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The Complete Crepax #2
The Complete Crepax: The Time Eater and Other Stories
In this sci-fi themed collection of classic erotic comics, photographer Valentina goes to space, battles androids, and discovers an astronaut in her garden. Spanning the 1960s–1980s, this science-fiction-themed second volume of our complete Guido Crepax library features, in addition to adventuress Valentina, two more of the famed Italian erotic artist’s heroines. Marianna is a mysterious friend of Valentina’s (or is she? And why do they look so alike?). Belinda is a motorcycle-driving, pop art action star inspired by then-contemporary characters like Barbarella. In The Time Eater , Valentina meets a curious couple in an asylum, encounters strange creatures on a photo assignment, is caught in a Rube-Goldberg-like death trap, and much more. Black & white illustrations throughout.
440 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2017
About the author
Guido Crepax
418 books87 followersGuido Crepax (born Crepas, 1933-2003) was an Italian illustrator and comics author, considered one of the most influential cartoonists of the second half of the 20th century. He is notably remembered for his sophisticated black and white art, as well as his dreamlike storylines, often involving a significative dose of erotism.
Crepax was born and raised in Milan, the son of famed cellist Gilberto Crepas. He graduated in Architecture in 1958, then started a successful career in illustration, mostly for advertisement and record covers.
Crepax began making comics in the middle of the 60's, particularly for the Italian magazine 'Linus'. He is best known for the Valentina series of stories. Originally introduced as a side character in the sci-fi story The Curve of Lesmo (1965), Valentina is a fictional photographer from Milan. She is a cultured strong woman, with sophisticated art and fashion tastes, left-wing political ideals and a marked sexual curiosity. Valentina quickly became a staple of European counterculture of the late 60s and early 70s. The series run for thirty years, until 1995, with the titular character aging in real time.
Over the decades Crepax created other female characters, such as Belinda, Anita, Bianca, Giulietta, usually used as protagonists of erotic comics. His other works include a number of comic book adaptations of erotic novels, like Emmanuelle, Justine, Venus in Furs, Story of O, as well as horror classics Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Crepax was born and raised in Milan, the son of famed cellist Gilberto Crepas. He graduated in Architecture in 1958, then started a successful career in illustration, mostly for advertisement and record covers.
Crepax began making comics in the middle of the 60's, particularly for the Italian magazine 'Linus'. He is best known for the Valentina series of stories. Originally introduced as a side character in the sci-fi story The Curve of Lesmo (1965), Valentina is a fictional photographer from Milan. She is a cultured strong woman, with sophisticated art and fashion tastes, left-wing political ideals and a marked sexual curiosity. Valentina quickly became a staple of European counterculture of the late 60s and early 70s. The series run for thirty years, until 1995, with the titular character aging in real time.
Over the decades Crepax created other female characters, such as Belinda, Anita, Bianca, Giulietta, usually used as protagonists of erotic comics. His other works include a number of comic book adaptations of erotic novels, like Emmanuelle, Justine, Venus in Furs, Story of O, as well as horror classics Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 28, 2017
Nobody draws bodies - albeit often the same body - quite like Guido Crepax: elongated, curving, twisting, in cat-like, languid motion. This humungous collection of his 60s and 70s sci-fi work is a visual treat, at its best in the many bizarre, baroque dream sequences where Crepax gets to invent strange creatures and even stranger bondage gear. Story-wise... well, it's a collection of its acid-soaked time, full of elliptic tales of slippery identity: protagonist Valentina is as much a new wave SF icon as Jerry Cornelius, and just as dated to actually read now. Still, Crepax' work comes to life when she shows up - the exhausting stretch of space pirate adventure with her absent is testament to that.
April 6, 2017
Sometimes when I consider the advantages of moving entirely to electronic books, I remember the sheer visceral kick of reading a volume like this and realize there simply is no comparison. The size, the print quality, even the physical weight add a dimension to the experience of reading that no e-book will ever approach. Reading (or re-reading) these masterpieces of sexy comic surrealism in this format is a vivid experience that goes beyond the simple interaction of eye and object. At their best, Crepax's dream fables approach the ineffable quality of great art, the expression of the subconscious in concrete, playful lines. Even when they fall short, they're enormous fun. I think my favorite piece here is Valentina and the Space Pirates, where Crepax's earlier, crazy space opera becomes a children's book and a child's dream, albeit one too erotic to be comfortable.
The additional material at the back of the book has a couple of little slips that really are inexcusable in a book of this quality, but they do not detract from the original material one iota. I wish Fantagraphics would publish two or even three of these a year.
The additional material at the back of the book has a couple of little slips that really are inexcusable in a book of this quality, but they do not detract from the original material one iota. I wish Fantagraphics would publish two or even three of these a year.
July 18, 2020
I wish more cartoonists could tell science fiction stories sequentially as well as Crepax does.
October 3, 2020
I'm a sucker for black and white illustration and these Italian 60s dream-world sci-fi elaborate fantasies are shockingly beautiful. Elaborate animal and BDSM sexuality abounds, and while there isn't much to the plot, they are strange and interesting
January 1, 2023
And here I am again screaming about how beautiful this book is illustrated like my God I'm so thankful that Crepax existed he was a master.
Again the plot and the writing are not the best thing you might not get intrigued by them but I ignored that because the art is off the charts
Again the plot and the writing are not the best thing you might not get intrigued by them but I ignored that because the art is off the charts
May 20, 2019
The Billy Ireland Library and Museum at The OSU has volumes 3 & 4 of the complete works of Crepax. There's a lot to go through.
Did Not Finish
August 21, 2021Absolutely mesmerizing but not in the mood for sci-fi/fairytale comics right now
August 13, 2023
The second handsome collection of Crepax comics by Fantagraphics features mostly "Valentina" stories such as "The Force of Gravity", "Valentina in Boots", "Marianna in the Country", "The Time Eater", "Reflection", "The Pirate Spaceship" and "Valentina the Pirate". While the first volume was mostly a sample of many of Crepax's horror comics, Volume 2 collects an array of dream-world surrealist sci-fi stories.
"The Force of Gravity" follows Valentina's ensuing post-traumatic psychosis following the "The Subterraneans" adventure collected in the previous volume. Valentina has been committed for psychiatric evaluation following her captivity at the hands of the subterranean panther men, and "The Force of Gravity" depicts Valentina's various deliriums including her floating through immaculately designed buildings and serving as a footstool for a king. The story notes describes "The Force of Gravity" as "Little Nemo in S&M Land" which is incredibly apt. While visually stunning, this is also the most disjointed of the various stories collected in here and requires an awkwardly constructed epilogue to piece things together.
"Valentina in Boots", "Marianna in the Country" and "Reflection" follow a more recovered Valentina who capably navigates the world of fine art and fashion, but continues to experience episodes of blended realities tinged with psychoerotica and classic sci-fi imagery. Crepax is clearly influenced by filmmakers like Kubrick and Tarkovsky, but also by classic sci-fi comics like "Barbarella" by Jean-Claude Forest. Indeed, "The Time Eater" mostly seems to be a story set up to pay an homage to a classic "Barbarella" panel as the punchline. The use of erotic comic heroines throughout Crepax's large body of work does appear to tribute the other works that feature women in peril in circumstances of surrealist nightmares and sci-fi fantasies. The male gaze is very apparent in these comics, but it's not necessarily a bad thing - it's just that much of genre fiction has largely been male centered and thus Crepax's homages end up being consistent to what came before.
The one-two punch of "The Pirate Spaceship" and "Valentina the Pirate" follows a swashbuckling space opera being read by Valentina to her son. Here, Crepax is able to explore a more stereotypical piece of speculative fiction with some bits of pop culture tributes to things like "Flash Gordon". Following "The Pirate Spaceship", Valentina becomes a self-insert into the pirate adventure, but it also ends up being a meta story where Valentina herself speaks about her own thoughts on her creator, Guido Crepax. The blending of the genre fiction story with a meta narrative about Valentina as a character allows the readers a small peek into Crepax's psychology regarding the use of women in peril and the excess of sexualized imagery.
The final story collected in this volume is "Belinda vs. the Vinylvores" which is yet another tribute to Jean-Claude Forest's "Barbarella" comics along with homages to classic chase/road films. The only story that doesn't feature "Valentina" also has the most experimental feel to it here, with much heavier lines being used and denser panels overall.
This is yet another incredible foray into the minds of one of the great European comics masters - one who is perfectly comfortable soaking in influences from other artistic masters, but ultimately creates something wholly unique in aesthetic and tone. There aren't many comics like Crepax's, so any fan of the medium owes it to themselves to try at least one of his stories.
"The Force of Gravity" follows Valentina's ensuing post-traumatic psychosis following the "The Subterraneans" adventure collected in the previous volume. Valentina has been committed for psychiatric evaluation following her captivity at the hands of the subterranean panther men, and "The Force of Gravity" depicts Valentina's various deliriums including her floating through immaculately designed buildings and serving as a footstool for a king. The story notes describes "The Force of Gravity" as "Little Nemo in S&M Land" which is incredibly apt. While visually stunning, this is also the most disjointed of the various stories collected in here and requires an awkwardly constructed epilogue to piece things together.
"Valentina in Boots", "Marianna in the Country" and "Reflection" follow a more recovered Valentina who capably navigates the world of fine art and fashion, but continues to experience episodes of blended realities tinged with psychoerotica and classic sci-fi imagery. Crepax is clearly influenced by filmmakers like Kubrick and Tarkovsky, but also by classic sci-fi comics like "Barbarella" by Jean-Claude Forest. Indeed, "The Time Eater" mostly seems to be a story set up to pay an homage to a classic "Barbarella" panel as the punchline. The use of erotic comic heroines throughout Crepax's large body of work does appear to tribute the other works that feature women in peril in circumstances of surrealist nightmares and sci-fi fantasies. The male gaze is very apparent in these comics, but it's not necessarily a bad thing - it's just that much of genre fiction has largely been male centered and thus Crepax's homages end up being consistent to what came before.
The one-two punch of "The Pirate Spaceship" and "Valentina the Pirate" follows a swashbuckling space opera being read by Valentina to her son. Here, Crepax is able to explore a more stereotypical piece of speculative fiction with some bits of pop culture tributes to things like "Flash Gordon". Following "The Pirate Spaceship", Valentina becomes a self-insert into the pirate adventure, but it also ends up being a meta story where Valentina herself speaks about her own thoughts on her creator, Guido Crepax. The blending of the genre fiction story with a meta narrative about Valentina as a character allows the readers a small peek into Crepax's psychology regarding the use of women in peril and the excess of sexualized imagery.
The final story collected in this volume is "Belinda vs. the Vinylvores" which is yet another tribute to Jean-Claude Forest's "Barbarella" comics along with homages to classic chase/road films. The only story that doesn't feature "Valentina" also has the most experimental feel to it here, with much heavier lines being used and denser panels overall.
This is yet another incredible foray into the minds of one of the great European comics masters - one who is perfectly comfortable soaking in influences from other artistic masters, but ultimately creates something wholly unique in aesthetic and tone. There aren't many comics like Crepax's, so any fan of the medium owes it to themselves to try at least one of his stories.
December 19, 2021
The title story is only six pages!
Prologue to the Force of Gravity: 015
The Force of Gravity: 029
Valentina in Boots: 061
Marianna in the Country: 079
The Time Eater: 161
Reflection: 169
The Pirate Spaceship: 205
Valentina the Pirate: 309
Belinda vs. the Vinylvores: 363
Extras: 399-424
Prologue to the Force of Gravity: 015
The Force of Gravity: 029
Valentina in Boots: 061
Marianna in the Country: 079
The Time Eater: 161
Reflection: 169
The Pirate Spaceship: 205
Valentina the Pirate: 309
Belinda vs. the Vinylvores: 363
Extras: 399-424
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews