”), was put together using works by artists from the Gioco Duro Studio.

 

The exhibition opened on 3 December, and will continue until 20 December. Last weekend, the organisers also put on a workshop for comic fans, which should have taken place in the hall of the library. However, as more than one hundred people enrolled, the workshop was eventually moved to Villa Truffini. “We are very happy with the results we are getting with this event,” explained Enrico Ferrari, from Kingstorme. “We intentionally chose this library, where young people throughout this area can feel at home, and where they spend whole days. It’s a very good way to spread the comic culture, which, in Italy, is too closely connected with the idea that this genre is only for children.”

 

So, here is the interesting exhibition, where the organisers have also given guided tours to schoolchildren. The drawings on display, which have a total value of about €25,000, include more than seventy original pictures by Jim Lee, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Grazia Lobaccaro, Fabio D’Auria, Mauro Corradini, Alessandro Vitti, Stefano Landini, Onofrio Catacchio, and pictures taken from Italian and international publications produced by Bonelli Editore, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Panini, Vertigo and many others.