The Prodigious Output Of Sergio Bonelli Editore In 2011

[Rich Johnston]

This year, Sergio Bonelli, one of the most influential people in the comics industry, passed away.

But his studio has kept going.

In 2011, Sergio Bonelli Editore saw published 17,789 pages of comics created by his studio.

Their most prolific artist, Carrado Roi drew 724 of those pages on his own.

Combined, that's enough to fill 74 American comic books every month.

That's right, folks. One Italian studio is creating more comics than all that DC Comics publish for comic shops.

And it's still 1,090 pages less than in 2010.

[Locusmortis]

And your point is?

For the vast majority of people on this board that is a completely irrelevant statistic since most of us don't speak Italian. Perhaps you could get some stats on how much of that output gets translated into english?

[Felipe]

Also: they're awesome comics too.

And I think Rich's point is: there are other ways to produce, publish and market comics than the one used in US right now. And these other ways may prove to be even more succesfull than the current model. Or maybe it's just incentive to people imparare a parlare italiano. Che no so io?

[Lou]

And your point is?

For the vast majority of people on this board that is a completely irrelevant statistic since most of us don't speak Italian. Perhaps you could get some stats on how much of that output gets translated into english?

The question should be: "How much of that output should get translated into English?" And not just Bonelli material, either: what about all the material from France, Belgium, and other countries? There is an English-only market all around the world that cannot read French, German, Italian, and various Scandanavian languages that could benefit from translating their material into English. Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others, as well as the United States, should have the benefit of seeing some of this remarkable material.

[not him - HIM]

And your point is?

For the vast majority of people on this board that is a completely irrelevant statistic since most of us don't speak Italian. Perhaps you could get some stats on how much of that output gets translated into english?

How is that an irrelevant statistic? Does it not count as a comic book if it isn't translated into English?

The point seems to me to be that many American artists struggle to put out more than 20 pages a month these days. Some considerably less so. And one guy in that Italian studio is doing more than three times that amount.

No idea what the quality is like, but I'm sure it can't be worse than some of the crap that the Big Two put out on a regular basis.

[Locusmortis]

The question should be: "How much of that output should get translated into English?" And not just Bonelli material, either: what about all the material from France, Belgium, and other countries? There is an English-only market all around the world that cannot read French, German, Italian, and various Scandanavian languages that could benefit from translating their material into English. Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others, as well as the United States, should have the benefit of seeing some of this remarkable material.

I'd love to see more comics being translated and published in english however I think Rich's frequent "Nyah nyah the French/Italian/Japanese/wherever are publishing more than those stupid superhero obsessed yanks" threads don't do much at all to help that. Don't think that just because I don't like the manner in which Rich does these threads means I don't want to see more quality European material.

How about letting people know what Bonelli comics are available in english now? Or widening it further to mention the latest Diamond catalog has Corto Maltese Vol 1 from Universe Publishing (he mentioned it about 10 months ago so an update when the book is actually available might be handy) or Dark Horse has Manara Erotic Vol 1 listed. These are books that can actually ordered this month, and pre-orders would actually help ensure more of these books get published.

[Hollow]

No idea what the quality is like

I read a bunch of "Dylan Dog", "Martin Mystére" and "Dampir" volumes that were translated into the German language and usually all of them had terrific, highly detailed art. All in gorgeous b/w though. But imagine getting 96 pages of "Spider-Man" or "Batman" each month for the price the comics cost now (or even less).

[Luigi Siviero]

The point seems to me to be that many American artists struggle to put out more than 20 pages a month these days. Some considerably less so. And one guy in that Italian studio is doing more than three times that amount.

No idea what the quality is like, but I'm sure it can't be worse than some of the crap that the Big Two put out on a regular basis.

Corrado Roi is a great artist (look at the covers of Dylan Dog Granderistampa Archivio arretrati di dylan ). He is very quick, but I think that he usually doesn't draw 2 pages a day. In 2011 he published more than 700 pages because Sergio Bonelli Editore released his Maxi Dylan Dog.
Maxi Dylan Dog is a 300 pages book which has three 94 pages stories drawn by the same penciler. Maybe it took a long time to draw the stories, but the publisher released them in one single month.

[Fysh]

And your point is?

For the vast majority of people on this board that is a completely irrelevant statistic since most of us don't speak Italian. Perhaps you could get some stats on how much of that output gets translated into english?

His point is that, if you're interested in all comics (rather than just American superhero comics), there are publishers out there that make Marvel or DC look small by comparison. The English-speaking marketplace isn't the be-all and end-all.

It's only an irrelevant statistic if you're terrified of the idea of using a language other than English, I suspect....and while I applaud efforts to translate worthy material, I do think it's a shame that English speakers in particular can be so goshdarned lazy about learning other languages.

[Locusmortis]

His point is that, if you're interested in all comics (rather than just American superhero comics), there are publishers out there that make Marvel or DC look small by comparison. The English-speaking marketplace isn't the be-all and end-all.

It's only an irrelevant statistic if you're terrified of the idea of using a language other than English, I suspect....and while I applaud efforts to translate worthy material, I do think it's a shame that English speakers in particular can be so goshdarned lazy about learning other languages.

And as usual you talk through your hole, perhaps you should have read my second post before getting so self-righteous.