All lovers of comics and cinema must be aware of Allesandro Biffignandi (1935-2017), the prolific author who worked on themes of sex, violence, and horror. His vision and skills give the viewer the vibe of the 1960s and 1980s. Almost like shunga masters, Biffignandi rarely signed his numerous works, including comic covers, paperbacks, and movie posters. Thus, it’s tough to trace all the designs of the illustrator, valued by devotees. The largest compilation of his works was presented in 2017 by Korero Press (Sex and Horror: The Art of Alessandro Biffignandi).
Fig. 1. Alessandro Biffignandi (blogspot.com)
Fig. 2. Portrait of Corto Maltese (catawiki.com)
Fig. 3. blogspot.com
From Comics Fan to Comics Creator
Biffignandi was a fan of comics since childhood. He grew up reading Topolino (the Italian version of Mickey Mouse), which had been released since 1932. At nineteen years, Biffignandi started to study at the studio of Averardo Ciriello, a movie billboard designer. His debut was a comic series Captain Walter. Having undergone his apprenticeship, the illustrator worked for brothers Enzo and Giuliano Nistri, the producers of movie advertising. Then he was hired by Augusto Favalli, and it was Biffignandi’s luck because Favalli became the leading movie posters producer at that time.
Fig. 4. Captain Walter, 1954 (ebay.com)
Fig. 5. The Art of Alessandro Biffignandi, 2017
Fig. 6. Poster of War and Peace, 1956
Life in Milan
In the late 1950s, Biffignandi moved to Milan (he was born in Rome). There he produced covers for comic magazines like Kiwi, Rodeo, Nevada, Zemla, published by Lug in Lyon, and also worked for French military strips like Flambo, Agent K-3, Peter Berg, John Kine, and Rombo Bill. Biffignandi also contributed to the agency of Roy D’Ami that produced strips for the British market (Fleetway Publications). The artist worked on a wide range of topics, from sports to schoolgirls, but majorly on war titles (Air Ace, War, Battle, War at Sea, Giant War). His production for the UK counts approximately 500 covers. Except for French and British publishers, Biffignandi created illustrations for a number of Italian magazines like La Tribuna Illustrata, Domenica del Corriere, Grazia, and Confidenze.
Fig. 7. Zora the Vampire (comicvine.gamespot.com)
Fig. 8. Contes Malicieux (comicvine.gamespot.com)
Fig. 9. Casino (comicvine.gamespot.com)
Fig. 10. Zora the Vampire (comicvine.gamespot.com)
Fig. 11. corquevols.blogspot.com
Maestro of Erotic Horror
The 1970s were the peak of Biffignandi’s activity. He expanded into the field of Italian erotic horror published by Giogio Cavedon (Ediperiodici). Among the series were Lucrezia, Rolando del Fico, Terror, Biancaneve, I Notturni, Playcolt, Vampirissimo Presenta, Il Vampiro Presenta, I Sanguinari, Wallenstein, Zora la Vampira and many others. Biffignandi’s works catch the eye of the viewer with their colorful look and sadistic content. Vivid vampires, guns, tentacles, models with bare breasts, and often everything at once. The oil-painted image filled with insets in solid green, blue or red colors in the background looks like a dynamic collage. Expressive poses and faces of the characters are ready to tell us a story, so we want to turn the page or to enter the cinema hall. The main erotic point here is the nude or semi-nude female body. Elegant lesbianism is also exploited as an unfailing way to get the attention of the audience. These provocative covers may look familiar even for those whose youth happened much later than the release of the comics.
Fig. 12. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 13. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 14. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 15. Salome (corquevols.blogspot.com)
Fig. 16. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 17. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 18. Contes Malicieux (comicvine.gamespot.com)
Fig. 19. Contes Malicieux (comicvine.gamespot.com)
Fig. 20. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 21. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 22. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 23. 2dgalleries.com
Fig. 24. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 25. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 26. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 27. 2dgalleries.com
Fig. 28. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 29. Zorro (corquevols.blogspot.com)
Fig. 30. Snow White / Contes Malicieux (corquevols.blogspot.com)
Fig. 31. Contes Malicieux (comicvine.gamespot.com)
Fig. 32. comicvine.gamespot.com
Fig. 33. corquevols.blogspot.com
Fig. 34. comicvine.gamespot.com
Fig. 35. comicvine.gamespot.com
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Sources: Wikipedia.org; bearalley.blogspot.com; comicvine.gamespot.com; corquevols.blogspot.com