Materia Degenere: Five Italian Women Cartoonists Subvert Genre Conventions

Diabolo Edizioni, an independent Italian comics publisher known for its coherent editorial line and selective catalog, has released 'Materia Degenere', a collection of five short stories curated by Marco Galli. The anthology features works by emerging women cartoonists Federica Bellomi, Monica Rossi, Joe1, Elena Pagliani, and Fumettibrutti—the latter having previously published 'Romanzo esplicito' with Feltrinelli Comics, while the others make their nearly absolute debut. Galli, an acclaimed author for Coconino Press and member of the Progetto Stigma collective distributed by Eris Edizioni, challenged each artist to reinterpret a specific genre: western, gangster, post-apocalyptic, gothic, and science fiction. The resulting stories deliberately 'degenerate' narrative conventions, stripping genres of their most characteristic elements. In the western and post-apocalyptic tales, settings become backdrops for universal narratives; in the gangster and science fiction stories, characters forcefully emerge to disrupt the plot. The gothic entry abandons dialogue entirely, showcasing the potential of silent comics. Published in 2018 by Diabolo Edizioni in Turin, the 168-page volume (€18, ISBN 9788894203769) offers readers an opportunity to explore innovative, alternative styles that are increasingly appearing on bookstore shelves.