Frigidaire (magazine)
Italian comics magazine (1980–2008)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frigidaire was a comics magazine published in Rome, Italy. The magazine had significant effects on graphic design, illustrations and written speech in the country during the 1980s.[1] In 2008 it folded, and in 2009 it became a supplement of Liberazione, a now defunct communist newspaper.
| Categories | Comics magazine |
|---|---|
| First issue | November 1980 |
| Final issue | December 2008 |
| Country | Italy |
| Based in | Rome |
| Language | Italian |
| Website | Frigidaire |
History and profile
Frigidaire was established in 1980.[1][2] The first issue appeared in November.[3] The founders were Vincenzo Sparagna, Stefano Tamburini, Filippo Scòzzari, Andrea Pazienza, Massimo Mattioli, and Tanino Liberatore.[4][5] The magazine had its headquarters in Rome.[2]
In addition to cartoons Frigidaire featured avant-garde reportages and interviews[1] and covers articles on visual art.[2] It also included investigative reports.[2] Over time the magazine became a mouthpiece for left-wing counterculture in the country.[2]
At the beginning of the 2000s the frequency of Frigidaire was switched to bi-monthly.[3] In 2003 Vincenzo Sparagna sold the publisher of the magazine,[6] which was temporarily ceased publication from April–May 2003 to 2006.[3]
In 2005, Sparagna moved the magazine's headquarters from Rome to a rural area near Giano dell'Umbria. The estate, dubbed the 'Republic of Frigolandia', housed the magazine's museum. The estate acted like a micro-country, and was established with a constitution that values inclusion.[7]
On 25 April 2009, the magazine began to be published as an insert of Liberazione, a communist daily.[3]
In September 2002, the covers and some selected pages of the magazine were exhibited at the 7th Athens International Comics Festival.[1] Frigidaire's archives are housed at Yale's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.[7]
In 2020, a local right-wing party attempted to evict Sparagna from the Republic of Frigolandia, threatening the museum and its archives.[7]