“Sm and f. (Der. Of comics) (Pl. M. -I). – creator, designer of novels, stories, comic stories. For extens., And in a spouse, author of narrative, or films, of little value, (…) and easy to effect films ». This is the definition that Treccani, the most updated and well -kept Italian vocabulary, made online. But not only her (see image). A definition that today, even more than 30 or 50 years ago, contrasts deeply with the artistic and cultural value brought by the comic on the shelves of houses, bookstores and libraries. So after a petition launched by the Graphic Journalism magazine The RevueTreccani has announced the updating of the definition of “cartoonist” in his own vocabulary. The negative meaning will be eliminated that associated it with superficial and poor value works, thus recognizing its full cultural and artistic dignity with comics.
A linguistic battle for the dignity of the comic
The question emerged when Massimo Colella, editorial director of The Revuea comic journalism project born in May 2022 and today published by Fandango, he came across the definition of “cartoonist” reported by several dictionaries, including Treccani, Garzanti and De Mauro. “I discovered this definition thanks to Giusy Gallizia, a cartoonist and illustrator, who spoke of it indignant in her stories on social media,” says Colella. «I immediately intrigued myself and did a more in -depth research. I found a series of definitions that reported more or less the same concept: author of mediocre works, superficial and easy to effective».
The problem, according to Colella, was not only the content of the definition, but also its poor contextualization: «Some dictionaries specified that the use was derogatory, others instead did not. So it was even more confused and, in some ways, offensive ».
Treccani’s petition and response
Hence the idea of launching a petition, with the aim of raising public awareness and asking Treccani and other institutions to update the definition. «I knew that our comic book community is quite united, so I made a post on social media to see if the theme would have aroused reactions. In fact, he triggered a huge debate, “explains Colella.
Within a few months, the petition has collected over 1300 signatures. «They are not gigantic numbers, but they are the signatures of people, illustrators, cartoonists and readers, who have taken the time to understand the question and adhere to the cause. When we arrived a thousand, I wrote to Treccani, Garzanti, De Mauro and others. Treccani was the first to respond, publishing an official announcement in which he recognized that the definition was obsolete and had to be updated ».
The cultural meaning of change
For Colella, this battle does not only concern a linguistic question: “Language model the perception of reality. If a child who dreams of being a cartoonist goes looking for the definition and law which means ‘author of mediocre works’, what image will be made of this profession»?
The official recognition of the value of the comic is essential, especially in light of its growing importance in the international cultural panorama. “Just see what happens in France, where the comic has a recognition comparable to that of literature,” observes Colella who directs the magazine from the French capital. «Also in Italy things are changing: today bookstores dedicate whole plans to comics, graphic novels win literary prizes and the comic is studied in schools. This linguistic update is a small step, but significant».
A sector still little supported
Despite the success of the petition, Colella notes a certain silence from the editorial world: «The authors responded en masse, many supported the initiative. But by the publishers and large houses that publish comics there was less reaction than we expected. I don’t want to be polemicalbut one might expect more involvement from those who earn thanks to the cartoonists. Only a publisher who reacted to our petition: mice ».
The Revuethe magazine that promoted the petition represents a concrete example of how comics can be a powerful language even in journalism. “Our goal has always been to raise the bar, don’t lower it,” says Colella. He adds: “We do serious journalism through comics, showing that it is an instrument of information with his authority”.
The graphic Journalism combines the visual force of the drawing with the deepening of investigative journalism. “In our team, journalists work closely with cartoonists to translate reports into illustrated stories. In this way, we can tell complex themes in an accessible form, without losing depth». This is thanks to the work of Editor by Lorenzo Palloni, who deals with coordinating journalists and designers and Andrea Coccia responsible director who takes care of the journalistic part of the editorial staff, evaluates the proposals and thinks about the best “cut” that the report could have.
A necessary change
Returning to the initial question, how important is this lexical modification? Massimo Colella replies with determination: «There is still a lot of ignorance around the comic. Someone could say that there are more important battles, but for those who make this profession, recognition is fundamental. If the language diminishes it, social perception also suffers from it».
Waiting for Treccani to formalize the update, the message launched by the petition remains clear: «The comic is no longer, and it has never been, a minor art form. Whoever creates it deserves respect. And now even the dictionaries begin to recognize it ».
