''Kriminal'' is an

Italian comics Italian comics, also known as ''fumetto'' , plural form ''fumetti'' , are comics that originate in Italy. The most popular Italian comics have been translated into many languages. The term ''fumetto'' (literally ''little puff of smoke'') refers t ...

series featuring an eponymous fictional character, created in 1964 by

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 wid ...

and

Max Bunker Max Bunker, pen name of Luciano Massimiliano Secchi (born 24 August 1939), is an Italian comic book writer, and publisher, best known as the co-author of '' Alan Ford''. Bunker's career started in 1960 when he co-founded, together with his broth ...

, the authors of '' Alan Ford'', '' Maxmagnus'' and ''

Satanik ''Satanik'' is an Italian crime comics series created in December 1964 by Max Bunker (writer) and Magnus (artist), also the authors of the popular series '' Kriminal'' and '' Alan Ford''. Synopsis Satanik is Marny Bannister, a skilled female ch ...

''.

Characters

Kriminal is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

master thief, Anthony Logan, who dresses in black and yellow costume with a fearsome skull face for his adventures. The character was directly inspired by the contemporary (and more successful)

Diabolik ''Diabolik'' () is an Italian comic series created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. One of the most popular series in the history of Italian comics, ''Diabolik'' was created in 1962 and consists of more than 900 volumes, and has led to ...

, with whom he shares the ability to use masks that allow him to assume any identity. In the earliest adventures, Kriminal was a near sadistic killer fighting for revenge against the criminals who had pushed his father to commit suicide. Having also lost his mother and sister, Logan spent his youth in a

reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concern ...

, from which he managed to escape, intent to pursue vengeance. Kriminal has a female companion, Lola Hudson whom he married and with whom he had a child, Max. He also has a love-hate relationship with Gloria, who was once the wife of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

Inspector Patrick Milton, his main enemy. Gradually over time, Kriminal's most extreme villainous features were toned down, and in the later stories he assumed more positive and heroic connotations. The series was one of the first to employ continuity in Italian comic books, as any new story would begin exactly at the point the previous had ended, and the characters' lives continually evolved (in contrast to ''

''). Logan himself married and had a child, who soon died. The series ended in November 1974, after 419 episodes.

Censorship

Due to the violence and the proto-

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...

scenes in the comic book (as well as in ''Satanik''),

Bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

and Raviola had problems with Italian censorship. Bunker was prosecuted several times, but never condemned. The panels depicting semi-nude girls were often censored by the publisher itself.

Crossovers

In the episode #90, "Quello che non ti aspetti", Kriminal meets Satanik: this is the first example of

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

in Italian comics. The character is also featured in '' Alan Ford'' #150, also by Magnus & Bunker.“Cine-Tourist:” Italians in London: Kriminal (1966)”
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Cinema

''Kriminal'' has been adapted for the big screen several times. The first film, simply titled ''

Kriminal ''Kriminal'' is an Italian comics series featuring an eponymous fictional character, created in 1964 by Magnus and Max Bunker, the authors of '' Alan Ford'', '' Maxmagnus'' and ''Satanik''. Characters Kriminal is an English master thief, Ant ...

'', was released in 1966 by

Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unre ...

, starring Dutch actor

Glenn Saxson Roel Bos, better known by his stage name Glenn Saxson, is a Dutch actor and film producer. Bos moved to Italy in 1964 and starred in several Western films as well as the lead in the superhero film ''Kriminal'' and its sequel ''Il marchio di Krimi ...

in the lead role. The skeleton costume was slightly altered. A sequel, ''

Il marchio di Kriminal ''Il marchio di Kriminal'' ( The Mark of Kriminal) is a 1967 film. It is the follow-up to ''Kriminal'' (1966). Plot The bandit Kriminal accidentally discovers in an ancient porcelain statuette a fragment of a map relating to the place where a fa ...

'' ("The Mark of Kriminal") directed by

Fernando Cerchio Fernando Cerchio (7 August 1914 – 19 August 1974) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 30 films between 1940 and 1972. Selected filmography * ''Men of the Mountain'' (1943) * ''Mistress of the Mountains'' ...

, followed in the summer of

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

References

External links

Kriminal's entry at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
*{{IMDb title, qid=Q3816998, title=Kriminal Italian comics Italian comics characters Fictional murderers Italian comics titles Magazines established in 1964 Magazines disestablished in 1974 1964 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1964 Crime comics Comic book digests Italian comics adapted into films Fictional American people Fictional English people Defunct magazines published in Italy Magazines about comics Italian-language magazines 1964 establishments in Italy 1974 disestablishments in Italy