Click! & Indian summer
Country of Origin: Italy
The Master(s): Milo Manara
(art & story except for Indian summer) & Hugo
Pratt (story for Indian summer)
Original Titles and date of publication:
- Il Gioco (transl. The Game) - 1983
- Tutto ricomincio con un’estate Indiana (transl. All things begin with an Indian summer) - 1983Genre: Comedy, Erotica, Satire, Erotica, Western, Erotica, Adventure… oh and Erotica.
Click!
Synopsis
Synopsis
Claudia. A young, beautiful but, to quote Mr. Manara, “bigot
and sexophobic” woman that is married to a businessman of stature. Enter the
businessman’s acquaintance, a Dr. Fez, who is quite perturbed by Claudia’s puritanical
reactions to any matter remotely related to sex.
Meanwhile, in another part of the world, a scientist invents
a miraculous device to serve as a cure for sexual dysfunction: It comprises of
two parts, a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is grafted into the
brain, is integrated into the nervous system and due to its making becomes
completely untraceable. The transmitter is a plain micro-transistor that
controls the intensity of the sensation… and impotence deriving from
psychological factors is thereby obliterated.
Back in the main story strange coincidences occur: First the
device is reported stolen and a day later Claudia is kidnapped…!
…but only for a short while, for she is found well but
without any recollection of her whereabouts or actions in the time she
disappeared. Just a dizzy feeling in her head…
Click!
The transistor is switched on by a mysterious somebody and produces a sound that will hereafter haunt Claudia, and transform her into a wild nymphomaniac. Extremely embarrassing situations follow and expose the protagonist both figuratively and literally to the public’s eyes.
Whether it’s masturbation inside the ladies’ changing room, fellatio
at the cinema or the unorthodox use of candlesticks at a birthday party,
Claudia is at the mercy of the transistor’s possessor, enduring sexual torment.
Or is she?
Pensieri personali
The comic book constitutes a comment on conservative society
and its unwritten laws concerning propriety, ethics and of course sex. More
satirical than erotic, the provocative artwork aims to challenge the reader’s own
sense of decency rather than produce an effect similar to the aforementioned
transistor. The danger, however, of the second being achieved is in fact great.
The perverse, tragicomic situations in which the sexy
Claudia finds herself forced into are quite funny, and aptly serve as a
statement against censorship, a procedure often practiced at the time of the
comic’s first publication.
In Mr. Manara’s own words: “… total respect of the law,
total rejection of censorship. …” and “…hoping that they (the readers) will
welcome it for what it (Click!) is: a
light little tale in the vein, once again, of Woody Allen – whom once when
asked if sex was dirty, replied “only
when done right.” ”
9Pack
- The artwork: Ok, you’re probably going to see the use of artwork as a comic’s strong point many times in these reviews but then again, if it’s not, there isn’t much point to the comic being featured on this blog.Having said that…All of Mr. Manara’s works feature the most beautiful, the most alluring and the most voluptuous female characters ever drawn in the history of the 9th art form. So it is with Click! ‘Nuff said.
- Umm…
- Hmmmm…
- The comedic, sleazy actions of poor Claudia are both imaginative and entertaining.
- Let’s not kid ourselves. The erotic panels are fucking fabulous in every sense of the phrase.
Beer belly
- The story. Very weak on the verge of downright boring. It’s characterised by a fast-paced narration that simply serves as a transition from one wonderful page of steamy panels to the next.
Synopsis
Two young Native Americans (the remainder of this review
will also include the term “Indian”, purely for the sake of the comic’s title.
No disrespect or discrimination is intended) are walking by the beach.
One is the local tribe’s leader’s grandson, and the other a
blonde adoptee that the natives call “the Dutch”. They approach a young
Caucasian woman that happened by and rape her. When the deed is done, they swim
in the sea.
Little do they know that the incident was witnessed by a
young farmer, who shoots dead and scalps both Indians and carries the traumatized,
confused woman to his home, to be treated by his mother and sister.
Investigating the woman’s disappearance, a young officer from
the local colonist village arrives at scene of the crimes at the beach, and erroneously
concludes that the girl was raped by the young Indians’ killer. A company of much
cleverer Indians were examining the beach before the officer’s arrival. They deduct
the true facts and agree betwixt themselves to avenge their own by attacking
the Lewises.
The unfortunate girl at beach, Shevah, is the pilgrim Pastor
Black’s niece and the reason for her presence, along with the fact of her being
among the Lewises causes his wrath and jealousy. Upon hearing of her
whereabouts, he immediately sets forth to retrieve her with a small company of
soldiers.
The Indians attack at the same time as the Pastor’s arrival
at the Lewis’s cottage. A ferocious battle ensues. Its aftermath procures many
dead and paves the way for the confessions of a mother’s long repressed origins,
a daughter’s promiscuous and incestuous deeds.
But was the punishment of death that awaited the carefree
young Indians just? Was it worth the tragedies that followed? In Abner’s eyes,
smitten as he is with Shevah, it was more than just. The Indians’ view on the
matter however, differs greatly. After all, it is the season of the Indian summer…
Thus begins the tragic tale of the Lewises, a family
ostracized and exiled from the village at the wish of the pilgrim Pastor Black,
a devilish individual who is inseparably linked with the past, present and
future of Abigail Lewis and her children.
Pensieri personali
This graphic novel is a “western” and a dark and sorrow one.
Yet when I read it neither Clint Eastwood nor John Wayne comes to mind. There
are no heroes and no archenemies, just people and their passions, which is
brilliant and terrifying in a way. Hugo Pratt’s narratives are always so. They
feature intriguing and developed characters whether they be protagonists or
appear for a few panels. Following this tradition the Indians’ depictions do
not show any use of the usual stereotypes. They are superior in intellect and
spirit to the Colonists and while far from innocent, are the only characters that
act with a certain purity.
Most of the colonists are wholly unpleasant but loyal to their
beliefs and traditions. Evil is embodied by puritan pastors who sin more than
they preach: Sins like the use of wealth and stature to enslave families, exploit
their more sensitive members and satisfy disturbing pleasures. A vivid
antithesis is thus created between the native and the priest, between the “savage”
that protects his own and the “man of God” sent there to convert and save the
savage. An antithesis beautifully depicted in the avant-garde panels of Mr.
Manara.
The past eventually catches up with the ill-starred
characters of this drama. In an Indian summer
there is no escape of fate. Mr. Pratt makes sure of that. Victim or assailant,
deserving or not, all face consequences. And all things begin again.
9Pack
- The artwork: See above… Enthralling panels, riveting colors and refreshing backgrounds. Ok,
- The story: Gripping narration, shocking at times, but I suppose those times have long passed.
- The native Americans: Loved them… Stupendous characters.
Beer belly
- The total length of the story. I remember being disappointed when I first read it because it ended too quickly for my taste. Maybe being a teenager had something to do with it but I believe there could be a bit more where that came from… Alas not from Mr. Pratt.
Selected comics by Milo Manara
HP and Giuseppe Bergman 1978
The Indian Adventures
of Giuseppe Bergman 1980
The Paper Man 1982
Indian Summer 1983 with Hugo Pratt
Click 1983
Butterscotch 1986
Click 2 1991
El Gaucho 1991 with Hugo Pratt
Click 3 1994
Manara's Kama Sutra 1997 based on text by Vatsyayana
Fatal Rendezvous 1997
The Golden Ass 1999 based on text by Apuleius
www. 2000
Revolution 2000
Click 4 2001
Butterscotch 2 2001
Piranese: The Prison Planet 2002
Aphrodite, Book 1 2003 written
by Pierre Louÿs
Borgia 1: Blood for the Pope 2004 with
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Borgia 2: Power and Incest 2006 with
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Borgia 3: Flames from Hell 2008 with
Alejandro Jodorowsky
X-Women 2009 written
by Chris Claremont
Pandora's Eyes 2009 written
by Vincenzo Cerami
About the creators
Maurilio
Manara, who later donned the pen name Milo Manara, was born September 12, 1945
in Luson, Italy. He followed his natural inclinations and studied art at a
private school. After graduation Manara began working as an assistant of the
sculptor Miguel Berrocal. He discovered comics, a medium non-existent in his
childhood and adolescence, thanks to a friend and was instantly bewitched by
them. His comic debut came in 1969, drawing for Genius, a Fumetti neri (a sub-genre of Italian comics) series of
pocket books. His first erotic series was Jolanda
de Almaviva in 1971. He soon
became notorious for his comics that feature chic, dazzling women that end up
in ridiculous, fantastic and rather steamy erotic scenarios. This reputation
was solidified by works such as Click!,
Butterscotch, and Hidden Camera. He penciled the Marvel Comics graphic novel
X-Women in 2009 and as of 2013 works
on variant covers for issues of Marvel comic books.
Official website: http://www.milomanara.it/
Hugo Pratt was born June
15, 1927 in Italy and died August 20, 1995. He was an exceptional comics
creator combining strong storytelling with historical research. His most famous
work is the series Corto Maltese which will of course feature in future posts
in this blog, and so will further information about Hugo Pratt. Patience… Good things come to those who wait.
Official website: http://cortomaltese.com/about-the-author/
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