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by Sergio Rossi (Author), Giovanni Scarduelli (Illustrator)
Another unique book in Mad Cave's series of English print releases from Italian publisher Becco Giallo and Comixology Originals. Nikola Tesla follows two friends and collaborators making a film about the famous inventor's life--and debating, between themselves, the very merits of that reputation. Sardonic and honest, this graphic novel is a refreshing reflection on the extraordinary changes to modern culture since Tesla's era, as well as a fascinating insight into the turbulent life of the "mad genius."
Who was Nikola Tesla? A brilliant inventor or a visionary uncoupled from his time? In this fictionalized exploration of his life, two filmmakers set out to settle the debate. Growing up in poverty in the mid-19th century under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Tesla studied and became an engineer on his own strength. He emigrated to America, where he was employed in the laboratory of the famous Thomas Edison, the inventor of the phonograph and the light bulb. But corruption and competition among Tesla's colleagues--chief among them Edison himself--led to the "War of Currents," a heated race for control of the world electricity market. Tesla came out on top of that race, but a strange and tragic confluence of events and prejudices led to his public downfall. With more than two hundred different patents and inventions over his lifetime, including the remote control and fluorescent lighting, Tesla is remembered today as one of the most important innovators in modern history. Sergio Rossi and Giovanni Scarduelli's funny, heartfelt retelling speaks not only to the inventor's legacy, but to our relationship with technology and the very concept of "genius."Author Biography
Sergio Rossi has a degree in Physics and works in the publishing industry as a writer, contributor to the public understanding of science, editor and historian of comic books, and has published with Einaudi Ragazzi, Feltrinelli, San Paolo, Coccolebooks, Gribaudo, Il Castoro and Fabbri. As a contributor to the public understanding of science, his last book about global warming is Fa un po' caldo: una storia breve del riscaldamento globale e dei suoi protagonisti (Fabbri 2020, with Federico Grazzini). A short list of his books includes: Il secolo elettrico (Librivolanti, 2020), Masao l'eroe di Fukushima (Einaudi Ragazzi), Il terzo figlio (San Paolo, 2017), Un lampo nell'ombra (Feltrinelli Kids 2013).
Giovanni Scarduelli is an illustrator, cartoonist, and visual and concept designer. He illustrated the graphic novel Edward Hopper - The Story of His Life (Prestel Pub, 2021, written by Sergio Rossi) and Mark Rothko - The Story of His Life (Prestel Pub, 2021, written by Francesco Matteuzzi) which have been translated and published in the US, England, Germany and Russia. As an illustrator for children's books, he illustrated Tana libera tutti - Sama Modiano, il bambino che tornò da Auschwitz by Walter Veltroni (Feltrinelli UP, 2021), the Italian hardback edition of Un sacchetto di biglie by Joseph Joffo (BUR Rizzoli, 2021), Giorgio Perlasca - Un giusto tra le nazioni (Edizioni EL 2021 written by Luca Cognolato and Silvia Del Francia) and the covers of The boy Sherlock Holmes by Shane Peacock (Italian editions, Feltrinelli 2019).
