Death; Diabolik Poster 

Robert Sammelin made this Diabolik movie poster, sometime in the twentieth century. The poster reflects the original Italian comic book series that began in the early 1960s, featuring a suave master thief, and the subsequent film adaptations. Sammelin's poster is particularly interesting as a cultural artifact that blends elements of retro pulp fiction with a contemporary sensibility. The characters are depicted in a dynamic and somewhat cartoonish style, characteristic of the original comics, but there’s also a deliberate nod to the aesthetics of vintage film posters. The image creates meaning through its visual codes, referencing the classic imagery of mid-century crime thrillers, while modernizing it with sharper lines and a more graphic approach. To fully appreciate this piece, one might delve into the history of Italian comics, film marketing, and even the broader social and cultural trends that have shaped our enduring fascination with anti-heroes and crime.