Theo Szczepanski's Graphic Novel 'La grande crociata' Draws from Children's Crusade

Theo Szczepanski (Curitiba, 1975) has released a new graphic novel, 'La grande crociata,' published by Neo Edizioni (Castel di Sangro, 2022). The work draws on two historical episodes from 1212 Europe, known as the Children's Crusade, involving shepherd boys Nikolaus (German) and Stefano da Cloyes (French) who led thousands of children on a tragic journey to liberate Jerusalem. The term 'puer' (child) in Latin chronicles may be a mistranslation referring to pauperism, a medieval spiritual movement of mendicants. Szczepanski weaves this ambiguity into a narrative questioning truth, blending hallucinations, miracles, and disenchantment. The protagonist, Stefano, receives a divine call to lead an army of pure hearts against infidels in the Holy Land, descending into a hellish journey with monstrous angelic entities. The artist employs varied techniques—watercolor, photographic textures—to reflect inner transformation. Visual citations include Hieronymus Bosch's demonic creatures, Art Nouveau, Piranesi's architectures, films like Ken Russell's 'Altered States,' John Carpenter's 'The Thing,' Ralph Bakshi's 'The Lord of the Rings,' and comics such as Moebius and Kentaro Miura's 'Berserk.' The cover references Arcimboldo. The graphic novel ultimately portrays an intimate, abyssal battle within every individual.