HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Maya Fox'' is a series of
horror comics Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...
and novels from
Rainbow SpA Rainbow S.p.A. is an Italian studio founded by Iginio Straffi. Viacom (now known as Paramount Global) became a co-owner of the studio in 2011. Rainbow has collaborated with Viacom/Paramount's other company, Nickelodeon, on multiple shows, includ ...
, an Italian studio co-owned by
Iginio Straffi Iginio Straffi is an Italian animator and former comic book author. He is the founder and president of Rainbow SpA, which he co-owns alongside the American media company Paramount Global. Straffi is the creator of the studio's animated series '' ...
and
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...
at the time of the series' conclusion. The franchise's title character was co-created by Straffi, known for his previous creation ''
Winx Club ''Winx Club'' is an animated series co-produced by Rainbow SpA and later Nickelodeon. It was created by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. The show is set in a magical universe that is inhabited by fairies, witches, and other mythical creatures. ...
'', and Silvia Brena, the former director of '' Cosmopolitan Italy''. Straffi and Brena co-wrote each of the comic issues and four ''Maya Fox'' novels. The series follows a young woman named Maya Fox who lives in London. After her father is murdered by a serial killer named Michael Gacy, Maya discovers that she has the ability to speak with the dead. While avoiding Gacy, she works to prevent an apocalypse in 2012. In Italy, the first ''Maya Fox'' novel and an extract from the first comic issue were jointly published on 28 October 2008 by
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In ...
. Three sequel novels and a monthly comic magazine were released from 2009 to 2011. In late 2008, Iginio Straffi revealed plans for ''Maya Fox'' adaptations for both television and cinema, depending on the success of magazine sales. In 2010, a script for the feature film adaptation was written by
Jane Prowse Jane Prowse writes and directs theatre and television. Her play, '' A Round-Heeled Woman'', is a stage adaptation of Jane Juska's book ''A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance''. The play starred multi-award winning ac ...
for a release date of late 2011. The project was left unfinished.


Background

In September 2005, Silvia Brena interviewed Iginio Straffi for the magazine ''
IO Donna ''IO Donna'' (Italian: ''Me Woman'') is a weekly women's magazine and Saturday supplement of the Italian daily newspaper ''Corriere della Sera''. The magazine is the first supplement of a daily which focuses on women readers. It is based in Milan ...
'', which inspired a collaboration between the two. They met again in 2006 to develop a concept that would appeal to young adults between the ages of 15 and 25, a target that Brena called "one of the most attractive markets for those involved in entertainment." Rainbow's publishing manager, Cristiana Buzzelli, carried out some research on what topics were popular with teenagers and found that "they are particularly fascinated by
thrillers Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. S ...
and the supernatural." Working off of this idea, they centered the story of ''Maya Fox'' around the
2012 phenomenon The 2012 phenomenon was a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count cale ...
, a belief that the world would end in December 2012. In an interview with the magazine ''
Millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short s ...
'', Brena elaborated on the choice to focus on the apocalypse, saying that the "2012 date seemed perfect. Many peoples have attributed a high symbolic value to it—not only the Mayans, but also the Egyptians, the Cambodians, and the Europeans with
Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
. It marks an end, but also a rebirth. A date that is, in short, very 'salable'." Straffi designed the titular character to appeal to rebellious teenagers, wearing dark makeup and black clothes. Like his previous works, ''Maya Fox''s drawing style was heavily influenced by
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...
. Alessandra Rota of ''
la Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arno ...
'' called the comics' visual style "very close to that of Japanese manga models, only a little less gloomy."


Publication history

Mondadori Editore released the first novel (''La predestinata'') on 28 October 2008 with a print run of 40,000 copies. The second (''Il quadrato magico'') was published in November 2009; the third (''Domani, 2012'') was published in October 2010; and the fourth (''2012, la rivelazione'') was published in November 2011. The novel series was published internationally by
Carlsen Verlag Carlsen Verlag is a subsidiary of the homonymous Danish publishing house which in turn belongs to the Swedish media company Bonnier. The branch was founded on 25 April 1953 in Hamburg. The publisher's program focuses on books for children, i. ...
in Germany, by
Pocket Jeunesse A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets are also attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items. In older usage, a pocket was a separate small bag o ...
in France, and by
Planeta Group Planeta Corporación, S.R.L., doing business as Grupo Planeta (), is a Spanish mass media conglomerate operating in Spain, Portugal, France and Latin America. It is the world's leading Spanish-language book publisher. Editorial Planeta, founded in ...
in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. The comic stories were serialized across 12 issues of a
teen magazine Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. The teen magazine industry ...
based on the Maya Fox character, called ''Maya Fox: Tag Your Life''. Every issue featured thirty pages of a comic (each 30-page installment was called an "episode"). The first episode, ''Oltre la morte'' (''Beyond Death''), was included in both the first novel in October 2008 as well as the April 2009 launch issue of ''Tag Your Life''. The magazine had a print run of 150,000 copies.


Plot

Three years after the murder of her father, David, Maya Fox discovers that she can communicate with the dead. She receives a message from David, warning her that the end of the world is near but that she can prevent it. While she rushes to solve a string of puzzles relating to the apocalypse, Maya learns that her father's killer, Michael Gacy, has escaped from prison. Michael sends multiple profane letters to Maya and her mother, indicating that he has made a plan to kill Maya on the last day of the month. When the day comes, Maya narrowly avoids Michael with the help of her father.


Reception

According to Rainbow in May 2009, the comic magazine sold approximately 70,000—80,000 copies every month in kiosks around Italy. As of August 2010, 100 thousand combined copies of the novel series had been sold worldwide. Reviewing the first novel based on ''Maya Fox'', Alessandra Rota of ''
la Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arno ...
'' wrote that its "presentation strategy is spot-on ... the ingredients of teenage angst are all there, as well as those of noir." Kirill Reshetnikov of the Russian magazine '' Vzglyad'' complimented the series' blend of supernatural themes with a "sensible and charismatic" protagonist relatable to teenagers. He called ''Maya Fox'' "something so eclectic that it cannot be ignored." Pino Cottogni of '' FantasyMagazine'' wrote that "Maya is destined to win over 'Winx Club'' fans'older sisters."


Credits

*
Iginio Straffi Iginio Straffi is an Italian animator and former comic book author. He is the founder and president of Rainbow SpA, which he co-owns alongside the American media company Paramount Global. Straffi is the creator of the studio's animated series '' ...
– co-creator, co-director, character designer, story supervisor, art supervisor *Silvia Brena – co-creator, co-director, story supervisor *
Elena de' Grimani Elena de' Grimani, also known as Ombra (February 26, 1975), is an Italian comics artist and illustrator, author of the character Rigel (comics), ''Rigel''. Biography and career Born in Rome in the year 1975, she studies at Liceo Artistico Sant ...
– inks * Vincenzo Nisco – art supervisor, penciller *Giulia Basile – colors *Paolo Maddaleni – colors *Nicola Pasquetto – colors *Giorgio Viola – colors *Red Whale (
Francesco Artibani Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...
) – lettering Credits adapted from the magazine's list of artists.


References


External links

* {{Official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20110206154252/http://www.mayafox.com/preview/ (archive) Italian graphic novels Comics about women Comics set in London Rainbow S.r.l.