Petra Chérie

Sophie Castille Award 2026 NOMINEE

Set during World War I and originally published in serial format from 1977-1982, Petra Chérie follows the adventures of Petra De Karlowitz, "Chérie" to creator Attilio Micheluzzi, who addresses her throughout the book. Born to a Polish businessman and the most beautiful woman in Paris, raised in Canton, China, and now based in neutral Holland, she is a spy who answers only to herself. Evoking but cleverly eschewing stereotypes of the femme fatale, Petra is equally at home in the cockpit of an airplane and behind the wheel of a motorcar. More than that, she is an endlessly fascinating enigma and one of the most iconic characters in Italian comics.

In short, thrilling tales across sky, sea, and land, zipping from Northern Europe to Mitteleuropa, from the Balkans to the Bosphorus to the nascent Soviet Union, Micheluzzi grapples with an era when Europe's borders were in flux and battle lines were often blurred. Petra steps in where national allegiances come into conflict with our common humanity.

Attilio Micheluzzi, an architect by training who grew up between Istria, Libya, and Naples, brings his international experiences and his keen sense of perspective to his work. In the tradition of the Corto Maltese adventures and stylish look of Guido Crepax's Valentina, Petra Chérie is the touchstone book in Fantagraphics' comprehensive Micheluzzi library, prepared in collaboration with the author's daughter Agnese Micheluzzi.