Italian comics

Italian comics are comics made in Italy. They are locally known as fumetto – plural form fumetti – although this latter term is often used in English to describe a specific comic genre (see Fumetti). The most popular Italian comics have been translated into many languages. The term fumetto (literally little puff of smoke) refers to the balloon that contains the dialogs (also called nuvoletta in Italian).

History

Italian fumetto has its roots in periodicals aimed at younger readers and in the satirical publications of the 19th century. These magazines published cartoons and illustrations for educational and propagandistic purposes.The first illustrated satirical publication appeared in 1848, in L'Arlecchino, a daily paper published in Naples. Other noteworthy examples of satirical papers of the period include Lo Spirito Folletto published in Milan, Turin's Il Fischietto and Il Fanfulla, established in Rome in 1872.

As far as publications for kids, some of the most significant titles of the period are Il Giornale per i Fanciulli (1834), Il Giovinetto Italiano (1849), and Il Giornale dei Bambini (1881).

In 1899 Il Novellino debuted: the paper will be the first to publish Outcault's Yellow Kid in Italy in 1904. But the first Italian comic will not appear until four years later.

Birth

On December 27, 1908 Italian newsstands saw the first issue of Il Corriere dei Piccoli, the first mainstream publication primarily dedicated to comics. The first issue introduced...
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