Italian Comic ‘Animales a la Fuga’ Arrives in Spain

Why this is here: Daniele Kong included a dedication to “the punk” in his graphic novel, acknowledging the impact of a compilation cassette on his youth and artistic sensibilities.

Daniele Kong’s graphic novel, Animales a la Fuga, which received critical acclaim and a nomination for Italy’s prestigious Strega Prize, now debuts in Spain with Astiberri. The nearly 600-page black and white novel centers on the lives of two brothers on a small Italian island in the 1950s, as economic changes and new ideas arrive. Kong, an architect by trade, spent years developing the story, drawing inspiration from his family’s diverse regional dialects and personal experiences.

He built a detailed world around his characters, even isolating himself socially to focus on their lives and stories. The comic blends styles, timelines, and dialects—Kong intentionally used regional speech to create authenticity, a challenge for the translator into Spanish.

Kong also reflects on broader themes like class struggle and the complexities of progress, admitting that even after nearly 600 pages, some ideas remained unexplored. He is already at work on a new graphic novel, a contemporary story that includes a children’s book written by one of its characters, suggesting continued creative exploration.