Linus (magazine)

"Linus" is an Italian comics magazine. The first number was published in April 1965 by Milano Libri, a subsidiary of Rizzoli. It is currently published by Baldini & Castoldi in monthly issues.

The first director of "Linus" was Giovanni Gandini. The magazine published famous foreign comics books like "Peanuts", "Popeye", "Li'l Abner", "Bristow", "Dick Tracy", and others. "Linus" was also the place where important Italian comics found space for the first time: notable examples include "Neutron/Valentina" by Guido Crepax and "Girighiz" by Enzo Lunari.

Since the very beginning, the comics section was accompanied by an extensive section dealing with society, politics, mass media, literature and other cultural themes. The first issue, for example, featured an interview done by Umberto Eco with novelist Elio Vittorini. Satirical strips by famous Italian authors like Altan, Alfredo Chiappori, Sergio Staino, Ellekappa, Angese, Vauro, Bruno D'Alfonso and by foreigners like Jules Feiffer are regularly published. Under Gandini's successor, intellectual, journalist and writer Oreste del Buono (since 1972), "Linus" became one of the most renowned culture magazines in Italy.

Adventures comic book series like "Dick Tracy" or "Jeff Hawke" were initially published separately on special issues. These later were moved into a monthly series, "Alterlinus" (later "Alter Alter" and simply "Alter", 1974), where more adult-themed comics found place, including works by innovative French authors like Moebius, Enki Bilal or Philippe Druillet and Italian artists like Sergio Toppi, Andrea Pazienza and Lorenzo Mattotti. Pure adventure themes were published in the monthly spin-off magazine "Corto Maltese", created in 1983, named after Hugo Pratt's famous character.

Enzo Baldoni, the Italian journalist and writer killed in Iraq in 2004, worked as translator for "Linus", notably for the "Doonesbury" comic strip. Gary Trudeau wrote about him in his website shortly after the accident.

Comic strips published in "Linus"

*"Asterix"
*"B.C."
*"Bristow"
*"Calvin & Hobbes"
*"Corto Maltese"
*"Crock"
*"Dick Tracy"
*"Dilbert"
*"Doonesbury"
*"Fearless Fosdick"
*"Get Fuzzy"
*"Girighiz"
*"Krazy Kat"
*"Li'l Abner"
*"Maakies"
*"Maus"
*"Peanuts"
*"Pogo"
*"Robotman"
*"Valentina"
*"The Wizard of Id"