Comics: Angelo Maria Ricci, Diabolik's penciler, has died.

He was 79 years old. He drew his first Diabolik, "The Last Ruby," in 2001, then went on to create nearly forty episodes, and concluded—forced by health problems—in 2023 with "A Perfect Alibi."

Angelo Maria Ricci, one of Italy's most prolific and versatile comic book artists , who drew stories for Mister No, Martin Mystère, and Diabolik, died on Monday, August 4, at the age of 79 in Grottammare (Ascoli Piceno) , where he had lived since 2000. Ricci drew his first Diabolik, "L'ultimo rubino," in 2001, before going on to create nearly forty episodes, concluding—reluctantly, forced by health problems—in 2023 with "Un alibi perfetto." "We will certainly miss his unmistakable style, but also the subtle irony that led him to sign his pages in the most elusive places," wrote a statement from Astorina, the publishing house founded in 1961 by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani, creators of Diabolik.

Born in Rieti on June 18, 1946, after graduating from the Art Institute of his hometown, Ricci moved to Milan, where in 1971 he began his professional career as an illustrator for the publishing house L'Esperto. The following year, he made his debut in comics, drawing adult paperbacks for Renzo Barbieri's Edifumetto, one of the leading publishers of popular comics of the time. In 1978, he moved into children's comics with the series Redskate, published by Corriere Boy. But the turning point came in 1980, when Ricci joined Sergio Bonelli Editore, drawing an episode of Mister No, written by Alfredo Castelli. This partnership with Castelli was consolidated in 1982 with the debut of the new series Martin Mystère. Ricci joined the staff of "Detective of the Impossible," creating numerous stories until 1993, helping define the graphic identity of one of the most iconic series in Italian comics. In the 1990s, he further expanded his work, collaborating with Tiramolla for Vallardi and with Il Corriere dei Piccoli, where he illustrated the series "Young Indiana Jones." At the same time, he worked as an illustrator for major educational publishers such as Fabbri and De Agostini.

In 2000, Ricci temporarily retired from cartooning and moved to Grottammare, where he devoted himself to school illustration for a local publishing house. But the lure of comics proved too strong: in 2001, Ricci returned to the field, joining the staff of Diabolik for the Astorina publishing house. He drew numerous pencil stories for the famous noir series, ideally passing the baton to his son Marco Ricci, who took over the inking duties from 2008.