EDICOLA NEWS: LE RECENSIONI nr. 191
stickers: 288 (1-288) + 25 cards
starter pack: album + 3 packets 3,50€
packets: 5 stickers + 1 card 0,60€ (box of 36 packets)
Finally Artonauti! One of the most anticipated albums of 2021 arrives on newsstands, released late for obvious reasons but still released, first applause (others will follow ..) for this decision despite the world of school, the first reference of this collection, is literally upset.
The wait is not always negative, we like to think that these extra months have allowed WizArt to add or change details, bringing advantages to the final result which, objectively, is excellent. We do not believe it was intended but in these times when travel is suspended, we really needed an album that with the images in stickers and the imagination would take us around the world, continent after continent, to visit those beauties of art that now we it is impossible to do. In general, however, a lifetime would not be enough for the tour around the world that our Ale and Morgana make..
Do not skip the first introductory pages, they serve to understand that our heroes are doing around looking for the cat Wizart, like the previous ones, the written part of the entire album is on the one hand didactic, therefore fundamental, on the other it is narrative, therefore equally fundamental.
The journey of the happy family (the grandmother seems in better shape than usual, maybe it’s just our impression) covers all continents, starting from Eastern Europe and ending back home in Western Europe after 12 stages. There is more to say, but we don’t want to anticipate too much, try not to go and browse immediately at the end of the album, rather!
For our review we have divided the world tour into five blocks, mentioning the pages and images that most pleasantly surprised us and the more we believe will be fun to complete with the stickers. Not having the Star Trek model transport range, the Artonauti tour also maintains a certain geographic logic.
Block 1 (Russia, Middle East, Ancient Persia) from page 10 to page 33
special mention to the Cathedral of San Basilio, to the canvas by Ivan Siskin (Morning in a pine forest), the temple of Abu Simbel, the Pink Mosque and The Thousand and One Nights
Block 2 (India, South East Asia, China) from page 34 to page 55
special mention to the Krishna painting, to the Land of Mythical Creatures of Thai culture, to the work Chang’E by Ren Shuai Ying and to the Festival with fireworks and kites
Block 3 (Japan, Australia, Africa) from page 56 to page 71
special mention to Himeji Castle, to The Great Wave of Kanagawa, to the painting Gnamma Holes and to the African Face
Block 4 (Latin America, Mexico, USA) from page 72 to page 89
special mention to the painting by Eduardo Kobra, to the mural by Diego Rivera, to the paintings by Keith Haring and Jackson Pollock
Block 5 (Northern Europe, Europe of the Knights, Classical Europe) from page 90 to page 103 special mention to Koch’s Thor, Joan of Arc, Botticelli’s Venus
What our mentions refer to, we are not art critics, perhaps of stickers, which is why we “rewarded” the pages where the mix between the two worlds (art and stickers) seemed more exciting to us. The album is an explosion of shaped stickers, as practically all of them must be attached exactly so as not to lose the charm of the photo below. A rather demanding initiative, because shaped stickers often encounter problems when they are to be included in a sticker album. We did some tests and we can say that the work is really very well done. Second applause to WizArt for the choice that could seem risky.
Another very interesting aspect is the presence of both classical and more modern art, it is also right to limit the monuments in some way to the advantage of paintings, at least in Europe and North America. As fans of the comic history that has always accompanied the Artonauti, we can see that it has been set aside a little, our heroes can only be seen in the introductory pages of the various chapters; on the one hand you could have them interact more, on the other the charm of the selected works is so incredible that it is right that the entire available space is dedicated to its.
The twin cards also return, so 25 but in reality to be found double to have the complete deck. Compared to the past they have improved, larger, even this year they do not have their own numbering but we find the handy check list at the bottom of the album. Honestly, we find it the least interesting part of the project, perhaps because we don’t feel very involved in the didactic aspect of this part of the collection. Avoidable? Perhaps yes, on the other hand we cannot fail to point out that, unlike other collections, their presence is not an excuse to raise the cost of the packet.
Speaking of the packet, the final applause starts here. In a period of race to the top, Artonauti is on sale with packets at 60 cents and with 5 stickers plus a card inside. The quality of the album is good, we found some small imperfections but it remains far better in quality than the products of other well-known publishers. If this involves paying for the album (less than 2.00 euros anyway) then so be it, we will gain in quality!
Beautiful, unique, special. Now all that remains is to wait for the fourth. Artonauti Forever!
(EN)