Mandrake, Aarcivescovo Di Salem (which translates to Mandrake, Archbishop of Salem) is a book published by Newton Compton Editori (released under their Newton Narratori fiction imprint) in Rome, Italy in 1981. The book is a collection of paradoxical, surreal, and satirical short stories written by Carlo Villa (1931–2026), a prominent Italian poet, essayist, and novelist known for his sharp social critiques and collaborative work with avant-garde literary journals like “il verr” and “Menabò”.
Newton Compton Editori is a prominent Italian publishing house founded in Rome in 1969 by Vittorio Avanzini. From its inception, the company carved out a distinct niche in the Italian literary landscape by focusing heavily on the paperback market. By pioneering affordable, low-cost editions of literary classics, poetry, and educational essays in the 1970s, Newton Compton democratized access to culture for everyday Italian readers. Vittorio Avanzini maintained long-term stewardship of the house, eventually running the operation alongside his son, Raffaello.
Over the decades, the publisher significantly expanded its editorial horizons beyond standard reprints. Beginning in the 2000s, Newton Compton aggressively built up one of Italy’s strongest and most diverse catalogs for genre fiction. They became a major hub for both original Italian works and translated international commercial fiction, establishing a massive footprint in historical novels, fantasy, horror, thriller, and contemporary romance. They are well-known for hosting major bestsellers, including the historical fiction of Marcello Simoni and the highly popular romance novels of Felicia Kingsley.
The house entered a major new chapter in 2019 when it was acquired by the prominent Italian publishing giant Gruppo editoriale Mauri Spagnol (GeMS). Despite becoming part of a larger corporate framework, Newton Compton has retained its distinct brand identity and core philosophy of balancing quality entertainment with accessible culture. Today, it remains a powerhouse in the Italian mass-market industry, distributing extensive lines of physical paperbacks alongside a robust digital catalog of e-books.
Mandrake, Aarcivescovo Di Salem contains a softcover with 130 pages measuring 13cm x 20.5cm. The cover design heavily leans into the pop-art aesthetic of comic books juxtaposed with classical Italian institutions. It features Tarzan swinging on a vine, Mandrake the Magician gesturing in his signature tuxedo and cape, and the Phantom (L’Uomo Mascherato) running dynamically in the foreground. At the bottom, the characters are juxtaposed against a cut-out image of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, setting up the surreal clash between classic comic book escapism and deep-rooted religious or societal institutions (tying into the “Archbishop” title).
As highlighted by the subtitle on the cover, “Attraverso racconti fantastici e paradossali famosi personaggi dei fumetti rivivono le nevrosi contemporanee”, which translates to “Through fantastic and paradoxical stories, famous comic book characters bring contemporary neuroses back to life”, the book is a collection of paradoxical, surreal, and satirical short stories.
Villa utilizes iconic, classic American comic strip heroes as allegorical vessels to dissect and critique the anxieties, neuroses, and political/cultural landscape of contemporary Western (and specifically Italian) society. Rather than traditional adventure tales, these pop-culture figures are displaced into absurd, high-concept, and psychological scenarios.
The volume collects distinct narrative prose pieces, which include:
- Mandrake, arcivescovo di Salem (The titular story)
- Il salto di qualità (The Leap in Quality)
- Chi di noi è più porno? (Which of Us is More Porno?)
- L’Ombra colpisce ancora (The Shadow/The Phantom Strikes Again)
thephantom.fan 