Benito Jacovitti
Encyclopedia
Benito Jacovitti was an Italian comic artist.
Benito Jacovitti was born in Termoli
, Molise
in the southern part of the country. He was still a kid when he started drawing on the pavement of the village's streets. The son of a railwayman, Benito entered Macerata
's art school at age 11, graduating to Firenze
's art institute five years later. Here he received the nickname lisca di pesce ("fishbone") because of his thin figure, that he will use as his signature during his career.
In 1939 Jacovitti started working for Il Vittorioso, a Catholic comic magazine targeted at young adults that only published Italian artists. There he created several characters: Pippo, Pertica e Palla, Oreste il guastafeste, Chicchiricchì, Giacinto corsaro dipinto, Jack Mandolino, La signora Carlomagno, adaptations of classic like Ali Baba
and Don Quixote, and parodies of famous comics like L'onorevole Tarzan
and Il mago Mandrago
. During this period, he also contributed cartoons to the satirical weekly Il Travaso delle idee.
Starting from 1949, Jacovitti produced a series of cartoons for school diaries, named I Diari Vitt (short for Vittorioso) and published by A.V.E. These books made him a household name among kids and parents, and he kept producing them until 1980.
In 1956 he began working for the newspaper Il Giorno
, where he created his best known character, the cowboy Cocco Bill
, as well as the private eye Tom Ficcanaso.
Ten years later Jacovitti left Il Giorno to join Il Corriere dei Piccoli, a popular weekly publication for kids, for which he created Cip l'Arcipoliziotto, Zorry Kid, Tarallino Tarallà and others.
In 1973 he published Gionni Peppe on the magazine Linus
, followed in 1981 by Joe Balordo.
Jacovitti's unique artstyle is immediately appealing to both kids and adults: his characters sport huge noses and feet, his pages are chock full of details and all sort of objects and weird creatures born from his untamed creativity. While most of his production was geared toward humor and parody, Jacovitti did not shy away from more controversial material like the erotic book Kamasutra and political cartoons.
During his career, Jacovitti created more than 60 characters and produced around 150 books, making him one of the most prolific and original artists in comic book history.
Benito Jacovitti was born in Termoli
Termoli
Termoli is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, and it is a local resort town known for its beaches and old fortifications...
, Molise
Molise
Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
in the southern part of the country. He was still a kid when he started drawing on the pavement of the village's streets. The son of a railwayman, Benito entered Macerata
Macerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
's art school at age 11, graduating to Firenze
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
's art institute five years later. Here he received the nickname lisca di pesce ("fishbone") because of his thin figure, that he will use as his signature during his career.
In 1939 Jacovitti started working for Il Vittorioso, a Catholic comic magazine targeted at young adults that only published Italian artists. There he created several characters: Pippo, Pertica e Palla, Oreste il guastafeste, Chicchiricchì, Giacinto corsaro dipinto, Jack Mandolino, La signora Carlomagno, adaptations of classic like Ali Baba
Ali Baba
Ali Baba is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves...
and Don Quixote, and parodies of famous comics like L'onorevole Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
and Il mago Mandrago
Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk , which began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate.Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964,...
. During this period, he also contributed cartoons to the satirical weekly Il Travaso delle idee.
Starting from 1949, Jacovitti produced a series of cartoons for school diaries, named I Diari Vitt (short for Vittorioso) and published by A.V.E. These books made him a household name among kids and parents, and he kept producing them until 1980.
In 1956 he began working for the newspaper Il Giorno
Il Giorno (newspaper)
Il Giorno is an Italian national newspaper based in Milan, Italy, with numerous local editions in Lombardy.- History :Founded by the Italian businessman Cino Del Duca in 1956, with the journalist Gaetano Baldacci, to challenge the newspaper Corriere della Sera...
, where he created his best known character, the cowboy Cocco Bill
Cocco Bill
Cocco Bill is an Italian comics character by Benito Jacovitti. He is the star of a parody Western comic set in hypothetical places in the Far West. He is a hot-tempered gunslinger who drinks chamomile tea. Occasionally mocked for this, Bill responds with violence...
, as well as the private eye Tom Ficcanaso.
Ten years later Jacovitti left Il Giorno to join Il Corriere dei Piccoli, a popular weekly publication for kids, for which he created Cip l'Arcipoliziotto, Zorry Kid, Tarallino Tarallà and others.
In 1973 he published Gionni Peppe on the magazine Linus
Linus (magazine)
Linus is an Italian comics magazine. The first number was published in April 1965 by Milano Libri, a subsidiary of Rizzoli. It is currently published by Baldini & Castoldi in monthly issues....
, followed in 1981 by Joe Balordo.
Jacovitti's unique artstyle is immediately appealing to both kids and adults: his characters sport huge noses and feet, his pages are chock full of details and all sort of objects and weird creatures born from his untamed creativity. While most of his production was geared toward humor and parody, Jacovitti did not shy away from more controversial material like the erotic book Kamasutra and political cartoons.
During his career, Jacovitti created more than 60 characters and produced around 150 books, making him one of the most prolific and original artists in comic book history.