Tag Archives: francesco barilli

Preview: Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever

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Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever

(W) Francesco Barilli (A) Sakka

A beautiful and stark depiction of Vincent Van Gogh’s struggle with depression and the art it produced, told through an emotional dialogue between Vincent and his own madness. For fans of art history and historical fiction.

A gorgeously rendered, emotional exploration of the life and death of one of the most famously tormented painters in human history. Through an emotional dialogue between Vincent and his own madness, the artist revisits the most significant loves and losses of his short life. From his tender and tumultuous relationship with his brother Theo, to the famous quarrel with Gauguin that resulted in the self-mutilation of his ear, to the extreme act of self-harm that led to his death, Vincent Van Gogh channeled an extraordinary light as bright today as it was upon his death in 1890. Now in print for the first time in English, Van Gogh: Sadness is Forever casts its own light onto the darkest shadows of the painter’s life and inspirations.

Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever

Preview: Socrates

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Socrates

(W) Francesco Barilli (A) Alessandro Ranghiasci (L) Giulia Gabrielli

Athens, 399 BC. In what may be remembered as the first trial for crimes of opinion, Socrates is sentenced to death. Accused of corrupting youth with atheistic doctrines, the philosopher’s line of defense is uncompromising and defiant. He is thus sentenced to drink hemlock by an even larger majority of jurors, and once in prison, awaiting execution, he refuses to flee lest he violate those laws to which he has always been devoted. Socrates was not only one of the best known and most influential philosophers in human history, but also the first martyr for his own ideas. His trial tells how the greatest democracy of the time could have sentenced the best of its citizens to death.

Socrates

Van Goh is an Emotional Exploration of the Life and Death of one of the most Famously Tormented Painters in Human History

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Mad Cave Studios has announced Van Gogh, a comiXology Original by acclaimed Italian journalist, essayist, and comics writer Francesco Barilli and artist Sakka, with letters by Lucy Lenzi. This 128-page graphic biography is coming to print in English for the very first time in February 2026.

A gorgeously rendered, emotional exploration of the life and death of one of the most famously tormented painters in human history.

Through an emotional dialogue between Vincent and his own madness, the artist revisits the most significant loves and losses of his short life. From his tender and tumultuous relationship with his brother Theo, to the famous quarrel with Gauguin that resulted in the self-mutilation of his ear, to the extreme act of self-harm that led to his death, Vincent Van Gogh channeled an extraordinary light as bright today as it was upon his death in 1890. Now in print for the first time in English, Van Gogh: Sadness is Forever casts its own light onto the darkest shadows of the painter’s life and inspirations.

Van Gogh drops on February 24, 2026.

Van Gogh

Preview: Socrates

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Socrates

Written by Francesco Barilli with art and cover by Alessandro Ranghiasci.
Translated from Italian by Lucy Lenzi
Lettering and layout by Giulia Gabrielli
Edited by Stefano A. Cresti
With an introduction by Journalist Stefano Cardini
Purchase

Socrates was not only one of the best known and most influential philosophers in the history of humanity–he was also the first martyr for his own ideas. His trial tells the tale of how the greatest democracy of all time could have sentenced one of its best citizens to death.

Athens, 399 BC. In what may be remembered as the first trial for crimes of opinion, Socrates is sentenced to death. Accused of corrupting youth with atheist doctrines, the philosopher’s defensive line is uncompromising and provocative. He is thus condemned to drink hemlock by an even larger majority of the jurors. Once in prison, awaiting execution, he refuses to flee in order not to violate those laws to which he has always been devoted.

Socrates

Preview: Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever

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Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever

Written by Francesco Barilli with art by Sakka (aka Roberta Sacchi)
Translated from Italian by Lucy Lenzi
Lettering and layout by Giulia Gabrielli
Edited by Stefano A. Cresti
Purchase

Van Gogh is, even today, one of the most renowned artists in the world. His short life was full of mysterious episodes and fascinating peculiarities: from his relationship with his brother Theo–his major benefactor, to the famous argument with Gauguin–which resulted in the partial self-mutilation of his ear, to the extreme act of self-harm which led to his death. Van Gogh led a tormented and fascinating existence. In the end, Theo’s wife Johanna became the first promoter of his work.

The book showcases his life through an intense and uninterrupted dialogue between Vincent Van Gogh and his madness.

Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever