Francesco Cattani Returns with Graphic Novel 'Luna del mattino'

Francesco Cattani (b. 1980, Bologna) releases 'Luna del mattino' (Coconino Press, 2017), his first graphic novel in seven years after his 2010 debut 'Barcazza' won the Nuove Strade award for best emerging author at Napoli Comicon. The 272-page book follows introverted teenager Tommi navigating an unspecified Italian periphery of industrial zones, landfills, and concrete. Tommi is bullied at school and forced into petty theft by his feckless half-brother. Characters include Vale, a lesbian classmate; Terri, a daycare educator and night bartender; and Cuccio, a young worker disillusioned by labor conditions. Cattani describes the work as depicting a 'wild reality' where socio-economic disparities are exploited by privileged classes, but maintains an optimistic perspective through Tommi's childish innocence. The narrative is punctuated by dream sequences triggered by drug use or trauma, offering allegorical interpretations. The cold, detached drawing style and essential lines evoke contemporary anxieties. ISBN 9788876183744, €19.