Attilio Micheluzzi


Attilio Micheluzzi, also known by the pseudonym of Igor Artz Bajeff, was an Italian comic book artist recognized as a master and an important figure in the history of Italian comics. Despite starting his career at a relatively late age, over the course of twenty years, he created numerous comic book stories such as Johnny Focus, Petra Chérie, Marcel Labrume, Rosso Stenton, Air Mail, Bab-el-Mandeb, Roy Mann, Siberia, Titanic, and Afghanistan. These works were published in well-known Italian auteur comic magazines, including Il Giornalino, Corriere dei ragazzi, alter alter, Orient Express, Comic Art, L'Eternauta, Corto Maltese, and the series Un uomo un'avventura.

Biography

In 1961, Micheluzzi earned a degree in architecture from the University of Naples. Shortly after graduating, he moved to Africa, where he worked in Senegal, Nigeria, Gambia, Tunisia, and Libya. In 1969, just before assuming the position of Architect of the Royal Household in Libya, he was forced to return to Naples following the coup d'état that brought Muammar Gaddafi to power.

Career in the 1970s

At the age of forty-two, faced with difficulties in continuing his architectural career in Italy, Attilio Micheluzzi decided to radically change profession and began working as a comic book artist. In 1972, he wrote and illustrated a short story, which he submitted to the Milan-based magazine Corriere dei Ragazzi. This marked the beginning of his collaboration with the magazine.
Micheluzzi debuted with a story for the series Dal nostro inviato nel tempo by Mino Milani, titled Il pilota che morì due volte, based on a script by Milani himself. Initially, he signed his work with the pseudonym Igor Artz Bajeff, out of a sense of modesty, but he soon abandoned it in favor of his real name. He went on to create other stories for the series, including La tragedia del Titanic, and contributed to other series, occasionally writing the scripts himself.
In 1974, Micheluzzi created his first serialized character, Johnny Focus, producing nearly twenty stories published in Corriere dei Ragazzi until 1976, when he ended his collaboration with the magazine. During this time, he also illustrated comics covering a variety of subjects, ranging from war stories to biographies of historical figures.
In 1976, Micheluzzi began working for Il Giornalino, illustrating the adventures of Capitan Erik, a character created by Claudio Nizzi and previously drawn by Ruggero Giovannini. He also produced numerous other stories for the magazine, including biographical comics about notable historical figures such as Martin [Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King], Gandhi, and Salvo D'Acquisto, as well as illustrations for the magazine's columns.
In 1977, he created the character [Petra Chérie|Petra chérie.] During the same period, he developed the series Simon Flash for the magazine Skorpio published by Eura Editoriale, and collaborated with Mondadori Editore|Mondadori]'s SuperGulp! magazine, where in 1978 he published the series Parallelo 5 . His work caught the attention of publisher Sergio Bonelli, who invited him to contribute to the series Un uomo un'avventura . Micheluzzi created two albums for the series: L'uomo del Tanganyka and L'uomo del Khyber, both of which were later republished in the collection I grandi del fumetto .

Career in the 1980s

The 1980s marked a significant phase in Attilio Micheluzzi's career as he began collaborating with the renowned magazine alter alter, which targeted a more adult audience compared to his previous works. In 1980, he illustrated Marcel Labrume for the magazine, and two years later, he contributed four new episodes of Petra chérie. During this period, he also adapted I Promessi Sposi for Il Giornalino and created a comic biography of Anne Frank for Messaggero dei Ragazzi.  
In 1982, Micheluzzi resumed illustrating the adventures of his first serialized character, Johnny Focus, in the newly launched magazine Orient Express. That same year, for the magazine Più, he collaborated with Mino Milani to create the female character Molly Manderling. He also began working with L'Eternauta, where in issue no. 10, the character Rosso Stenton made its debut.  
The following year, in 1983, Micheluzzi created Air Mail for Orient Express. Further adventures of this character were published in the magazine Giungla by Nerbini and in L'Eternauta. His work received international acclaim, and in 1984, he was awarded the prestigious Prix Alfred at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France. That same year, he published Jesus Detective San in Full, a magazine by Sergio Bonelli Editore. In 1985, he released Fiasco a Beda Littoria in the first issue of European Cartoonist Magazine.  
In 1986, Micheluzzi created the long story Bab-el-Mandeb for the magazine Corto Maltese. Later that year, the first episode of Jean Mermoz was published in issue no. 11 of Corto Maltese; the story was later completed in a volume by Rizzoli Lizard. In 1987, for the magazine Comic Art, Micheluzzi introduced another new character, Roy Mann, based on scripts by Tiziano Sclavi. The third adventure of this character was published posthumously in 1991.  
In 1988, Micheluzzi produced the long story Siberia for Corto Maltese, as well as Il triangolo maledetto , based on scripts by Federico Povoleri. That year, Comic Art also published his works Titanic and Articolo 7 from the series I diritti umani.  
In 1989, Micheluzzi contributed to the second special issue of Dylan Dog by Sergio Bonelli Editore, titled Gli orrori di Altroquando , another collaboration with Tiziano Sclavi. During this time, he also created short horror stories for the magazine Splatter by ACME, continuing a genre he had previously explored in works for the American market.  
In Micheluzzi's final year of life, he worked on Corsaro, a series written by Luigi Mignacco and published in L'Eternauta. His last work, Afghanistan, appeared in issue no. 75 of the same magazine in January 1991 but remained incomplete.  
In 1990, Micheluzzi illustrated Francisco Pizarro en Peru - Los trece de la Fama for a major project by Editorial Planeta-De Agostini, titled Relato del Nuevo Mundo. The project was dedicated to celebrating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas, with a script by Argentine writer Lilian Goligorsky. The volume was published in Spain in 1992.

Works

  • Petra chérie: series of 24 episodes, initially published in Il Giornalino starting in 1977. The series continued in 1982 with four final episodes published in alter alter.
  • L'uomo del Tanganika
  • L'uomo del Khyber
  • Johnny Focus: series of 5 episodes published in Orient Express
  • Marcel Labrume: series of 2 episodes published in alter alter
  • Molly Manderling
  • Air Mail: series of 3 episodes published in Orient Express and in L'Eternauta
  • Bab-el-Mandeb: story published in 10 installments in Corto Maltese
  • Rosso Stenton: series of 4 episodes published in L'Eternauta and in Orient Express - I Protagonisti
  • Roy Mann: series of 3 episodes published in Comic Art
  • Gli orrori di Altroquando: published in Speciale Dylan Dog
  • Titanic: story published in 10 installments in Comic Art
  • Pezzi da esposizione: published in Splatter
  • Siberia: story published in 5 installments in Corto Maltese
  • Miriam si sveglia a Natale: published in Splatter
  • Pizarro in Perù - Los trece de la Fama
  • Corsaro: series of 3 episodes published in L'Eternauta
  • Afghanistan: story published in 2 installments in Comic Art, poi in Edizioni NPE
  • Jesus Detective San: single episode published in Ken Parker Magazine
Reprints in volume
  • * Il principe e il povero
  • * Petra chérie 1
  • * Petra chérie 2
  • * "No alla violenza" - Contains: Anna Frank
  • * Johnny Focus
  • * Marcel Labrume
  • * Petra chérie
  • * Johnny Focus reporter
  • * AA.VV., "Soldati di Ventura" - Contains: Il sole di Montezuma, Il solitario di Juan Fernandez, Il pirata della regina
  • * I reportages di Johnny Focus
  • * AA.VV., "Gli invincibili" - Contains: Martin Luther King and Gandhi
  • * "I Protagonisti di Orient Express" no. 3: Rosso Stenton
  • * "Gli Albi di Orient Express" no. 4: Air Mail
  • * Molly Manderling
  • * "Gli Albi di Orient Express" no. 9: Air mail: Dry week end
  • * "I Protagonisti di Orient Express" no. 11: Rosso Stenton: Avventura in Manciuria
  • * Marcel Labrume à la recherche du temps perdu
  • * "Gli Albi di Orient Express" no. 15: Air mail: Country fair photo
  • * "I Protagonisti di Orient Express" no. 16: Rosso Stenton: La lunga notte
  • * "Gli Albi di Orient Express" no. 22: Air mail: Palmer Special Number One
  • * Bab-el-Mandeb
  • * "Gli Albi di Orient Express" no. 32: Roy Mann in uno strano mondo
  • * "Gli Albi di Orient Express" no. 37: Roy Mann: Orizzonti di gloria
  • * AA.VV., "La grande avventura dei fumetti" no. 13 - Contains: L'irresistibile Barone, Petra chérie
  • * AAA.VV., I diritti umani 2 - Contains: I diritti umani: Articolo 7
  • * Gli orrori di Altroquando
  • * "Best Comics" n. 22 - Contains: Roy Mann in uno strano mondo, Roy Mann: Orizzonti di gloria, Roy Mann: Quante volte tornerai
  • * "I grandi del fumetto" no. 12: L'uomo del Khyber
  • * "I grandi del fumetto" no. 20: L'uomo del Tanganyka
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 35: Mermoz
  • * "I libri di Enzo Biagi" no. 145-146, Americani: storia dei popoli a fumetti Contains: Arrivano i vichinghi, Una nuova patria per i padri pellegrini, Da est a ovest
  • * "Dylan Dog Super Book" no. 2: Gli orrori di Altroquando
  • * Titanic
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 35: Siberia
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 40: Petra chérie primo volume
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 41: Petra chérie secondo volume
  • * "SuperMiti" no. 32: Americani: storia dei popoli a fumetti Contains: Arrivano i vichinghi, Una nuova patria per i padri pellegrini, Da est a ovest
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 49, Afghanistan
  • * AA.VV., Splatter Anthology - Contains: Pezzi da esposizione, Miriam si sveglia a Natale
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 55: Marcel Labrume
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 61: Johnny Focus primo volume
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 62: Johnny Focus secondo volume
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 63: Johnny Focus terzo volume
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 64: Johnny Focus quarto volume
  • * "Maestri del Fumetto" - Contains: Petra chérie: Furto al consolato, Spie a Venezia, Il cimitero di Psammatia, I cani di Costantinopoli
  • * "La nuova storia del mondo a fumetti" Contains: Arrivano i vichinghi, Una nuova patria per i padri pellegrini, Da est a ovest
  • * "Tascabilizard" no. 67: Molly Manderling
  • * Dal Tanganika al Khyber
  • * Air Mail
  • * Petra Chérie
  • * AA.VV., Splatter - Contains: Pezzi da esposizione, Miriam si sveglia a Natale
  • * Capitan Erik vol. 2 - Diamanti
  • * Capitan Erik vol. 3 - Caraibi
  • * Capitan Erik vol. 4 - Vittoria
  • * Rosso Stenton: Shanghai
  • * "53 storie brevi " - Contains: La locanda del pescatore
  • * Dylan Dog - Gli orrori di Altroquando
  • * Marcel Labrume, Edizioni NPE, 2017 ISBN 9788894818215
  • * Titanic, Edizioni NPE, 2018, ISBN 9788894818222
  • * Pizarro in Perù, Edizioni NPE, 2018, ISBN 9788894818406
  • * Siberia, Edizioni NPE, 2019, ISBN 9788894818451
  • * Afghanistan, Edizioni NPE, 2020, ISBN 9788894818468
  • * Roy Mann, Edizioni NPE, 2021 ISBN 9788836270323
  • * L'uomo del Tanganyka, Edizioni NPE, 2022, ISBN 9788836270750
  • * Petra Chérie, Edizioni NPE, 2022 ISBN 9788836270880
  • * Rosso Stenton, Edizioni NPE, 2022, ISBN 9788894818598
  • * Air Mail, Edizioni NPE, 2023, ISBN 9788836271009
  • * L'uomo del Khyber, Edizioni NPE, 2023 ISBN 9788836271900
  • * Mermoz, Edizioni NPE, 2023, ISBN 9788836271818
  • * Bab el-Mandeb, Edizioni NPE, 2024 ISBN 9788836272211
  • * I grandi generali, Edizioni NPE, 2024
Foreign editions
France
  • Marcel Labrume - Que tu es beau Marcel, t'es un salaud Marcel
  • Marcel Labrume - A la recherche des guerres perdues
  • Shanghai
  • Air Mail
  • Air Mail: Dry Weekend
  • Molly Manderling
  • Petra chérie
  • Air Mail: Palmer Special Number One
  • L'homme du Khyber
  • L'homme du Tanganika
  • Roy Mann
  • Titanic
  • Rosso Stenton - Shanghai
  • Rosso Stenton - La longue nuit
  • Rosso Stenton - Yellow Christmas
  • Rosso Stenton - La longue nuit
  • Rosso Stenton - Yellow Christmas
  • Petra chérie
  • Marcel Labrume
  • Bab-el-Mandeb
  • Mermoz
  • Khyber
Belgium
  • Johnny Focus: Destination Teheran
  • Titanic
  • Sibérie
  • Bab-el-Mandeb
Switzerland
  • Johnny Focus - La piste de Mombasa
  • Johnny Focus - Grand reporter du XXe siècle
  • Mermoz
Denmark
  • Air Mail: Palmer Special Number One
Germany
  • Air Mail - Ice bin ein As, Baby
  • Air Mail: Dry Weekend
  • Air Mail: Palmer Special Number One
  • Bab-el-Mandeb
  • Der Mann von Tanganjika
  • Ein Mann ein Abenteuer - Der Mann von Tanganjika
  • Johnny Focus - Gesamtausgabe - Band 1
  • Johnny Focus - Gesamtausgabe - Band 2
  • Johnny Focus - Gesamtausgabe - Band 3
Spain
  • Johnny Focus
  • En la selva de Tanganika
  • Reportajes de Johnny Focus
  • Air Mail
  • Mermoz
  • Air Mail
  • Petra Chérie
  • Siberia
  • Roy Mann
  • Francisco Pizarro en Perù - Los trece de la fama
Netherlands
  • Schaduw van de wraak
  • Operatie Koenisberg
  • Marcel Labrume - Wat ben Je mooi, Marcel, Je bent een ploert Marcel
  • Marcel Labrume - Op Zoek Naar de Verloren Oorlogen
  • Petra Chérie: zoete nevels van Vlaanderen
  • Petra Chérie: Spionnen in Venetie
  • Petra Chérie: de roos van de Bosporus
  • Johnny Focus - Mombasa Road
  • Johnny Focus 2
  • Rosso Stenton - Shanghai
  • Rosso Stenton - Twee druppels bloed in de sneeuw
  • Rosso Stenton - De Lange Nacht
  • Rosso Stenton - Yellow Christmas
  • Molly Manderling
Croatia
  • Marcel Labrume
  • Petra chérie
  • Sibir/Titanic
  • Air Mail - Contiene: Air Mail, L'uomo del Tanganika, L'uomo del Khyber, Bab-el-Mandeb
USA
  • Euronovel Number 1 - Shanghai
  • Air Mail su Aces n. 1/5
  • The farewell song of Marcel Labrume
Bibliography
Monographies
  • S. Alligo, Micheluzzi, Little Nemo, Torino 2010
  • S. Alligo, Attilio Micheluzzi. Rosso Stenton: Shanghai, Little Nemo, Torino 2020
  • R. Curci, Attilio Micheluzzi. Fumetti tra fantasia e avventura, Silvana Editoriale, Cinisello Balsamo 2021
  • G. Frediani, Attilio Micheluzzi, «Avventura Magazine», Sergio Bonelli Editore, Milano 2015e vita di un classico, Comic Art, Roma 1992
  • C. Napoli, Attilio Micheluzzi. Architetto d'avventure, Black Velvet, Bologna 2008
  • M. Paganelli - V. Mollica, Attilio Micheluzz''i, Editori del Grifo, Montepulciano, 1986

    Awards

  • 1980: ANAF Award, Reggio Emilia - "Jury Award".
  • 1980: Bronze Neptune Award, Bologna.
  • 1980: Yellow Kid Award.
  • 1981: ANAF Award, Reggio Emilia - "Best Storyteller Award".
  • 1981: Bronze Neptune Award, Bologna.
  • 1984: Prix Alfred at the Angoulême International Comics Festival with the comic Marcel Labrume - À la recherche du temps perdu "as told to me.
  • 1987: ANAF Award, Reggio Emilia - "Best Author Award".
  • 1998: The Attilio Micheluzzi Award was established, awarded annually at the Napoli Comicon.