For those familiar with Italian comics artist Alessandro Barbucci and writer/colorist Barbara Canepa there is a special treat in the current (Summer 2006) issue of Heavy Metal Magazine.
The issue is a special that collects all three of the French comics albums of Barbucci and Canepa’s Sky-Doll series and presents them together, conveniently translated into English.
If you’re not familiar with Sky-Doll, see my previous post on Barbucci and Canepa.
In addition to Sky-Doll, Barbucci and Canepa are also the artists/writers of the French Witch children’s comics series (from which the American TV series W.I.T.C.H. was adapted) and the delightful Monster Allergy stories (first three issues, I think).
If, like me, you’re a fan of Barbucci and Canepa’s charmingly stylized and wonderfully imaginative comic art, you would be perfectly happy to pay upward of 20 Euros for each of the three French Sky-Doll albums, plus who knows how much for importing and shipping, and be happy to have them in French. To have all three translated in one magazine for $6.95 is an amazing treat.
(You have to ignore the entirely unrelated cover. What were they thinking? With so much striking Barbucci art available, why… oh, it’s Heavy Metal Magazine… never mind.)
There is still a Sky-Doll album not reprinted here, Sky-Doll: Doll’s Factory (Amazon France link here), which is essentially a “making-of” book, with sketches and penciled pages.
Note: Sky-Doll, Heavy Metal Magazine and some of the sites linked here contain nudity and sexually suggestive images. Avoid them if you’re likely to be offended.
Addendum: Hai writes that Barberra and Canepa contributed content to the first six issues of Monster Allergy and supervised the rest. There is new monsterallergy.com web site devoted to the new animated series. I don’t know the degree of B & C’s involvement with development of the show.
The amazingly talented team of Barbucci and Canepa have graced the first 6 issues of Monster Allergy. They supervised the rest of the series.
Unfortunately, I only have 14 issues of the delightful Monster Allergy (our local publisher stopped at 14)so I’m not sure if they returned at the helm of this wonderliscious title after that.
Firstly, thank you for posting the news about the Skydoll printing in Heavy Metal. Although I can read French (figures of speech can be rough), English is my first language and so I am very grateful.
Living in Montreal, Canada; I can purchase books like Skydoll (hardcover) for $22 CAN at Archambault bookstores downtown. In fact that is how I found this website. I was going to buy all three books today, but noticed that Aqua (2nd book) didn’t have the portfolio section in the back so rather than make the purchase, I came back home and did a search to see what print run had the extra portfolio pages. I stumbled onto this site, saw the news and was immediately out the door again to purchase Heavy Metal.
As to the cover, they should have used the cover for never released box set [ http://www.soleil-lesite.com/couverture.php?num=995 ], that would have caught my attention. Like you said… What were they thinking!?
Hai,
Thanks for the info! Now I just have to find out where I can order copies. The Monster Allergy site is particularly unhelpful in that regrard. I even wrote them but got no answer.
If anyone knows where I can order Monster Allergy, please let me know.
In the meanwhile, I need to carve out some time to visit Hai’s Homanga webcomic, with which I was not familiar. Other readers may want to do the same (although it looks like you need to have your pop-up blocker set to “stun”).
Ant,
Glad you were able to take advantage of the printing of HM. I envy you the ability to buy European comic albums in a local bookstore. They’re not that easy to find here in the US.
Thanks for the link to the box set cover image, I hadn’t seen it!
Does anyone know if there are more than 2 issues of Sky Doll ? I have only managed to get the first one and Aqua and cant seem to find any info on the rest if they exist.
It seems a really great story and it would be tragic to think that it ends there.
Jay
Hey Charley,
Here’s the link to Chuang Yi, the regional publisher of Monster Allergy in Asia, http://www.chuangyi.com.sg/monster/issue2.html
It’s up to issue 24 already.
I’ve heard that Monster Allergy (1-14) is currently sold for cheap as a set by booksellers here in the Philippines to get rid of stock. I’ll see if I can sniff some truth to that.
I don’t get Sky Doll in Heavy Metal, but I like the artwork, and the costume design is absolutely odd, which is why I like it! Creativity is always welcome since I’m an avid comic reader, and I only read comics of good quality. Sky Doll appears to be one of them. Good job!
I’ve never read sky doll,only Monster Allergy and a bit of witch.I like Monster Allergy best so far,but this seems interesting.
Monster Allergy and W.I.T.C.H. are aimed at younger readers (although they’re enjoyable for all ages), Sky-Doll is definitely aimed at adults.