Italian comic books: exhibition at Casa di Mussolini on war propaganda and comics

Italian comics and vignettes from the first decades of the 1900’s are on show at the Casa Natale Mussolini, at Predappio, which is 95 km from Florence and 16 km from Forlì.
From July 12 to October 12 it will be possible to visit this very exclusive collection which is one of the most important to have been yet presented in Italy on this theme.

The initiative stems from the re-opening in 1999 of the birth place of Benito Mussolini, dedicated to cultural exhibitions and the study of Italian history in the first half of the 20th century.

The theme of the exhibition is the importance of the comic at the start of the 20th century, and its role in the propaganda of the fascist regime.
The heros and anti-heros of these comics often bore strong messages of behaviour in many Italian homes.
Comics have an important role in the fascist era, as seen already in February 1923, few weeks from the march on Rome, when in Italian newsagencies the first copies of “Il Balilla” appeared.

The Balilla were members of the Fascist party’s youth group.

Italian youth found a new illustrative pubblication on their hands, in direct competition with the “Corriere dei Piccoli” (Youth Courier), which had also inspired the design of the new magazine.
The aim was to create new Italian heros, against imported models, with new examples of “Italianness” to imitate.
Italy’s involvement in the war created another change – any imported comic books disappeared, the only one to survive at the beginning was Topolino (Mickey Mouse).
And the hostility towards anything foreign involved even story book heroes.
Substituting comics such as Flash Gordon, Mandrake, and Phantom, were other characters with a propaganda flavour.
Dick Fulmine was one of the most famous, designed with the traces of Primo Carnera, Italian hero exploited during the war, when he even wore the clothes of the invincible soldier.
The exaltation of this new Italian identity passed even through the stories of Lucio l’Avanguardista, who was created through manipulating an anglosaxon style, retouching the original with black shirts to try and “Romanise” the streets of London.
From the 40’s after the Balilla pubblication, comics with grotesque depictions of the war’s enemies appeared, from Trottapiano Rusveltaccio, (caricature of the American president Roosevelt), and Stalin, bloody Soviet head at the time.
The exhibition is open from Tuesday through to Sunday from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, then 3pm to 6:30pm.
In September and October the exhibition is open on weekends and other holidays from 10:30 to 12:30, and 2:30pm to 6pm.
Tickets are three euros at full price, and two euros for reduced price tickets, with guided tours available on request.
For more information go to Casa Mussolini or phone 0543 815310.
For information on the town and how to get there, go to the Predappio council site.
Picture The drawing is by Attilio Mussino and comes from a comic published in the “Corriere dei Giovani” on December 2, 1934.