The Farewell Song of Marcel Labrume

The first 21st century English language translation of Italian master Attilio Micheluzzi, a rousing adventure story that takes place in the Middle East during World War II.

The first act of this thrilling two-part adventure tale takes place in Beirut in 1941, when renegade journalist Marcel Labrume crosses paths with the beautiful and mysterious American millionaire Carol Gibson, who the Germans suspect of being a spy. With the help of Labrume, the young woman works to deliver a Jewish man wanted by the Germans to Palestine. Then, in 1942, Marcel Labrume is captured during the Battle of Bir Hacheim and becomes a prisoner of war. With his usual style and aplomb, and by the skin of his teeth, Labrume manages to narrowly escape death.

The Farewell Song of Marcel Labrume is Fantagraphics’ first entry in its planned Micheluzzi library, which will reprint all of his most significant works. Micheluzzi is one of the most iconic graphic stylists of the European comics scene known for his elegant line and stunning draftsmanship. He drew many graphic novels between 1974 and 1990, mostly of adventurous stories grounded in historical reality with a patina of romanticism, in the tradition of Milton Caniff and Hugo Pratt. Micheluzzi’s artwork in these Fantagraphics editions have been meticulously and lovingly restored by the artist’s daughter Agnese Micheluzzi and will be the finest reproductions in the artist’s career.

Black-and-white illustrations throughout

Attilio Micheluzzi (1930-1990) was an Italian comics artist. Born in Umag, which was then part of Italy, Micheluzzi graduated in architecture and worked for several years in Africa. Returning to Italy in the early 1970s, in 1972 he started collaborating with the magazine Corriere dei Piccoli, often under the pen name Igor Arzbajeff. Among the best-known comics created by Micheluzzi, there were the science fiction series Roy Mann, with texts by Tiziano Sclavi, and the adventure series Petra Chérie and Johnny Focus.

Jamie Richards is an Italian-to-English translator from Southern California currently based in Milan, Italy. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa.