The first time I went to Lucca Comics was for Genovese's film "Superheroes."
I was not familiar with it.

I was supposed to shoot a scene in the Lucca Comics, a giant fair of comics, manga and now video games: The places where you see otaku, Naruto, Ero Sennin, Dragon Ball.

In short, that was where I was shooting the scene.

While real cartoonists were signing copies in front of me, I was behind them, and I was lucky enough to see what they do while they are waiting to sign another copy: they draw. They have their notepads, and they draw.

The amazing thing was when the author in front of me opened his notebook and stopped on a page.
It was an anatomy.
I don't remember what part of the body, but it was not comic book style. But classical.

My untrained eye was amazed at the detail of the drawing. Crazy precision with the pencil. I could feel the fine texture of the muscles, the veins. But he drew on it.

My first reaction was to think, "No way, what are you doing! You're crazy! You risk ruining everything. It's the classic mistake: one continues when one should stop!"

But then-I was making the film. So, from time to time, I had to see if in the midst of the total chaos of Lucca Comics anyone needed me.

I didn't tell you this, but the set-which is a mess in itself-if you put it in the middle of a national fair full of other creatives, it comes out fireworks.

I mean, I look around, I'm still free, and I go back to the author to see what a mess he made.
He was still drawing on the sketch from earlier.
He was covering it with his shoulder, so I couldn't see well.

Then he stepped back for a moment and, leaning his back on the chair, allowed me to see his drawing well.

It was better than before. Even more detail, even more truth.

And he continued.
He continued.

Art, technique, is a magnifying glass on reality. Those who use it, who practice it, see hairs in eggs, break stones with thought, have a superpower.

That of moving forward.

There comes a time, I think for everyone, when we choose a path. Different from the one everyone has thought for us. Even different from the one we have always thought of.

In that moment, maybe a compass is the answer to that question, "Does this choice allow me to be able to draw reality better?"

Just like that cartoonist who improved from stroke to stroke, having the ability to return once, ten times, a thousand times to a stroke,
a word,
an expression,
a tone,
a note.

Until our whole life is but
a note,
a tone,
an expression,
a word,
a stroke.
A mark.