Mafia

Over 11 issues in the mid-1970s, the Norwegian publisher Illustrerte Klassikere / Williams Forlag unleashed Mafia, a painted comic series that plunged readers into the gritty underworld of organized crime. Primarily written by Basswood Torrent, this short-lived run eschewed caped crusaders for a stark, cinematic look at mob life, rendered through moody, full-color paintings that gave each page the feel of a film still. Though its artist remains unattributed in the credits, the series stands as a curious European artifact of the era—a moody, adult-oriented crime saga that predated many similar American comics by years.