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Fun #1
FUN: Spies, Puzzle Solvers, and a Century of Crosswords
In December 1913, the New York World newspaper published the first crossword in history. It appeared in their Sunday supplement, “Fun.” A century later, this absorbing puzzle continues to attract (and infuriate) millions of devotees every day. But the world’s most popular—and seemingly mundane—pastime has a surprising history, filled with intrigue and adventure.
Paolo Bacilieri’s FUN transports us from turn-of-the-century New York to present-day Milan, taking in stories of ingenious puzzle makers, ardent solvers, and intellectual luminaries. Part detective story, part docudrama, and interlaced with a fiction of Bacilieri’s own imagining, FUN questions the crossword’s “harmless” status. Sure, it’s fun—but could it also be a form of resistance, of cryptic communication, of espionage?
Paolo Bacilieri’s FUN transports us from turn-of-the-century New York to present-day Milan, taking in stories of ingenious puzzle makers, ardent solvers, and intellectual luminaries. Part detective story, part docudrama, and interlaced with a fiction of Bacilieri’s own imagining, FUN questions the crossword’s “harmless” status. Sure, it’s fun—but could it also be a form of resistance, of cryptic communication, of espionage?
296 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2014
12 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Paolo Bacilieri
87 books29 followersPaolo Bacilieri è nato a Verona nel 1965. Diplomato presso l’Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, lavora nel mondo dei comics dal1982. Tra i suoi lavori Barokko, Durasagra-Venezia uber alles e The Supermaso Attitude. Ha creato le avventure di Zeno Porno, sceneggiatore di fumetti Disney ex-agente della Cia, le cui vicende oniriche ambientate nell’Italia del nord-est sono state raccolte nei due volumi Zeno Porno (2005) e La magnifica desolazione (2007). Ha lavorato per le testate Napoleone e Jan Dix dell’editore Sergio Bonelli. Il work in progress del graphic novel Sweet Salgari si può seguire sul blog di Paolo Bacilieri
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 4, 2017
Paolo Bacilieri’s Fun is a graphic history of the crossword puzzle - and it’s as exciting as it sounds! It’s also a bit of a mess.
Along with the actual history of the crossword is the story of a fictional Italian novelist and a Disney comics writer who become friends and some random woman tries to assassinate the novelist. Not only that but there are a myriad number of digressions chucked in randomly like the story of: Spider-Man villain Hammerhead’s character, an English politician, an old man, the Disney comics writer’s mundane travels, a pug dog, a married woman having an affair, the strained relationship between an art collector and his father, an Italian graveyard, JD Salinger, Georges Perec, and an art student.
Perhaps the book is laid out this way to reflect the variety of clues in a crossword - the majority do have a tenuous connection to crosswords in general - especially given that there isn’t that much to the history of the crossword; it’d be a much shorter than 300 page book if it just focused on that!
But then maybe don’t do a 300 page book on the history of the crossword if it doesn’t warrant that? Especially given that almost all of these narrative detours are very dull. The Italian novelist assassination plot in particular was extremely boring, went nowhere and felt wholly unnecessary and pointless - like most of the book - yet took up more space than any other storyline.
The anecdote about the schoolteacher/crossword creator hobbyist who was interrogated by the British military after his clues correlated with code-named D-Day Normandy landing sites was faintly interesting as was how the crossword developed across various countries after becoming instantly popular.
By far the best part of the book though is Bacilieri’s artwork which is nothing short of stupendous. The precise drawings of New York architecture were strikingly detailed and beautifully illustrated how it probably inspired the crossword’s inventor, mirroring the structure of the crossword. Bacilieri is an outstanding artist who produces 300 pages of stunning visuals - it’s just a shame that it’s in service to such dull, leaden material that couldn’t possibly grip anyone.
Overlong, dreary and desperately lacking focus, Fun is, unfortunately, not a very fun read.
Along with the actual history of the crossword is the story of a fictional Italian novelist and a Disney comics writer who become friends and some random woman tries to assassinate the novelist. Not only that but there are a myriad number of digressions chucked in randomly like the story of: Spider-Man villain Hammerhead’s character, an English politician, an old man, the Disney comics writer’s mundane travels, a pug dog, a married woman having an affair, the strained relationship between an art collector and his father, an Italian graveyard, JD Salinger, Georges Perec, and an art student.
Perhaps the book is laid out this way to reflect the variety of clues in a crossword - the majority do have a tenuous connection to crosswords in general - especially given that there isn’t that much to the history of the crossword; it’d be a much shorter than 300 page book if it just focused on that!
But then maybe don’t do a 300 page book on the history of the crossword if it doesn’t warrant that? Especially given that almost all of these narrative detours are very dull. The Italian novelist assassination plot in particular was extremely boring, went nowhere and felt wholly unnecessary and pointless - like most of the book - yet took up more space than any other storyline.
The anecdote about the schoolteacher/crossword creator hobbyist who was interrogated by the British military after his clues correlated with code-named D-Day Normandy landing sites was faintly interesting as was how the crossword developed across various countries after becoming instantly popular.
By far the best part of the book though is Bacilieri’s artwork which is nothing short of stupendous. The precise drawings of New York architecture were strikingly detailed and beautifully illustrated how it probably inspired the crossword’s inventor, mirroring the structure of the crossword. Bacilieri is an outstanding artist who produces 300 pages of stunning visuals - it’s just a shame that it’s in service to such dull, leaden material that couldn’t possibly grip anyone.
Overlong, dreary and desperately lacking focus, Fun is, unfortunately, not a very fun read.
August 18, 2018
FUN was one of the finalists for the Eisner 2018 award for Best US Adaptation of International Material, and it is a 5 star artistic production. The story features a Disney animator, Zeno Porno (featured in other Bacilieri comics) and an Italian novelist, Professor Quester, ha) who become friends, sort of, as Zeno is interested in the work of the novelist, and the novelist is writing a history of crossword puzzles, which we--I guess--get to read, in fragments, as Zeno is interested in the relationship between comics and crossword puzzles. Some comics are like crossword puzzles, with panels about which you need to figure out the relationships.
Along the way, we learn kinda interesting factoids along the way about how different famous writers--Georges Perec! F. Scott Fitzgerald!--were interested in crossword puzzles or featured them in their books. Quester takes a kind of international approach, looking at how different individuals and or countries have developed crossword puzzles in different ways, with different philosophies or styles.
In the process, a woman attempts to murder the novelist (with a plastic gun shooting ice bullets?!), who was once her teacher. So there's an (attempted) murder mystery. The basic point, and playfully made, and in a kind of post modernly-scattered way, is that comics and crossword puzzles and murder mysteries are kinds of puzzles we need to figure out. And there's a kind of Jungian synchronicity to experience--everything is connected! Well, okay. But instead of feeling brilliantly interconnected, things feel fragmented, mainly. And Bacilieri apparently prefers playful post-modern puzzles to character studies, because none of the central three characters create much interest for us. All three of them are kinda boring, right. But the artwork is amazing and some of information about crossword puzzles is pretty interesting. Overall it is lovely to look at, fun to page through, frustrating to make overall sense of, and a little distant as a story.
Along the way, we learn kinda interesting factoids along the way about how different famous writers--Georges Perec! F. Scott Fitzgerald!--were interested in crossword puzzles or featured them in their books. Quester takes a kind of international approach, looking at how different individuals and or countries have developed crossword puzzles in different ways, with different philosophies or styles.
In the process, a woman attempts to murder the novelist (with a plastic gun shooting ice bullets?!), who was once her teacher. So there's an (attempted) murder mystery. The basic point, and playfully made, and in a kind of post modernly-scattered way, is that comics and crossword puzzles and murder mysteries are kinds of puzzles we need to figure out. And there's a kind of Jungian synchronicity to experience--everything is connected! Well, okay. But instead of feeling brilliantly interconnected, things feel fragmented, mainly. And Bacilieri apparently prefers playful post-modern puzzles to character studies, because none of the central three characters create much interest for us. All three of them are kinda boring, right. But the artwork is amazing and some of information about crossword puzzles is pretty interesting. Overall it is lovely to look at, fun to page through, frustrating to make overall sense of, and a little distant as a story.
June 11, 2018
My disappointment with this title has much more to do with unmet expectations than the actual quality of the work.
For some reason, I was under the impression that this was a non-fiction comic about crossword puzzles. I *love* crosswords, so I was super keen to get into the history and origins of them. What I got was something that partly that, but mostly a really boring mystery.
The fictional aspect of the comic follows a Disney animator and an Italian novelist who become friends. One day, a woman randomly tries to kill the writer by shooting him. Who is this woman? Why did she want to kill the writer? Does anyone actually care??? I sure don’t!
Even the non-fiction aspects detailing the history of the crossword puzzle were underwhelming. It would make a lot of weird detours and digressions - it was messy and incohesive.
If you’re looking for a graphic history text of the crossword puzzle, this isn’t it.
For some reason, I was under the impression that this was a non-fiction comic about crossword puzzles. I *love* crosswords, so I was super keen to get into the history and origins of them. What I got was something that partly that, but mostly a really boring mystery.
The fictional aspect of the comic follows a Disney animator and an Italian novelist who become friends. One day, a woman randomly tries to kill the writer by shooting him. Who is this woman? Why did she want to kill the writer? Does anyone actually care??? I sure don’t!
Even the non-fiction aspects detailing the history of the crossword puzzle were underwhelming. It would make a lot of weird detours and digressions - it was messy and incohesive.
If you’re looking for a graphic history text of the crossword puzzle, this isn’t it.
February 24, 2018
Excellent -and oddly underrated by the group mind of Goodreads (which usually so reliable). If you like intelligent complex narratives (Ware, Clowes, Bechdel) you really should read this very accomplished and very enjoyable graphic novel. Bacilieri has a strong understanding of the form (so much more than just words and pictures)..moving images around the page, shifting styles and genres, playing with sound effects, as entirely appropriate for his complex story of multiple plot lines. Following the central theme of crosswords (if nothing else this is a really good example of the quirky subgenre of graphic histories like Fitzgeral Photobooth or Box Brown Tetris) it plays graphic games with boxes, verticals horizontals, and black and white boxes- at one point with parallel stories vertical and hozizontal stories including a street lamp in the street., This is, I suspect, a reference to Antonioni's ending in L'Eclisse- because the book abounds with cross references to film and comics. And I must add, the art is GORGEOUS expecially if, like me, you love draughtmanship and architecture.
February 11, 2025
O livro se relaciona com as palavras cruzadas além da história. O livro é como se fosse uma grande palavra cruzada, feita de quadrados que podem ser lidos na horizontal, as vezes na vertical. Ele passa por capítulos que tangenciam a história principal, mas tem vida própria (como várias palavras numa palavra cruzada) de uma maneira que podem ser divertidos, mas talvez não acrescentar muito à história principal. Como o próprio título diz, você está lendo por diversão. Mas me sentia lendo uma história prolixa, de alguém que abre vários parênteses e não fecha nenhum. Acredito que é proposital, porque até o final é aberto, mas em alguns momentos, essas histórias paralelas não eram interessantes, o que, pra mim, faz com que não sejam justificáveis.
O projeto gráfico é bem legal. Páginas que te obrigam a parar e observar todos os detalhes, o que faz o seu olho dançar na página e criar uma sequência de movimentos e acontecimentos, principalmente nas cenas urbanas.
Acredito que a sequência pode resolver algumas coisas que ficaram soltas nesse primeiro, mas no momento, não é algo que to ansioso pra ler.
O projeto gráfico é bem legal. Páginas que te obrigam a parar e observar todos os detalhes, o que faz o seu olho dançar na página e criar uma sequência de movimentos e acontecimentos, principalmente nas cenas urbanas.
Acredito que a sequência pode resolver algumas coisas que ficaram soltas nesse primeiro, mas no momento, não é algo que to ansioso pra ler.
March 10, 2025
Storie diverse che si intrecciano insieme, proprio come le parole da indovinare. Misteri, tra le caselle bianche e nere e non. Fun è questo ma forse anche un po’ di più: un saggio disegnato sul cruciverba o una storia di finzione bizzarra? Un fumetto ben riuscito ma forse troppo confusionario. Bacilieri è senza dubbio un maestro nella mescolanza di situazioni diverse, riuscite o meno. Stupiscono sicuramente la grande creatività tra le vignette ma soprattutto la tecnica estremamente flessibile, dal foto realismo al cartoon.
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October 13, 2016
La storia della nascita del cruciverba a New York nel 1913, si intreccia con le vicende di Zeno Porno nella Milano attuale. Non entusiasmante. Mi aspettavo qualcosa di meglio sia dal punto di vista grafico (il tratto di Bacilieri non mi fa impazzire) sia dal punto di vista narrativo. Credo che cercherò il seguito in biblioteca per vedere come finisce il mistero dell'attentato al professor Quester ma, così, giusto per curiosità.
August 28, 2017
Really enjoyed this book. Beautiful drawings , the storyline is characterized by The intertwining of a very informative history of the cross words and a thriller story set in Italy.
Being Italian and Having lived in Milan i also enjoyed revisiting parts of the city and crucial events of the Italian history
Definitely a great book to have in your bookshelf
Being Italian and Having lived in Milan i also enjoyed revisiting parts of the city and crucial events of the Italian history
Definitely a great book to have in your bookshelf
December 30, 2024
Joli dessins mais clairement les mots fléchés sont niveau 10 au moins - je n'ai rien compris
May 29, 2024
Bah, ottimi disegni ma mi ha lasciato molto perplesso , sicuramente sono contento di averlo preso in biblioteca.
September 10, 2017
This feels like three books of varying quality jammed into one of not-so-great quality. It's a historically-anecdotal and incredibly-drawn comic about crosswords. It's a thriller and a mystery that isn't much of either. It's a bunch of loose, unrelated, open-ended stories written over the course of several years. When those are all cut up and put together into this single volume, it becomes a mess.
I'm not sure if Bacilieri is trying to emulate the ambition and intellectual twisting of the European authors he clearly admires, but trying to find how the layers connect in Fun seems like it would be a dead end. I'm not saying it's impossible, but unlike my confusion in reading If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, I feel like dissecting Fun is a fool's errand instead of air above my station.
The art and layout is excellent throughout, and if Bacilieri had a vision for the narrative like he did the art, we'd have something masterful here. As it is, the interspersed short stories could go almost wholesale--I started skimming them for the last third of the book--and the mystery/thriller could have benefitted greatly from either a lean into the tropes of the genre or, simply, having more interesting characters doing more interesting things.
Zeno Porno as our lead character seems awfully flat, as well. He's clearly very intelligent, but that's all his character is. When he speaks of heartbreak, a moment that could have rounded him out wonderfully, he speaks through the work of someone else. Surely that says something about him and qualifies as character development, but it's an unfortunate reflection of his dullness instead of a reason to follow him.
Bacilieri is an amazingly talented artist, shifting between a newspaper comic style and something more fleshed-out, like American Splendor art. I'd love to see him illustrate someone else's work, but Fun is a hodgepodge of half-ideas and non-stories.
I'm not sure if Bacilieri is trying to emulate the ambition and intellectual twisting of the European authors he clearly admires, but trying to find how the layers connect in Fun seems like it would be a dead end. I'm not saying it's impossible, but unlike my confusion in reading If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, I feel like dissecting Fun is a fool's errand instead of air above my station.
The art and layout is excellent throughout, and if Bacilieri had a vision for the narrative like he did the art, we'd have something masterful here. As it is, the interspersed short stories could go almost wholesale--I started skimming them for the last third of the book--and the mystery/thriller could have benefitted greatly from either a lean into the tropes of the genre or, simply, having more interesting characters doing more interesting things.
Zeno Porno as our lead character seems awfully flat, as well. He's clearly very intelligent, but that's all his character is. When he speaks of heartbreak, a moment that could have rounded him out wonderfully, he speaks through the work of someone else. Surely that says something about him and qualifies as character development, but it's an unfortunate reflection of his dullness instead of a reason to follow him.
Bacilieri is an amazingly talented artist, shifting between a newspaper comic style and something more fleshed-out, like American Splendor art. I'd love to see him illustrate someone else's work, but Fun is a hodgepodge of half-ideas and non-stories.
January 28, 2018
A minha primeira viagem ao estrangeiro como adulto foi a Itália, especificamente a Roma e Florença. Como não podia deixar de ser, eu e dois amigos decidimos ir à procura das lojas de bd mais próximas. A Forbidden Planet de Roma é semelhante às nossas lojas do género, cheia de merchandising e comics americanos. A diferença reside, claro, no material nativo e a Forbidden Planet romana não desiludiu e tinha uma selecção respeitável de autores italianos. Um deles era Paolo Bacilieri. Na loja comprei "More Fun", a sequela do título que vou discutir neste post.
Foi em Florença que encontrei este livro, numa das La Fetrinelli (mais ou menos o equivalente italiano da Fnac) locais.
"Fun" é sobre o jogo das palavras cruzadas. O livro faz uma revisão dos intervenientes, a importância do jogo em eventos históricos e, surpreendentemente, os seus paralelismos com a arte da banda desenhada.
O que torna chamativo este título é o superficial, ou seja, a arte que encontramos a adornar a capa e interiores. Bacilieri é um desenhador talentoso, tem um estilo próprio pormenorizado e atraente, as suas personagens são facilmente identificáveis, os locais retratados realistas e harmoniosos. Trata-se de um traço realmente bonito. Foi muito pelo desenho que comprei esta bd - já que não sou fluente em italiano.
Relativamente ao enredo, acompanhamos o escritor Pippo Quester, cujo tema do seu último livro é precisamente o mesmo desta bd - é ele que nos introduz ao mundo das palavras cruzadas, desde a sua génese até à Segunda Guerra Mundial (continuaremos a seguir o seu desenvolvimento no segundo volume?). Há ainda outra personagem, Zeno Porno (sim, é mesmo o seu nome), um autor de bd que trabalha para a Disney e que é um admirador admitido de Quester. É maioritariamente através do diálogo entre estas duas personagens que a acção da bd se desenvolve, intercalada de forma regular por episódios da vida de Zeno. .
E é aqui que os problemas começam, o enredo principal não é necessariamente entusiasmante e os episódios intercalares não parecem ter muito sentido dentro da narrativa principal. Se a função destes momentos é apaziguar o nervosismo do leitor mais habituado a acção frenética, a verdade é que não cumprem esse objectivo. Estas páginas têm datas (Bacilieri assina e data os capítulos) anteriores às que lidam com a narrativa principal e eu fico com a sensação que são chumaço para a história. Não têm grande interesse e não ressoam os conceitos e emoções. O livro parece uma manta de retalhos de anedotas dissonantes.
(Sem falar nas múltiplas referências - umas subtis, outras menos - à banda desenhada que surgem durante toda a leitura e que, para mim, diluem e confundem o propósito do livro.)
Outra coisa que me deixou "frio" tem a ver com a balonagem e letragem. Apesar do meu italiano algo rudimentar, eu percebo grande parte do que está escrito e vi a minha leitura dificultada por: filacteras mal colocadas e mal identificadas; balões múltiplos ligados cuja sequência não era a mais natural para ser seguida pelo olho; etc., de forma que dei comigo a ler coisas que se referem as personagens e acções diferentes, gerando ainda mais confusão. A letragem é feita à mão, o que para mim é sempre uma mais valia para um livro - dá-lhe identidade - mas neste caso, há momentos em que as palavras não têm espaçamento o suficiente para serem lidas individualmente - talvez tenha a ver com o meu domínio da língua ou a minha pouca familiaridade com o fluir do italiano.
"Fun" é um livro bonito de um autor experiente que me frustrou enquanto leitor, seja pela história que acabou por não me envolver, como por pequenos pormenores em termos de fluidez de leitura (literária ou visual) que me irritaram. Espero que o segundo volume seja mais agradável (e contextualize tudo, especialmente, o subenredo da tentativa de assassinato).
Foi em Florença que encontrei este livro, numa das La Fetrinelli (mais ou menos o equivalente italiano da Fnac) locais.
"Fun" é sobre o jogo das palavras cruzadas. O livro faz uma revisão dos intervenientes, a importância do jogo em eventos históricos e, surpreendentemente, os seus paralelismos com a arte da banda desenhada.
O que torna chamativo este título é o superficial, ou seja, a arte que encontramos a adornar a capa e interiores. Bacilieri é um desenhador talentoso, tem um estilo próprio pormenorizado e atraente, as suas personagens são facilmente identificáveis, os locais retratados realistas e harmoniosos. Trata-se de um traço realmente bonito. Foi muito pelo desenho que comprei esta bd - já que não sou fluente em italiano.
Relativamente ao enredo, acompanhamos o escritor Pippo Quester, cujo tema do seu último livro é precisamente o mesmo desta bd - é ele que nos introduz ao mundo das palavras cruzadas, desde a sua génese até à Segunda Guerra Mundial (continuaremos a seguir o seu desenvolvimento no segundo volume?). Há ainda outra personagem, Zeno Porno (sim, é mesmo o seu nome), um autor de bd que trabalha para a Disney e que é um admirador admitido de Quester. É maioritariamente através do diálogo entre estas duas personagens que a acção da bd se desenvolve, intercalada de forma regular por episódios da vida de Zeno. .
E é aqui que os problemas começam, o enredo principal não é necessariamente entusiasmante e os episódios intercalares não parecem ter muito sentido dentro da narrativa principal. Se a função destes momentos é apaziguar o nervosismo do leitor mais habituado a acção frenética, a verdade é que não cumprem esse objectivo. Estas páginas têm datas (Bacilieri assina e data os capítulos) anteriores às que lidam com a narrativa principal e eu fico com a sensação que são chumaço para a história. Não têm grande interesse e não ressoam os conceitos e emoções. O livro parece uma manta de retalhos de anedotas dissonantes.
(Sem falar nas múltiplas referências - umas subtis, outras menos - à banda desenhada que surgem durante toda a leitura e que, para mim, diluem e confundem o propósito do livro.)
Outra coisa que me deixou "frio" tem a ver com a balonagem e letragem. Apesar do meu italiano algo rudimentar, eu percebo grande parte do que está escrito e vi a minha leitura dificultada por: filacteras mal colocadas e mal identificadas; balões múltiplos ligados cuja sequência não era a mais natural para ser seguida pelo olho; etc., de forma que dei comigo a ler coisas que se referem as personagens e acções diferentes, gerando ainda mais confusão. A letragem é feita à mão, o que para mim é sempre uma mais valia para um livro - dá-lhe identidade - mas neste caso, há momentos em que as palavras não têm espaçamento o suficiente para serem lidas individualmente - talvez tenha a ver com o meu domínio da língua ou a minha pouca familiaridade com o fluir do italiano.
"Fun" é um livro bonito de um autor experiente que me frustrou enquanto leitor, seja pela história que acabou por não me envolver, como por pequenos pormenores em termos de fluidez de leitura (literária ou visual) que me irritaram. Espero que o segundo volume seja mais agradável (e contextualize tudo, especialmente, o subenredo da tentativa de assassinato).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2024
I really enjoyed this odd weave of stories. The history of the crossword puzzle, woven in with a contemporary mystery. A guy in Milan, Italy befriends a famous author who is working on a new book, a history of the crossword puzzle. In the meantime, a pretty young woman is stalking the author. But why?
I've only passed through Milan, and now I want to visit. I suppose it's true everywhere, but Italians in particular seem to have an almost obsessive pride in their home town or their chosen town. I've seen it frequently with Rome. At least once with Naples. A few times with Venice. And many times with various small, semi-rural towns. (Obviously, this is true of non-Italians, too. See: New York City, Paris, and L.A. for some of the more obvious examples). This may be my first time with Milan. In the way people who are proud of their home can be, it's both fawning and critical. Perhaps by nature of it being Italian, something about this graphic novel kept making me think of Paolo Sorrentino's semi-autobiographical film 'The Hand of God,' even though their subject matter is completely different. But there's a vibe. A sort of wistful nostalgia, mixed with profound tragedy. Ghostly echoes of World War II as well as the violent social unrest of the mid-20th Century, along with a more mellow and "civilized" present day (2010s). I wonder if semi-autobiographical works of future generations will reflect similar feelings after the events of the next few years.
Throughout there are little asides and vignettes that explore various things, from odd characters to moments in time. Some, I will admit, I did not understand. I'm sure there are references and allusions that went right over my head. Still, the overall book was quite enjoyable. I know I've said elsewhere, but I'm probably most fascinated, historically speaking, by how things are connected. Using the crossword puzzle as a lens to view the 20th century is an interesting choice.
I've only passed through Milan, and now I want to visit. I suppose it's true everywhere, but Italians in particular seem to have an almost obsessive pride in their home town or their chosen town. I've seen it frequently with Rome. At least once with Naples. A few times with Venice. And many times with various small, semi-rural towns. (Obviously, this is true of non-Italians, too. See: New York City, Paris, and L.A. for some of the more obvious examples). This may be my first time with Milan. In the way people who are proud of their home can be, it's both fawning and critical. Perhaps by nature of it being Italian, something about this graphic novel kept making me think of Paolo Sorrentino's semi-autobiographical film 'The Hand of God,' even though their subject matter is completely different. But there's a vibe. A sort of wistful nostalgia, mixed with profound tragedy. Ghostly echoes of World War II as well as the violent social unrest of the mid-20th Century, along with a more mellow and "civilized" present day (2010s). I wonder if semi-autobiographical works of future generations will reflect similar feelings after the events of the next few years.
Throughout there are little asides and vignettes that explore various things, from odd characters to moments in time. Some, I will admit, I did not understand. I'm sure there are references and allusions that went right over my head. Still, the overall book was quite enjoyable. I know I've said elsewhere, but I'm probably most fascinated, historically speaking, by how things are connected. Using the crossword puzzle as a lens to view the 20th century is an interesting choice.
December 16, 2017
It feels like Paolo Bacilieri had a lot of good ideas, or maybe even a lot of separate comics already written, and then tried to jam them all together into a storyline about the history of crossword puzzles. Individually, I think I liked most of the parts.
- The history of crossword puzzles is instantly fascinating, and I greatly looked forward to those sections.
- The story of the history writer and the comics writer was less satisfying, but still a decent read. The crossword historian in particular struck me as a real human being. The comics writer was an odd caricature of a jilted nerd who drifted through quotes from obscure, possibly made-up novels that didn't seem to drive the plot at all.
- And then there was the lesbian assassin. The assassination storyline was baffling and completely unnecessary. One page I'm reading about crossword inventors, the next I'm reading about a girl with an ice pellet gun roaming the streets of Milan. It's jarring.
- The various short stories that may or may not have included some of the main characters were occasionally fetching, but also quite unnecessary. Why do I want to read about an editor finding a rainbow at the end of her tough day? Give me more crosswords!
At least the art held up the whole way through. Bacilieri's characters are all very distinct and appealing, and his architectural prowess is second to none. I poured over the first 15 pages that simply featured streetscapes of 1910s New York. Beautiful work.
- The history of crossword puzzles is instantly fascinating, and I greatly looked forward to those sections.
- The story of the history writer and the comics writer was less satisfying, but still a decent read. The crossword historian in particular struck me as a real human being. The comics writer was an odd caricature of a jilted nerd who drifted through quotes from obscure, possibly made-up novels that didn't seem to drive the plot at all.
- And then there was the lesbian assassin. The assassination storyline was baffling and completely unnecessary. One page I'm reading about crossword inventors, the next I'm reading about a girl with an ice pellet gun roaming the streets of Milan. It's jarring.
- The various short stories that may or may not have included some of the main characters were occasionally fetching, but also quite unnecessary. Why do I want to read about an editor finding a rainbow at the end of her tough day? Give me more crosswords!
At least the art held up the whole way through. Bacilieri's characters are all very distinct and appealing, and his architectural prowess is second to none. I poured over the first 15 pages that simply featured streetscapes of 1910s New York. Beautiful work.
October 20, 2019
Letto perché fumetti ed enigmistica sono un connubio irresistibile.
Splendide le tavole riguardanti la storia dei cruciverba (che devono molto a L'orizzonte verticale) e gli squarci metropolitani che compensano l'inconsistenza dei personaggi.
Conclusa la lettura si ha voglia di leggere C'era due volte il barone Lamberto - I misteri dell'isola di San Giulio.
Read because comics and crosswords in the same story are irresistible.
Wonderful the drawings about crossword history (that owe a lot to L'orizzonte verticale) and the urban landscapes that balance the inconsistency of the characters.
When the book is over you want to read C'era due volte il barone Lamberto - I misteri dell'isola di San Giulio.
Splendide le tavole riguardanti la storia dei cruciverba (che devono molto a L'orizzonte verticale) e gli squarci metropolitani che compensano l'inconsistenza dei personaggi.
Conclusa la lettura si ha voglia di leggere C'era due volte il barone Lamberto - I misteri dell'isola di San Giulio.
Read because comics and crosswords in the same story are irresistible.
Wonderful the drawings about crossword history (that owe a lot to L'orizzonte verticale) and the urban landscapes that balance the inconsistency of the characters.
When the book is over you want to read C'era due volte il barone Lamberto - I misteri dell'isola di San Giulio.
September 6, 2018
Je l'ai lit parce que j'aime le mots croisés et parce que je l'ai trouvé dans l'Archive de la Bande Dessinée de Andreis. Je ne suis pas sûre que je l'aurais lu, si je si je devais l'acheter.
J'ai aimé la partie sur l'histoire des mots-croisés mais le reste c'est très ennuyeux et confus. Il y a une fille qui veut tuer son professeur mais je n'ai pas compris pourquoi. Je sais que Zeno Porno est le protagoniste des autres libres de Bacilieri mais je ne les ai pas lus.
Bacilieri a écrit qu'il a utilisé un libre de Bartezzaghi pour la partie historique : je vais le lire parce que j'aime le mots croisés.
Je n'aime pas les dessins.
J'ai aimé la partie sur l'histoire des mots-croisés mais le reste c'est très ennuyeux et confus. Il y a une fille qui veut tuer son professeur mais je n'ai pas compris pourquoi. Je sais que Zeno Porno est le protagoniste des autres libres de Bacilieri mais je ne les ai pas lus.
Bacilieri a écrit qu'il a utilisé un libre de Bartezzaghi pour la partie historique : je vais le lire parce que j'aime le mots croisés.
Je n'aime pas les dessins.
September 16, 2020
Fun (2014)
Non l'avrei letto se avessi saputo che non terminava ma che ci sarà, chissà quando, una seconda parte: se è venuto più lungo del previsto bastava fare un volume più alto, non mi pare tutto questo problema. La parte più interessante è stata sicuramente quella relativa alla storia del cruciverba, che però credo sia più e meglio sviluppata nel libro di Bartezzaghi. Le parti 'contemporanee' di collegamento mi sono sembrate forzate nel voler ricercare a tutti i costi il mistero e pretestuose o poco pertinenti alla trama, per far volume. Zeno personaggio fastidioso, anche visivamente. Bellissimi paesaggi di New York e Milano.
Non l'avrei letto se avessi saputo che non terminava ma che ci sarà, chissà quando, una seconda parte: se è venuto più lungo del previsto bastava fare un volume più alto, non mi pare tutto questo problema. La parte più interessante è stata sicuramente quella relativa alla storia del cruciverba, che però credo sia più e meglio sviluppata nel libro di Bartezzaghi. Le parti 'contemporanee' di collegamento mi sono sembrate forzate nel voler ricercare a tutti i costi il mistero e pretestuose o poco pertinenti alla trama, per far volume. Zeno personaggio fastidioso, anche visivamente. Bellissimi paesaggi di New York e Milano.
March 9, 2018
There's some great history of the crossword puzzle and how it got adapted as crossword mania went around the world in here...and then there's a whole bunch of other sideplots I couldn't really follow. If you told me this was a way of tying together a bunch of separate comics by the author's main character, Zeno, I'd believe you. Beautifully illustrated, and full of some neat storytelling, but I went into this thinking it was more crossword-focused than it actually was and ended up a little disappointed as a result.
November 17, 2017
I wanted to like this because I love puzzles, and history, and graphic novels. However, the main story is interspersed with seemingly random relationship struggles, drawings that made no sense to me, and an obscene side story that also didn't go with the rest of the tale. To me felt very disjointed. I did like the parts about the history of crossword puzzles but overall the other parts felt too distracting.
July 24, 2023
In terms of story, it's decent. Less about crosswords as it is about a cartoonist simping over his literary hero and then learning questionable things about him with some crossword history spliced in.
The art was gorgeous and there's no denying that however it felt like it added very little to the book overall and just felt like decoration rather than an integral part of the medium (kind of what comics are all about). This would have maybe worked better as a picture book or novel.
The art was gorgeous and there's no denying that however it felt like it added very little to the book overall and just felt like decoration rather than an integral part of the medium (kind of what comics are all about). This would have maybe worked better as a picture book or novel.
December 18, 2023
This is a lovely bit of comics. The art is absolutely immaculate, this artist is truly a master of form and caricature. Every single page is stunning, this comic could have been about anything and I'd have read it just on it's art alone. The history of crosswords is really fun to learn about amidst the fictional lives of the characters. The story leaves on an ambiguous note but I didnt mind that at all.
This is what comics can be!!!
This is what comics can be!!!
May 5, 2023
Very hard to discern what parts are real life and what is being made up by Quester and Zeno. I really didn't expect the largest conflict of the book to be based on the alleged misconduct of Mafalda's conception/paternity but it went there. Art style is gorgeous; I want a collection of exclusively sketches of high rises and faces.
February 6, 2018
This book is weird. I liked the historical stuff, and I loved the art and design, but I have no idea what the fictional framework was meant to add. It’s aloof and feels forced. It must be an attempt to add humanness and drama, but it comes across as hollow.
June 11, 2018
A graphic history of crossword puzzles, perplexingly interweaved with completely unrelated fiction. The art is great and the history is interesting enough, but the fiction is boring and I have no idea why it's in this book instead of its own thing.
October 23, 2020
There were some neat bits, mainly about the crosswords, but then also some bits that really didn't make any sense. And why do graphic novelists intentionally make it hard to follow the speech sometimes? Barely squeaks in at 3 stars.
December 20, 2020
Un giallo viaggia parallelamente a un'approfondito excursus sulla nascita e sulla diffusione dei cruciverba. La parte "storica" è molto interessante, i disegni di Bacilieri sono – come sempre, per me – una vera delizia.
December 23, 2020
3.5
Bellissimi i disegni soprattutto delle architetture, incantevoli!
Ironia arguta, ma la storia l'ho trovata veramente molto sconnessa e confusionaria. Ok che lo stile vuole riprendere quello dei cruciverba appunto, ma non l'ho trovato molto riuscito nella realizzazione.
Bellissimi i disegni soprattutto delle architetture, incantevoli!
Ironia arguta, ma la storia l'ho trovata veramente molto sconnessa e confusionaria. Ok che lo stile vuole riprendere quello dei cruciverba appunto, ma non l'ho trovato molto riuscito nella realizzazione.
December 28, 2020
Storia del cruciverba a fumetti ma anche divagazioni enigmistiche sul fumetto (e mistero e storielle buffe).
Ottimo il tratto che mescola realismo e caricatura.
Da leggere se amate Bartezzaghi, Eco, Milano e il Cimitero monumentale, la Settimana enigmistica, i fumetti.
Ottimo il tratto che mescola realismo e caricatura.
Da leggere se amate Bartezzaghi, Eco, Milano e il Cimitero monumentale, la Settimana enigmistica, i fumetti.
August 21, 2024
Um quadrinho que te engana. Um quadrinho sobre palavras-cruzadas que se revela um drama pessoal atravessado pelo laço que o entretenimento promove. Uma história de crime, também. E de divórcio. E de todos os laços que isso promove.
Bonito!
Bonito!
December 6, 2024
A little chaotic. I read it for the history of the crossword but the whole side quest made it really weird. Art style is alright, but it was hard to keep track of what was going on regarding the plot. Overall, appreciated it for the aesthetic.
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