“Magnificent Illusion” by Alessandro Tota, a subtle comic novel from the golden age of comics

It’s a comic about the beginnings of comics in the United States: an emerging industry that would mass-produce superheroes and forget, oops, make its authors rich.

The heroine is a “redneck” from Kansas who goes “up” without money to New York. Roberta Miller is young, she wants to succeed in life. She loves stories and will find qualities to tell them. She becomes a screenwriter of small comedy thrillers and especially stories about superheroes.

Success then rears its ugly head. But Alessandro Tota, the Italian author of this wonderful comic, does not lead us down the overly read path of the American “success story”. Step aside.

The story takes place in the late 1930s, just before the Great Depression. Roberta hangs out with communists and trade unionists. She is a woman, a homosexual, surrounded by more or less reliable or honest men. Life is difficult, moody and joyful in this city, New York, which fascinates as much as it scares.

The heroine meets numerous immigrants, artists, real comic book authors like Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, mobsters, policemen and cabaret dancers in environments reminiscent of those of Edward Hopper.

And if the illusion is magnificent, the reality is very ugly. “Welcome to the most twisted and ruthless world there is : comics”says Alessandro Tota to one of his characters.

The author went beyond the romantic epic. The growing success of superheroes promises super profits for unscrupulous publishers. You have to produce fast and a lot. Authors are poorly respected and contracts often deny them the rights to their characters.

Before writing this story, Alessandro Tota documented the origins of comics in the United States. “As far as the comic book industry goes, everything in my story is true, I just made up the main characters and changed a few names.”, explains the designer. “Comic authors formed an artistic proletariat. They worked countless hours for next to nothing.”continues.

A magnificent illusion it is not, however, a historical comic. The story is romantic, the script is well executed. The characters are likeable, sometimes they behave colorfully or averagely. It’s often very funny. In the drawing, Alessandro Tota delights us, playing with boxes, frames and colors as many nod to comics of the time. The story is planned in two volumes. The first one is already indispensable for every fan of comic books.

“The Magnificent Illusion. Book 1 – New York, 1938”. Alessandro Tota / Éditions Gallimard. 30 euros.