Claudia Iannicello's Got It Covered: From Italy to Meso-America
Sep 30, 2019
by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
In recent years, the American comics scene has gotten more and more…Italian. All you have to do is skim the new release wall of your local comic shop to notice that many of the names attached to your favorite titles come from Italy. You can most definitely include Claudia Ianniciello among this recent wave of dynamic European creators. But if you ask her what got her into comics as a fan, you’ll discover – maybe not too surprisingly – that her tastes are well-traveled.
“I started reading comic books when I was a little child,” Claudia says, recounting what books she gravitated to early on. “The Peanuts, Mafalda, B.C. strips. And then when I was an adolescent, I grew an interest [in] manga comics,” she continues. “Some Italian comic books by Sergio Bonelli Editore, and some American publications like Danger Girl, Battle Chasers, Crimson. [That] led me into the world of U.S. comic books.”
It’s safe to assume that that initial exposure to the realm of funny books made a lasting impression. So much so that Claudia pursued a Masters in Comic Book Colouring (“master colorazione digitale”) at the Scoula Internazionale di Comics in Rome. It’s there that she met David Messina (Star Trek), who ultimately gave her her first break working as a colorist on Angel at IDW. “I kept working as a comic colorist until 2015,” Ianniciello explains. “But my [goal] was being an illustrator. My first cover artwork came for Titan Publishing in 2016.”
At Titan, Claudia would work on more fan-favorite properties. Specifically, comic adaptations of V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic, Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and Doctor Who. (On her Instagram page, you can actually catch her standing shoulder to shoulder with former Doctor Who actors David Tennant and Peter Capaldi, while they hold Claudia's art). Which brings us to 2019 and Mezo from up and coming publisher A Wave Blue World – the subject of this particular installment of "Got It Covered."
A Wave Blue World is positioning itself as the home for original stories. They accomplish that by zeroing in on culturally relevant tales that don’t traditionally receive the spotlight in entertainment. In this case, Mezo - a Meso-American epic with a young tribeswoman named Kyma as the lead. The publisher specifically reached out to Claudia's agent to get her on the cover.
“I love when I can draw a strong woman,” Ianniciello enthusiastically points out about her work on Mezo #1. “I decided to put the focus mostly on Kyma, trying to catch a dynamic and fierce pose - ready for the fight. It helps the reader understand what kind of comic book [they are picking up by] just looking at the cover! [It says that this comic is] full of action.”
The final version of the Mezo #1 cover has Kyma partially outlined in blues amidst a white background. To the right of her is her another player whose presence looms large in Kyma’s life and serves as the catalyst for her to take action. “I want to tell a story with a single picture. I wanted to depict the contrast between the main characters,” says Claudia. “The composition [is meant to] remind you of comic panels, with the use of negative space. [It is meant to] suggest the distance between the two characters. “I luckily had the first issue as a reference. Knowing the story and the characters allowed me to get a bit into the characters’ soul.”
About Mezo:
The rise of the Tzalekuhl Empire disrupts the peace across the land of Mezo. When the conquest begins, a young girl named Kyma witnesses the death of her father, a tribal leader who refused to yield. As the solar eclipse nears, Kyma must unite the various tribes against an emperor determined to make them all kneel before his god or be sacrificed in his name. Mezo, a new fantasy epic set in a Mesoamerican-inspired world begins here!
Mezo #1 (AUG191668) is available on October 2nd at your local comics shop.
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Troy-Jeffrey Allen is the producer and co-host of PREVIEWSworld Weekly. His comics work includes BAMN, Fight of the Century, the Harvey Award-nominated District Comics, and the Ringo Awards-nominated Magic Bullet.
