MANARA: Między rzeczywistością a fantazją

MANARA: Między rzeczywistością a fantazją - Polish edition of the album Manara - Sublimer le reel: Une rétrospective de cinquante ans de carrière published by Glénat (released in December 2019).  Hardcover, large format 30x29.9x3.3 cm, coated paper, 512 pages, 3.3 kg, published in March 2025. Text in Polish: introduction and concluding bibliography, the pictorial section is without text (only titles of works).

A retrospective of the 50-year career of master Milo Manara.

Milo Manara, who made a name for himself not only as an artist but also as a screenwriter, has become a recognized master of international comics over the years. In addition to cult works such as Le Déclic, Giuseppe Bergman, and the more recent Le Caravage, his talent has also been evident in prestigious collaborations: with the renowned Jodorowsky (Borgia), with his friend and mentor Hugo Pratt (L’Été indien and El Gaucho), and with film director Federico Fellini (Voyage à Tulum and Le Voyage de G. Mastorna).

The result is a magnificent and prolific body of work, now presented in this artbook, which charts Milo Manara's 50-year career in detail. It is the first true monograph of the author, offering a complete overview of the master's work, to which carefully selected experts have contributed interesting interpretations of its aesthetic significance and artistic approach.

One of the reviews of the album:

Review of the album "Manara: Between Reality and Fantasy" (Scream Comics)
A work worthy of a master
I must admit that I am very fond of various types of albums presenting lesser-known or early works by great comic artists. It is very good that such works also appear on the Polish market from time to time. For example, we had an album with works by Grzegorz Rosiński and William Vance. Now, thanks to the Scream publishing house, we are getting a monumental album that is a retrospective of Milo Manara's fifty-year career.
He is an artist well known to Polish readers from comics such as Gulliveriana, Klik, Indian Summer, El Gaucho, and the Borgia series. The artist specializes in erotic comics, which is his trademark, but he also does historical and adventure works and adaptations of literature, such as the recently released first part of The Name of the Rose. The more than 500-page album Manara: Between Reality and Fantasy allows us to discover many other areas of his artistic interests. The entire album is divided into several chapters, which include not only comic book works, but also work for advertising agencies, newspapers, and magazines.
I find the chapter entitled Early Works particularly interesting, as it traces his journey towards developing his own style. Here we find, for example, some very interesting Western comic pages featuring characters with the faces of Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Alain Delon, as well as pages from a comic dedicated to the history of France. The chapters Bergman's Saga and Pratt, Friend and Master contain many sketches, cover designs, and beautiful illustrations that look amazing in this large format.
In other chapters, we can discover many lesser-known areas of Manara's work, such as the film and literary illustrations he created for Hamlet magazine, or advertisements for watches and wine. Film lovers will certainly be interested in the chapter Around the Cinema, full of illustrations of stars such as Brigitte Bardot, Julia Roberts, and Marilyn Monroe.
In addition, there are hundreds of other beautiful illustrations and sketches, giving us a very broad picture of what Manara has drawn over half a century and what themes he has explored in his work.
Verdict
I wholeheartedly recommend this monumental work—buy it while it's still available. This album will provide you with hours and days of encounters with the works of the outstanding artist that Milo Manara undoubtedly is.
The reviewer purchased the album with his own funds.
Rating: 10/10
+ hundreds of Manara's works that can be viewed for hours
+ the opportunity to get acquainted with the artist's unknown works
+ beautiful large-format edition
Reviewer: Maciej Jasiński https://www.facebook.com/groups/wCentrumKomiksu/posts/recenzja-albumu-manara-między-rzeczywistością-a-fantazją-scream-comics-dzieło-g/9918622774900877