Comic Strips
Unfortunately, I used to write my comic strips in Italian when I was at university. However, here I add the English translation below each cartoon.
Rats (2025)
“My lord, this young rat is the architect in charge of the new temple for the cat-goddess Bastet.”
“It looks promising! …but what magnificence does that rectangle on the map represent? A pond of snakes? A pool of milk? An immense golden altar?”
“It’s a gigantic litter tray for the goddess!”
“The advantage of abstract paintings is that they don’t have a right side up, so you can’t accidentally hang them upside down!”
“I wonder how the new ‘funds for a greener city’ will be employed…”
[On the right, a house painter is painting the walls of a building green]
“It’s so hot! Why do we wear all these clothes? We’re rats: we have fur, after all!”
“We must stand! Otherwise, what excuse would we have to continue going shopping?”
“To protect your savings, it is not a good idea to invest them in diamonds. Indeed, they will almost all have decayed into graphite in a few million years!”
“With my white canvas, I represent the vacuity of life and everything… moreover, I save the money I would have spent on paint.”
Ants (2022)
“Wait! Look! That’s my latest invention!”
“Well, be rational…!”
Cats (2021)
“Henceforth, thanks to my invention, uncapping water bottles will no longer be a problem!”
[The other scientist, now transformed into a gigantic monster, easily uncaps a water bottle]
“Yes! It’s extremely easy now!”
[Sign on the wall: “Classroom 1-5 \(\leftarrow\) Classroom 7-11 \(\rightarrow\) Classroom 6 \(\uparrow\)”
Classroom 6 is visible at the end of the corridor, behind the two students]
“No: Classroom 6 isn’t even behind that grid…!
Strange Creatures (2020)
Fossiguf: “Jril is usually painting at this time… I’m going to visit her: she hasn’t spoken to me about her paintings for a few days, and that’s unusual…”
Jril: “STOP! I’m fed up!” [Jril throws away a painting] “I can’t stand painting white flowers, black flowers, black and white flowers anymore… ARGH! I give up!”
Fossiguf: “If that’s the problem, Jril, why don’t you try painting red, yellow or even blue flowers? What’s stopping you?”
Jril: “…the simple fact that we’re in a black-and-white comic strip, Fossiguf: here, colours don’t exist.”
Unfortunately, this pun has no English equivalent. In Italian a pet is an “animale domestico” (= domestic animal) while a household appliance is an “elettrodomestico” (= electro-domestic). If I were to translate literally to awkwardly preserve the pun:
Fossiguf: “Your Majesty, here is my latest invention: the electro-domestic! All the affection of a domestic animal is guaranteed, but it doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink, and is absolutely clean!”
“M-E-O-W”
Fossiguf: “So, Gilva, have you done the homework I gave you?”
“…hm… well… Let us read your philosophical reflection…”
“But… this… is an empty page!”
“Congratulations, Gilva! You’re a true philosopher now! The way you have condensed so many profound reflections into a single statement is extraordinary!”
Fossiguf: “Admire, Jril, my latest invention!”
Jril: “It’s really impressive! What does it do?”
Fossiguf: “Well, I don’t know yet, but I have no doubt that it is extremely useful.”