| Vittorio Giardino | |
|---|---|
 Vittorio Giardino atLucca Comics & Games 2010. | |
| Born | (1946-12-24)December 24, 1946 (age 78) Bologna,Italy |
| Area(s) | Artist |
Notable works | Max Fridman Little Ego Sam Pezzo Jonas Fink |
| Awards | Full list |
Vittorio Giardino (born December 24, 1946) is anItalian comic artist.
Giardino was born inBologna, where he graduated in electrical engineering in 1969. At the age of 30, he decided to leave his job and devote himself to comics. Two years later his first short story, "Pax Romana", was published inLa Città Futura, a weekly magazine published by the Italian Communist Youth Federation and edited by Luigi Bernardi.
In 1982, Giardino created a new character:Max Fridman, an ex-secret agent involved in the political struggle in 1930s Europe. His first adventure,Hungarian Rhapsody was serialized in the first four issues of magazineOrient Express, bringing Giardino in the limelight of the international comic scene. Max Fridman adventures have been published in 18 countries. Some of the prizes the series won includeLucca Festival'sYellow Kid[1] and Brussels'St. Michel.[citation needed]
Starting in 1984, Giardino produced a number of short stories for the Italian magazineComic Art, where he introducedLittle Ego, a young and sexy girl inspired byWinsor McCay'sLittle Nemo who stars in one-page dreamy erotic stories.
In 1991, Giardino created a new character,Jonas Fink for theIl Grifo magazine. Jonas is a young Jew in 1950's Prague whose father is arrested by the communist police. He and his mother have to cope with the discrimination and oppression of theStalinist regime. The book, collected asA Jew in Communist Prague, won theAngoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Album for Best Foreign Comic in 1995 as well as aHarvey Award atWonderCon in 1999.[2]
Giardino's detailed art style recalls the Belgianligne claire, while his writing owes to hard-boiled and spy story authors likeDashiell Hammett andJohn le Carré.
