This opinion will not have an order, rather an orderly disorder.

Let’s see …

It’s not easy to make an acceptable “society” using animals that behave like humans. But the society of anthropomorphized animals created in Red Nightmare, by the perfect choice of species is an excellent “mirror” society. I can identify, in the facial expressions of animals/characters, the savagery, love, hatred, fatigue, perfidy, wisdom, fear, courage, revolt… The detail of the hyenas, the rabbit ghetto – perfect.

Danilo Antoniucci with a sturdy and musical trace created credible characters who transpired the good and the bad of humanity. If I have to choose a favorite character I point the finger at Night Wanderer: it’s the touch of humor in the story, the element that breaks the tension; the character that we envy for the freedom with which he flies for adventure.

Visually, Red Nightmare is a crazy, fun, colorful – wonderful trip.

The pages where the transition from the real world(?) to the dream world(?) occurs, are very well achieved – excellent color work.

The initial page is delicious: a towering castle, guards with an evil grin, a mother that wards off a child and the soliloquy of an anonymous actor deepens the text of the caption and so… the magic begins.

First, flip through the pages and see the images …
Second, read the text and see the images …
Third, read the pictures and see the text …
Reverse this order and mix everything up …

The text begins, from the very start, by embracing the images and soon on the fifth page we have the words ‘I can only help you see the future through me’ which will make the story take a magical leap into another more magical world – magic within magic, story within story; rabbit inside the magician’s hat. Text, image, special effects – kaboom!

Another kaboom and pause. Shock, surprise. Wow, what now?

And the words of Sissy Pantelis go along with the images and the images go along with the words without competition, in union. And the two elements well combined, oiled, offer the reader astonishment, pain, suspense, confusion …

‘CRI CRI CRI’ is fear to one and a surprise to the reader. ‘That’s … not good!’ is said – but it’s good, it’s, very good.

We have pages without text in which Sissy Pantelis boldly lets Danilo Antoniucci write with images; a wonderful writer who writes words in the silence of expressions, in the silence of moments. The reader is invited to think for himself, is gently pushed there, there, beyond.

And the story hurries, runs very fast and even flies (new inclusion of a story in the story – a bit of homage to another story, perhaps Peter, maybe Pan – I do not know!)

And when the artist and the writer finish without the consent of the reader, but with meaning, the story, I say:

You have got to be joking – it’s over?! How? And I begin to leaf through the book until, without any other solution, I place it there beside me on the shelf.