Sex and Horror: The Art of Roberto Molino: Volume 5

This is the fifth title in our bestselling series Sex and Horror, which celebrates the publishing phenomenon known as ＂fumetti sexy＂ - Italian adult comics with a unique take on such genres as horror, crime, fantasy, history, and fairy tales.

Wilder and weirder than you can imagine, they were some of the most outrageous and shocking comics ever produced. The comics were hugely successful due in part to their uninhibited mix of twisted humor, gory violence, and up-front eroticism; however, what makes them so sought-after today is their technicolor cover illustrations rendered by classically trained painters.

One of the most notorious of the cover artists was Roberto Molino, whose artworks often parodied the popular TV shows and films of the day, including Kojak (Kondor), The Bionic Woman (Bionika), and Rambo (Raimbo).

This book brings together some of the sexiest and most provocative examples of his work, which is highly coveted by collectors today.

Roberto Molino was born in Milan into a family of artists in 1941; his nephew, Walter Molino, was one of the most celebrated Italian commercial illustrators of the 20th century. Roberto began his working life as an advertising illustrator and thereafter a storyboarder for TV adverts. In the 1970s and ’80s, he produced more than 100 covers for the comic publisher Edifumetto, for characters and series such as Zora la Vampira, La professionista, Attualità nera/gialla and Malavita internazionale. He died in 2004.

Nicola D’Agostino is an Italian freelance writer, translator, musician, designer and consultant with many years of experience in the comics and music publishing industries. In addition to writing about technology and culture for publishing houses including Mondadori and Gruppo Sole24Ore, he has translated, among others, comics and graphic novels by Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and Warren Ellis.