Milo Manara's Eye-Catching Illustrations For "Fire In the Guts"

Published in 1981 and long untraceable, "Fire In the Guts" by the Academy Award-winning film director Pedro Almodovar offers a fresh, free, provocative and hilarious story. In 1992, the short story was re-issued as an illustrated novel accompanied with twenty vignettes by the gifted hand of the master Italian artist Milo Manara.

Fig.1. Cover of "Le Feu Aux Entrailles (Fire In the guts aka. Fire in the Entrails)", 1993

Publisher's summary:

After five successive romantic failures, Ming, a merchant established in Madrid, decides to take revenge on the female gender. The stratagem he develops will transform all the women of Madrid into uncontrollable nymphomaniacs...

"All my life I have worked with and for women, and I have never managed to know them. I have discovered only one thing: blondes, brunettes, redheads, short or tall, all the same. Bitches. However, I recognize that I owe them my best moments, and the worst too. I do not regret anything. I have dedicated every day of my existence to this miracle that they shelter between their legs, a jewel so delicate that it deserved all my efforts." ...Thus begins the testament of the Chinese Ming, a true act of revenge, which will set fire to the entrails of all these women so ungrateful in love.

Story

As said, "Fire in the Guts" centers around Chu Ming Ho, a successful entrepreneur in the sanitary napkin industry. After his death, the women who played significant roles in his life are summoned for the reading of his will. Chu’s life was marked by numerous encounters with women, both young and old, with mixed fortunes. Raimunda, one of the youngest and most unhinged, features in bold and daring scenes, from encounters in an elevator (fig.4) to outdoor escapades. Diana, the youngest, has spiraled into a world of murder and drugs. Lupe, an employee, and others like Katy and Mara, also have intimate pasts with Chu. The story culminates at Chu’s funeral, where a shocking stipulation in his will requires the women to wear the company’s sanitary napkins for a week. This bizarre request draws media attention, leading to risqué photo ops. Throughout, the novel is filled with erotic scenes, exploring the women’s lives, their bodies, and their tumultuous relationships with Chu.

Mixed Reviews

Since I haven't read  "Fire in the Guts" myself, I did some research and found some rather mixed reviews, often criticizing the collaboration between Almodovar and Manara. One reviewer calls it 'A somewhat forced editorial Italian-Hispanic marriage', and another 'The two authors are not a pair and have done much better separately.', while others praise Manara's illustrations 'the work is transformed and charged with a divine sensuality that embellishes the story of the famous director' and 'he (Manara) even gives us the pleasure of "lifting" some of the protagonists to draw them in his style, not at all described like that by Pedro Almodóvar '

High Heel Violence

Anyway, many of Manara's illustrations for "Fire In the Guts" are powerful enough to exist as individual works of art separate from the book and have therefore also been published in other forms. One of the most iconic images is probably the close-up 'fellatio' scene (see Premium) in which Manara brings sensuality and violence together in the shape of high heels.

Fig.2

"Ming réussit à lui arracher une chaussure à baut talon."

"Ming manages to snatch a high-heeled shoe from her. "

Fig.3

"A soixante-dix ans, elle prétendait en faire trente."

"At seventy, she claimed to be thirty."

Fig.4

"Tu vas pas faire la dégoûtée devant ce petit bijou."

"You're not going to act disgusted in front of this little gem."

Fig.5

"Lupe émettait des gémissements de plaisir."

"Lupe let out a moan of pleasure."

Fig.6

"Le Chinois était un virtuose dans l'art de travailler le con avec la langue."

"The Chinese was a virtuoso in the art of working the cunt with the tongue."

Fig.7

"J'ai consacré chaque jour de mon existence à ce miracle qu'elles abritent entre leurs jambes."

"I have devoted every day of my existence to this miracle that they cherish between their legs."

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Click HERE for our earlier article on Milo Manara

What do you think about the artwork Manara did for Fire In the Guts? Leave your reaction in the comment box below!