Graphic Nonfiction: Italian Graphic News Site Features Elliott Smith Song Bio by Pietro Scarnera

I was searching for more non-fiction comics on Medium, and they linked me to Graphic News, which is an Italian-language news website with an English version that does everything in the form of comics! How cool is that?

I can't speak a word of Italian that's not "pizza"* so when I found one of their English Language comics, a Song Bio of "X O" by Elliott Smith,** I went straight for it. It's by Pietro Scarnera, and you can read it here.

The comic is meant to be read one panel at a time. The linework reminds me of John Porcellino, if he used color. I really dig how Scarnera takes advantage of the panel-by-panel clicking to subtly shift the art from one image to the next, almost giving off an animation vibe, but the overall feel is still very much that of a comic.

Here's a sample panel:

It's a neat site, and should be a great find. The best part, to me, is that it shows that the idea of non-fiction comics is very international!

Read all of "X O" here.

*Yes, I went for the cheap joke. Please don't um, actually me.

**For some, an Elliott Smith song might be more offensive than an op-ed. We regret any inconvenience.