Interview: Eduardo Risso Returns to A Life of Crime with 'Torpedo 1972'
Jan 22, 2024
Interview by Niki Faust
From Eduardo Risso and writer Enrique Sanchez Abulie comes a reimagining of the crime noir...Torpedo!
In the 1930s, Lucas Torelli, known as "Torpedo", was a legend of the suburbs of New York. A tough, trigger-happy Sicilian who only knew how to make friends-anyone else is no longer here to say otherwise. Nearly forty years later, the Big Apple has changed quite a bit. Torpedo, not so much. As a persistent journalist prepares to write an article about the Caputo family, the demons of Torpedo's past resurface, along with his dirty old habits...
In the following interview, the artist and writer duo discuss what it is like bringing their Spanish-language crime story to the states.
PREVIEWSworld: Torpedo 1972 continues the story of Luca Torelli, now in a typical post-retirement age. Do you have any particular reason for wanting to pick up his story at this point? Is there any new perspective you hope to offer or avenue you’re keen to explore?
Enrique Sanchez Abulie: After writing 15 volumes of Torpedo 1936, I told myself that it might be good to write one of Torpedo 1972; that is, old Torpedo. It was, so to speak, an experiment because my intention was to do just one. But once it was done, I asked myself: Why not continue telling Torpedo's adventures in his old age? And since by then I had also gotten old, it seemed very appropriate, and that's where I am.
PREVIEWSworld: How does it feel to be commissioned to continue a classic story like Torpedo?
Eduardo Risso: A beautiful new challenge... that was the feeling. As an artist, I like to immerse myself in new challenges and Torpedo was a character that had an impact on me from the time I read the series.
PREVIEWSworld: How would you describe Luca Torelli as a character? Do you consider him a man with redeeming qualities? Is there any deeper reflection of society or human nature in his brutality? Or do gangsters just make cool main characters?
Enrique Sanchez Abulie: The first thing to say is that Torpedo has several facets: he is a hitman, a thug, a criminal professional, and a gangster if he intervenes and a bank comes within his reach. Unfortunately, his case is not unique. There are many torpedoes circulating around the world and none of them are exactly good.
PREVIEWSworld: Without spoiling too much, is there a scene that was the most enjoyable to draw? Or any character in particular?
Eduardo Risso: For a particular scene, there was the moment where Torpedo makes his first appearance in a park. It is a moment that marks the series for what it is. My favorite character was and is Rascal.
Eduardo Risso: The original Torpedo series became a world-famous work. What is the biggest compliment or praise you received for the series?
Enrique Sanchez Abulie: The greatest compliment or praise I have received and continue to receive is when people tell me: “How much I have laughed and had fun with the Torpedo.” And even more so when they add: “I have read and reread it more than once.”
PREVIEWSworld: What was involved in creating new, aged looks for the characters who featured in the original series? Did the overall look of the book take any hints from the original artists (Jordi Bernet, Alex Toth)? Since the title is set in the early 70s, were there any interesting research tidbits needed or incorporated into your work?
Eduardo Risso: There is no way to ignore what was done, especially by Bernet, to continue a character that had already been established to readers.
It does take research to set a story in the period that needs to be shown. I hope I have achieved it, all the way down to the color palette chosen.
Miles Davis And The Search For the Sound is available this week at your local comic shop. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox.
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MARKETING DESCRIPTION: In the 1930s, Lucas Torelli, known as "Torpedo", was a legend of the suburbs of New York. A tough, trigger-happy Sicilian who only knew how to make friends-anyone else is no longer here to say otherwise. Nearly forty years later, the Big Apple has changed quite a bit. Torpedo, not so much. As a persistent journalist prepares to write an article about the Caputo family, the demons of Torpedo's past resurface, along with his dirty old habits...
MARKETING DESCRIPTION: In the 1930s, Lucas Torelli, known as "Torpedo", was a legend of the suburbs of New York. A tough, trigger-happy Sicilian who only knew how to make friends-anyone else is no longer here to say otherwise. Nearly forty years later, the Big Apple has changed quite a bit. Torpedo, not so much. As a persistent journalist prepares to write an article about the Caputo family, the demons of Torpedo's past resurface, along with his dirty old habits...
MARKETING DESCRIPTION: In the 1930s, Lucas Torelli, known as "Torpedo", was a legend of the suburbs of New York. A tough, trigger-happy Sicilian who only knew how to make friends-anyone else is no longer here to say otherwise. Nearly forty years later, the Big Apple has changed quite a bit. Torpedo, not so much. As a persistent journalist prepares to write an article about the Caputo family, the demons of Torpedo's past resurface, along with his dirty old habits...
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