Brief History of Italian Comic Art

This paper will endeavour to provide a historical overview of the comic book format in Italy and, in particular, on the circulation of Disney magazines in the country since their arrival in 1932. On top of providing information on the historical vicissitudes that led to the creation of an independent Italian school of Disney comics, it will also focus on the production of non-Disney comic books, in order to offer a brief account on the directions taken by the comic book industry in both pre- and post-war Italy and on the latest developments within the genre. The main questions include: (1) How and when was the study of the language of fumetti first approached by Italian scholars? (2) What was the format of the first original and imported comic books published in Italy? (3) What historical vicissitudes led to the importation of Disney comic books into the country? (4) What were the most successful comic book publications post-WW2 and what is the direction taken by the Disney comic book production in Italy nowadays?