We’ve lost another great one: news spread today that Italian art master Sergio Toppi had passed away at age 80. Toppi got his start in advertising (and his sketchy, geometric styleed the way for the familiar mid-century advertising look) but contributed comics to such magazines as Linus, Corto Maltese, Un uomo un’avventura, and Il Giornalino in Italy and l’Histoire de France en bandes dessinées and La Découverte du Monde in France. Best known for single stories rather than series characters, in recent years he worked exclusively with the French publisher Editions Mosquito. Archaia is bringing out a US edition of his retelling of the Arabian Knights, Sharaz-De later this year. A selection is below.An ultra-sophisticated, elegant master of pen and ink, Toppi influenced Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walter Simonson, and many others. News of his passing hit Twitter hard.
@jeffparker Thanks. His work is a magnificent puzzle I always try to solve. It’s a fun game I play. Thankfully he left us a lot of them.— Dan Panosian (@urbanbarbarian) August 21, 2012
Another sad sad news: Master of Illustration and Comics SERGIO TOPPI has left us :( Arrivederci, Sergio, I will be forever in your debt.
— FrancescoFrancavilla (@f_francavilla) August 21, 2012
This will be everywhere, but Sergio Toppi has died.Hard to overestimate his influence on my work, let alone on others.Godspeed, Sergio.
— Walter Simonson (@WalterSimonson) August 21, 2012
One of the greatest designers/draftsman/comic artist, and influence has passed. R.I.P. Sergio Toppi. His work still blows my mind regularly.
— Nic Klein (@NicKlein) August 21, 2012
And many more here.
MORE:
• Gorgeous Toppi gallery on Flickr
• A tribute from Doug Manchess at Tor
• From 2004 — Chris Weston interviews Toppi for the Pulse!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sharaz-de-sergio-toppi/1110947814?ean=9781936393480&itm=1&usri=1936393484
Masters like Sergio Toppi and Joe Kubert (to cite only two recent losses) infused in me the love for comics when I was a kid. That love will never die as long as I’m alive.
Archaia is bringing other 2 Toppi books after Sharas-De: Scenes from the Bible and The Collector.
http://www.amazon.com/Scenes-Bible-Sergio-Toppi/dp/1936393522/
http://www.amazon.com/Collector-Sergio-Toppi/dp/1936393840/
I only have the pleasure of owning the French edition of Sharaz-De but it is some beautiful work.
I was planning on buying more when funds became available so I’m delighted to see that someone has the good sense to publish them in English (and books other than the one I already own).
Thank you for the tip.
I’m so sad to hear this :( .
I adore his style.