Giuseppe Palumbo

Diabolik, the most famous and long-lived anti-hero of European comics, this year turns fifty. An aristocrat burglar of high calibre, he uses fanciful ways of action and does not hesitate even to kill whoever stands in the way of his plans. Cynical and aesthete, ruthless and romantic, with a strict personal ethical code, Diabolik manages to constantly renew himself, remaining always the same without losing any of his basic characteristics. The same happens to his surroundings; Clerville, his home town, changes while remaining the same: corrupted politicians, organised crime, newly-rich tycoons, interweaving interests and malpractice. This year’s festival presents stories of the dark hero drawn by Giuseppe Palumbo, the most important renovator of Diabolik in the last decade. Palumbo arranges his frames, in an almost cinematic way. Playing artfully with the balance between black and white, he creates the perfect space of action for his hero. Giuseppe Palumbo, one of the most acclaimed Italian cartoonists, was born in 1964. In 1986, he published the first story with the character 'Ramarro', one of the first masochist comics superheroes. He has published his stories in the most significant magazines of Italy and has created several series including 'Cut', 'Jumbo' and 'Tosca la Mosca', enjoying great success in Japan. His first experience with mainstream comics was in the middle of the 1990’s when he draw some special issues of  'Martin Mystère'. Since 2001 he has contributed in the renovation of Diabolik.