Barbara Baldi's 'Lucenera': A Neo-Victorian Graphic Novel

Barbara Baldi's graphic novel 'Lucenera' (Oblomov Edizioni, 2017) revives the 19th-century English novel tradition. Set in Flintham Hall Manor, Nottinghamshire, in December 1850, the story follows sisters Clara and Olivia after the death of their grandmother, Lady Sutherland. Clara inherits the estate, while Olivia receives an equivalent trust fund. Feeling offended, Olivia leaves for London, leaving Clara to manage the manor alone. Over the following year, Clara faces a series of misfortunes that force her to abandon the estate and work as a servant for another wealthy family. The narrative adheres to the psychological and sentimental conventions of Victorian novels. Baldi, with experience at Disney Academy, Pixar, and Marvel, uses digital techniques (primarily Photoshop) combined with pencils and watercolors to evoke Pre-Impressionist French and English painting styles. The 120-page book is priced at €20.