INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF COMICS, ANIMATION, CINEMA, AND GAMES

CHARLIE ADLARD IS AWARDED THE GOLDEN ROMICS OF THE XXVII EDITION OF ROMICS IN RECOGNITION OF HIS CAREER AS AN ENGLISH ARTIST, MASTER OF THE ZOMBIE AND HORROR ATMOSPHERES FOUND IN THE WALKING DEAD AND VAMPIRE STATE BUILDING

At the XXVII edition of Romics (2-5 April 2020), Charlie Adlard will receive the Golden Romics in honor of his career and will present a preview of Vampire State Building, published in Italy by saldaPress. Born in England in 1966, Charles Adlard began working as a comic book artist in the early 1990s. He has collaborated with the world's leading comic book publishers, including , DC Comics, , Soleil, and Delcourt. Towards the end of the 90s, he met during a conference. Kirkman invited him to work on The Walking Dead, which went on to become one of the greatest hits in the world of comics and also produced a very successful TV series. Charlie Adlard became the designer for the series starting from number 7 and continued until its conclusion last year with number 193. Romics will also be providing a preview of the final volume in compendium format: The Walking Dead – Compendium vol.4. The success of The Walking Dead consecrated Adlard’s own success, transforming him into a true superstar in the world of comics. His style, together with his decisive use of blacks and shadows, represents a true turning point in horror aesthetics, particularly relating to zombies. In this market, dominated by colorful comic books, Adlard's technique and style are unmistakable and inspirational. “I never intentionally set out to draw for color or black and white. Not consciously, at least. I normally use a lot of black, so when you remove the color (from the colored pieces) it doesn't seem like a great loss. I think that drawing specifically for color is a talent and I admire those who know how to do it, but it’s not my style. That’s why I think it must be particularly challenging for those who have to color my drawings.” (from an interview by Ettore Gabrielli on Fumettologica). With the end of The Walking Dead Adlard became involved with several more projects, moving away from the familiar zombie territory. Determined to test himself with his new projects, the English artist dedicated his attention to the French market, refusing proposals from Marvel and DC. Thus, Vampire State Building was born, written by Ange, Patrick Renault, and Sebastien Gerard: a fun horror using digital ink, a very different technique from the one Adlard used in The Walking Dead. Adlard is currently working on Heretic, a project born from a collaboration with the writer (whom he had already worked with on White Death, a comic set in Trentino during the Great War). The story stars Cornelius Agrippa, a character who really existed during the Spanish inquisition, immersed in a supernatural context. Charlie Adlard's participation has been achieved thanks to the collaboration with saldaPress. In addition to the series The Walking Dead, the saldaPress catalog also includes The Art of Charlie Adlard, Curse of the Wendigo, Rock Bottom, White Death, and Vampire State Building, available in preview at Romics.

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