''Satanik'' is an Italian noir comic book created in December 1964 by Max Bunker (writer) and

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wi ...

(artist), also the authors of the popular series '' Kriminal'' and '' Alan Ford''.

Synopsis

Satanik is Marny Bannister, a skilled female chemistry scientist whose face is marked by an unpleasant

angioma Angiomas are benign tumors derived from cells of the vascular or lymphatic vessel walls (endothelium) or derived from cells of the tissues surrounding these vessels. Angiomas are a frequent occurrence as patients age, but they might be an indicato ...

. One day, following a theory of a mad alchemist, she develops a drug which transforms her into a charming and fascinating red-haired (occasionally blonde) woman: but, as in Stevenson's ''

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences ...

'', the drug has an unexpected side effect, making her a murderous criminal mastermind. Satanik was innovative in that she took advantage of her sex appeal to conduct her crimes, with some proto-erotic scenes appearing in the series. It showed also a broad range of horror and supernatural themes like vampires, evil ghosts, and monsters. The series had several problems with censorship and some of the books were confiscated by authorities (like "Murder in the correction house"). The main antagonist of ''Satanik'' is the policeman Lt. Trent, whose companion Satanik had killed. After a ménage with the jewel trader Max Lincoln (#38-100), in the last numbers she gets engaged to Kriss Hunter, a black private detective. One of the villains of the series, the vampire Baron Wurdalak, later also appeared in the comedic-oriented series ''Alan Ford''.

Publication history

The

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

, in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

digest format, was published for ten years. Magnus left after Issue 161. Other artists who worked on the series include Giovanni Romanini and

Franco Verola Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

. The last Satanik comic book was Issue 231 of November 1974, in which Satanik and her boyfriend seem to drown. Satanik was named ''Demoniak'' in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, in order to avoid confusion with '' Killing'', which had been translated in French as ''Satanik''. In

1968 The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...

''Satanik'' was adapted into a film directed by

Piero Vivarelli Piero Vivarelli (26 February 1927 – 7 September 2010) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and lyricist. Vivarelli was born in Siena. After his father's death in 1942 at the hands of Yugoslav Partisans, Vivarelli joined the Republi ...

, starring

Magda Konopka Magda Konopka (born March 15, 1943) is a Polish model and actress. She was born in Warsaw. In December 1967, she married Franco-Canadian billionaire Jean-Louis Dessy in Chelsea, London. They separated after three months of marriage. She is rep ...

in the main role.

External links

Max Bunker Press

Fumetto nero

Complete list of ''Satanik'' stories at Comicvine

* Italian comics titles Italian comics Italian comics characters Crime comics Erotic comics Horror comics Comics characters introduced in 1964 Fictional murderers Magazines established in 1964 Magazines disestablished in 1974 1964 comics debuts Comic book digests Italian comics adapted into films Defunct magazines published in Italy Magazines about comics Italian-language magazines 1964 establishments in Italy 1974 disestablishments in Italy {{Italy-comics-stub