Here Comes the Hero: American Comics in Fascist Italy

The aim of the lecture is to explore the impact of the publication of American adventure comics in Italy and examine their influence on the development of modern Italian comics. The lecture will focus on the first comics magazines published in the 1930s, with particular attention paid to L’Avventuroso and the American comics it introduced to the young Italian readership, as well as to the effects of and cracks in Fascist censorship during the cultural campaign for the self-sufficiency.

Manuela Di Franco was awarded a PhD in Italian Studies from the University of Cambridge. She specialises in the process of Americanisation of Italian culture and society in the Fascist era and her research interests include popular media and gender representation. She is currently working on the development of modern Italian comics, focusing on Americanisation and gender discourse.

To attend this lecture, please register at this link.  You will receive a confirmation email one day before the event containing information about joining the lecture.

All times stated in Eastern time.