It's here – the second volume in The Fantagraphics Attilio Micheluzzi Library – and it's a doozy! Running 312 pages, nearly 300 of which are comics, Petra Chérie collects the complete adventures of the titular character which originally ran in a variety of publications between 1977 and 1982. A solid majority – over 3/4 – of these comics are in full color – acording to Fantagraphics, for the first time – with the remainder in black & white line art only, or black & white with grey tones, in the case of the final story.
Also included are a pæan to Micheluzzi by Paul Pope (who confesses to basing his character Escapo on one of Micheluzzi's characters), an introduction by Loris Cantarellil that provides some handy background info on the series, and then it all closes out with an "interview" with the Petra Chérie herself, by Giovanni Nahmias.
These are fantastic adventure comics by a true master.
The Fantagraphics description sets the stage well...
Now in English for the first time, Italian comics master Attilio Micheluzzi’s classic graphic novel follows the dramatic adventures of a mysterious heroine during the end of World War I!
Set during World War I and originally published in serial format from 1977–1982, Petra Cherie follows the adventures of Petra De Karlowitz, “Cherie” to creator Attilio Micheluzzi, who addresses her throughout the book. Born to a Polish businessman and the most beautiful woman in Paris, raised in Canton, China, and now based in neutral Holland, she is a spy who answers only to herself. Evoking but cleverly eschewing stereotypes of the femme fatale, Petra is equally at home in the cockpit of an airplane and behind the wheel of a motorcar. More than that, she is an endlessly fascinating enigma and one of the most iconic characters in Italian comics.
In short, thrilling tales across sky, sea, and land, zipping from Northern Europe to Mitteleuropa, from the Balkans to the Bosphorus to the nascent Soviet Union, Micheluzzi grapples with an era when Europe’s borders were in flux and battle lines were often blurred. Petra steps in where national allegiances come into conflict with our common humanity.
Attilio Micheluzzi, an architect by training who grew up between Istria, Libya, and Naples, brings his international experiences and his keen sense of perspective to his work. In the tradition of the Corto Maltese adventures and stylish look of Guido Crepax’s Valentina, Petra Cherie is the touchstone book in Fantagraphics’ comprehensive Micheluzzi library, prepared in collaboration with the author’s daughter Agnese Micheluzzi.
